15 Useful Hand Tools Every Milwaukee Fan Will Want For Their Home

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Milwaukee’s distinctive red tools can be found at jobsites all over the country, and they’re a popular choice among discerning do-it-yourself enthusiasts too. Even if you’re not a keen DIYer, you might still want to keep some Milwaukee tools in your everyday tool kit. A good set of hand tools is arguably the foundation of any good collection, and Milwaukee’s current selection of hand tools covers both the essentials and niche products for a wide array of jobs.

Most homeowners are unlikely to need the brand’s most niche products, but regardless of whether you’re an avid DIY enthusiast or are simply looking for a great basic tool kit, Milwaukee’s best-rated essentials shouldn’t be overlooked. These 15 hand tools have all received consistently strong ratings from reviewers at Home Depot, and they should all be just as useful for homeowners as they are for professionals. Some of these hand tools are also made in the USA, and most are covered by Milwaukee’s generous limited lifetime warranty.

You can buy the toughest hack saw with the sharpest blade, but it still won’t be much use if it’s too unwieldy to reach the material you need to cut in a tight workspace. With Milwaukee’s compact hack saw, limited space shouldn’t be a problem, since its extendable blade reaches up to 10 inches while its frame is much more compact than a conventional hack saw. It’s sharp enough to cut through a wide variety of materials too, from metal tubing to wood and plastics.

A tool-free blade change is designed to minimize downtime, while the rubberized handle should help keep the saw comfortable in hand on longer jobs. Like most of the other products here, this compact hack saw is backed by a limited lifetime warranty and can also be returned for up to 90 days if you purchase it from Home Depot. The retailer currently offers the tool for $17.97.

If you’re relatively new to the world of Milwaukee tools, you might be surprised to discover just how many different types of measuring devices the brand sells. Out of all of them, the humble tape measure is the device that will appeal to the widest group of homeowners. Even the most DIY-averse family members will probably need to use one sooner or later, but because they’re so useful, they’re also easy to lose.

If you regularly find yourself searching your home for your tape measure after absent-mindedly putting it down and forgetting about it, Milwaukee has the answer. The brand’s 6-foot keychain compact tape measure is designed to be carried around either with a set of keys or attached to a belt loop, making it less easy to misplace than a regular tape measure. It’s available for $6.97 and features both metric and SAE measurements. Of course, carrying around your tape measure with your keys is only useful if you don’t also lose your keys. If you’re prone to losing them too, it might be worth investing in an AirTag or one of the many Android-compatible alternatives.

Tape measures are far from the only hand tools that can easily get lost. Hex keys are also equally easy to misplace, but Milwaukee’s 17-key folding hex key set shouldn’t suffer such problems. Each key is integrated and folds away back into the body of the tool, so there’s no need to worry about losing a loose key. Each can also rotate up to 270 degrees.

Milwaukee’s set includes two tools, one 8-key tool and one 9-key tool, with the body of each tool being made of metal rather than plastic. The keys themselves are also designed to be tough, and are manufactured with heat-treated steel with a black oxide finish.

While the 9-key tool includes SAE hex keys ranging in size from ¼ inch to 5/64 inch, the 8-key metric tool has keys from 8mm to 1.5mm. The set costs $31.97 at Home Depot and is covered by a limited lifetime warranty.

Tools don’t get much simpler than a pry bar, and Milwaukee offers various sizes of the tool in its current range. A small 12-inch version is available for $10.97 and a large 21-inch variant costs $20.97, but at the middle of the range is the 15-inch pry bar. It’s available at Home Depot for $16.97, and like all the tools here, it has received consistently high review ratings from buyers at the retailer.

The tool features a beveled nail pulling slot next to a sharpened claw at one end, with a shepherd’s hook at the other. In the middle of the tool is a grip made with Milwaukee’s ShockShield technology, which is designed to help cut down the amount of vibration that’s transmitted to the user when the tool is hit with a hammer. Milwaukee makes each pry bar with forged steel then uses induction hardening to keep the claws sharper for longer.

The Milwaukee 22-ounce milled face framing hammer is just one of many different hammers that the brand sells, but its strong review ratings help it stand out from the crowd. The tool retails for $32.97 and features a milled face, which is sometimes known as a waffle-head hammer. The waffle-like pattern on the face helps make it grippier than a smooth-faced equivalent, which comes in particularly handy for anyone working outdoors in damp conditions.

