3M TEKK Painter's Gloves - Review

Our go-to on painting gloves are those latex ones that you can get in a box of 100. They're great as far as keeping your hands clean, but it's pretty wasteful to be constantly throwing them away (once they come off the hands, they ain't going back on). Recently, we were staring down the barrel of a complex staining/dyeing/shellacking/poly-ing process and we wanted to use a glove that would be a little more durable in the long run. Then we remembered that a couple months ago 3M sent us a pair of their TEKK painter gloves. So we gave them a shot. Here's what we thought....

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Blaklader Bantam Pants with Utility Pockets - Review

For the past decade, I've been fully devoted to Carhartts. They're honestly all I wear. If it wasn't for my wedding day, right now I'd be logging in ten years of daily uninterrupted Carhartt wearing. But recently I've had some issues with the company and their pants (which I may post about in the near future) so I've had my ear to the ground for other workpants of note.

As if on cue, we were contacted by Blaklader, the manufacturer of some very interesting work clothing. They offered to send us a pair of their Bantam Work Pants, and intrigued by their unique designs, we happily agreed.

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Timberland PRO Helix Work Boot - Review

Work boots are sort of like pick-up trucks. In the same way that there are Ford people and Chevy people, there are Red Wing people and Chippewa people. We even know some Carolina people, and we've met a few Timberland people. Brand loyalty is strong with boots, as it should be. Your feet are getting pounded on all day, so when you find a boot that works, you're going to stick with it.

We used to be in the Chippewa camp until they discontinued our favorite boot and replaced it with a crappy one that drove us crazy for a number of reasons. Then almost two years ago we switched to the Red Wings 606, which we now see as the gold standard in working footwear. They're phenomenal and we see no reason to ever look at another boot as long as we live. So then, here comes Timberland asking if we would like to try out a pair of their new PRO Helix boots. Apparently, they've got a number of interesting features that set them apart from the pack. Even with our allegiance firmly with the Red Wing family, we thought we'd give the Timberlands a shot. Why not?

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Ergodyne N-Ferno 6900 Warming Vest - Review

If you're ever on the look-out for some high-concept work clothing, there's no where else to go other than Ergodyne. Melding science and gear, this company has a stunning selection of clothing and accessories that seem like they come straight from Dr. Bunson's Muppet Labs. Take, for example, their N-Ferno Warming Vest. This is a lightweight vest that can be inflated with Argon in order to increase its insulating properties. So yeah, it's pretty much like any old vest you can get at T.J. Maxx.

A while back they sent us one of these vests to use and test out. We've done quite a bit with it and we've now reached our conclusions...

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Milwaukee M12 Heated Jacket - Review

Once you've conquered the massive 12-volt Pex expander market, there's really nowhere left to go but casual outerwear. And that's what Milwaukee has done. Their crushing domination of the 12-volt world is fully on display with the release of their new M12 Heated Jacket. It's almost like they're taunting the other companies at this point. Whether or not that's actually the case (it probably isn't), they nicely sent us one to check out.

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Ergodyne N-Ferno 6900 Warming Vest

It's now to the point that whenever we're at a loss for something interesting to write about, we head over to the Ergodyne site and see what kind of unusual outerwear they've got going on. First, they rocked our socks with the Extreme Balaclava, then it was their Chill-It's Cooling Towel that raised our eyebrows. Well, we've gone to the well once again and we see that they've just released a warming vest that is inflated with Argon. How's that for 'out of the box?'

So they've got a vest that shares characteristics with an insulated window. Because Argon has low thermal conductivity, why the hell not put it in clothing? Ergodyne takes the idea even further and allows you to regulate the amount of gas in the vest via a little inflating control. Feel like you've got a little too much insulation? Release the valve. Then, when you need a little more oomph, take a small Argon canister (three come with the vest) and gas yourself up. It's kind of like wrapping yourself in a stylish life raft and heading off to work. Oh, and in case you're wondering, Argon isn't flammable. Wouldn't that be a trip...

But the thing with this item is that it all makes perfect sense. The reason why we chuckle at Ergodyne isn't because the ideas are silly, it's because they're so unusual.

The vest has a retail of about $230.

