We just noticed that Stiletto, the makers of some oddly expensive hammers, has found a way to add on an additional $14.99 to the price of their tools with a personalized engraving service. To be honest, the engraving price strikes us as more than reasonable and as long as you're sacrificing your child's college education to purchase a hammer, you might as well make sure no one steals it.
You can personalize a brand new hammer, or get the work done on a Stiletto that you already have.
Black & Decker has released a number of energy saving and monitoring products as part of their Energy Series. We've already covered the Thermal Leak Detector and the Power Monitor so now we're moving on to the last of the line, the Black & Decker AutoSwitch.
The AutoSwitch is a unit that you place over an existing light switch which converts it to a motion sensor light. The unit has a switch, so there's still a manual override and you also have the ability to set it to a sensitivity of 1, 5, 15, or 30 minutes.
If you're the type who comes home from vacation and realizes that you left every light in the house on for over two weeks, then it might be a product worth looking into.
When 3-in-1 sent us one of their No-Rust Shields to test out they had no idea that we would put it in an unwinnable situation, a situation so brutal that there was absolutely no chance for success. We felt that the one way to test this little tool was to break its spirit, totally demoralize it, and then punch it in the face. If you're not familiar with it, the No-Rust Shield is a little gizmo that you put in your tool box or your gang box or your tackle box (or wherever) and it prevents rust from building up on the metal in that space. It's meant for normal day-to-day levels of moisture, not the 98% humidity that we subjected it to. So, we essentially knew that the item was doomed from the start, but we thought the manner in which it let out its dying breath would be indicative of its quality as a tool.
According to 3-In-1, the No-Rust Shield (NRS) works by (we're not joking here) sending out "metal-seeking vapor phase corrosion inhibitors" which form a layer of protection around whatever metal it is that you're trying to protect. Sort of like midi-chlorians of the tool world.
For our test, we took two Ziploc bags and put about 1/2 cup of water in each. We then put a handful of nails in each bag and in one bag we placed the No-Rust Shield (NRS). We closed up the bags and positioned them in a way that neither the nails or the NRS was exposed to direct water. That was about two months ago.
We watched the test diligently for about two weeks. At that point, the control nails were fully engaged with rust and the NRS nails were just starting to show signs of falling victim themselves. We had big plans of taking a ton of photos of the progression, but it was at that point that (honesty alert) we completely forgot about our test. And then we were driving home from work the other day and, "isn't there something I should be remembering now....oh yeah." So we revisited the corner of the shop with the bags and at first glance, it looked like the NRS had completely succumbed to the rust and the game was up, but upon closer inspection, there were still patches of untouched metal on the NRS nails. Very interesting. We pulled the nails out and took some photos.
The water was now rusty in both bags, so we filtered it out and dried the results. We took some photos of that too. So, as you can see, there is a difference in the results. The NRS works. Not under impossible conditions, but it does work. If our results were translated into a box of nails or a box of router bits, we're convinced that the items would stay rust free. Or at least rust free for the 90 days that the NRS lasts for. Thankfully, the NRS also has a strip that turns red to indicate that when it's time to get a new one.
Honestly, our test was barbaric to the No-Rust Shield. We created a situation that is so unlikely and so brutal that it would really never be a real-life situation. If you're someone who is going to take the time and effort to purchase a No-Rust Shield, you're not going to be the type to store your tools in a bucket of water. But even with the punishing test, the No-Rust Shield displayed its effectiveness by putting up a good fight, even if it ultimately shared the fate of Tennyson's Light Brigade.
The No-Rust Shield goes for about $5 and is available at Amazon
DAP Seal 'N Peel Removable Weatherstrip Caulk - Review
To say our house is 'drafty' is a bit of an understatement. To say that there's actually turbulence at head level is more like it. In the summer it's easy to get all misty-eyed over the ancient windows filled with their wiggly, wavy old panes of glass. In the winter though, those windows are nothing less than the enemy. The other night, we were walking around taking temperature readings with the digital laser thermometer and one of our windowsills read a balmy 38 degrees (keep in mind, this is on the inside of the house). Think about that for a second. It's insane. We actually can't think about it for any longer than a second or we get heart palpitations.