Even in drier conditions, the milled face is preferable for longer, repetitive carpentry jobs where it doesn’t matter if there’s a mark left on the wood. For finishing jobs, a hammer with a smooth face is a better bet. Regardless of the type of hammer you need and the weight you want it to be, it’s safe to assume that Milwaukee has what you’re looking for. Alongside the milled face hammer, Home Depot also carries a smooth face version of the same tool which retails for $29.97.

Available in either 7-inch or 12-inch sizes, Milwaukee’s rafter square is a useful tool for many different DIY jobs. The 7-inch version retails for $20.97 at Home Depot, and it’s backed by the same limited lifetime warranty that covers many other Milwaukee hand tools. It’s made from aluminum and features a 1 inch cut-out to prop pipe so it’s simple to cut, as well as featuring scribe notches from 1 inch to 6 inches. The tool’s markings are all laser etched, and so they should remain clear even after the square has been extensively used.

The rafter square is one of a number of Milwaukee hand tools that are made in the USA. Only a few major tool brands still make tools domestically, with Snap-On, Craftsman, and Makita being among them. Milwaukee isn’t shy about showing this off, decorating the rafter square with prominent “USA” lettering as well as etching the brand’s famous logo into the top of the tool.

Take a dive into Milwaukee’s list of patents and you’ll get a glimpse of the brand’s future plans. In 2025, we covered a number of cool Milwaukee patents that we hoped would become a reality, from a robot mower to a cordless snow blower, with the blower actually launching to customers later that year.

Milwaukee’s hand tools also feature plenty of patented or patent-pending technology, like the 8-inch long needle nose pliers. The tool features unique, patent-pending reaming ridges in the head to help remove burrs from pipes, setting them apart from similar pliers from rival brands. Also included is a built-in fish tape puller and a wire cutter.

The pliers retail for $22.97, making them an affordable addition to any homeowner’s tool kit. Home Depot also offers a slightly cheaper pair of Milwaukee needle nose pliers with a dipped grip instead of a molded comfort grip, but it’s the pricier pair that has achieved bestseller status thanks to its high number of consistently positive reviews.

A new set of screwdrivers might not be as much of an exciting addition to your tool kit as a new power tool, but it’ll still be just as useful. Milwaukee offers various individual screwdrivers and combo sets, but the Phillips/slotted flat head hex driver screwdriver set is one of the top rated of the bunch.

It’s available for $24.97 and includes a trio of Phillips #2 screwdrivers and a trio of slotted flat head screwdrivers. Each one features a magnetic tip and a lanyard hole for easy transportation. The tool’s shank is designed to be compatible with wrenches, while the grip features a tri-lobe design to help users apply maximum force with minimal discomfort.

Milwaukee’s familiar limited lifetime warranty covers each tool in the set, with the brand promising to repair or replace any hand tool that it deems to be defective, regardless of when it was purchased. There are a few caveats: Milwaukee’s technicians determine whether or not they think a tool is defective rather than operating a no-questions-asked policy, and the warranty is invalidated if its technicians deem the tools to have been subject to misuse. Buyers looking to take advantage of the warranty will also need to provide proof of purchase when they ship the tool back to Milwaukee’s service center. These caveats aren’t unique to the screwdriver set, but instead are applicable across every Milwaukee hand tool with a lifetime warranty.

A handheld tape measure might be enough for shorter distances, but when it comes to measuring longer runs, Milwaukee’s 12-inch digital measuring wheel is the superior choice. It retails for $130.94 and is bundled with a 100 foot close reel long tape measure to give you multiple measuring options. The 100-foot tape measure includes a system that Milwaukee calls Grime Guard, which stops dirt and debris from getting into the reel.

Pair that with the measuring wheel and the result is a 2-piece set that can generate accurate measurements of both outdoor and large indoor spaces in all weathers. The 100-foot tape measure is the best choice for the worst climate conditions, but the digital measuring wheel’s IP54-rated LCD screen means it’s suitable for showery weather or dusty yards as well. The screen can also display both imperial and metric measurements, and can save measurements so you can reference them later.

Tools that promise multiple functions in one can run the risk of being a jack of all trades but a master of none. However, the impressively high user ratings accrued by the Milwaukee 6-in-1 wire stripper and cutter pliers prove that it doesn’t promise more than it can deliver. It certainly promises a lot; Milwaukee says that the tool is a reamer, a wire stripper, a wire cutter, a bolt cutter, a loop maker, and a pair of pliers all in one.

It can strip 10-20 AWG stranded wire and 8-18 AWG solid wire, while its built-in bolt cutter can cut #6 and #8 bolts. The tool is made from forged alloy steel for long-term durability, and it’s designed to be corrosion resistant. That’s a whole lot of capability considering that the pliers can be bought for under $20 — specifically, they retail for $19.97 at Home Depot at the time of writing.

