You're not wrong! As it is, it seems like people always use the same tool over and over until it stops working and then switch to another one (or keep using the same one even tho it works so-so at that point)
That being said, each tool only has one or two gameplay mechanic and you can always try again if you lose, so a few runs of trying what the tools do isnt that big of a deal. But yeah, controls maybe were an issue for this game, I really wish I could've put all the keyboard shortcuts and explanations in-game at all time instead of having to slap 2 pictures together and claim they're a 'manual' ;D