So enter DAP, a company nice enough to send us a tube of their new Seal N Peel removable weatherstrip caulk. The principal of the product is simple; caulk it in along open joints in windows, doors, wherever there's a draft, and come spring, just peel it off. It's a nice fine line that DAP is walking here, a caulk that's sticky enough to stick but at the same time, unsticky enough to be easily pulled off months later.
We had a big red flag go up when we saw that the tube was labeled, "vanilla scent." The only reason a product like this would have an vanilla scent would be if it needed to mask a horrific chemical smell, leading to one of two outcomes: 1) in order to hide the odor, the vanilla is intensely powerful or 2) the vanilla doesn't work and the nasty chemical smell is unavoidable. Before opening the tube, we checked the reviews over at Amazon and saw that a few people were complaining about the fumes.
So we cut the tube and went to work, expecting to be lightheaded within minutes. We're not sure if we were anticipating the worse, but it's really not that bad. Is it a smell we want made into an aftershave? Probably not. But were we running for the door in a HazMat suit? Not at all.
From what we experienced the product works great. We did a couple windows and completely stopped the drafts. The snout of the tube is extra long so getting into odd spots was easy. We also dropped a few beads on a piece of pine to test how easy the Seal 'N Peel is to remove. It comes up like a charm. The packaging does say, though, that after a year, it gets more difficult to remove.
Seal 'N Peel goes for about $6 a tube. It's a small price to pay for stopping the wind through the dining room.
We were doing some Christmas shopping at Sears the other day and noticed a new line of hand tools from Craftsman called evolv. It looks like it has replaced the Companion line of tools as their inexpensive line of (mostly) hand tools.
As far as we're concerned, this line is all about two things; packaging and price. The packaging has this eco-vibe to it, marked by the raw cardboard backer boards for the tools. We half expected to see a notice on the packaging saying that the tools were BPA free and that the indigenous third-world workers that put them together were paid via some sort of fair trade agreement. The color scheme is a nice gray with a green that seems to mimic Ryobi's li-ion line. Overall, there's a harmless 'Starbucks/Putamayo' quality to the presentation that's undeniably appealing. There's even some mysterious pronunciation symbol under the 'e' in 'evolve.'
As for price, these things are extremely economical, which is great for us. Over the years we've come to regard most hand tools as disposable, one step up from drill bits and recip saw blades. We'll buy a nice, expensive screwdriver set and soon one of them is lost at the site, one's lost in the garage, one is lost in the basement and a few others are just plain old lost. We've long since stopped wasting our money on pricey hand tools. We've got our nice hammer, but that's about it. So, at some point we might be at Sears and if we're sick of trying to remember where we last used our #2 Philips screwdriver, we might toss the evolve set in the shopping basket (ten screwdrivers for $15).
The line also has wrenches, pliers, socket sets, multi-tools, a number of full tool sets, and even a 3.6-volt screwdriver.
Now that the market is swamped with oscillating tools, there is a lot of talk about what brand's accessories are interchangeable with what brand's tools. Over the weekend, we went out to the shop and spent about an hour trying different accessories with different models and we came up with this chart (click to see it enlarged):
A few things about our notation:
1. Y: Yes, the accessory fits in the locking system of the tool.
2. N: No, the accessory does not fit on the tool in any functional way.
3. NL: The accessory fits on the tool, but it does not lock into that particular tool's locking system. On some brands (Dremel, Bosch), this locking system is a pattern of 'nubs' that the accessory fits around, and on others (Fein, Craftsman) the tool has a shape that the accessory conforms to. Because of the oscillating motion of these tools, we really don't recommend using any of the accessories that don't lock into the tool. Not only can they come loose easier, but it's likely you're placing a great deal of pressure against the face of the nubs or other locking system giving them additional wear.
