12 Home Improvement Gadgets From Lowe's That Just Work

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Apple's massive success with the iPhone and iPad is its philosophy that "it just works." You open the box, and the thing inside works as intended. Believe it or not, the same logic applies to home improvement tools as well. It's true that virtually all hand tools are like this. You can pull a hammer, screwdriver, or wrench out of the package and start using it immediately, with no assembly or complicated instructions required, though you should still follow proper safety protocols. There are many gadgets that also fall into this category, and you can buy them in many places, including Lowe's.

Home improvement gadgets are interesting because there are many ways to improve your home, and many gadgets to do so. Many of them are overkill. For example, there are some benefits to an auto hammer, but unless you're frequently working with wood and nails, a regular hammer works just fine and is much cheaper. So, there is a Venn diagram of gadgets that just work but are also useful enough to warrant having around projects. If you're preparing for a trip to Lowe's, here are some gadgets that just work and are also fairly useful. 

Technically speaking, power tools aren't typically considered gadgets. They're considered tools. However, with a little out-of-the-box thinking and a can-do attitude, you can turn a power tool into a gadget, and for that, the DeWalt 20V Max Cordless Drill is as good as any that you'll find at Lowe's. It comes with a battery and a charger, costs $179, and has a compact design, so you have everything you need out of the box; you just need attachments and bits.

Pair it with a bit set like this one, and you can already do a ton of work with a cordless drill. However, the real fun comes when you start looking into attachments. These RotoScrub Cleaning Pads turn your drill into a scrub pad for tasks like cleaning tubs and tiles, and the Diamond Shine Drill Brush adds more cleaning options. The Wal-Board Steel Ribbon Mixing Arm turns it into a paint mixer. There are plenty of these attachments to look into, effectively turning your cordless drill into a cleaner, mixer, driller, screwdriver, and even a ratchet if you pick up these socket adapters. We think that makes cordless drills count as gadgets.

Some ideas are just flat cool, and the magnetic stud finder is one of them. The big name-brand is the StudBuddy, which is a perfectly good gadget. However, for a few more bucks, you can get the Klein Tools Magnetic Stud Finder, which includes a built-in level, a notch to help you find the center easily, and a bottom opening for marking your wall if need be. In terms of usability, user reviews praise both equally, so we're just recommending the one that does more than one thing. Being able to perform multiple tasks with one gadget is definitely helpful.

Magnetic stud finders are cool because they have strong magnets built in. Since studs always have nails and screws in them, this stud finder will detect a stud when the magnet reacts to a nail. Once it does, you can use the marking hole on the Klein version to mark your stud and keep going until you find all the ones you need. The fact that it works without batteries, unlike most standard stud finders, means you can pull it out of the box and start using it immediately, making it one of the simplest gadgets you can buy.

Screwdrivers are already pretty easy to use, and the electric ones aren't much different. There are tons of brands available, and most of them are pretty good. For home improvement stuff, you can really choose just about any of them. The Kobalt 4V Cordless Screwdriver is a good mix of value and performance in this case. It features a 1/4-inch quick-release chuck that should be compatible with your existing bit set if you have one. If you don't have a bit set, that's okay; this screwdriver comes with some. Paired with the charging cable that comes in the box, you have everything you need to get started immediately.

These are nice to have if you're doing a decent amount of repair, improvement, or home maintenance. Houses are put together with wood and screws, so having something like this is nice, especially if you're doing something like hanging a picture or removing an HVAC vent, where you may not want the full torque of a cordless drill. It's quicker than doing it by hand with a regular screwdriver, and it's also a good option to consider if you have a physical disability but still want to do your own home maintenance. 

Cordless vacuums are quite useful in the home improvement space. There are some things you really don't want to clean with your regular vacuum, and, speaking from experience, carrying your shop vac around everywhere can be a pain in the rear end. Most handheld vacuums are built for in-house use, but something like the Craftsman V20 Cordless Handheld Vacuum can handle just about anything, from sawdust in the workshop to pet hair in your car. It comes with a two-stage filter, a crevice tool for hard-to-reach spots, and it's compatible with Craftsman's other V20 tools. 

