There are plenty of guides out there to help you decide what you need if you’re a new homeowner. However, there are essential tools for your office space that meet the specific scenarios—and space limitations—that comes with the territory.
We teamed up with HART Tools and Medina Law Group to come up with 13 products that will make working in your office better for everyone. MLG was in the middle of moving offices, so it was the perfect time to combine our experience with their needs and see what’s helpful during and after a move.
Essential Tools for Your Office – Our Top Picks
- 16-ounce hammer – $9.44 at Walmart
- 25-foot tape measure – $15.21 at Walmart
- Drill and impact driver combo – $178 at Walmart
- Cordless screwdriver – $9.88 at Walmart
- Cordless power cutter – $54.48 at Walmart
- Comprehensive bit set – $25.88 at Walmart
- Battery inverter /power source – $64.00 at Walmart
- Ratchet and socket set – $28.64 at Walmart
- Cordless inflator – $39.88 at Walmart
- Flashlight – $26.49 at Walmart
- Cordless vacuum – $199.00 at Walmart
- Rolling storage set – $89.00 at Walmart
Essential Tools for Your Office – Basics
Hammer
From hanging decor to pulling out nails a previous tenant set, you need to have a hammer on hand. You don’t need a full-size framing hammer, though. For office use, we recommend a 16-ounce hammer with a smooth face. It has enough mass to drive nails into studs when you need to, and you can also tap in the smaller nails that are more common. Plus, the smooth fave won’t leave the waffle pattern on your wall that milled face hammers do.
This hammer from HART is less than $10 and has a super-comfortable grip and a vibration-absorbing fiberglass handle that anyone in the office will be happy to use.
Tape Measure
Ahead of the office move, we did a ton of measuring to plan for the furniture setup and even more once we got in. Add in measuring windows for curtains/blinds along with centering decor and you’ll find you reach for a tape measure frequently. Offices tend to have more space to cover, so we recommend a 25-foot tape measure. Smaller ones are nice because they’re so compact, but they often don’t have enough reach for office spaces.
HART’s 25-foot Pro Grade Tape Measure has a 14-foot reach, a magnetic hook, and a handy finger brake to help make those measurements easier. For a little over $15, it’s a great one to keep on hand.
Drill and Impact Driver
We’re putting two of our recommendations together here because they often work together. For drilling holes and setting screws, having a good drill is definitely an essential tool for your office. It can help with installing items on walls and assembling furniture.
Adding an impact driver makes driving screws and removing bolts an easier task. During installation tasks, you often need to drill a pilot hole and then set a screw in it. Having both tools, you have the bits you need in each and simply swap tools instead of manually changing bits each time.
You can get away with entry-level models for most of the things you’ll run into. However, consider stepping up to brushless models, like this combo kit from HART. You’ll get better performance and the tools tend to be more compact, taking up less space in your office. Even though it’s more expensive, it’s worth it to splurge a bit for this one. The kit is $178 and includes the tools, two 2.0Ah batteries, a charger, and a storage bag.
Cordless Screwdriver
You’ve probably guessed that you need a screwdriver set for a lot of the lighter tasks around the office. A cordless screwdriver can make changing locks, accessing panels, changing switch plates, assembling furniture, and other tasks much easier. With a 1/4-inch hex collet, it uses the same driver bits that you put in your drill, so you don’t have to have a bunch of individual screwdrivers sitting around in a drawer somewhere.
With an inline design, it can get in tighter against walls or furniture legs than a drill can. Plus, it uses a slower speed and less torque to help you avoid damaging material or fasteners that are more delicate.
HART’s cordless screwdriver includes an internal 4V battery so you don’t have to keep track of a separate battery or keep spare AAs on hand. Just plug it in to charge and it’s ready to go when you are. Best of all, this is an easy addition to your office budget since it’s less than $20.
Cordless Power Cutter
Cordless power cutters are a relatively new tool on the scene and the first time you use it, you’ll know why it made our list of essential tools for your office. It’s a rock star when it comes to opening packages, including that @#$%! clamshell packaging. Once you’ve opened the latest deliveries, use it to cut the boxes into more manageable pieces for the recycling bin.
HART’s cordless power cutter features a clever hand guard and a self-sharpening replaceable blade. Its internal 4V lithium-ion battery recharges with a USB cord, meaning this is another handy cordless tool that you don’t have to keep spare batteries on hand for. Grab it for $54.48 and give your hands a break.
Essential Tools for Your Office – What You Might Not Think Of
Comprehensive Bit Set
Do yourself a favor and grab a comprehensive drilling and driving bit set. Most of the time, you might only need a slotted or Phillips bit, or a standard twist bit to drill a hole. But what happens when you come across something odd or you need to make a larger hole? By grabbing a good set now, you’ll save yourself trips to the store later.
