he will need:

regular hacksaw
a plumber's style hacksaw-this one the blade just sticks out
a good handsaw for wood
a decent skil saw
jigsaw
sawzall
assorted GOOD screwdrivers/nutdrivers. i personally do not like the sets that have the changeable bits. it seems the one i need is always the lost one!

an assortment of wrench, both SAE and Metric

for the power tools, Craftsman makes good 19.2v sets. you can get drill/saw combos with several different tools inteh case. prices range from under 100.00 to around 400.00. you can always get a small set and add individual tools as needed, the manufacturers are finally getting smart and selling tools with out the battery and charger so that you are more inclined to stick with the matched set. i have no personal experience with Firestorm, other than a airnailer set i have and those are more than enough for my needs.

i want a soft sided tool box for my common stuff, but my tool collection has grown over the last 3 years of homeowner ship to where it fills more space than i have tool boxes! but yes, the soft side ones are nice.

don't forget, FLASHLIGHTS! he will need at least one that fits on his head, and maybe a couple that stand on their own. also GOOD work gloves.

a tool belt is good too, nothing worse than being 15 ft up a ladder(you DO have a ladder don't you!?!) and needing somethign in your bag on the ground.

also, if you plan on painting the house, get GOOD brushes for him. stay away fromteh 5.00 multipacks, they are junk. get a good long handled brush, should run about 15.00 each. when taken care of they will last him a lifetime. rollers, extension handles, and wall sanders are another must have for paint projects.

keep in mind that he will always need a new tool, so get what you can now, and add to it later as needed.

everytime my wife and i start a project, i buy the proper tools to do the job. i have had to make due with the wrong stuff all my life, and now i refuse to work without the proper tools. if i don't have it and cannot buy it, i hire someone to do it!

i totally forgot, get him a GOOD selection of drill bits. both regular and wood(paddle) bits.

keep in mind, you just about cannot go wrong buying handtools for a man. even if he has it already, another is great! i keep one set of tools in my truck, another in the house, and another out in my workshop. most contain the same things, but it is nice to have the tool on hand where i am working versus having to look every where for it. by having multiple ones, it helps us to find it when the gremlins steal them fromtheir appointed places and do not put them back!

also, get him a good tape measure or two. i use a 10ft in the house for minor stuff, and keep 2 25' and 1 125' in my truck and in my shop.

I'd just give him a gift certificate to your local big box, with a note saying "for tools only." There are so many tools he might need, depending on the jobs he takes on. There's hardly such a thing as a "proper tool set." You can't equip him for every task. Let him choose what he needs when he needs it.

the only problem with that is how will he spend it? i know if my wife gave a GC for Lowes, i would likely spend it all on one big tool that i hardly use! Year before last i had a total of 400.00 worth of GC for Lowes, i bought a 300.00 air tool set and a couple of good sanders. none of which gets as much use as they should. but hey, i got 400.00 worth of tools for 25.00 out of my pocket!

but it is a good idea. maybe buy him some basic hand tools, then give him a GC to get what he wants to go along with them.

Thanks for all the ideas!

davidandkasie -- I love that list, exactly the guidance I was hoping for. You sound like you speak from experience. Yes, we do have a ladder. :-)

jon1270 -- Yes, I thought about the GC route, and that could be part of it. But I'm looking to demonstrate a little effort here so he knows that I really tried. My DH likes the giving of the gift as much as the gift itself. (So I consider myself very lucky!)

Thanks both.

Basic tool set--

Two flat screwdrivers(different sizes)
Two Phillips screwdrivers(ditto)
Pair of slip joint pliers(also called waterpump pliers)
Pair of regular pliers
Pair of wirecutters(Sidecutters)
Pair of needle nosed pliers
Hammer
Flat prybar
Steel tape measure
Level(4 foot size)
Level(6" long)
6" Cresent wrench
12" Cresent wrench
Hand saw
Framing square (large L shaped)
Speed square(small triangular shaped)
Chalk line
Several carpenters pencils(flat)
Flashlight with swivel head

Power tools

Circular saw
Cordless drill(14.4 volt is lighter than 18 volt models)

Wrenches/sockets

Wrench set-1/4" to 1" combination wrench set
Wrench set-metric, 6mm to 19mm, 3/8" drive
Socket set-1/4" to 3/4" six point socket set, 3/8" drive(does not round off bolt/nuts)
Ratchet/extension set-3/8" drive

Excellent list, handymac! Thank you so much. That definitely gives me enough information to impress with my "knowledge". Much appreciated.

