I made a list of my favorite tools I bought or used in 2020 so I thought, “why not update it with some tools I’ve bought since then?” I’m constantly buying and testing out tools (and I occasionally get some pro bono). I’m always discovering new *to me* tools that I think are awesome and that I want to share with you guys in case you’re looking for new tools to add to your arsenal. Continue reading below to see my 10 Tool Recommendations for 2022!

This list is always changing, but these tools have my vote for favorites I’ve used in the last year or so! I know some of these items might be a little spendy for the average person, which I totally understand. Some of these items took me years to pull the trigger on. I tend to come from the school of thought that if you’re saving money on the labor by DIYing a project, you can use that savings to invest in some tools that will help make your life easier.

Here’s the full list of tools via my Amazon Affiliate storefront if you’d like to purchase any of them. You don’t pay any extra and it helps support the Mrfixitdiy brand. You can learn more about the types of compensation I accept on my disclosures page.

Without further ado here’s the list in no particular order.

1.) DeWalt FlexVolt 60v Max 6-1/2″ Track Saw

DeWalt FlexVolt 60v Max 6-1/2″ Track Saw – $399

I’ll be honest. I never really used a track saw much before this year. I’ve always been pretty confident in my ability with a circular saw and when I needed it, I always just clamped down a level or straight edge to get a clean cut. That all changed this year when I bought the DeWalt Track saw. It has completely overhauled the way I cut sheet goods or just need to make a clean, straight cut. Having the flexibility of the 60v cordless power is amazing! It helped me so much when I tackled the massive kitchen remodel I tackled this year. HIGHLY recommend!

2.) Graco Magnum X7 Paint Sprayer

Graco Magnum X7 Paint Sprayer – $390

In the past I’ve always rented a Sprayer from Home Depot when I needed one for a larger job. That changed this year as I tackled a bunch of large home improvement projects and it didn’t make sense to rent a sprayer a bunch of times. I own the Graco TC Pro Handheld Cordless Sprayer also BUT when it came to painting the ceiling in my living room, and the cabinets and kitchen for my remodel, I needed something that could hold a lot more paint. The performance of the X7 was awesome, whether it was painting the exterior of the house, or the fine finish of the cabinets. I used the Graco FFLP208 for the fine finish tip for painting my cabinets. Swapping the tips gave me tremendous versatility and was worth it’s weight in gold!

3.) Festool 574930 CT 26 E HEPA Dust Extractor

Festool 574930 CT 26 Dust Extractor – $740

Look, I know spending $700+ on a shop vac seems insane! I told myself that FOR YEARS. I could never justify the expense of it and couldn’t see how it warranted that price. Well this past year I finally bit the bullet and bought my first Festool product and this was it. I bought it because I needed something for refinishing my kitchen cabinets in place. Since I reused many of the cabinet boxes and sanded them in place in the kitchen, I needed something that could keep the dust as manageable as possible. To be honest, I’ve never used a vacuum that even compares to keeping the dust down like this one does. Sanding the cabinets was virtually dustless. I paired this with my second Festool purchase, the Festool DTS 400 REQ-Plus Sander, and was not at all disappointed in my purchase. I was quoted over $5000 to refinish and paint the cabinets which wasn’t in my budget so this was the next best thing. 

4.) True Position Cabinet Hardware Jig

True Position Cabinet Hardware Jig – $199

This was another upgrade for me this year. I previously had another cabinet hardware jig but it just wasn’t up to par. With this jig you can easily set repeatable positioning for perfect placement on doors and drawer pulls which was huge for me to get a consistent look across all my kitchen cabinets. I love this tool and will be using it in all my cabinet projects moving forward!

5.) Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18 Ga. Brad Nailer

Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18 Ga. Brad Nailer – $279

This was one of those tools I got from my friends over at Northern Tool & Equipment earlier this year. I’ve wanted a cordless brad nailer for a long time so I jumped at the chance to get my hands on this thing. Needless to say I was NOT disappointed. In fact, I love it so much I bought one for my brother for his birthday. This thing has been an absolute game changer for most of my woodworking projects as well as for trim and finish carpentry projects around the house. This is absolutely the first tool I reach for with glue-ups when I need something to hold while the glue sets up. It’s reliable, powerful, and versatile. Works perfect with the rest of my Fuel Lineup on the 18v battery lineup. If you’re in the market for a cordless brad nailer, this is easily my choice.

6.) Bora Tool Wood Storage Rack

Bora Tool Wood Storage Rack – $49.99

You can never have too much lumber storage! I spent WAY too much time tripping over lumber in my shop earlier this year (and every year quite frankly). I invested in a few more of these racks this year to help get materials up off the floor so that I could navigate around the shop safely. If you have any available wall space to put one (or a bunch) of these up, you’ll thank yourself for pulling the trigger on these. Super easy assembly and for under $50 on Amazon right now, it’s a no brainer!

7.) Kreg Tool Concealed Hinge Jig

Kreg Tool Concealed Hinge Jig – $54.99

Between rebuilding all my kitchen cabinets to my office and some shop cabinets, I did a buttload of cabinetry this year! This jig is a must if you’re using concealed hinges. I had another concealed hinge jig from a Rockler for a few years but I wasn’t crazy about it. This one is much simpler, intuitive, and versatile. Not to mention it’s $29 on Amazon which is a steal IMO. Adjusting it is super easy with a phillips head screwdriver and it fits the majority of concealed hinges you’ll find on the market. Cheap, easy, and effective! My 3 favorite things!