Much like the Milwaukee pry bar, the brand’s 9-inch nail puller is another simple but useful tool. Home Depot sells the unit for $16.97, and like any tool with only one job, it needs to do that job extremely well if it’s going to please buyers. Judging by the very high star rating it achieves from Home Depot reviewers, it does indeed do its core job very well.

Milwaukee claims that part of the tool’s impressive performance comes down to its head design, which is shaped slightly differently to its competition. According to the brand, that unique design helps users pull nails out more quickly and efficiently than nail pullers from other brands. The tool can pull 6D, 8D, 10D, and 12D nails. The same wear-resistant grip that can be found on many other Milwaukee tools is present and correct here, and the brand says that it won’t peel even after long-term use.

If you’re a professional that frequently needs to use wrenches of various sizes, buying a full wrench set is the most efficient way to ensure you have all the tools you need. If you’re a homeowner and don’t need to use wrenches so frequently, then an adjustable one is a great way to save space in your tool kit. They can adapt to a wide range of nut and bolt sizes, and they’re cheaper than buying a larger traditional set of wrenches.

Home Depot offers a Milwaukee 2-piece adjustable wrench set for $34.97, comprising one 6-inch and one 10-inch adjustable wrench. Both tools are chrome plated, which not only increases their rust resistance but also gives them a premium look that’s befitting of the Milwaukee brand. A unique screw design ensures that the wrench stays at the correct size once it’s been adjusted, while the parallel jaws reduce the chance of marking surfaces. Each wrench features laser-etched markings that won’t fade over time.

You might want to use the Milwaukee 5-inch mini flush cutting pliers to slice through wires, but even if you’re not planning any electrical work, they’re still potentially very useful. They’re just as good at cutting through cable ties, with their small blades able to fit into spaces with tight fits. They’re also one of the cheapest Milwaukee hand tools, retailing for $10.97 after Home Depot permanently dropped its retail pricing permanently, having previously sold the tool for $12.97.

The pliers are built with the same quality that fans of the brand will expect, with molded grips and durable, rust-resistant blades. Just in case any examples of the tool don’t live up to the brand’s usual high standards, Milwaukee’s limited lifetime warranty is also included as standard for extra reassurance. As well as being cheap and durable, the pliers also won’t take up much room in your tool kit, as they’re only 2 inches in width and 5 inches in length.

Another Milwaukee product that has undergone a permanent price drop is the Fastback 2-piece utility knife set, which now retails for $15.97. Previously, it retailed for $21.97, with the new price equating to a 27% saving. Yet even at the old price, the set was arguably a good buy; now it’s even better.

One of the two knives included with the set is a more traditional folding utility knife design, while the second knife has some less conventional features. This latter knife also includes a built-in wire stripper, a gut hook, and additional blade storage for up to 5 extra blades. Both tools feature the same tool-free blade change.

Buyers can use the knives with multiple different types of blades, making them useful for many different jobs around the house. Equipping one of the knives with a carton blade makes it particularly useful for opening and dismantling cardboard packaging. Alternatively, equipping it with a drywall blade makes it well suited for cutting both drywall and sheet metal. These additional specialty blades will need to be bought separately.

Most Milwaukee tools are well received by buyers, but there are a few that owners say it’s best to avoid buying. One of those tools that’s best avoided is Milwaukee’s 27-in-1 multi-bit screwdriver, which has been subject to a large number of reviews claiming that the ball bearing inside the tool can fall out. Other similar Milwaukee tools, like its 13-in-1 combination screwdriver, aren’t known to suffer the same problem.

As a result, homeowners looking for a useful multi-bit Milwaukee screwdriver will want to stay well clear of the 27-in-1 tool and head straight for this 13-in-1 version instead. It features slotted, square, Phillips, ECX, and nut driver bits, and it retails for only $19.97. According to the brand, the bits were selected based on demand from professionals, but the large range of sizes and types makes it a good all-in-one tool for homeowners too.

Plenty of hand tools might look useful at first glance, but they also need to perform over the long run in actual working conditions you’re likely to experience every day. To make sure that each of our picks’ real-world performance lived up to their billing, we sourced feedback from reviewers at Home Depot. Each pick has an average rating of 4.5 stars or higher from at least 200 reviews at the time of writing. All prices listed refer to the retail price at Home Depot and do not account for discounts or limited-time promotions.