I learned via a social media post that Target stores are now carrying a new tool brand – TINKR – let’s take a closer look.
TINKR launched just 2 months ago, and says they are “a modern tool brand” that is looking to “redefine DIY for a new generation.”
Disclosure: I hold Target stock.
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The brand was founded by a “tastemaker and creative consultant” and seeks to “transform the home tools category with products designed not just for function, but for comfort, accessibility, and everyday living.”
Tinkr says that ordinary tools are “intimidating, unappealing, and built around a narrow idea of who a builder is,” and they sought to change that with “tools that feel good in your hand, look great in your home, and come with the kind of guidance and content that makes DIY feel approachable, empowering, and even fun.”
They also say they see “DIY as more than just a to-do list – it’s a way to spark connection.”
The tools launched in 2 colorways – sage (pale green) and midnight (dark blue).
Here’s everything they launched so far:
TINKR Full Modern Tool Box and Workstation – $80
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TINKR Home Essentials Kit with Roll-up Case – $30
TINKR DIY Essentials Kit – $20
TINKR Furniture Assembly Kit – $25
TINKR Picture Hanging Kit – $25
Side note: I am pretty sure that Empire Level has patents on blue bubble level vials. It’s unclear to me if those patent protections ended or if Tinkr chose a pretty color without realizing this.
TINKR Wall Patch Kit – $25
TINKR Painting Kit – $25
Some tools will be sold separately:
- 12oz hammer – $11
- 18ft tape measure – $8
- Ratcheting screwdriver – $11
- Utility knife – $8
Nothing about these Tinkr tools looks special to me, and I have hesitations about the approach. For example, their furniture assembly kit doesn’t seem to include a Pozidriv screwdriver bit, which is a game-changer when it comes to assembling many types of IKEA products.
They want to “make home improvement feel empowering, not overwhelming,” with “a mission to make DIY more inclusive and approachable.”
Tinkr says they offer “design-driven tools,” and, good or bad, it shows. They also say they are “rethinking what it means to fix, create, and improve at home,” and will be launching “a growing library of how-to videos.”
I searched for the how-to videos referenced in Tinkr’s announcement.
I found a short video clip on how you can hammer in a screw – yes a screw, not a nail – into wood and use their tape measure to make circles.
In another video short, Tinkr shows you how to make a wall-hung paper towel holder out of a plastic clothes hanger.
That’s not quite what I expected in the realm of DIY how-to videos, but I guess it’s what I should have expected from a “modern” tool brand for “a new generation.”
Amazon has a basic home tool kit for $30, and plenty more. I don’t see how tools like that are unapproachable or intimidating.
I see parallels between what Tinkr is trying to do with hand tool sets for Target shoppers, and what Dremel has tried to do with cordless power tools – see Introducing Dremel Blueprint Tools for DIYers.
Tinkr seems to be perfect for the types of users that take to social media and ask “what do I need for [common DIY project or task]” without actually searching for answers themselves.
Tinkr sought to create tools that aren’t just “garage gear.”
Many of you will be rolling your eyes – just as I am – but a lot of modern would-be DIYers will eat this up. This new tool brand seems perfectly aimed at Target shoppers, and it might suit them well.
It will be interesting to see where things go from here. Frankly, I think this could be an improvement for Target’s tool department.
See Also: Target and Blue Ridge Tools – They’re Doing it Wrong
Brad
Seems like their target market is practical but light users, rather than chasing the same dime as established budget or pro brands. That makes a lot of sense. As HOF baseball player Willie Keeler put it, “Hit ’em where they ain’t.”
Scott K
“Target” Market 🤣
ColeTrain
Target market is funny… Hit him where they ain’t.. that is the target
Rog
Does Target already carry their own line, Blue Hawk? (I think that’s the name)
PETE
It’s all greenworks at target. Blue Hawk is lowes brand.
Rog
Someone below corrected me, it’s Blue Ridge at Target
Jeff
All Blue Ridge tools were replaced by Greenworks include both hand tools and power tools. Tinkr range is more suitable for Target because of the design and color.
