The Best New Hand Tools of 2024

THE 2024 Tool of the Year Awards Program is the first in what promises to become an annual tradition of celebrating the most notable new home tools and aids. This set highlights the most practical products launched over the past 12 months across seven essential home improvement categories, from power tools to cleaning tools. We’re also awarding a DIY Game Changer, an honor reserved for the most exciting project innovation of the year. Check out all the winners here.

Although they lack external power sources, hand tools have been used successfully for millennia to build structures and perform tasks such as cutting, tightening, measuring, etc. The following five winners in the Hand Tools category of our 2024 Tools of the Year competition have all been recently released and feature new and innovative solutions to everyday tasks. Winners range from a tool that restores damaged threads on internal nuts to a carpenter’s square fitted to a tape measure.

These useful hand tools represent the best of what’s new in the DIY and construction sectors and impressed our jury with their usefulness and innovation. Discover the latest and greatest ideas in hand tools.

Having a DeWalt ToughSeries construction jack is like having an extra pair of hands on the job: It can lift and stabilize objects weighing up to 340 pounds up to 8 3/4 inches off the ground. This type of support can come in handy when working on a range of tasks, from holding doors at the correct height when inserting bolts into hinges to lifting a panel of drywall so that It fits perfectly in a top row for seamless tape. Best of all, the handle of this jack is double-hinged and durable enough to be operated by foot pumps as well as hand pressures.

Get the DeWalt ToughSeries Construction Jack at Home Depot for $119.97.

If you’ve ever gone to the hardware store in the middle of a project to get new bolts because you crossed the only one you had and damaged it, this new tool could save you time and get your project back on track. rails. The Rotary Thread Tool Set includes cutting bits and tools used to restore rusted or damaged threads on bolts or screws so they can be used or reused as intended. They can even be used to restore damaged threads inside large nuts. Rotary thread tools are designed for standard drills, rotary tools (like Dremels), or grinders, depending on the bit size. Avoid replacing expensive pipes and bolts by using a rotary threader to clean and repair threads.

Get the Rotary Thread Standard Repair Kit on Amazon for $130.

Few things are as annoying as a tape measure that collapses when extended a few feet, so we noticed when Milwaukee improved the structural stability of its Gen II Stud series of tape measures. The brand’s new 25-foot tape measure measures 1 5/16 inches wide and features a deep contour along the entire length of the tape to give it impressive strength. This allows a single worker to take measurements over longer distances, up to 17 feet, without the tape bending or collapsing. The tape measure also has clear measurements on the top and bottom sides of the tape.

Get the Milwaukee Gen II Tape Measure at Home Depot for $29.97.

Measuring the position of each stud individually can make framing a wall incredibly long and one mistake can throw off the center of all the studs. Kiwi Vision solves this problem with its Morgan Square. The beauty is in its simple and effective design: the tool looks like a carpenter’s square but allows users to attach a tape measure to create an accurate layout the first time. The square’s tongue measures 1 1/2 inches (standard stud width), making installing a stud wall quick and easy.

Get the Morgan Square on Amazon for $39.99.

Torque wrenches are essential for tightening fasteners to specifications in automotive repair, equipment maintenance and other applications requiring precise torque. The new X7 torque wrench from Wera is very precise and produces a loud click and tactile release when the torque value is reached. Wera’s latest also adds a digital element that helps users adjust the torque value when using interchangeable heads. Laser-etched QR codes on the wrench and selected head direct users to an interactive Wera site, which prompts the user to enter the original torque value and automatically calculates the correct torque based on the selected head.

Get the Wera X7 torque wrench (plus three tools) at Amazon for $382.46.