Sentence: El mecánico usa <u><em>las herramientas</em></u> y nos dice que son sus favoritas.
Translation: The mechanic uses the tools and tells us that they are his favorites.
Explanation:
Since the direct object pronoun is "<u><em>las</em></u>", which is feminine and plural and must agree with the direct object in gender and number, the direct object must also be a feminine and polural noun. The only feminine and plural noun option is "las herramientas".