MM
You’re 100% right–I’m rolling my eyes at this. One can buy better tools that are just as “comfortable” and “accessible” for a lot less money. I think there is a lot of irony with many DIY focused tool sets. The claim is that the tools are easy to use, while in reality a lot of them are frustratingly poor quality or design.
The line complaining about how current tools are “built around a narrow idea of who a builder is” really has me rolling my eyes. Shouldn’t tools be agnostic with respect to whom is using them, and should instead be focused on the task they are meant to do? This feels like pretentious labels being slapped on cheap import junk.
In my opinion a DIYer would be much better served with ordinary, basic, tools. Toolguyd has written articles in the past about beginner/homeowner tool kits, something like that is much better choice. If someone wants to buy an all-in-one kit that’s already assembled the Amazon Basics looks like much better value for money. I’ve seen better value options from Ryobi too.
Jared
I agree with all of that. There’s nothing about the tools that makes them approachable, empowering or redefining – except the pastel colors. I realize those adjectives are pure puffery, but when you make such bold marketing claims without any apparent substance it invites criticism.
Trying to keep an open mind, the one exception might be the wall patch kit. I could see some value in an all-in-one solution like that to a simple project. E.g. buying all the pieces individually would cost more and leave a one-time user with extra supplies they don’t immediately need and having to figure out themselves what to buy.
LE
Agree about the wall patch kit, that was the only thing I saw here that made me say “huh that’s actually a decent idea for this market”. A simple all in 1 kit with enough stuff to patch a few spots and simple instructions would actually be really useful to a lot of people. Maybe that already exists at department stores though, and I’m just to use to seeing the supplies in large amounts individually because of where I shop…
Jody
Unsure of their target market. Diyers use the internet and those are 1 to 2 times the cost of easily findable products with reviews, images and videos that show results.
Example https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D54PV3RW
You can get 4 utility knives and extra blades
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HCW4V4G
And so on. Then there’s Ali and xpress which are where those are sourced and lower priced with longer shipping times.
The market is busy target shoppers who don’t care about the higher price for entry tools and wants kits that match an aesthetic? Understand the appeal, price seems widely too high for people who regularly use the internet however. Bang up roi for the bullseye though if they move units.
Panagiotis
I actually thought the price was pretty reasonable for what you get — and the convenience factor is huge. I just picked up the kit for my daughter as she’s heading off to college, and it’s perfect for someone starting fresh and needing all the basics in one place. When I gave it to her, she was actually into it — which says a lot, since she’s used to having her dad handle most of these kinds of things for her!
Scott K
I initially rolled my eyes, but these kits make sense. I typically avoid Target’s tool section because I’ve never found it appealing. These kits likely fit in with Target’s aesthetic. I see this as analogous to IKEA selling their small tool sets. Target sells a lot of basic furniture, and these are probably meant to be products you grab because you like the look or realize you need the basics to put their stuff together. If you are moving out of an apartment and need to buy all of the items to patch some drywall damage – they have it packaged nicely for your before and after social media posts. I’ve never been good with those types of patches. I’ve always found a new piece of drywall or Fibratape and joint compound make for a nicer finish. I’m most curious about the OEM – are these the same tools Target has always sold with pretty packaging?
Wayne R.
This doesn’t justify even snark or sarcasm.
John
The timing of this is interesting because I’m trying to find a decent (and not crazy expensive) portable tool kit to keep in the car. Nothing too big or heavy but that has all the essentials I would possibly need on the road in an emergency. (hammer, crescent wrench (instead of socket wrench and sockets), knife, measuring tape, multi screwdriver, etc). I’m looking for as portable/light as possible but still good quality.
I’ve seen lots on Amazon that look like this one for about the same price but they all look cheaply made. Should I be getting something like this Tinkr? Or should I spend money and consolidate my own? It’s a tough call!
