We did a pretty hefty eye roll when we first saw these things, but we've thought about it and now we're not so sure... Tool Dots are nothing more than magnets with an adhesive on one side. Just stick them on the wall and commence hanging your tools on them. Sounds kinda dopey, right? Our first thought was, "that's lame, we'll just go out and get our own magnets and brush some West System on one side and put them on the wall." But that would be plenty messy and once time is factored in, it probably wouldn't be worth the effort. Who knows?
We're still not inclined to go out and get these, but that's more because we keep all of our tools in bags or cases so we can travel with them. If you have a shop in the garage or a little set up in the basement then these might be perfect. They're certainly nicer looking than the dreaded pegboard.
You can get a 12 pack of them for about $12...a buck a magnet.
Available in a couple different colors at Laboratory 424
If you're a fan of Hardcore Hammers (and who isn't, really?), then we've got some news for you. Two things, really....
1. HH has just released a smooth faced version of their hammer called the Blunt Force. It's not the astounding piece of machined metal that their original hammer is (our review here), but it's pretty cool (and about 1/2 the price). We got our hands on one and have it sitting at the jobsite where it takes a daily beating. We hope to have a full review up soon.
2. HH also teamed up with Base Camp X, the makers of some very badass axes, to create a very ominous looking hammer. More details here (scroll down).
Dremel has just announced a cool little tool called the Saw-Max. But after seeing a picture of the tool, we think that "Saw-Min" might be a better name. We're not trying to disparage the tool, just point out that it's really, really tiny.
The Saw-Max is a little circ saw, perfect (According to Dremel) for making cuts in laminate flooring and materials of that nature. It has a cut depth of 3/4" and a flush cut ability, both of which should make it pretty handy around the jobsite too.
It does bear a resemblance to the RotoZip saw that hit the scene last year, which may or may not have something to do with the fact that the two companies are owned by Bosch.
It will be available in October and will set you back about $130.
The press release for this little Bad Larry is after the jump (look for the bonus press release that comes with it!)....
Porter-Cable is now in the oscillating tool game and honestly it's a tool that wouldn't have interested us a whole lot except that it has a funky quick change feature that looks to solve one of the key hassles with oscillating tool, the blade change-out. PC sent us one to check out and we've been absolutely pounding on this thing at work, trying our best to break its spirit. Here's how it did...
CNC Machines live in that mysterious world of the professional metal shop. You've got to be a pretty intense dude to have one of these things in your garage. What they are is automatic cutting systems that work through a computer program. Draw something in a CAD program, load it over to the CNC machine and it carves or cuts out the shape. These things are usually massive and some of them are even encased in a large chamber with a constant oil spray to lube up the cut.
So anyway, Torchmate, a well-respected name in the CNC world has recently released a smaller version of their popular machine. This new one, the 2x2 has a much smaller bed and is intended to be a user-friendly version of their larger machines, one that will hopefully appeal to the average Joe hobbyist. They were nice enough to send us one to play around with for a while and we happily agreed.
Small paint sprayers definitely have their place (particularly picket fences and railing systems), but they do have technological drawbacks; one of the biggest being the inability to point one up or down.
Looks like Wagner has thought this problem through and the result in their EZ Tilt sprayer. Basically the straw that sits in the paint (and moves it through the sprayer) is flexible enough to follow gravity as the sprayer is moved around, meaning you can now spray up and down and not worry about the spray putterring out.
There are three models available, each with more features. The smallest of the these is going to cost about $100 and is at Home Depot.
We reviewed some other small Wagner sprayers here if you're interested.
Paslode is celebrating 25 years of cordless with a new Facebook promotion. All you have to do is go to the Paslode Facebook page and click on the "25y in cordless" listing - found in the left hand column - and it will take you to the Celebration Page, there it asks when did you first start using a Paslode cordless nailer; you click on the year, it pounds in a nail. Everyone who tells Paslode when will get a T-shirt or a Hat and a chance to win a Paslode nailer.
We just looked at this and realized that we reviewed a whole ton of stuff this month. It's almost impossible to pick out a single one that we liked above the others, but if we had to (and, honestly, we have to), we'd go with the Blaklader work pants (review here). They bring work pants to a whole new level. We'd recommend them to anyone.
RainDog: I do a lot of stained glass work and go read more DaveP: Mostly use my soldering iron for melting ptex to repair read more Dave: I think this is a good iron for larger stuff, read more Steve Cecil: I have a very old soldering iron, that I use read more Philippe Jegues: I do the usual with soldering irons, soldering electrical connections. read more
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Skil MAG77LT 15-Amp Magnesium Worm Drive - Review