More information at Ergodyne

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Milwaukee M12 Cordless Heated Jacket Kit 2331

Never have snow angels been easier!

Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Milwaukee what will you think of next? You're handing out a lifetime worth of tools in exchange for permanent skin-scarring loyalty, your 12-volt line has about 15 times the number of tools as all of your competitors combined, and your new lines of hand tools and measuring devices are hitting the scene with stellar reviews. We know, why don't you get into apparel? Actually no, why don't get into heated apparel? Oh wait, it looks like you're doing that too.

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Ergodyne 6602 Chill-Its Cooling Towel

For some reason, we only seem to talk about Ergodyne products when they're out of season. It was high summer when we told you about the unusual (and slightly creepy) Extreme Balaclava, and now here we are heading into winter and we're going to pass on the info on the Chill-Its Cooling Towel.

The deal is that he towel is made up of some astronaut material that can absorb water (and sweat) and keep you nice and cool. You 'activate' it by getting it wet and then because of it's mutant evaporative powers, it feels cooler than the ambient air. It's probably the only towel in the world that comes with an MSDS sheet.

But we probably wouldn't even be talking about this item if it weren't for the interesting bit we found on the Ergodyne website in the section marked, 'Applications.' Here is what is says,

Construction, Trades, Maintenance, Landscaping/Grounds, Assembly/Fabrication, Material Handling, Freight/Baggage, Warehousing/Distribution, Iron/Steel Fabrication, Olympic Diving

Wait...what? I'm sorry, could you repeat that last one?

One of these towels costs about $12 at Amazon.com

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Ergo Shoulder

In the mental tool rolodex, the Ergo Shoulder sits pretty close to the Extreme Balaclava that we talked about last week; looks silly, easy to make fun of, will probably need it some day, slightly jealous that we didn't come up with the idea first.

The Ergo Shoulder is a bullet-free bandolero-like strap with a pad on the shoulder portion. The premise is very simple: add a little comfort to your shoulder when carrying heavy items. Other benefits include not destroying your clothes and having a larger area to balance your load. We see all the good of this item and like we said, it makes sense. We just can't see someone saying, "oh wait guys, hold on a sec. Before we unload that truck lemme put my Ergo Shoulder on."

The Ergo Shoulder is just under $40 and is available at Nomic Designs

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Ergodyne Extreme Balaclava with Hot Rox Heat Exchanger

File this one under, "strange, but yeah, I guess it kinda makes sense." Ergodyne, a company serious about their work gear has recently released an extreme balaclava (bet you never thought you'd hear those words) with a little built-in heat exchanger called the Hot Rox. The gizmo works by trapping heat and humidity from your exhale (aka your nasty coffee breath) and adding it to your inhale, thus keeping your core temp nice and toasty. in a way it's like you're constantly kissing yourself.

It's pretty easy to make fun of this thing now, especially since we've been sweltering in about three weeks of 95 degree weather, but come February, we probably won't be laughing anymore (and if you think you hear us laughing, it's probably just our teeth chattering). There's going to be a time when we'll be needing warmth so badly, we're going to want one of these things, even if it does mean looking like a robotic ninja.

The press release is after the jump.

$26 at Amazon.com

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SallyeAnder Hogwash! Soap - Review

Because there are now so many tool blogs out there, we've decided to shift focus away from tools and towards things like soaps and facial scrubs. The first foray into this territory is SallyeAnder's Hogwash! Soap.

Actually the truth is that we were contacted by SallyeAnder, who thought that their multi-purpose soap would be a good match for all of you, our readers. Being the tool-using types, you're also probably the greasy, grimy, muddy pants types. If you've ever heard, "don't even think that shirt is going in the laundry with my blouse' then we can relate. You probably have a bar of Lava sitting on your basement slop sink.

And that's sort of where Hogwash! fits in. It's basically an all-natural Lava. It's made with an olive oil and soy base and doesn't have any artificial dyes. It has some cornmeal in it which gives it that pumice vibe, good for scrubbing glue off your fingers. It comes in a 6 oz. bar which is basically a 1-1/2" by 2-1/2" by 3" cube.