Ray
I bought a Hart ratchet set with a 3/8, 1/4 and screwdriver with a bunch of bits and a bit adapter for like 30 bucks because I had to do a emergency power steering pump. Worth its weight in gold. I’d never buy one of these kits, they’re just too corny
Robert
Stuart says these tools have only been out for two months. I wonder if there will be any blow back as users get frustrated with their (likely) limitations.
And as Roy asked, what happened to their Target house brand Blue Ridge tool line?
(It’s Blue Ridge, not Blue Hawk)
Stuart
I check the tool department at Target stores regularly, but haven’t recently. I will at my earliest convenience.
PB
It’s like some a high school teacher told a bunch of kids to make up a marketing campaign (I want to say high school because I know that it would really be college level, but that makes this story sadder).
They selected older style tools from the lowest cost manufacturers, but paid a little bit more to apply a color.
Everything speaks to salesmanship. Their words and the unique color is all obfuscation.
Sometimes people criticize the dumb things marketing people say to upsell a product that at least had most of the effort and time spent on engineering and making product. But this is the exact opposite phase of that. The marketing was where most of the money was spent. I bet they selected the tools after they finished their mission statements.
The only reason someone should buy these is if they work for realtor staging. They like those neutral non-offensive colors.
Another use would be for photoshoots for stock photos. They images they already provide already appear to be stock photos.
Wes
To be fair, your average claw hammer or tape measure are clearly made to be used specifically and only by hetero white men, so clearly we need tools that allow other groups to participate in home improvement projects. Right?
TomD
Walmart does have a pink toolset – https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-Tough-89-Piece-Pink-Household-Tool-Set-9201/544865437 which honestly isn’t a terrible option for “first toolset”.
They’re more than just white power tools.
Patrick
WTH is a “tastemaker”???
You know what? Never mind. I think I’m better off not knowing.
Wes
Apparently a person who taps a nail into a wall with an *inclusive* hammer, then hangs a cheap plastic hanger on it as a paper towel holder.
Martin Pansch
Taps a screw into the wall with a hammer, apparently. Don’t let The Man tell you what fasteners are hammer appropriate.
MattT
“Tastemaker” = offline “influencer”.
Al-another-Al
This looks like every set of pink throwaway tools spray painted with gender-neutral colors.
Color coordinating doesn’t make junk tools less junky, unless you’re superficial. But, maybe that’s their market. Superficial people who will buy junk because of an influencer…error…tastemaker.
Vards Uzvards
Stuart wrote that “their furniture assembly kit doesn’t seem to include a Pozidriv screwdriver bit, which is a game-changer when it comes to assembling many types of IKEA products.”
I don’t think the furniture kits sold at Target contain any PZ screws, and the simple tool kits sold in IKEA stores all contain PH screwdrivers, not Pozidriv (even though their own kits come with PZ screws only).
I would say, any simple tool kit is better than none at all.
Aram
Just seems like the flip side of Bosch marketing, to be frank, so fair is fair on that front.
We gotta wade through GOON! HITMAN! marketing and endless irrelevant tacticool features on literally every “EDC” toy, we shouldn’t be too stunned when someone tries to flip the script.
Physician, heal thyself, and all that.
Jim Felt
Yes! And Bosch has absolutely no historic history* being so lame! Wonder how long the marketing person who green-lighted this will keep his/her job?
* At least not in the North American market.
Aram
Amusingly enough, when I loaded this page on mobile there was an as for something called the Andis GTX-EXO, saying it would let me DOMINATE every cut!!1!
…it was a hair trimmer. A fricking hair trimmer, and they’re selling it on the basis of being able to dominate my every cut? I did t know haircuts could be dominated in the first place…
Jim Felt
Maybe “Target”ing first time (freshmen) back to school dorm kid’s parents? Maybe just a new Target marketing department intern idea?
Maybe. Maybe… Maybe……?
Okay. I got nothin’.
TomD
They picked colors that won’t be terribly offensive to anyone, put them where Mom shops, and hope that she’ll grab them and tell Dad he doesn’t need to go to Harbor Freight.