You are quite welcome. Nice to see some research done before buying.

I like Handymac's list. Of course, it all depends on what type of work you're going to get into.

I would get one of the items that are near duplicates, to start out, for example one level, one square, one crescent wrench, water pump pliers first, etc.

I'd add a few items immediately:
- Utility knife (w/ replaceable blades)
- Putty knife
- An assortment of F-clamps
- 1/4" to 1" set of wood chisels
- Drill bits and screwdriver bits for drill/driver
- Block plane
- A tool box to keep it all together
- Shop built sawhorses or workbench as an early project

When you can or need them, add
- hand-held jig saw
- a cheap multimeter to diagnose electrical issues (Harbor Freight has one for $3 regularly) or test light
- Random orbit sander
- Stud finder

Look again, around this time of year there are often deals on "starter sets" that will get you a core of tools. Add missing ones. Since you mentioned Lowe's, see the link below. At Lowe's look for the red "need help?" buttons. Usually that will have someone there is less than a minute. (I have no association with Lowe's but I could go on a shooting rampage at Home Depot and not manage to hit any Orange Apron Guys, or at least it seems to me when I need help finding something).

The best advice I ever got:
Buy good tools. Cheap tools are frustrating because they don't always work right and good tools don't ever need to be replaced unless you lose them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kobalt tool set

Lowes is a funny store. They have a big sign by the courtesy desk that says they hire journeymen professionals to work the store, and I have to admit in my store they are correct. The Electrician is stacking flower pots in the garden center, the Plumber is loading lumber and sheetrock and the carpenter works in their accounting department. Go figure!

You guys are the best! Thanks, bobs, for that phased approach and the sage advice.

As far as the staffing at Lowe's, it doesn't seem that the "professionals hiring" policy applies in Brooklyn. Or if it does, they only work between 9:30 and 10:15am on Tuesday. i.e., not when I'm ever likely to see them. Alas. But I've got all I need thanks to this group's guidance! Thanks again.

Good lists so far and you might want to add a subscription to Fine Homebuilding or This Old House or a Fine Homebuilding online membership.

Or more basic: Family Handyman Magazine. Always basic articles on various house projects and maintenance.

Oh, and I like the soft sided bags (AWP, CLC, McGuire-Nicholas, Duluth Trading, and house brands like Husky/Kobalt/Crapsman etc.). I have a number of them, umm, maybe too many to count. I tried and am not too fond of the 5 gal bucket wraps. I like the totes better.

My main on-site bag carries the tools I need 95% of the time. I've discovered that if I need even one tool like a screwdriver, I take the whole tote. I always ended up running back for something else sooner or later. The contents of it are somewhat specialized to what I do, but include
- chisel set 1/8" to 1"
- block plane
- hammer
- nail pullers
- pry bar, 10"
- staple pullers
- 10-in-1 screwdriver
- Robertson #2 screwdriver
- 5/32" hex wrench
- small and large flashlights (large holds backup battery for drill/driver)
- Gearwrench 35 pc. microdriver set (includes all sorts of things like 1/4" socket set and misc hex driver bits)
- Push drill, Yankee #41
- Cordless drill with 1/16" - 1/2" bits, assorted driver bits, vix-bits, countersink
- Magnetic parts tray
- Misc hardware in an altoids tin, wood scraps and shims
- Deadblow hammer
- 10" vice grips with piece of leather 2" x 2"
- Water pump pliers
- Needlenose pliers
- Diagonal cutters (dikes)
- Utility shears
- Electrical stripper/crimper/#8 bolt cutter multi tool
- Cheap multimeter
- Kreg jig (1 holer)
- sanding block
- Pencils and sharpie
- Cabinet scraper
- 4-in-1 rasp
- Nail sets and center punch
- Paint can opener
- Masking tape
- Steel measuring tape
- Utility knife
- Racheting box end / open end combo wrench set of 4
- 6" adjustable wrench
- 2 @ 12" quick clamps
- 3 @ 4" F clamps
- Hand-powered staple gun
- Small bottle of wood glue

I'm surprised that no one mentioned that the best hand tools come with a LIFETIME warranty. Sears "Craftsman" brand hand tools are lifetime (must say "Craftsman" brand and the warranty will be listed on the package). Mac and Snap-on brand hand tools are also lifetime warranty. If they EVER break for ANY REASON you get a replacement free. with Sears, you bring the broken one to the store and they'll hand you a new one - I have had no problems with this policy. Plus when you by this level of hand tools they likely won't break when you use them.

good luck

A recently developed exception to the Craftsman lifetime warranty is in tape measures. Last time I brought mine in they explained they were no longer warranting them because they break so frequently. They were willing to replace my old one, but the new one would not carry the lifetime warranty. As an alternative , however, they did offer to buy back my broken one so I could choose another brand. I took them up on it.