So on to the whole, 'does it work?' part of the review. Since our samples arrived from SallyeAnder over a month ago, we've been using Hogwash! on a daily basis and its size has hardly diminished at all. In fact the only wear is that the crisp edges of the brick are a little rounded over. This bar of soap is going to be around for a long, long time whether we like it or not.

And thankfully, we like it. We might even name it. It works great on everyday filth and SallyeAnder also claims that it works on grass stains and blood stains. We ended up testing both of these conditions (you'll have to wait until tomorrow's post to find out where the blood came from), and the soap does indeed work. Our stained rag was nice and clean in no time.

If you're concerned with the 'naturalness' of the products that you buy, it appears that all of the soaps that SallyeAnder makes are edible. We cut a small chunk off of our Hogwash! and gave it a go. It tasted terrible and it took about two hours before our mouth returned to normal, but if you're stranded on an island, at least it's something.

We also wanted to mention that SallyeAnder also sells a soap (and lotion) called No-Bite-Me which is a bug repellent in addition to a soap. We tried out a sample of this and it works great. There are also shave soaps and other similar things available. They're neat products with some really great packaging and we're happy that they took the initiative to introduce themselves to us. It's nice knowing that funky little companies like this are out there.

At SallyeAnder

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Snap-On SuperGrip Gloves - Review

Snap-On, makers of the disorganized mound of tools that you see at your mechanic's garage, has just released a new work glove. The interesting thing here is that the palm side of the glove is covered with these little silicone nubs in order to provide increased gripping power. They were nice enough to send a pair our way so we could check them out.

To evaluate the gloves, we simply tossed them in the truck and used them at work over the course of a few weeks. We even let someone borrow one (and only one), which was returned with the statement, "sorry, got a little paint on it" (see photo below for what a 'little' paint looks like).

For the most part, we use Mechanix gloves, which we like for a lightweight, light-duty glove, but we're really not a fan of the aesthetic. Unfortunately, they decided to print the word, 'Mechanix' all over the gloves, giving them a strange and way too flashy look. It's actually a little embarrassing, wearing a pair when talking to a client. Anyway, the Snap-On are the same style, but minus the obnoxious bling. They're thin enough so you can pull a single nail out of a pouch and they tighten with the Velcro wrist strap. They're nice gloves. The silicone nubs are good too. They do add extra gripping power, but thankfully, they don't interfere with any other operations, like using a pencil or tying the boots or anything like that.

We're in favor of the Snap-Ons and after using them for a while, we're going to start getting them instead of the Mechanix. It's basically the same price so the extra gripping power and the lack of flair easily tip the scales.

$25 at Auto Zone and Pep Boys

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ToolRider GSR Suspension Rig - Review

There are two main factions in the tool belt world; the leathers and the nylons. It's sort of like the carpenter version of the Sharks and the Jets. Us? We usually dodge the question by opting for the simple nail pouch with a separate hammer loop. Our quasi-supervisory role at work doesn't allow us to spend too many days fully tooled up. But on those days when we're forced to do it, we go for the old leather belt that we have. In our opinion, there's something about them that just feels more...well...authentic. But we don't have anything against the nylon belts, it's just that we've never really found one that we've been all that into. They seem a little too modern and futuristic for us.

But we're open-minded folks so we jumped at the chance to review the the nylon ToolRider GSR Suspension Rig when Rooster (also makers of McGuire-Nicholas rigs) offered to send one on.

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Red Wings 606 - Day One

If you read this site with any regularity, you might know about our recent search for a new pair of boots. We ended up getting a pair of Red Wings...the 606 model. We chose these because they are nothing more than a boot. No insulation, no fancy grommets, no waterproof baggie in the lining, no steel toe. Just high-quality, seemingly well made boots.

We just got through our first work day in them and are pretty damn happy about our decision (dropping $150 on anything tends to make us nervous). They're extremely comfortable and the fact that they're going to break in, leaves us convinced that they're going to fit like a second skin in about a week. We'll likely give more updates as time goes by (because we know you're extremely interested in our footwear selection), but if the first day is any signal, we may be on the Red Wing wagon for a long, long time.

Red Wing 606s at Red Wing

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