The handy man's dream- Travis Perkins sells everything you would need to build a house, or repair…read moreit at least. The oddly placed trade counter sits next to dominoes back from the street, and usually has a lorry backing out. This is your best spot to find tools and materials if you have just moved to in or are repairing some gone wrong DIY.

Power tools! Manual…read moretools! Useless tools! Usefull tools! Tools! Tools! Tools! Toolstation! You want a tool of any shape of size, for whatever purpose you can think of. This is a cracking little utility shop that can supply you with a full set of equipment to make you the ultimate handyman. I do have a problem with this shop though, as when I go in, i'll browse, find a tool I have completely no need for, pay a little bit too much for it, then go home, wondering why I just spent my money on a collection of hacksaws of various different sizes!

This depot is run by morons. Most of the staff are foreign…read morebad speaking Know nothing imigrants. on a minium wage,They don't care if your order is right or not. All they know is how to read numbers. They know nothing of the building trade at all, so no good trying to explain anything to them. Every order you give them they get wrong. I came away, and back to a job in the Forest of Dean to find most of the items in the bag were wrong. It is a good half a day to go to the nearest Toolstation and get back to work. I then decided to order direct from the warehouse. This order was made on Wednesday morning. I was told that I would definately get the delivery on Thursday. I received part of the order, but the bulk of it was not there. As one of my employees received the goods I couldn't know it was incomplete until it was unwrapped. I phoned Toolstation to be told that the courier had it on the van and that it would be re-delivered. I left that job at 5.45pm, there was NO DELIVERY. I phoned the warehouse to ask what the hell was going on.They told me that because it was after 5pm the order probably wouldn't get delivered before next Monday. I now have 2 tradesmen at £180 per day each turning up for work tomorrow with nothing to do. Apart from that the owners of the house are coming back from holiday on Saturday to find NO HOT OR COLD WATER, NO TOILET AND NO COOKING FACILITIES. I will probably lose this contract because of the Cowboy outfit called TOOLSTATION. This is probably the 15th time I have ordered from them and not one order has been correct. If your son wants a cowboy outfit for his birthday, buy him The Toolstation company. They are very polite on the phone when they ask for your credit card number. That is when the politeness stops. I will tell everyone I know to avoid this bunch of idiots like the plague. I am now ordering the goods from Screwfix. They might charge £5 for delivery but their prices are cheaper and their service is better. so It is far cheaper to give Toolstation the big elbow.

This Robert Dyas, located in the Galleries, is where I always end up coming whenever a fuse blows,…read moremy toaster dies or my very last light bulb gives out. It's not what I would call a particularly fun shopping experience, but it does the job and I don't think I've ever come out of this place empty handed. They've got pretty much everything you could wish for in terms of household necessities in this store and the staff are very helpful when it comes to helping you find what you're after. It's not the cheapest of places - if you shop around a bit I'm sure you could find yourself a better bargain for some items at Wilkinsons or Argos, but if you don't fancy spending your entire Saturday morning shopping for a new vegetable steamer/hoover/junior hacksaw, then head to Robert Dyas. You should find everything you're looking for within a matter of minutes.

A great place to find some hard to find cleaning items. They sell some very cheap mops, and also…read moresell alot of kitchen items, such as toasters, kettles and grills. Definitely a good place to shop. Staff are friendly,a nd alwasy pleased to help a confused customer.

Always helpful. If they don't have what you want they will tell you where to get it. If not in…read morestock they will order it or find a substitute .

I have lived and worked on the same street as Clifton Hardware so I truly understand just how…read morevaluable and useful this shop is, especially as it's located in what can only be described as the least practical place to live anywhere on earth. I mean if you want flowers, crockery, antiques, jewellery or trinkets you're living in the right place. However, I was a 20 year old boy. I don't think I have bought a more diverse range of items from any shop in the world. Even when I used to work in a nearby pub and the manager had affection for strange lamps, with exotic light bulbs, no matter just how odd the light bulb I needed was, Clifton Hardware would stock it. I have gone to them for door stops, spray paint, screws, TV aerials, glue, probably everything at some point or another, including a kitchen sink. It even smells like al lovely old hardware store, and these shops used to be the cornerstone of every high street. I challenge anyone to find a B&Q that smells as good as this place Clifton Hardware can stand there proudly as the last bastion of usefulness in Clifton Village... Just don't ask them for Four Candles.

That's the last time I'll buy from this shop. I had to take…read moreback 2 face masks that were too small, very thin and clearly offer no protection. At first she only offered a credit note, so I had to insist on a full refund. When I pointed out that the masks were obviously not merchandisable she was surly and dismissive. I have always thought the shop was overpriced, but after checking the price of these masks I discover that they are imported for around 8p. They are on sale here for £5. I'm shocked that someone can look to mark up a substandard product supposedly offering protection from coronavirus to such a huge degree. And then be so rude to a customer. I'll not be returning.

If you're trying to buy less amazing incredible things you definitely have to have, probably best…read moreyou don't go in here. In Pearce's Hardware they sell literally just about everything. Tea pots, draught excluders, big chains, little chains, strong chains, weak chains, watering cans, mouse traps, glues, plugs, shower heads, thermos flasks, duct tape, plant food, umbrellas, staple guns and the largest, most impressive selection of toasters I have ever seen. Enough said.

