What is this tool? A picture guide to home repair tools

Common uses. Measuring rooms, doors, windows, furniture and parts before you buy.

How to tell it apart. The metal hook on the end is loose on purpose. It slides about the thickness of the hook so inside and outside measurements both read true. Don't confuse it with a soft cloth tape for sewing, which stretches and has no lock.

Common uses. Hanging shelves, pictures and curtain rods, and checking appliances and door frames.

How to tell it apart. The vial along the length reads level. The vial set across it reads plumb, for upright things like door frames. A short 9 inch torpedo level fits in tight spots. A laser level is a different tool that projects a line on the wall.

Common uses. Finding studs before you hang shelves, TV mounts, grab bars or heavy mirrors.

How to tell it apart. Most are electronic, with a screen or lights and a notch at the top to mark the stud edge. Hold it flat on the wall before you press the button so it can set itself. A small magnet that sticks to drywall screws does the same job a slower way.

Common uses. Marking square cuts on boards and trim, marking 45 degree cuts, and checking that a corner is square.

How to tell it apart. The raised lip (the fence) along one edge is what makes it a speed square. The long edge has a degree scale from 0 to 90. A framing square is a flat steel L with two long arms and no lip.

Common uses. Driving and pulling nails, hanging pictures, and light demolition.

How to tell it apart. The claw curves down toward the handle. A framing hammer is heavier, with a straighter claw and often a textured face that leaves marks. A ball-peen hammer has a round knob instead of a claw and is for metalwork.

Common uses. Tapping flooring together, knocking furniture joints apart or back in, and setting pavers.

How to tell it apart. The head is round and much bigger than a hammer head, with no claw. Black rubber can leave scuffs on light surfaces, so a white or gray head is the safer pick for flooring. A dead blow hammer looks similar but has a hollow head filled with shot, so it doesn't bounce.

Common uses. Removing baseboard and door trim, lifting a floor transition strip, and pulling nails.

How to tell it apart. It is flat and thin, unlike a round crowbar. Both ends have a V-shaped notch for nail heads, and most have a nail-pulling hole in the middle.

Common uses. Setting finish nails in trim, baseboard and flooring, and resetting nails that have popped up.

How to tell it apart. It looks like a thick nail with a knurled grip and a flat head. The tip is cupped so it sits on the nail head without sliding off. Sets come in a few tip sizes.

Common uses. Switch plates, cabinet hinges, door hardware, appliance panels and battery covers.

How to tell it apart. Sizes run #0 to #4. A #2 fits most screws around the house. A Pozidriv tip looks close but has small extra lines between the arms, and a Phillips tip in a Pozidriv screw tends to slip.

Common uses. Slotted screws, radiator bleed valves, and some outlet and switch cover screws.

How to tell it apart. Pick a blade about as wide as the slot. Too narrow and it twists out. Too wide and it scrapes the surface around the screw. The tip flares out slightly from the shank.

Common uses. Supply line nuts, faucet nuts, bolts on furniture and appliance feet.

How to tell it apart. The jaws are smooth and flat, made for six-sided nuts. Roll the jaws snug before you turn so they don't round off the corners. A pipe wrench has teeth and is for round pipe instead.

Common uses. Turning steel and iron pipe and large fittings, often with a second wrench holding the pipe.

How to tell it apart. The top hook jaw sits a little loose on purpose, so the jaws can rock and bite. The teeth scar chrome and soft metal, so wrap a rag around finished parts or use a different tool. Tongue-and-groove pliers do a lot of the same work in a smaller size.

Common uses. Faucet handle set screws, furniture, door levers, and freeing a jammed garbage disposal.

How to tell it apart. They come in inch and metric sets, and the two don't swap well. A ball end on the long arm lets you turn at an angle. Use the short arm in the screw for more turning force.

Common uses. Nuts and bolts on furniture, appliances, toilet bolts and bikes, especially where a ratchet won't fit.

How to tell it apart. The size is stamped on the shaft, and they come in inch and metric sets. The ring (box) end grips all six corners of a nut. An adjustable wrench has a sliding jaw instead of fixed ends.

Common uses. Deck and railing bolts, a water heater anode rod, furniture and appliance bolts.

How to tell it apart. Sockets come in inch and metric sets, and in 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 inch drive sizes that must match the ratchet. Flip the small lever on the head to switch between tightening and loosening.

Common uses. Holding nuts and bolts, gripping small parts, and bending wire.

How to tell it apart. The jaws have a flat front for small parts and a curved section behind it for round things. There are only two jaw positions. If you see a row of grooves for many positions, it is tongue-and-groove pliers.

Common uses. Plastic drain slip nuts, supply nuts, shower heads and pipe fittings.