They’ll probably sell hundreds.
Jeff
Back in the 90s Sam’s and Costco sold a kit that had a hammer, screw drivers, sockets, wrenches, Allen wrenches, and 1/4″ bits.
It folded shut to ~18″x12″x3″. It was a perfect starter set for college My neighbor got me one when I graduated HS.
This one looks weak.
MattT
In the world of tools, this is really stupid. In the world of Target, this is probably a pretty smart move.
Bob
Cheap quality tools are everywhere, these just are a different color than the pink ones. Seems like that idea has worked for many manufacturers and retailers.
Richard Miller
I would love to know more about the person behind this.
1. Grounded in reality, but cynically seeking to exploit what they see as an opportunity?
or…
2. Have BS’d themselves so long, they believe their own BS. (Most likely never helped to face reality as a kid.)
or…
3. Have their pronouns listed prominently in their email signature.
I’d put money the person behind this idea solidly fits into one or more of these categories.
Giddagrip
You seem triggered. The pronouns actually don’t matter
This aesthetic fits with target and target customers, end of story. Some people, regardless of your gender concerns, want things that look nice for what (little) they are actually needed. Not everyone needs a “good” hammer, just one that can handle the task at hand, the rest gets called to the landlord or a pro. So what?
Seems odd you guys and gals get upset over market differentiation. It’s right there in the hardware store too.
John
Yeah, this just shows how many people here don’t understand how most people think. A cheapo hammer will work just as well as a classic estwing or a stiletto if you’re just putting up the occasional picture. So why not get one that looks a little nicer? What’s the stickout on that tape measure? Who cares? And it comes in a case where everything has its own spot instead of just going loose in a tool bag. Many people would happily pay an extra $10 to have something be aesthetically pleasing.
I personally would never buy anything here because I do serious work with them, but for someone who doesn’t these are perfectly good tools.
Andreas
Yikes Richard! It’s always okay to share a difference of opinion. But what’s not okay is making it personal or mean-spirited. Comments like this don’t foster healthy conversation—they just tear people down.
We’re all for constructive criticism and thoughtful dialogue, but respect is non-negotiable. Everyone deserves to be spoken to with kindness, even when we disagree!
Patrick T
I’m getting HOTO vibes from some of this. While I scoff at these tools, let me play devils advocate (sort of).
The advantage that Target and, to a lesser extent, Walmart have is that their tool section is smaller. If you’re in an apartment, dorm, rental, etc… you likely don’t need to choose between 24 different hammers, a dozen tape measures and a wall of screwdrivers that you would encounter at Home Depot, Lowe’s and Menards.
So, for someone in a situation like that, this could be a “perfect” starter set. Shoot, I know people who own homes that don’t have much more than these kits (and for good reason).
When I first moved out, my dad bought me something similar. It was from black and decker if I recall. It had a cordless drill, hammer, bit driver and some different pliers. I think I still have the hammer and the adjustable pliers. Almost everything else has been replaced. Only the drill “died” (the battery). If they threw in a set of channel locks, I think these could serve the needs of many.
Patrick T
Ran across this HOTO kit: https://www.amazon.com/HOTO-16-Piece-Home-Basic-Storage/dp/B09XHTMRXH?ref=dlx_labor_dg_dcl_B09XHTMRXH_dt_sl14_cf&pf_rd_r=T9GW3R71E3F5WQF7BR8T&pf_rd_p=1bc2b297-d1c7-4d31-95af-68fbb80710cf
It, at least, includes pozidrive and appears to have a cap for the hammer so you don’t mar your furniture.
Also saw that Amazon is selling TINKR. Ships from Amazon, sold by tinkr 🤷
Scott F
If my wife didn’t have me this is the kind of crap she would buy… I think it’s fitting for Target’s target market – which simply is not any of us reading this site.
Hate the name – Tinkr.
Pablo
Milwakee/Empire does indeed have a trademark (not patent) on the color blue for sprit level vials.