4. WA: With adapter. The Bosch tool comes with an adapter that sits over the nubs and creates a bumpy surface for the accessory to rest against. Even with the adapter, the other accessories are still not locked into the tool, so the situation is functional, but not ideal.
5. The Proxxon, because it is built for such light duty, has no locking system and thus all but the Craftsman and Rockwell accessories, with their large holes, were deemed acceptable.
6. The Fein is the only one with a quick change chuck system and should NOT be used with any accessories other than those made by Fein, Rockwell, or Craftsman. The other accessories may fit on the spindle, but if they sit on the face of the locking system and can cause damage to the quick change system.
7. If anyone has any information on the Harbor Freight oscillating tool or any of the other brands not included, drop a comment and at some point, we'll update the chart accordingly.
Of the tools, the ones that cross-pollinated easiest were the Fein and the Craftsman who, for all intents and purposes, share a locking system. The Rockwell accessories also fit the pattern successfully.
We've reviewed all of the tools mentioned and you can check out our thoughts at the following pages:
This happened in China. Now, we know what you're thinking, "I thought that everything made in China was done so to incredibly high quality standards?!" Well, not this time. It appears that someone was digging next to the building for an underground garage and piling the excavated dirt on the other side of the building. Even the most rudimentary knowledge of physics would start setting off alarms on that one. Again, not this time. Can you imagine the noise when this thing hit the ground?
Fein Orbital Sanding Attachment for the MultiMaster - Review
Fein had told us they were sending out a new accessory that they had just released, but when we saw that it was an orbital sander attachment we began to wonder about the move. Was this one of those times when a company just releases something just to release it? Was Fein in the process of jumping the shark? Multi-tools are a bit problematic; there's a certain tipping point where the disparity between the job that the multi-function tool does vs. the job that the traditionally purposed tool does gets so great that it renders the multi-tool somewhat pathetic. To put it in the terms of the situation at hand, if the Fein orbital attachment isn't anywhere near as good as an orbital sander, then what the hell good is it at all? Orbitals are basic tools and they really haven't changed much over the years because they're great at what they do. Now here comes Fein with a matching accessory? the train wreck potential here was huge. These were the thoughts we had when we packed up the attachment and brought it to work where we had just been tasked with a large sanding project.
Once we got the Fein up and running with the attachment, it really didn't take long for those thoughts to disappear. Using it head to head against our new Ridgid orbital, we could hardly tell any difference. We spent all day switching between the two tools struggling to discover some problem with the Fein, but we really couldn't. The orbital attachment is fully compatible with the tool's dust collection system, so it even matched the orbital on that front.
We then brought it back to the shop and did a more scientific test to compare the two tools. We found a board with a 2-3/4" stripe painted on it and marked out 2 12" lengths of it. We outfitted both tools with 80 grit paper (the Fein with the included paper and the Ridgid with a piece of Norton paper) and then timed how long it took each tool to sand off the paint. The Fein got through to bare wood in 21 seconds and the Ridgid did the same in 15 seconds; faster, but not by all that much. After the test, we put a piece of 180 on the Fein to see how smooth we could get the board, thinking that regardless of the grit, the oscillating motion would always leave marks on the wood. The Fein had to have an Achilles heel, right? Nope, after a few moments with the 180 grit, the piece of wood was smooth as Tool Snob Jr's rear end.
So where does this leave us? Are those six seconds from the timed test crucial? Depends what you're doing. If you're setting up for a full eight hours of sanding, it probably is. But if you're taking on a small or even medium-sized project, it's pretty insignificant. The end result here is that your Fein can now double as an orbital sander. If you're a carpenter, it means one less tool that you have to lug around and if you're a DIYer, it's one less tool you have to own. Fein's multi-purpose tool just gained another purpose.