Handheld vacuums are pretty easy to use. For this one, you pop it out of the box, attach the battery, and you're off to the races. It's the same general design that handheld vacuums have had for decades, so there's nothing new with this one. It's just good at cleaning up all sorts of filth, and since home improvement can make quite a mess, having a vacuum helps. The only downer is that it doesn't come with a battery, so if you're not into Craftsman's power tools, something like the Black & Decker Dustbuster also works and comes with a battery.

Checking your electrical stuff is a wildly underrated part of home improvement or maintenance, and the good news is that with a single purchase, you can cover all the bases. The Klein Tools Test Kit is a solid choice here. It comes with a multimeter, a non-contact volt tester, and an outlet tester. I personally own all three of these tools and can attest that you can pull them out of the box and start using them immediately. The volt tester and outlet tester don't even need instructions, since the volt tester is easy to use and the outlet tester has instructions printed on the device itself. 

The multimeter works great, but there is a bit of a learning curve. There are settings for car batteries, outlet voltages, and other currents and resistances that can make troubleshooting a problem much easier. The multimeter comes with a manual that explains each setting, so as long as you read it, it's pretty easy to use overall. This trio of tools is useful for a variety of improvement, repair, and maintenance tasks, such as replacing an outlet to ensure it's connected properly. It's worth having the set around. 

Dremel introduced the first rotary tool to the market in 1935, and it has been a staple tool ever since to this day. Lowe's sells Dremel products, including the excellent Dremel 8240, the brand's variable-speed cordless rotary tool. It comes with quite a few things in the box, including various bits you can use to sand, polish, sharpen, shape, and cut, along with the necessary battery and charger, so you can pull it out of the box and start using it right away. Dremels haven't changed much in the last few decades, so there are also tons of tutorials online if you do need a little help. 

You can use a rotary tool for tons of home improvement tasks, so you're pretty much limited only by your imagination. The bits are simple enough to switch between, and there are quite a lot of them, even in the box. You can buy more if you need to, and Dremel even sells kits that expand the functionality. Just remember that there are limits, though, and these are better suited for detailed work and smaller tasks. If you need to do bigger tasks, you'll want a power tool. 

You might have noticed a trend: many good home-improvement gadgets that just work are mechanical versions of common hand tools. The DeWalt Xtreme 12V Max Cordless Ratchet is another such example. This little guy comes equipped with a 3/8-inch ratchet, compatible with any 3/8-inch socket, so you can use your existing sockets if you have them. It works with DeWalt's existing 12V Max, so if you don't have those, there are versions that come with a battery and sockets, which may be a better purchase if you don't intend to buy more tools.

The logic here is that this is useful in the same way as a cordless screwdriver. There's a ton of stuff in your house held together with nuts and bolts, and you can pull this out of the box, put a socket on it, and use it to help you do anything from assembling furniture to assembling cabinets to even wall-mounting a TV. It's easier to use than a standard ratchet and should get these jobs done a lot quicker. 

Multitools are pretty great, and there are a ton of them on the market. The tools even spawned their own community, called EDC, or everyday carry. One of the biggest and most recognizable brands in that space is Leatherman, which you can buy at Lowe's, including the Leatherman Wave+. This tool is actually 18 tools in one device, giving you common tools for immediate use whenever you need them. They come with a 25-year warranty, and once folded up, they're light and small enough to fit in a pocket. Some folks opt to carry something like this around all the time. 

The reason is that you can use these little gadgets for just about anything around the house. Have a nail that needs bending? Use the pliers function. Is that screw loose? Use the screwdriver. Having one of these can save you a trip to the garage for tools many times over, especially if you carry it around on you all the time. Since these don't require batteries, they're ready to use as soon as they come out of the box, and aside from occasional maintenance, a multitool just sits in your pocket until you need it. 

When it comes to shining a light on something, it's hard to beat the humble flashlight, of which there are many good ones. However, I'd put it to you that for home improvement, repair, and maintenance, a headlamp has a clear spot in your toolbox. You don't need anything too fancy, so the Kobalt 850-lumen Rechargeable Headlamp will do just fine. It's bright, has six lighting modes, and the adjustable band can be set to fit your dome. There's even a turbo mode that can go up to 1,000 lumens, although you probably won't ever have an occasion to use it. 