Bristol Tools is a no nonsense store specialising in hand tools, but stocking a whole lot more. I…read morebought a spade here for £6.99 the other day, and so can vouch for the affordable prices they charge. But it's the sheer choice of products that impresses you most, many of which possess a latter day charm as well as a price tag to match. I'm sure that if I looked hard enough I'd find gold mining pans and twin handled lumberjack saws! If you can't find it here, then you won't get it anywhere else. Services include key cutting and blade sharpening, although if you bought your tools from here you won't need to use the latter so often. All of them are made using the finest steel and come replete, in most instances, with finely crafted wooden handles; there's no shonky steel and badly matching plastic moulded handles at this store - you'll have to go to Rajani's for those.

Much like the varnish they sell in their shop that does exactly as it says on the tin, if you need…read moreany tool in Bristol - Bristol Tools will have it. Having been on the same corner since 1973 the guys in here are incredibly knowledgeable. Every bit of DIY and every odd job about the house has always led me here. One of the things that really sets this shop out above the rest for me is how it is customer focussed in every sense. Their priority is getting you what you need. If they don't have what you want, for example, they'll call other hardware shops in Bristol before ordering it in. If they do have to order it in, it's always within 24 hours. The guys here are also very proud that they haven't 'sold out' to specialise in power tools. Like many businesses in the area they keep it traditional, local and very hands on.

Always outstanding customer service. Nothing is too much trouble. Thank you. A surprisingly good…read moreselection in a small Shop.

Another great hardware store on Gloucester Road…read more My girlfriend and I wanted some paint to paint a table we acquired. We popped in as I was sure I'd seen tins of paint last time I went in. Turns out they've got a full Dulux paint mixing machine with a paint chart - sorted! We picked our colours, gave them to matey-boy and then had a mooch while he mixed his magic. The shop is full of nic-nacs from flower bulbs, paint brushes, toilet seats, taps and washing up bowls. if you need it, they've probably got it. There always seems to be a lot of staff. Probably because they get asked lots of silly questions by people like myself, but there was no waiting around. All of the guys were really helpful. One had just come back from his stag do and was covered in fake tan - David Dickinson style - oh how we laughed! Bishopston Hardware is a great shop with great staff. It's so handy that it's at the end of my road!

Now, I'm going to say 'hand woodworking tools' to you and I'm guessing 90 per cent of you are going…read moreto click elsew.... hey! Well hi there 10 per cent of you, I can see you have perked up a little. If you know of this shop then you will be having a far-away dreamy look in your eyes right about now and if you didn't then you're checking your watch and wondering where to park nearby. Yes, a whole shop of hand tools: gauges, mallets, chisels... including lots of vintage tools for very cheap prices as well as brand new ones. The staff (I feel I should use the word 'proprietor' here) are very very helpful and alway gleeful verging on surprised that other people like to chip bits of wood from a large block of wood. There's a lot of us about, be proud.

Bristol Design is a fantastic shop. It has everything you could ever need for your DIY redesign of…read moreyour kitchen to hanging up a picture. In my case it was the latter that needed doing and I had no idea how to go about it. The staff in here were extremely helpful and were easily able to point me in the right direction as far as picture hooks go. Now that I know what I need, I would probably go to Wilkinson's as it's a lot cheaper but for something a bit more complicated then it's definitely worth a trip here.

I didn't know about this place (despite the massive sign on Stokes Croft) until my flat needed…read moredecorating now I couldn't be without it! They will mix up in minutes any shade of paint from their range of thousands, at reasonable prices. They also have a wide range of wallpaper including posho designer stuff as well as a range of DIY gear (although some of this can be found cheaper elsewhere). They offered me a 10% discount card which has been well used and you also get Nectar points on your purchases. My only complaint is that as there are so many colours available they don't have the full range of samples on the display - you might need to ask to see swatches if you want a specific shade. Oh, and if you buy a sample tin for around £3/4 the price will be refunded when you buy the full tin.

If I had a thousand pounds to decorate my room, I would come to Sense…read more Very contemporary, very chic, very nice! I couldn't help but feel a little in awe wandering round this shop, they have thought of just about everything from furniture, to decoration, lighting of every kind even garden accessories. At the moment they have some huge, and I do mean huge, cups and sauces outside which I assume you would plant a pretty plant in, though they looked way to good to put soil in if you ask me! As well as quite extravagant things they do have a good selection of affordable bits and pieces ideal from presents or to brighten up your room, like picture frames, fairy lights, and statement cushions! Not everything in here is to my taste, I think you will either love or hate some pieces but it's definitely work popping in on your way past.

"DO NOT ENTER if you have a dreary, grey, misty, Autumn outlook, as you may be distressed by the…read morecontents of this shop and might have convulsions". This sensory warning should be displayed prominently at the door of the excellent shop - 'Sense Clifton' - all bright and glittering, colourful pinks, blues and shiny metals. On the other hand, if you have a sparkling magpie persona, fine. Or if you just want to be shocked out of your November torpor, come to Sense for a quick fix. You dont have to buy anything, just browse and you'll fell much better. Though of course, the owners would also feel much better if you did buy something, so why disappoint - they will have done you a good turn. According to some blurb, Sense "...offers a smart mix of design-led products with a contemporary edge...". Apparently, the owners' frequent trips to Holland have given them a new perspective on design. They wanted to attack all the senses and create a complete home environment, everything from comfortable leather seating, exciting lighting and soft furnishings to unusual gifts. Pay a visit yourself, check it out, but take heed of the sensory warnings - highly recommended.