How to tell it apart. Look for the curved channels near the pivot and jaws that point off to the side. They are the go-to tool for the big plastic slip nuts under a sink. A pipe wrench is heavier and better for steel pipe.

Common uses. Bending wire hooks for outlets and switches, and reaching small parts in tight spots.

How to tell it apart. The jaws taper to a point. Most have a small cutter near the pivot for snipping wire. Bent-nose pliers are the same idea with the tip angled.

Common uses. Cutting drywall, carpet, old caulk, tape and boxes.

How to tell it apart. The blade is a short trapezoid and the slider locks it at one or more lengths. A snap-off knife looks similar but has a long blade scored into segments you break off. Slide the blade back in after every cut.

Common uses. Cutting metal pipe, bolts, threaded rod and plastic pipe.

How to tell it apart. The blade is thin and replaceable, and the teeth should point away from the handle so it cuts on the push. A coping saw looks similar but has a deeper frame and a very thin blade for curves in wood.

Common uses. Cutting aluminum flashing, gutter patches, metal corner bead and vinyl trim.

How to tell it apart. Aviation snips are color coded: red handles cut curves to the left, green to the right, and yellow cut straight. Basic tin snips have one pivot and longer blades, like big scissors.

Common uses. Cutting holes for electrical boxes and cutting out damaged drywall before a patch.

How to tell it apart. The sharp point lets you start a cut without drilling a hole first, and there is no frame. A hacksaw has a frame and fine teeth for metal.

Common uses. Clearing clogs in toilets, sinks and tubs.

How to tell it apart. A cup plunger has a flat rim that seals on flat drains like sinks and tubs. A flange plunger has a soft sleeve under the bell that fits into a toilet drain. You can fold the sleeve up to use a flange plunger on a sink.

Common uses. Clearing toilet clogs a plunger can't move, like a toy or a wad of paper in the trap.

How to tell it apart. The bottom is bent into a J and covered with a rubber guard so it won't scratch the bowl. The cable is usually 3 to 6 feet long. A regular drain snake has no guard and can mark the porcelain.

Common uses. Tightening or removing faucet mounting nuts and supply nuts behind a sink.

How to tell it apart. Nothing else looks like it. The jaw flips over so the same tool tightens or loosens. Use it when there is no room to get a regular wrench or pliers on the nut.

Common uses. Cutting copper, brass and aluminum tubing, like water lines and supply tubes.

How to tell it apart. Look for the small cutting wheel opposite two rollers, and a knob you turn to tighten it. Many have a fold-out deburring blade. A hacksaw also cuts tubing but leaves a rough, crooked end.

Common uses. Checking that a wire, outlet, switch or fixture is dead before you touch it.

How to tell it apart. It has no wires or probes. Test it on an outlet you know is live first, then the wires you plan to touch, then the live outlet again. A multimeter has two probe leads and reads exact voltage. A plug-in outlet tester has three lights and checks wiring.

Common uses. Stripping insulation when you replace an outlet, switch or light fixture.

How to tell it apart. The holes are marked with wire gauge numbers. House wiring is usually 14 or 12 gauge. Most have a cutting edge near the tip. Diagonal cutters look similar but have only cutting jaws and no holes.

Common uses. Testing appliance parts like heating elements, thermal fuses and switches, and checking batteries and doorbell transformers.

How to tell it apart. It has a screen, a big rotary dial and two leads, one red and one black. A non-contact voltage tester is a single pen with no leads.

Common uses. Spackling nail holes, filling small dents, and scraping paint or old caulk.

How to tell it apart. Most are 1 to 3 inches wide. A drywall taping knife is the same shape but 6 inches or wider. A 5-in-1 tool has a stiff blade with a pointed corner and a curved notch.

Common uses. Caulking tubs, sinks, windows and trim, and applying construction adhesive.

How to tell it apart. Press the release tab at the back to stop the flow when you let go of the trigger. Some guns do this on their own and are called dripless. The cradle takes the standard 10 oz tubes.

Common uses. Drilling holes, driving screws, and mixing small batches of thinset or paint with a mixer bit.

How to tell it apart. The chuck has three jaws that tighten around round or hex bits. Use the low speed for screws and the high speed for holes. An impact driver looks similar but has a short quick-release socket for hex bits only and hammers in bursts as it turns.

Common uses. Undercutting door casing, cutting out a damaged board, removing grout and trimming nails flush.

How to tell it apart. The blade sticks out from the front of the head, not from a round spinning disc. Blades swap for cutting, scraping grout or sanding. A reciprocating saw is much bigger and moves its blade in and out.

Common uses. Long deck screws, lag screws, and driving a lot of screws fast.

How to tell it apart. There is no three-jaw chuck and no clutch collar, just a short sleeve you pull forward to drop in a hex bit. It is shorter than a drill/driver and rattles loudly when it starts hammering.