Festool's HEPA CTs

As of Oct 1st, all CTs (vacs) shipping from Festool are labeled as "Full Unit Certified HEPA." This is pretty cool and a result of the obnoxious new RRP regulations that have come to be. If you haven't heard, if you even look at a house with lead paint on it, you need to be wearing a Tyvek suit and a full respirator. You also need to wrap everything in plastic (duct taping the plastic to the floor), and you can only use a HEPA vac. You also need to take a class which includes forking over $300 to the government. But that's only if you're a contractor. If you're a homeowner doing the work, you can go shirtless, use an angle grinder to do your sanding, and pressure wash the lead paint into the nearby wetlands. Makes total sense.

But we digress...with these new regulations, tool companies have had to make a quick adjustment. Festool has had a leg up with this transition because their vacs are top of the line in the first place. The way the law reads is that you can't simply drop a HEPA filter into a ShopVac, but rather you need a fully-compliant vac (it has to do with the seal within the vac).

So, as we started, as of Oct 1st, All Festool vacs will ship with Full Unit Certification. They are also taking care of all customers who purchased a CT 26/36 since their launch back in 2010, by providing an updated HEPA filter, hard copy certificate, and labeling for their dust extractor, all at no charge. All you have to do is register on the website and they'll send out the goods.

Festool CTs at Festool Products and Amazon

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Little Giant Select Step Ladder - Review

So you're probably all familiar with the Little Giant Ladder. If not, it's a freaky sort of extension ladder that can transform itself through a lengthening or shortening of the legs into one of about fifty different configurations. They're very handy. They're also pretty heavy, but overall, great to have on site.

So last year, Little Giant brought the technology into the step ladder format and called it the Select Step. We thought this was a little strange and redundant, seeing as the standard Little Giant already can convert into something of a step ladder. We got in touch with the company and they sent us one to review. We've had this thing for a while now and honestly, it spent much of that time leaning against the wall in the garage. We never really dug into it until a few months ago when we brought it to the site.

Since then it has become something of a jobsite MVP.

Continue reading: "Little Giant Select Step Ladder - Review"

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Shop Fox 1.5-Horsepower 1280 CFM Dust Collector

Keeping the dust out of your work area while on the lathe or just cutting up some wood is a good idea. This powerful Shop Fox dust collector features a heavy-duty 12in. steel impeller and a 1.5 HP, 16 Amp 110V single phase motor that operates at 3450 RPM. It will generate 1280 CFM air suction to capture dust and debris from any woodworking saw, planer, jointer, band saw, shaper or sander with a dust port.

We've been using such a model in our woodshop in Maine, and we can safely say - what a difference. One thing this does add is a bit of noise, but then wearing some earplugs is also a great idea when in the shop.

At SHOP FOX W1685 1.5-Horsepower 1280 CFM Dust Collector

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3M 8511 Sanding and Fiberglass Respirator with Cool Flow Valve - Review

When it comes to standard jobsite dust protection, we swear by the 3M 8511. It's the best light-medium duty (sanding, demo, etc) dust mask we've ever used. It's way better than those flimsy painter ones and it's not a bulky mess like the full-on, tuna can, toxic respirators.

So a while back we read a description of another 3M respirator and it sounded great. So great, in fact, that we thought it might rival the mighty 8511. We asked the company to send us one to try out and they did. Well, a few days later, it showed up and, what do you know? It was the 8511.

If you've never used one of these, you should give one a shot. They're a little more expensive than the aforementioned lame painters masks, but they're definitely worth it. They fit well, they've got two straps (not one), and the little valve thing keeps the temps down in the mask, so the bottom half of your face isn't completely drenched in sweat.

Note: usually with our reviews we post up pictures of the items as we've used them. Unfortunately, the 8511 that 3M sent us ended up in the trash before we could take any photos. But is that really a bad thing? Do you want to look at a used dust mask? Didn't think so.

