My little brother is contemplating his first real move, and as the veteran of four cross-country moves, I thought I'd make him a little hardware kit. Of course, there will be soooo many more things he'll need, but I wanted to get him started with some beautifully made tools...
While shopping for his gift, I happened to walk past the lovely & fascinating Prairie Collective. I couldn't resist stopping in, though I didn't expect them to have the perfect gifts for a 23-year old boy. But then I found...
- The small-but-mighty golden hammer has had its praises sung before, and conceals three screwdrivers in its handle. A painter friend has a floral version, and uses it to install and de-install all of her gallery shows.
- A timeless French pocket knife, lightweight yet sturdy. You always need a knife in a new apartment! Also perfect for kitchen use until the always-elusive "Kitchen" box is found and unpacked. (His package included a coin because it's considered bad luck to give a friend a knife- it can sever the friendship. However, if the recipient "pays" you for the knife, everything is fine. This is the kind of superstition I love, and a great excuse to buy one of the charming photo booth tokens from Madrone Art Bar.)
- The most amazing tool ever. Made in Japan of beautiful stainless steel, this multi-tool is the size of a credit card and includes (let's see if I can remember): bottle opener, can opener, blade, saw, ruler, screwdriver, wrenches, and a few more features, I'm sure. I need one!
Once he's established, he'll upgrade to full-size hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, and more, but in the meantime I hope these little tools help him settle into his new home, wherever it might be.
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I would SO love to add that hammer to my toolbox, but am having difficulty tracking it down. Any suggestions or help would be much appreciated!
Sadly, it appears that this handy hammer has been discontinued! My mom mentioned she'd been looking for one & couldn't find one anywhere: they used to be by the register of every hardware store. Prairie Collective might have the last stash of them!
where can we get the Japanese wonder-tool?
I own that hammer. A neighbor was helping me hang something in my apartment and I will never forget the look of contempt that he gave me when I handed that to him. He told me it was time for me to own a "real" hammer.
this is coming from the POV of someone who just tackled a major renovation (not giving a charming, lovely gift), but one thing i've found is that -- in many cases -- a multi-tool doesn't do any one thing terribly well... and sometimes the most expensive and beautiful tools aren't always the most functional.
a "homer box" (the orange toolboxes at big-orange) aren't that huge, are durable, and are appropriately priced. i've had all sorts of designer and vintage toolboxes with trinket-y tools and i'd rather have this one in the back of a closet loaded with a few real tools when i actually need to tackle a project.
even the "real" tools aren't expensive -- in fact, the handiest screwdriver i've used is the $3 orange buck-brothers brand 6-in-1 screwdriver (during the renovation, we had 3 or 4 floating about the house). granted, it doesn't have the glow of a well-curated gift, but it's mighty handy... and replaceable. a good tool is made to be used (and sometimes abused) not polished and pampered.
that said, i /do/ keep the ikea-brand toolkit in my office. it has a few decent real-sized tools in an easy to store container and they've proven quite useful. and it was cheap enough that if one of the pieces gets lost, i'm not that bothered.
I've worked with that hammer. It's not all it's cracked up to be. The silver paint on the head chipped off really easily and the bottom unscrews with use, causing surprise screwdriver attacks.
I've got this one, more girly but same basic idea.
http://www.amazon.com/Silk-Flower-Hammer-Screwdriver-Tool/dp/tags-on-product/B000FX4VFC
My mom bought it for me after she dropped me off for my first day at college. She started sobbing after she left the dorms and had to pull over in a Lowe's parking lot. When she went in the store to recover, she found this tool (and a matching measuring tape). Apparently, she felt this would be perfectly useful for me my first year at school. She came back to the dorm crying and said "Look! *sob* I found you *sob* a hammer!"
Cute tool kit for the kitchen junk drawer when you just need to drive a picture hanger nail or other simple task.
I agree with redneckmodern that a good tool box with a selection of basic tools will go a lot farther.
I'd like to add that a handy reference book might also make a good addition for someone moving out on their own. Understanding the basics of construction, plumbing, electrical will make living on your own easier and much less stressful.
The best rule to follow in home improvement/repairs is to use the right tool for the job.
Man, I have been AT this all too long!!! I (a 60-year-old woman) have (my own) 10-drawer red cabinet-style tool chest. Full. (OK, some of the tools are my partner's, but still...) We have 2 power drills and a power screwdriver (outstanding for IKEA assembly!), at least 4 hammers (including one of those multi-tool kind, which I never ever use), wrenches, screwdrivers, various kinds of cutters, hand saws, power saws, sanders, and I can't even remember what else. (Which doesn't include the table saw, drill press, circular saw, and skill saw which aren't in the cabinet for obvious reasons.) See what happens when you start out in a studio apartment and keep moving up??!! (And yes, I have used everything except the table saw which is relatively new and with no projects for it yet...)
(Then there are the tools I use for jewelry design and polymer clay projects...)
As a Realtor, I like this clever idea. I am always struggling to find, unique gifts to fit individual clients. I will keep this one in mind!
*Ahem* "de-install" is not a word... however, uninstall is.
I do own a real toolbox and a real hammer. However, for all the flak I have gotten for that tiny hammer, I use it ALL THE TIME. And if you get used to using it you get in the habit of tightening the handle periodically. It hasn't come apart on me in years. Got it in college and for all the random little stuff it is great to keep in the junk drawer.
I (21) have one of those hammers. I think my grandma gave it to me as a kid for Christmas. The hammer is mostly useless (I've only successfully used it for thumbtacks when I redid my room and posters), but somehow it's always around when I need a screwdriver and get's a lot of use.
I had that hammer when I was four or five, in the miniature tool kit my dad made for me. I loved disassembling and reassembling it over and over.
love this post ! now i want all these tools :)