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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 tools and home helpers. This package spotlights the handiest products launched in the last 12 months in seven essential home-improvement categories, from power tools to cleaning tools. We’re also recognizing a DIY Game Changer, an honor reserved for the year’s most exciting innovation for projects. See all of the winners here.
While they don’t have external power sources, hand tools have been successfully used for millennia to build structures and perform tasks such as cutting, clamping, measuring, and more. The following five winners in the Hand Tools category of our Tools of the Year Contest 2024 were all recently released, and they showcase new and innovative solutions to everyday tasks. The winners range from a tool that restores damaged threads on inside nuts to a carpenter’s square that fits a tape measure.
These helpful hand tools represent the best of what’s new in the DIY and construction industries and impressed our judging panel with their usefulness and innovation. Check out the newest and best ideas in hand tools.
DeWalt ToughSeries Construction Jack
Having a DeWalt ToughSeries construction jack is like having an extra set of hands on the job: It can lift and stabilize objects weighing up to 340 pounds as much as 8 3/4 inches from the ground. This kind of support can come in handy when working on a range of tasks, from holding doors at the right height when inserting bolts in hinges to lifting a drywall panel to fit snugly against a top row for seamless taping. Best of all, the handle on this jack is double-hinged and durable enough to be operated by foot pumps as well as hand squeezes.
Get the DeWalt ToughSeries Construction Jack at The Home Depot for $119.97.
Rotary Thread RTK Standard Restore Kit
If you’ve ever run to the hardware store in the middle of a project to get new bolts because you cross-threaded the only one you had and damaged it, this new tool could save time and get your project back on track. The Rotary Thread toolset features cutter 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 die grinders, depending on the bit size. Avoid replacing pricey pipes and bolts by using Rotary Thread to clean and repair the threads.
Get Rotary Thread’s Standard Repair Kit at Amazon for $130.
Milwaukee 25-Foot Gen II Tape Measure with 17-Foot Reach
Few things are as annoying as a tape measure collapsing when extended a few feet out, so we noticed when Milwaukee boosted the structural stability in its Gen II Stud Series of tape measures. The brand’s new 25-foot tape measure is a beefy 1 5/16 inches wide and has a deep contour running the length of the tape to give it an impressive amount of standout strength. This makes it possible for a single worker to take measurements at longer distances—up to 17 feet—without the tape bending or collapsing. The tape measure also features clear measurements on both the top and bottom sides of the tape.
Get the Milwaukee Gen II Tape Measure at The Home Depot for $29.97.
Kiwi Vision Morgan Square Tape Measure Mount
Measuring the position of each stud individually can make framing a wall incredibly time-consuming—and one mistake can throw off the centers of all the studs. Kiwi Vision solves this problem with its Morgan Square. The beauty is in its simple, efficient design: the tool resembles a carpenter’s square but allows users to attach a tape measure to create an accurate layout the first time. The tongue of the square is 1 1/2 inches (standard stud width), making laying out a stud wall fast and easy.
Get the Morgan Square at Amazon for $39.99.
Wera Click-Torque X7 Torque Wrench
Torque wrenches are essential for tightening fasteners to specifications for automotive repair, equipment maintenance, and other applications requiring exact torque. Wera’s new X7 torque wrench is highly accurate and provides a loud click and a 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-engraved QR codes on the wrench and the selected head take users to an interactive Wera site, which prompts the user to enter the original torque value and automatically calculates the correct torque to suit the selected head.
Get the Wera X7 Click-Torque Wrench (plus three tools) at Amazon for $382.46.