At Amazon.com (a 10 pack is $8, which is waaaay better than what the local lumber yard sells them for).

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3M Tekk Forceflex Glasses - Review

I'm of the opinion that if you fire up any power tool and you're not wearing eye protection, you're a complete and total moron. I'm manic about my eye protection and during the workday, I'm never more than three feet from a pair of safety glasses.

So when 3M offered to let me check out their new Tekk Forceflex Glasses, I jumped at the chance. Because of my eye safety fetish I've probably worn at least 20 different types and styles of safety glasses, so I know what I like and what I don't. Here's what I thought of the Forceflex...

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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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Tool Snob Announces the 'When Will My Fingernail Fall Off?' Contest

Early yesterday, I managed to get my finger caught in a rapidly closing door. It happened around 9:30 in the morning (EST), so if the wind was just right and you heard a frightening barrage of swearing, that's what it was.

Continue reading: "Tool Snob Announces the 'When Will My Fingernail Fall Off?' Contest"

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Gear Keeper

Have you ever been in a mall and seen a mother who has one of those tether things for their kid? You know, where the kid is actually on a freakin' leash? He can stray around, but if he gets too far, momma gives a sturdy tug to get him back to home base. We think those things are completely insane but when you carry the same principal into the tool world, it's a bit different.

So substituting, 'kid' with 'tool' you have the Gear Keeper. It's a leash for your tools; one end clips on the belt, the other on the tool. The line is coiled like an old-school telephone cord so it doesn't hang and cause a trip hazard if you clip the tool to your belt.

Judging from their website, Gear Kepper seems intent on creating a tether for every imaginable object that man has ever carried since he days as a cave-dweller. Check out the selection here.

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Stitches in a Leg and Other Thoughts on Tool Safety

I just got word that a good friend of mine did a nice slice and dice on his leg with a circular saw. He's a smart guy, conscientious, very experienced with tools, and just generally has a good head on his shoulders, but he was rushing and took a few short cuts. We've all done it. He's all stitched up now and it's not looking like there's going to be any lasting damage, but it's a serious reminder that no matter who you are, how good you think you are, how experienced you are, as soon as you let your guard down you're putting yourself in a whole lot of danger. It's a very fine line between confident (which is good) and cavalier (which is potentially deadly).

I try to maintain a healthy hatred of a few tools; table saws and chainsaws mostly, and to a lesser degree circular saws. Each time I step up to bat with one of these monsters, I try to remind myself what it can do and how quickly it can do it. Thankfully, I've thus far been free of any major injuries, but I've had a few near misses over the years. Here are the details on three of them...

Continue reading: "Stitches in a Leg and Other Thoughts on Tool Safety"

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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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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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Xtend & Climb Telescoping Ladder

While we were flipping through the latest Extreme How-To (a magazine that we love and would recommend to anyone), we noticed an ad for the Xtend & Climb Telescoping ladder. Having lived in some very cramped apartments, we're particularly sensitive to those of you with zero storage and thought that this product was worth a mention.

The Xtend & Climb is a compact ladder that is capable of extending, step by step, into a much larger ladder. Sort of like an extension ladder that starts at about 3' and can make it, depending on the model, up to 15-1/2'.

There are a number of different models that have different safety ratings and extend to varying heights. They do have job site ready models with a ANSI rating of 1A, which means that they can handle up to 300 lbs of your twinkie-eating ass.

This kind of ladder would be good for anyone from the apartment dweller to the homeowner to the traveling handy-man. With the kind of durability and storage capabilities that the Xtend & Climb has, it could be useful to actually anyone who is in the market for a ladder.

As far as price goes, it looks like a wash. The Xtend & Climb 780P, which is comparable to a standard 16' extension ladder sells at Amazon for $249.99. The Werner 16' Extension Ladder with the same safety rating goes $249.25, so unless you're really into penny pinching, it's the exact the same price.

Xtend & Climb Ladders at Amazon.com

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