Headlamps are good whenever you want both hands free and a light pointed at what you're working on. I've done several home improvement projects where my headlamp came in handy, especially if my helpers couldn't also get into the space with me. These little things are rechargeable and come out of the box ready to go with no complex instructions. Adjust the band, put it in, turn it on, and get to work. Lowe's has several headlamps on sale, so you can choose the one that works best for you. The really nice ones are twice as expensive, so unless you need something specialized, the Kobalt will do the trick. 

Borescopes are handy gadgets for any homeowner, especially if your toilet, tub, or sink gets clogged up pretty often. There are many of them on the market, including a ton of off-brand ones on Amazon. For this application, the Klein Tools Utility Borescope is worth the extra money. It includes a 9.8-foot waterproof camera that can be snaked into all manner of small spaces and holes. It connects to a 4.3-inch LCD display. Klein also adds an LED light to the camera so you can see in front of it, along with two attachments: a magnet to pull things out of drains and a hook to grab stuff if you need to. 

The neat thing about borescopes like this is that everything is included in the box, including the attachments, camera, and display. All you need to do is hook everything up, turn it on, and start threading the camera into whatever dark corner you want to explore more. There are some extra features that may require a manual, such as taking pictures, but general use is as easy as turning it on. It is on the pricier side for a gadget, and you may not use it all the time, but as someone who owns a borescope, I can attest that you'll be glad you did when you need it. 

Unless you want everything in your house to be crooked, a good level is invaluable to a DIYer. They come in all shapes and sizes, from bubble levels to laser levels. For this list, the best option at Lowe's is the Bosch 60ft Self-Leveling Cross-line Laser Level. It's a pretty simple little gadget. You mount it on a wall, and it projects a laser you can use to install things level, like cabinets, shelves, pictures, and more. The neat part, though, is the self-leveling tech, which lets you get close enough to level, and the device handles the rest. 

It works this way by having a pendulum system. When you mount the level close enough to level, the pendulum uses gravity to level itself out. If it can't, it'll blink to let you know it can't create a level laser in its current configuration. This mechanism locks when the level is switched off, so you can safely carry it in a toolbox without ruining the device. It's a bit expensive, but it comes with everything you need in the box, and you really won't need another laser level. It is important to note, though, that this thing can't work miracles, so make sure to get it as close as you can.

So far, this list has included gadgets used to improve your home rather than those that improve it directly. This last item does a little bit of both. There are some great smart thermostats, including models from Google, Amazon, Honeywell, and others. These come with many features, including the ability to view and adjust your temperatures remotely via your smartphone, and some can even intelligently adjust the temperature based on whether you're home. The Ecobee Essential Smart Thermostat is a good one to start with if you're a little wary of smart home gadgets. 

On top of the above benefits, which improve your home, Ecobee thermostats can also help with home improvement. An estimated 82% of people in the U.S. don't regularly change their furnace filters, leading to dirty filters that reduce airflow and make the HVAC system work harder. Ecobee thermostats have a reminder function that'll send you a message when it's time to replace yours, on a schedule you set, so you remember to do it regularly. In addition, if your AC or furnace is broken, Ecobee will send you messages when it's calling for heating or cooling but isn't getting it, alerting you to the problem even if you're not at home. 

These tools were chosen based on a few criteria. First, they had to be home improvement items you could buy specifically at Lowe's. Second, each product above has at least a 4.0-star rating and at least 100 reviews, although most of the products listed have higher ratings and far more customer reviews. We also sourced pro reviews where necessary. Each product also had to be reasonably definable as a gadget and not just a tool. 

In addition, I have been a homeowner for seven years, and I've been doing my own home repairs, maintenance, and improvements. I own a sizable percentage of the gadgets above, or at least similar models from other brands, so I have experience with most of the products, which helped determine the list. If you're looking for gadgets to improve your home space, we have a separate list here.