By that we do not mean to have you seek out only bargains-although no one is averse to taking advantage of a true bargain when it is offered. Instead, what we mean is that good tools of honest value-because they are made of good steel and superior quality hardwood and other high quality materials-good tools cost a bit more than tools whose makers have skimped on quality in order to produce at a low price. But in the long view, tools of good quality will outlast any others because they are made of fine materials, so that in the end they become the most economical. Certainly the basic or minimum list of tools should include the very best tools you can afford-or a little better.

. . . the bare essentials
Perhaps the most natural beginning for DIY Home and garden improvment will be a hammer and a saw, for many of the projects outlined and detailed in this book can be done with only these two indispensable tools. A good hammer is to be prized- one that is well balanced, has a good steel head neither too heavy nor too light, one with a handle which can be easily grasped by the hand of the home craftsman. Try out several in the shop where you trade, if it has a sufficiently large stock from which to choose, selecting the one which fits your hand and is right for your purpose. Test the all-steel hammers which have a molded rubber or leather grip to see if that type pleases you more than the conventional wooden-handled types. If you are going to do a good bit of hammering, however, be warned that they lack the spring of the wooden-handled kinds and are more tiring. On the other hand, there is no danger of breaking the handle or of throwing off the head, which sometimes happens with wooden-handled hammers.