Sears stores sometimes will not exchange ratchets---instead they want to send in the broken one for repair---might be 2 weeks. That is not so bad for a homeowner---but is the pits for a mechanic.

Well, I used to think that, too. When I got better at woodworking (like in the first year) I realized that the Sears tools were not all that good. I did continue to buy mechanic's tools from them as I'm not that critical of a user of them.

After staying away, for the most part, for 20 years, I decided to give them another try. I got really terrible customer service (like the sales people walking away from me and into the back room, the pointing finger, "I think they're over there (somewhere)" and "What is that? No, I don't think we have them.")

I had a nice socket set and the blow-mold box fell apart. I tried to get replaced under "lifetime guarantee" and got a number of stories. One was "we don't cover anything with a moving part." So, screwdrivers, yes, ratcheting screwdrivers, no. "We don't carry that assortment any more." "No we can't just give you a new box in a size that holds your assortment, we don't have just the boxes," etc. etc. etc. I wrote a nice one-page letter to the store manager to complain about all the crappy service I'd had in the previous few months. I did not even get a note or call, "We are sorry for your problems." Nothing, nilch, nada. I just decided to vote with my feet.

The other problem I have with Craftsman tools is that for powered tools, they use the vendor du jour and even a couple of years later, chances are you will not be able to get any replacement parts. I can walk in the store that services Bosch and get a replacement sanding pad (for a 20 year old sander) over the counter, and they ask, how many, what density, hook and loop or PSA, etc.

Sorry to rant, but I think Craftsman has been coasting on their reputation with our fathers and grandfathers for the last 30 years.

Time was, when Sears was one of the few, if any, places you could get a lot of those tools outside the much higher priced professional tool lines.

Just ask anyone unfortunate enough to have ever had a "Flex drive table saw."

Besides, just about everyone now offers Lifetime Warranties -- Home Depot and Lowe's house brands, Crescent, Irwin, etc.

--
Oh, and digging into the toolbox this morning, I left a few things off:
- Japanese saw
- Magnetic and mechanical pick ups
- Vernier Calipers
- Upholstery spring puller
(all these fit in a 28" box with plenty of room to spare)

I haven't exercised the option very often, but I've never gotten any resistance from Sears getting replacements. JMHO, but complaining about a blow molded tool socket set box would be testing their good nature, I would assume that the warranty applies to the tools not necessarily the box.

Anyway I did not mean to imply that Craftsman was one of the best only that the OP should look for a lifetime warranty. I have noticed that Sears specifically states on the packaging whether the tool is warranted for life or not. Again I'd expect the consumer to be aware of what was warranted or to find the same product on the shelf and stick the warranty in the sales guy's face.

Be careful buying "Craftsman" power tools. 1) They are not hand tools and they are likely not covered by a lifetime warranty. 2) they tend to be less expensive than other "contractor-grade" brands and you get what you pay for.

FWIW: I bought shovels and lawn rakes that are "Craftsman" grade and are lifetime warranted. I have not seen any others willing to do that.

I like Sears but I they certainly have their limitations too.

JMHO, I don't believe that when it comes to Lowes / HD / Sears any one is any better than the other.

Thanks for mentioning the lifetime warranty. I was not thinking about that as a possibility for tools.

And thanks again, bobs, for going through your whole bag. I have to say I'm really blown away by how helpful people are on gardenweb. It's wonderful to see a community of people giving advice so generously and quickly.
Thanks all!

hearing protection.

With ear-piercing dB from things like circular saws, routers, and shop-vacs to sharp percussions like pounding nails or concrete, you have to have hearing protection. Only in the rarest instances do I not have my set on when I'm in the shop.

Hearing loss is cumulative and permanent. I can't tell you how many guys in the woodworking club have double hearing aids.