Every February, A Class Building Materials gets the same visitor: a first year apprentice with a tool allowance, a list from their boss, and a very reasonable urge to buy everything at once.

Don't. The 200 piece "starter kit" in the shiny case is mostly filler. You'll use nine pieces and carry the other 191 for three years. What follows is the short list: the tools you'll reach for daily, in roughly the order we'd buy them.

The rule that saves you money

Buy what you touch every day. Borrow what you touch once a month.

Your qualified tradie has a mitre saw, a nail gun and a laser level. They are not expecting you to turn up with those. What they are expecting is that you can measure, mark, cut, fix and stay safe without asking to borrow something every ten minutes.

1. A tape measure you actually like

An 8m tape with a wide blade and a solid standout. Wide blades hold their extension further before folding, which matters when you're measuring alone across a slab. Look for a Class II accuracy marking, and buy two, because the first one will disappear.

Look for: a positive lock, a hook that isn't loose beyond its normal float, and a case you can grip with gloves on.

2. A hammer that suits your trade

Carpentry: a 20 to 24oz framing hammer, milled face for nailing off or smooth if you're doing finish work where marks show. General building and fit out: a 16oz claw is easier on the elbow all day.

Look for: a handle that suits you. Steel and fibreglass survive being left in the rain, while hickory is kinder to your arm. Hold a few before you commit, because balance is personal.

3. Combination square and marking gear

A 300mm combination square does about six jobs: square lines, 45s, depth gauge, straight edge, and finding the centre of a stud. Pair it with carpenter's pencils and a fine marker for steel and dark timber.

Look for: actual squareness. Cheap squares aren't. Check it against a known straight edge before you leave the shop. Mark a line, flip the square, mark it again. If the two lines diverge, it's rubbish.

4 and 5. Cordless drill/driver and impact driver

Buy these as a combo kit. It's almost always better value than the two separately, and you get batteries and a charger in the deal.

The important decision isn't the tools, it's the battery platform. Whatever brand you pick, you're buying into it for the next decade. Ask around the site. If everyone runs the same platform you can share batteries in a pinch, and that's worth more than a spec sheet.

Look for: 18V, two batteries of decent capacity, and a brand with the tools you'll want in three years, not just today.

6. Circular saw

The tool that turns you from a helper into someone who can be sent to do a job. Cordless if it's on your combo platform, corded if you want maximum grunt for the least outlay.

Look for: a base plate that doesn't flex, and spend whatever you save on blades. A good 60 tooth blade in an average saw beats a 24 tooth blade in a premium one for anything you want to look neat.

7. Chisels, and a way to sharpen them

A set of four (6, 12, 18 and 25mm) covers you. What separates apprentices here isn't the chisels, it's whether they're sharp. A blunt chisel is a safety hazard and it shows in your work. Buy a diamond plate or combination waterstone at the same time.

Look for: chisels you're allowed to sharpen properly. Ten minutes on a Friday afternoon puts you ahead of half the site.

8. Spirit levels

Start with a 1200mm. It's the most useful single length, long enough for door jambs and framing, short enough to fit in the bag. Add a 600mm when you can, and a torpedo level for tight spots.

Look for: accuracy you've verified yourself. Sit it on a flat surface, note the bubble, spin it 180 degrees. Same reading both ways, or don't buy it.

9. Nail bag, belt and knee pads

An unglamorous purchase that changes your day more than any power tool. A leather or heavy canvas rig with a proper hammer loop, two pouches and a padded belt. Set it up to suit your handedness, and don't overload it. A heavy bag on one hip for eight hours is how apprentices end up with back problems at 25.

Knee pads are non negotiable for flooring, decking or fit out work. Your knees don't grow back.

10. Safety gear you'll actually wear

The gear only works if it's comfortable enough that you don't take it off.

• Eye protection. Clear and tinted, plus anti fog. Two pairs.

• Hearing protection. Earmuffs for saws, plugs for all day noise. Class 5 for the loud stuff.

• P2 respirator. Essential for silica dust, MDF, insulation and demolition. Disposables work, though a reusable half mask is more comfortable if you're in dust often.

• Gloves. A cut resistant pair for handling steel and sheet material.

What to leave for later

Mitre saw, nail gun, laser level, table saw, big rolling toolbox. All useful, none urgent. Buy them when you know your trade and you're being handed jobs that need them, usually second or third year.

Three habits worth starting on day one

Mark your tools. Engrave or paint pen your initials on everything, including individual bits and blades. Sites are shared spaces and things migrate.

Photograph a lot. A phone album of your tools with serial numbers takes ten minutes and makes an insurance or police report actually workable. Tool theft from utes is a real problem across Melbourne's west.

Register the warranty. Most brands extend cover meaningfully if you register within 30 days. Most people never do.

Come and get sorted

A Class Building Materials stocks everything on this list at Ravenhall and Geelong, and our counter team includes people who've swung a hammer for a living. Bring your list, tell us the trade, and we'll tell you honestly what you can skip.

If your employer supplies your tools, ask them to have a chat with us about an A Class trade account. It makes restocking blades, bits and consumables a lot simpler.