Since I don't build stuff, I can't list my favorite tools for the jobsite. However, I think that if anyone tried to take away my computer, I'd be likely to turn quite vicious. Computers certainly revolutionized media -- and just about everything else. I think that at some point in the distant future, the microchip will be recognized as one of civilization's great inventions -- right up there with the discovery of fire and the wheel. And the printing press, which was named the most important invention of the last 2,000 years. (Think about it. Where we be without books, manuals, etc.?)

But when I get busy on home-improvement projects, I reach for my cordless drill a lot. It took me a while to find one that was smaller and lighter than my husband's -- one I can use with one hand. I'm hearing more about manufacturers coming out with other tools for female users, and I'm looking forward to seeing some of them next month at the International Builder's Show.

What's the one tool you'd hate to give up? Or the top two or three? And why do you find them so essential to your job? I'll be interested to see how the list shakes out.