The only real drawback to this attachment is that it doesn't easily fit into the MultiMaster case. It's hardly worth mentioning, and we're really only saying it because we don't think we've ever said anything negative about the Fein MultiMaster or any of their accessories so we thought we'd give it a shot. So that's us sticking it to Fein: "we have to take the accessory off the tool in order to fit it in the case." Pretty sad on our part.
The orbital sanding attachment costs about $32 and comes with six sheets of sandpaper (2 each of 60, 80, 180 grit). It should be available where other Fein accessories are sold. We can't find it anywhere online, so it might be too new.
Craftsman Professional 12-Amp Scrolling Reciprocating Saw - Review
Craftsman has recently released a new 12-Amp Recip Saw, geared for the pro and equipped with one very interesting feature. Luckily for us, they were nice enough to let us try one out.
First, we'll start with all of the standard recip saw items. The Craftsman has an 12-amp motor, a quick blade change, and an adjustable shoe. All features that are all pretty much standard on recips these days. The motor was plenty powerful for the tasks that we put it through. The quick blade change is done with a lever on the side of the tool as opposed to the spring loaded kind that Makita has on their saws. Our preference is the latter, which actually ejects the blade from the chuck. With the Craftsman, the blade needs to be manually removed (with a little jiggle), so handling a piping hot blade is going to be something that you'll have to deal with. As far as the basics went, we liked the Craftsman. Honestly, a little more than expected. It has a very solid feel to it and it looks like it can take a bit of a beating. To get a idea of the size of the tool, we took a shot of it next to our trusty Milwaukee 10 amp and our building-killing Makita 15 amp. It's about the same size, just a little bit longer.
But this isn't your average recip saw. In fact, it has one feature that really sets it apart from the pack. The nose of the tool is not only capable of spinning around, but it can do this while the motor is running. This gives you, depending on how you look at it; a) a somewhat awkward scroll saw, b) a turbo powered jigsaw, or c) a very versatile recip saw. If you want, the nose can be locked into place at any one of the four compass points, or, like we said, it can be maneuvered around while the saw is running.
We tested this out quite a bit and it really is not only useful, but damn cool as well. Just think about the last time you had to notch a joist in a crawl space or some other awkward procedure. Now, with the Craftsman, you can keep the tool stationary, but still have the full 360 degree cutting ability. We made some cuts in a piece of plywood to show the scrolling action. Now, obviously, no one's going to use a recip saw for intricate scroll work, but cutting rough circles and working in confined spaces just got a little easier. It's an innovative tool and as far as we know, the first of its kind. We've never used Porter-Cable's recip with the rotating nose, but we're led to believe that there are a number of positive stops which prohibit smooth scroll cutting (we could be wrong here...anyone know?).
The Craftsman comes with a thin scrolling blade and a carrying case. Thankfully, Craftsman opted to give this tool a duffel-style bag, as opposed to the 'zero-additional-storage' blow-molded cases that they usually hand out with their recips. The whole package costs about $100, which isn't bad considering the scrolling action. The big jobsite brands pretty much all up in the $120 range for their 12-amp models.
Under the Roof Hang and Level Picture Hanging Tool
Raise your hand if you're completely lacking in any and all ability to hang a picture on a wall. Good. Now, if your arm is in the air, you're one of the people who has helped put the Hang and Level Picture Hanging Tool in the Amazon top 100 sellers in home improvement (#59 as of this writing).
The Hang and Level is a tool that facilitates the "so where do I put the hanger?" question of the picture hanging process. What you do is hook the picture to the tool, position it where you want it, remove the picture, and then press a litle button into the wall which leaves a mark right where you want to place the nail/hanger. It also has two built-in level vials for fine tuning.