8.) Milwaukee Voltage Detector

Milwaukee Voltage Detector – $30

I’ve had this tool for a few years now but I got a TON of use out of it this year already. In fact, I used it so much that I broke my first one and had to buy a replacement. If you’re doing any electrical work around the house this is a must have. With my various remodeling projects this past year, I did a lot of electrical work. Moving to a new house, I also have done a ton of troubleshooting on the new place to figure out the electrical layout. This is my go-to tool for checking for live (hot) wires, line & load wires, and identifying circuits. It’s a super simple tool but it has paid for itself 100x over. It’s about the size of a sharpie so it’s super convenient to add to an electrical pouch or carry in your pocket. It has a loud beep and red light that flashes when voltage is present so it’s pretty fool proof (just make sure it’s on). It also has a little flashlight on the end that can be helpful in dark situations and to know that the pen is on. Highly worthwhile purchase for both convenience and personal safety.

9.) POPULO Electric Drain Auger

Populo Electric Drain Auger – $99

This was one of the more recent tools I bought at the end of last year. When we moved into the new house, a bunch of the bathroom drains were really slow moving. The kitchen also had some issues but I’ll save that story for another time. I purchased this electric drain auger after much frustration with my traditional drain auger and dealing with stubborn clogs I couldn’t remove with the shop vac. I can’t believe how impressed I’ve been with this tool. Anytime you buy a tool from an unknown (to me) brand, you always take a risk, but I am so happy with this purchase. It was pretty affordable and well worth the purchase price. It’s handled everything I’ve thrown at it thus far with incredible ease. Highly recommend.

10.) Bora Tool Centipede

Bora Centipede – $122

This is one of the more recent tools I purchased and it has really come in handy after our move. I don’t have a dedicated shop space setup yet so the versatility of the centipede has been a space and time saver. I can use it as a portable workbench, or as a spot to hold sheet goods while I build other cabinets and benches. It collapses small and tucks away so it’s super convenient. Even after I have the new shop completed, this will get regular use in my shop because it’s so versatile and useful.

So that’s it for this list! I hope you guys enjoyed checking out some of my favorites and I hope it helps you if you’re considering some new tools throughout 2022. I’d highly recommend adding these to your wishlists for the future. As I mentioned, this is an every evolving list so I’ll do my best to share some more of my favorites as I come across them.

If you like this list, here is previous list of recommendations as well as some recent projects I’ve done utilizing some of the tools I mentioned above.

My Top 10 Tools of 2020 (So Far)!

10 Tips to Paint Like a Pro!

Plumbing is one of the things most homeowners dread, but I’m here to show you the 5 DIY plumbing tools every homeowner should own that can tackle the majority of household plumbing issues and save you from making expensive calls to a plumber.

Learning to tackle your own plumbing jobs around the house can add up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars over the life of your home and don’t worry. I’ve got your back with plenty of DIY plumbing projects to get you started.

#5.) Water Pressure Testing gauge

This tool costs around $10 and isn’t something you’ll use all the time but it’s definitely worth having in your arsenal and here’s why. If you have public water, the pressure that the town/city sends to your home is substantially higher than the pressure the valves and fixtures in your home are rated for. Your house/apartment has something like this which is a pressure regulator valve that converts the pressure the city sends to your house to levels that are safe for your valves and fixtures (usually <60 psi). Using a water pressure gauge can help you dial in your water pressure to suitable levels for your home and also help diagnose a problem like if your regulator fails like mine did last year. If that happens, the water pressure in your house spikes and can cause problems with your fixtures and create a dangerous situation with your water tank if the T&P valve is not working properly. Bottom line is, having this tool around and checking your water pressure periodically is a good way to stay on top of problems before they start.

#4) Blowtorch

Since the advent of PEX, DIY plumbing has gotten significantly easier, but if you watch some of my other videos you know I still like to use copper in moderation. Using copper requires soldering joints together and you can’t do that without a torch. Even if you aren’t comfortable or interested in soldering your own copper joints together, a blowtorch plumbing kit ($35) is still a useful tool especially if you live in an older home with galvanized piping. These pipes are threaded together and over time they can be extremely difficult to get apart.  Applying heat to them with a blowtorch can help loosen them but be careful not to breathe in the fumes that come off them as it can be dangerous. They’re also helpful for loosening stuck cleanout caps which brings me to my next tool.

#3.) Pipe Wrench

A pipe wrench ($27) is a must have if you live in an older home. There’s no way you’re getting old galvanized pipes apart without a pipe wrench and even with a pipe wrench it can be a pain in the ass. Also, the drain cleanout caps around your home are likely larger than any typical wrench you’d have lying around your home. Having a pipe wrench handy means you can easily take off a cleanout cap to access otherwise difficult clogs.

#2.) Shop Vac

A shop vac is one of my absolute go-to tools when it comes to DIY plumbing. Not only is a shop vac great for cleaning up water spills and messes from overflows, but it can also be used to clear most clogs in sink and shower drains. See the video above to see how it’s done. A shop vac is a cheaper and much more effective alternative to using costly (and often times useless) drain cleaning chemicals.

1.) Channel Locks/Adjustable Pliers

A pair of channel locks ($15) is THE tool I reach for and use in every single DIY plumbing project that I tackle whether it’s loosening up slip joints on trap assemblies, or installing shut off valves. Without a pair of these you’re pretty much not going to be able to tackle any plumbing projects which is why I’d consider them the most valuable tool in my tool pouch when it comes to plumbing.

You can grab all these tools for less than $100 which is less than you’d pay a plumber to come out for a single visit and with them you can tackle probably 90% of household plumbing issues.

Thank you guys so much for checking out this content. If you enjoyed it, consider checking out some of my other DIY Plumbing Projects.

How to Replace a Water Shut Off Valve

How to Fix a Garbage Disposal