If you've spent much time on my blog, you've likely picked up on the fact that I'm a DIY'er, for better or worse. As I've said before, my day job requires a lot of mental effort. I've found that, for me, in order to give my brain a break, I need to work with my hands. I enjoy doing a lot of different kinds of DIY projects, but probably my favorite is to work on my car.

Every now and then, as I'm talking to people about some of DIY projects I have tackled, the question of tools comes up. So, I thought I would start a little series in which I talk about some of the tools that I am glad that I have, without which some DIY jobs couldn't be done. Now, I am not writing these necessarily to recommend these tools, and neither is my purpose to publish tool reviews--and I am certainly not sponsored by any tool companies. I just want to share some of the tools that I have found most useful in doing the various DIY projects that I have done or plan to do. Sometimes, I might post about a tool that I need or plan to purchase in order to complete a job. Some of you may like the tools I talk about, others of you may not. Tell me in the comments area at the bottom of the page. Some of you may think that there are better tools for doing certain jobs that the one(s) I have used. Tell me in the comments area at the bottom of the page. All I ask is that if/when you post a comment, please be respectful.

I'll kick off this series with what is perhaps the absolutely most used tool that I own, namely my little 18V Ryobi drill/driver.

One day back in 2014, I was at Home Depot buying something for some DIY project, I'm sure, and I saw that they had a deal going on Ryobi drill/driver and 3/8 impact set. It came with two batteries, a battery charger, and a handy carrying case. Honestly, I have not used the impact driver that much. However, I've used the drill on a lot of different projects, from hanging things on our walls (e.g., drilling holes for drywall anchors), deck furniture fabrication, adding a work bench to my back yard shed, rebuilding the doors to my back yard shed, to helping my Dad build a hay barn and putting a steel roof and siding on it (this was the first major job for the Ryobi, and I certainly put it through its paces).

This little drill/driver continues to be one of the most useful tools I have ever purchased.