The Under the Roof website tells us that their picture hanging tool has been mentioned in the New York Times and that it was awarded Outstanding Product at the '09 Hardware Show. We're sure the that tool is functional and in a way it's clever, but do people really need it? We just moved into a new place and over the past few weeks we've hung more pictures than the curator at the Louvre, and all we use is a tape measure, a pencil, and a little simple math. Works pretty well for us.
So we don't know. Maybe we're wrong, maybe this is the best idea since the cordless drill. Maybe everybody needs one. Or maybe we're all relying so much on gizmos, gadgets and technology that we can no longer do even the simplest tasks without assistance.
If you get all starry-eyed over those guys who head off to the woods of Alaska to build a house in the middle of nowhere all by themselves, the Granberg Mini Mill should, at least temporarily, puff your chest up and make you feel just as rugged. While the Grizzly men aren't using chainsaws to mill up their floor boards and sheathing, they are fully engaged in the entire process of tree to finished product, and it's this vibe that the Granberg Mini Mill will help you attain.
The Granberg Mini Mill is a jig set up for a chainsaw that allows you to make straight cuts, and thus gives you the ability to mill up your own stock. There's a carriage that the saw sits in with the appropriate dust deflectors and handles, as well as a rail that attaches to a 'you-supplied' 2x6. Screw the 2x to the log, lock the carriage in the rail and off you go.
The Mini Mill costs $84, which, to us, doesn't seem that bad. If you're the type who has always wanted to chop down a tree and make a table out of it, the cost of the tools are pretty insignificant when compared to the satisfaction of the completed project.
The Mini Mill looks like a nice set-up; small enough, and inexpensive enough for the ambitious diyer or woodworker.
The Ready Wrench contest is over and we've picked our winners. Like we said in the contest rules, of the five Ready Wrenches that we're giving away, three of them were being decided by random drawing. Those winners are readers Mark, Ben, and Jim. Congrats.
The other two winners were chosen based on the content of their entry and they are readers Paul and Todd. Paul because he dropped the line, "The back of the house was pretty much made of sawdust and wishes," and Todd because he has somehow gotten away with depriving his wife of a kitchen for over a year of renovations. We've posted their entries after the jump. They're worth checking out, particularly if you're in the middle of a project and it feels like it can't get any worse.
Again we'd like to thank Black & Decker for assisting with the contest and providing the prizes. If you didn't win but are interested in a Ready Wrench, they can be had at Amazon for about $25. We would also like to thank all of the readers who entered. We enjoyed looking through the entries and we hope to give you more chances to win stuff with more contests like this in the future.
Since reviewing Bosch's 18-volt Impact Driver back in September, we've continued to work the tool harder than the horse from Animal Farm, and each day it shrugs off the abuse like it was nothing. For an essential day to day tool, it's exceeded our expectations for toughness, portability, and power. But still, we need a drill around for all of our precision work. Or do we? Maybe we just need Bosch's new 3-Mode Impact Driver.
Tailor made for today's impact driver-obsessed carpenter, the new tool is an impact driver that has the ability to toggle in and out of impact mode. So now, you theoretically only need one tool for drilling and driving. This is a nice idea, but because the tool has a 1/4" quick-change chuck it means that you'll probably need to go and get a new drill bit set.
We're not sure how much we'd use this tool. To date nothing has ever stopped us from putting a drill bit in our impact driver and, in fact, we find it to be pretty effective, particularly for rough tasks. Also, because the new tool doesn't have a clutch setting (and what impact driver does?), it's not going to replace the cordless drill/driver for all tasks, so you'll still want a regular old screw gun, at the very least, in the gang box - you just might not have to take it out every day. When it comes down to it, the 3-Mode Impact Driver is all about the streamlined work day and productivity. If you're in a fast-paced situation where you're constantly going back and forth between tools, this new item from Bosch might be a good thing for you.
They're calling it a three mode because there's a high speed, a low speed, and the impact setting.
This fella is going to retail for about $370, which includes 2 Fat Pack batteries. With the added technology on the tool, this price makes sense given that the straight up impact driver goes for about $315.
