What to put in a home workshop tool kit
A home workshop does not start with a dream of “everything that might be useful”, but with a few tools you use every week: tighten a screw, open a socket, drive a nail, find the same screwdriver instead of digging through boxes.
A solid base: hand tool sets, hammers, screwdrivers and somewhere to keep it all (bags). Drilling and sawing have their own guides — this article does not replace them.
Ready-made set — what it actually covers
- KS Tools 97-piece set — 1/4" and 1/2" sockets, ratchets, combination wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, 300 g hammer and knife in a plastic case (chrome-vanadium steel).
- Scheppach TB235 — 233 pieces: sockets, bits, wrenches 8–19 mm, ABS case. Aimed at household, car and workshop — but it is not a drill and not a saw.
97 vs 233 is a piece count, not a quality score and not “how many jobs get done”. The smaller set already has hammer and pliers; the larger one has more sockets and bits. Neither covers drilling wood or sawing on its own.
On the box, “1/4” and “1/2” are drive squares, not the nut size in mm. How to read them: socket drive squares. All sets: tool sets.
If you buy a set “because of many parts” but 80% of life is a furniture screw and a wheel nut, a 97-piece case with a hammer is often a more practical start than a huge box you are afraid to carry.
What a set does not replace
If the case already has a hammer, a separate 300 g engineer’s hammer (KS Tools) helps when you do not want to lug the case. Heavier hammers are for other jobs — for home nails and screws 300 g is often enough to start.
PH and flat screwdriver set is handy at the bench when the kit bits stay in the box. For powered driving: cordless drill. For a wood saw: how to choose a wood saw.
In short: the set is “hand-tool foundation”. Power tools and saws are the next layer — after the work, not automatic add-ons.
Where to put the tools
Both sets already come in a case. For carrying extras, Stanley Fatmax 28 L backpack works well. More on storage: how to store tools.
Larger workshops use tool trolleys, for example KS Tools RACINGline (7 drawers, 215 tools). That is a different scale than a 97-piece home case — do not buy “included in the kit” thinking when you only need a hammer and sockets. A trolley is when you already have many tools and order becomes a daily problem.
Practical start (order)
- Hand set with sockets and wrenches.
- Hammer and screwdrivers if missing from the case or left in the box unused.
- Bag or shelf — so tools do not live “somewhere in the garage”.
- Separately — drill and saw for what you do most.
- When drilling and sawing: protective gear.
Typical mistakes
- Buying a huge set “for life” when the job is a shelf and hinges.
- Expecting a hand set to replace a drill.
- Buying a trolley before you have tools to fill it.
- Clutter: a good set with nowhere to put it quickly becomes chaos.
Before you buy
Decide what you will do this month, not “someday”. Then pick a set by contents (hammer? pliers? socket sizes?), not only by the piece count on the box. Leave budget room for a drill or saw if those are your real jobs.
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