The best of the best isn't always the best.
Some of the best stuff I own is off-brand.
I likely have over 100K invested in my hand tools, but most of them were purchased because they offered some unique feature beyond a homeowner's standards.
But that's just how I do it and not what you seek.
Harbor Freight has a line of Pittsburgh Brand hand tools that are decent quality at an affordable price with a lifetime guarantee.
Sockets, ratchets and hand wrenches from there would be a sound buy.
Some of the Harbor Freight offerings are substandard, so it might be wise to take someone along who is slightly knowledgeable in order to avoid being disappointed.
Used tools are a hit and miss if you don't understand the quality to begin with, so that isn't something I would recommend to a novice.
A claw hammer is a must.
Not a huge heavy framing hammer mind you, something in the 12 oz. area but not to exceed 16 ounces given the strength required to utilize it.
If you don't know how to hold and swing a hammer properly, the best of the best won't fix that part, so I would likely stay in the 12 oz. arena if I were you.
As others have already stated, good pliers, cutter and a pair of Vise-Grips should be on your list too.
A decent tape measure would be a great addition.
Crappy quality screwdrivers will only piss you off, so try to buy better ones like Stanley or Craftsman.
Some of the stuff at Harbor Freight is substandard, so it might be advisable to take someone along with some knowledge of tool to help you select them.
Harbor Freight does have a fairly extensive online catalog, and if you would like something from there, I do have the ability to check the stuff out in person so you could get an honest opinion.
Some of their stuff is pure junk, while some of it is actually higher end.
They generally offer three grades of tools in an attempt to lure all buyers.
Big box stores like Lowes or Home Depot generally offer big box prices to go along with their sales, and while the quality may rank up near the top, so will the prices.
With LiPo battery tools being offered at affordable prices, I really see no need to go with corded units at this stage of the game.
If you are not building a deck, then why buy the tools to build one?
Black and Decker offers some nice ones that are not all that expensive so I would likely recommend that brand as well.
I thought my first 12 volt one was a joke until I started using it.
Small, lightweight, easy to handle,
and ten years later, it still serves me well.
In fact, well enough for me to buy it's 20 volt sister about 4 years ago.
Yeah, I also have a Ryobi 1+ set of cordless tools from hell, but the 1+ system is also compatible with their LiPo batteries and the required charger, so to me that was still a win because they didn't simply become obsolete due to better battery technology.
In all, I have 6 cordless drills and two cordless impact drivers and even found battery brand adapters so that all of my 20 volt tools can share their batteries, but that's not why we are here, is it?
Online to me isn't a great idea because the tools are posed by professional artists to look their best.
I can photoshop rust to look like chrome of you get my drift.
To wrap this up, I would recommend buying a little bit at a time instead of trying to go all in at once.