The full press release is after the jump and there's more info at Bosch.
Of all the major tool companies, it seems that only Milwaukee is really digging into the flashlight and giving it the respect it deserves. Last year, they released their 'brighter-than-a-thousand-suns' 12-Volt LED (our review here), and now they're coming with an LED upgrade for those of you who want to convert your incandescent work lights to the updated bulb.
According to Milwaukee, the upgrade kit works on most 9.6 to 28-volt cordless lights. This includes, not only Milwaukee products, but other leading brands as well (DeWalt, Makita, Ridgid, Ryobi, etc.). There's no indication of how you'd go about discovering if your light falls under the 'most' category, but a call to Milwaukee is probably the best place to start.
The full press release is after the jump, if you're interested.
If you're struggling for tool-oriented gift ideas and you've already deemed our own gift guide as worthless, Amazon has a 'most wished for' and a 'most gifted' list, so you can see what other people out there are thinking about. They're pretty handy if you're having trouble with the Mr. or Mrs. Fixit of your life.
The wiring here all checks out, but there's something about this junction box that just reeks of evil. It reminds us of those creatures from the Matrix that swam around looking for Neo's ship.
Craftsman just started up an interesting promotion that will last from now until Christmas. Each day, they'll be offering a different item at a drastically reduced price (up to 70%). There's no telling what the next day's deal is going to be, but Craftsman sent out the head's up on a few enticing ones:
December 2: GearWrench Reversible Wrench Set, inch or metric (44003/4) for $39.99 (regular price $79.99), ideal for getting into confined work areas, 100 limited quantity each sku
December 6: Craftsman 192 pc. Mechanics Tool Set (33192) for $129.99 (regular price $199.99), a perfect gift for anyone looking to build their hand tool collection, 150 limited quantity
December 12: Racor Pro Ceiling Mount Bike Rack (59535) for $7.99 (regular $29.99), a terrific way to store bikes in unused space, while supplies last
December 17: Craftsman ½ in. Impact Wrench for $19.99 (regular $39.99), a must have for any DIY auto enthusiast to remove nuts and bolts with ease, 100 limited quantity
December 18: GM Performance Parts 2 Ton Hydraulic Trolley Jack (50113) for $19.99 (regular $29.99), a portable automotive lifting device manufactured to strict industry specifications, 200 limited quantity
December 21: Craftsman Cordless Rechargeable LED Work Light (73904) for $16.99 (regular $33.99), for lighting a dim workspace, while supplies last
We've got our eye on the LED and the bike rack. As you can see quantities are pretty limited, so it's best to investigate this earlier in the day as opposed to later. You West coast people are screwed. No deals for you.
Craftsman has set up a micro-site just for this promotion, where you can go and and see what the day's deal is. Check it out, it sort of feels like you're playing Monopoly at McDonald's.
Helloooooo stocking stuffer! Meet the Screwpop, or as we like to say, "SCREWPOP!" The SCREWPOP! is a little keychain gizmo that quadruples as a screwdriver (Philips and slotted), a 1/4" hex, and the obligatory bottle opener.
We've had things like this in the past and they seem to sit somewhere in between, "pretty cool," and, "have only used it once in four years." But still, you could do a lot worse for $5. And like we said, it would probably make a good stocking stuffer.
Well the first blast of the holiday shopping season is over (so far no casualties!). If your bank account hasn't been completely depleted by Kindles , Wiis, and Bananagrams, and you've got a DIYer on your list, we've put together our annual gift guide.
In other November news, the Tool of the Month is a hand's down Dremel 4000. Each time we use it, we're more impressed with it. Check out our review here.
We're also currently giving away five Black & Decker Ready Wrenches. To enter the contest, you just have to leave a comment at the post. Pretty simple. Even a chimp could do it. More information is here.
Personalize Your Stiletto Hammers
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Megapro 13-in-1 Ratcheting Screwdriver - Review