It is active . Trademarks do not expire as long as they are in use and renewed.
Tinkr should expect a C&D and possible suit for trademark infringement. Any legitimate level manufacturer would have been aware of that mark.
Rick
Empire having a trademark for blue vials does not mean that they would automatically win a lawsuit against some imitator. IANAL but I think that they would also have to demonstrate that blue vials were strongly associated with the Empire brand to win their case. I have no idea how that would be done.
That said, the vial in almost every other spirit level is yellow/green in color because that is the background color that human eyes can best read in most situations. So I guess TINKR would be obliged to explain why they specifically chose blue rather than the almost universally used (and functionally superior) yellow/green.
Pablo
Milwakee/Empire does indeed have a trademark (not patent) on the color blue for sprit level vials.
It is active . Trademarks do not expire as long as they are in use and renewed.
Tinkr should expect a C&D and possible suit for trademark infringement. Any legitimate level manufacturer would have been aware of that mark.
Rx9
Work with your Tinkr tools while eating Crumbl cookies and never have to worry about the letter E again.
Chris
😂
Bruce
There is no world where a new DIYer shouldn’t buy the tools they need for their project when they are buying materials for the project. This way their tools are designed for the kind of projects they do. These are just cheap generic tools of the usual low quality you find in any ‘beginner’ kit but with worse color choices that will always look dirty.
s
considering that the amazon basics tool kit for $30 has even a few more tools than tinkr’s $80 tool kit, i think it’s pretty apparent the level of markup the entire brand has.
this is clearly a tool for someone that needs an immediate tool, not someone that does any sort of educated shopping.
and going by the press material– i have to ask myself, “what does this brand do fundamentally different than other brands?” and the only answer is the color.
the shape of the grip isn’t proprietary, none of the tools are made of a different material, or contain a different working edge.
this is the gas-station grocery store equivalent for tools. it’s not quality, cheap, or good, but it exists on my way home, so it counts.
of note, dremel has notoriously struggled in this space for at least a decade or two, constantly reinventing themselves with new marketing campaigns to appeal to newer ‘makers’ and ‘diy-ers’. they’ve really never had a runaway success. just sort of tepid acceptance.
Old Suburban Dad
Boomer tools are insufficiently bussin, apparently.
Roger
These designs look like the 60s and 70s. Recolored to be “neutral” instead of the yellowy bakelight plastic. The painting kit does look nice. However, Target has… issues.
Over-all they look like a upscaled version of IKEA tools.
A joke would be if Harbor Freight came in and started stocking color schemes of their tools. Like what they do with the metal tool chests. That could have this line sitting in clearance very soon.
zchris87v
I found a tool kit I was given as a small child while cleaning up my childhood bedroom. Maybe a fisher price, or at least it looks like something they’d have made. It has most of these tools AND a saw (yeah, back in the day, giving a 6 year old a metal handsaw wasn’t a big deal).
As for the car comment, each of my vehicles has a Harbor Freight ammo box with tools from there as well for emergencies – slip joint pliers, needlenose pliers, snips, adjustable wrench, pipe wrench, screwdriver with multiple bits, a roll of electrical tape, zip ties, and a multimeter (back when they gave them away free with every purchase). Each one ran me about $30.
Jeff
Just wondering where these tools made?
George
Lots of eye rolling in here. As a guy, I’ll admit I probably wouldn’t buy these tools… but my wife? She absolutely would — and then she’d hand them to me when she’s done rolling her eyes at how long I take to fix things.
Thomas C
I got a similar tool assortment as a starter set decades ago from Target, except it was Durabuilt brand.
We all have to start somewhere.
John
If a person finds tools “intimidating, unappealing, and built around a narrow idea of who a builder is,” then I don’t believe these sets will do much to change that person’s mind. That being said, I do believe the design and colorways will be appealing for Target customers and they will be mildly popular during back to school and gift giving seasons. These are decent starter sets and the pricing is about what you’d expect. The wall patch kit is a good idea, but would benefit from a wider knife.