Take this set from HART for example. It has 200 pieces and includes what you need to drill through wood, metal, or concrete. Plus, there a ton of drive bits that fit your drill, impact driver, and cordless screwdriver. There’s even a set of hex wrenches, nut drivers hex head fasteners, spade bits for larger holes, and a few drywall anchors. The whole thing comes in a storage case and costs just $25.88. That’s a heck of a value and a low investment to have the bits you need when you need them.
Battery Inverter/Power Source
A battery inverter can be a huge win in your day. With a combination of USB-A ports and a 120V outlet, you can use your HART power tool battery to charge your phone, tablet, or laptop. You can even run other small devices—anything up to 150 watts is fair game. Whether a plug is too far away from where you’re sitting, you’re going to get some work done outside on a nice day, or you have a client that needs a recharge during a meeting, you might be surprised how many times this inverter comes in handy.
Pick this one up for $64.00 and use it with any of your HART 20V batteries.
Ratchet and Socket Set
Wait, doesn’t this belong in the automotive article? Not so fast, my friend. Having a socket set on hand absolutely belongs on our list of essential tools for your office. But let’s start with automotive. Ever have a client or employee run into trouble starting their car? You might not be a mechanic, but you’ll have what you need to help remove a dead battery or disconnect it to clean the terminals.
Moving inside your office, a ratchet has easier reach in tight spaces than power tools, and there are plenty of nuts and bolts between furniture and hardware that you’ll be glad to have a set for.
Here’s a little Pro Tip for you—when you have trouble getting your screwdriver to reach a screw because the space is too tight, use your 1/4-inch socket and slip a driver bit in there from your bit set. Now you can loosen or tighten screws and only need a couple of inches of clearance to get to it.
We recommend HART’s 26-piece 3/8-inch ratchet and socket set. It includes a 90-tooth ratchet that works better when there’s not a lot of room to swing compared to standard 72-tooth ratchets. With sockets ranging from 1/4-inch to 7/8-inch SAE and 7mm to 19mm metric, you’ll have the right size for almost every nut or bolt in your office. They also have 1/4-inch and 1/2-inch drive sets, but we think this 3/8-inch set has the best range of sizes for you.
For less than $30, it’s a very nice addition that you’ll be grateful for the first time you need it.
Inflator
You might not think of an inflator at first, but just like the socket set, sometimes a client or employee has a low tire pressure issue and this is a relatively inexpensive insurance policy to help them out. If you happen to have a basketball goal on your property, it’s a handy way to make sure your basketball is at the right pressure.
HART’s compact cordless inflator can take a standard car tire from flat to full in 7 minutes and reads the pressure accurately within 1 PSI. If you like to take a lunchtime bike ride, those tires on your road bike are no problem—this inflator can go all the way to 150 PSI! Pick it up for less than $40 and use the batteries from your other HART 20V tools to power it.
Flashlight
Okay, you probably know a flashlight is a good thing to have on hand, but did you know you can get one that works using your power tool batteries? It’s just one more way to keep multiple products on one battery system and eliminate the need for throw-away alkaline batteries.
For $26.49, HART has a compact, lightweight LED flashlight that produces 200 lumens. With the ability to stand on its base and pivot the head, you can set the light down and point the light where you need it, keeping both of your hands free to check the breaker, work the lock on a door, or whatever the situation calls for.
Cordless Vacuum
Did you know HART has cordless vacuums that work on the same 20V batteries as their power tools? They do, and they’re legit. Even if you have a cleaning crew, HART’s 20V brushless stick vacuum is perfect for those quick cleanups from spills or someone tracking in dirt. You can also disconnect the main section and use it as a handheld vac.
It’s far easier and more convenient than grabbing a broom and the canister holds enough that you don’t have to empty it every time you vacuum. There are several stick vacs to choose from and we recommend the brushless model. It comes with a 4.0Ah battery and offers better suction and longer runtime than the brushed model—up to 45 minutes on a charge. It’s great on multiple surfaces, too. Brushes take care of carpets and you can turn them off for hard or delicate surfaces.
There’s even a wall caddy to hand the vacuum, accessories, and battery on to keep it out of the way. Pick up the kit with a battery and charger for $199.00.
Rolling Storage Set
Don’t overlook storage when you’re considering the essential tools for your office. HART’s STACK three-piece rolling stack is a fantastic option. On one hand, it’s perfect to store all the gear that we just recommended aside from the vacuum. Expanding its usefulness, it’s brilliant for storing and transporting marketing materials and swag to trade shows or marketing events.
Each box is capable of locking on top of another with the rolling box as the base. You can add other boxes and change up the order you stack them all you want. Feel free to be creative—you’re only limited by your imagination! Grab the rolling stack for $89.00 and remember to look around at the other box types to customize the set for your office’s needs.
What else would you add to our list of office essentials? Let us know in the comments below!
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