Must-Have Tools 2011
Select Step stepladder from Little Giant reinvents the category. It can do more -- in more places -- than any other ladder we've seen. It all starts with the individually articulated front and back legs. While you'll probably see this demonstrated most often by someone setting it up on a stair case, the reality is that such a position may be the last thing you use it for. Need to clean the gutters or hang holiday lights on the second floor? Set the rear legs lower than the front to match the pitch of the roof. Need to reach a tree branch but the ground is sloped? Again, set the ladder to match the terrain. Need to work in a corner installing a light fixture? Lean the ladder in, rather than craning your body over the top of a ladder. Speaking of light fixtures, our electrician almost stole this ladder from us he loved it so much. He loved the platform for holding stuff called the Air Deck. It's big, so you can hold anything from a paint can to ceiling fan to nailer and you can set it such that the Air Deck is in front of you like a tray. Very handy. Air Deck even has a magnetized spot for holding fasteners -- genius. When you're done, Air Deck stows away inside the rails of the ladder. Finally, and this may be the best part, the ladder is a 5, 6, 7, and 8-foot stepladder all in one. Stable and secure at all heights. It's great.
Must-Have Tools 2011
Hyde Tools 10-in-1 is based on what's traditionally called a 5-in-1. It's typically a painter's tool, but we've carried them on MyFixitUpLife projects for years. We could go on about the uses of the tools from opening paint cans -- the right way! -- to using them as wedges, scrapers, gouges, levers, and stuffer-inners for everything from molding to insulation. But Hyde triple-jumped the rest of the 5-in-1s out there with the addition of a screwdriver. The handle accepts a driver bit -- 4 bits neatly store in the handle -- and enables us to remove switch plates or quickly tighten some door hardware without having to either carry or look for a typical screwdriver. Time saved. Top Tool status earned.
Must-Have Tools 2011
Ridgid JobMax is a whole new family of tools. Since the patents expired on Fein's MultiMaster oscillating tool, the rest of the tool world has been feverishly jumping into the space with new introductions to tap into this once untouchable market. Ridgid -- available at The Home Depo -- bided their time getting after this, but when they got to the field (or store shelf) they were ready to play. Their innovation was to use the oscillating tool platform to launch a family of tools powered by a single 12 volt, lithium ion battery and tool motor onto which you can swap different heads--the first of which is an oscillating tool. Also available are a right angle drill and ratchet head--with more coming in 2011. The key here is that you buy the motor once then buy less expensive--but no less useful--attachments.
Must-Have Tools 2011
Grace Bondera may not be a "new" tool, but bear with us for a second. Bondera makes our list because of the impact it has on the tools we already use -- both in how we'll use them and how we won't use them. Totally oversimplifying the technology that went into Bondera's development, it's simply double-sided tape. Bondera's back side sticks to the wall or counter and tiles stick to the front side. What this means is that whenever we tile a backsplash or countertop or shower wall (it's waterproof so you don't need cement board in a shower in many instances) we don't need to set-up or apply messy thinset mortar (some people call this 'mastic'). And because tiles can be installed with zero drying time, we can grout the same day. We can use Bondera for craft projects, too, everything from trivets to candy wreaths to who-knows-what?
Must-Have Tools 2011
Stanley Tools Clamping Flashlight is not a multi-tasking tool that tries too much. Stanley's Clamping Flashlight combines a basic spring clamp with an articulating head flashlight. This solves more problems than I think they realized. First, the clamp makes sense on our projects and in our lives. The clamp enables us to place the flashlight where we need it -- and keep it there, on a fencepost or tucked under my arm. We can see logs in the firewood stack on short winter days. During the summer, however, we placed a cooler out past the porch light's radius. No big whoop; we clamped the flashlight to the fence and, voila, instant bright light all night. But if you're under a sink the clamp acts as a base which holds the light still. If you need to move the light--and not the tool--you can do that too because the lamp both rotates and articulates. You can peek into a dark joist bay to follow a wire or see if a dryer vent pipe can make it through; or clip the body of the light to something as small as a pipe or (I really did this) coaxial cable running up the side of a house, then position the light where you need it. Long run-time and a gentle but bright light buys you a extra minutes of work on short winter days, lights up dark spots, or points you to party central.
Must-Have Tools 2011
The Bosch Glider Gliding Miter Saw is a 12 inch slider is generally a pro tool--and one is at the hub of just about every project we do from decks to kitchens, frame to finish. The category has seen incredible upgrades over the years, yet one thing that has remained constant is that the saw's cutter-head slides on rails. For saws that see a tremendous amount of use (including being caught in the rain) stuff eventually works its way between the rollers and rails, slowing them down. For other users--notably those set up in small shops or workspaces--those rails often require upwards of 12 inches behind the saw to travel. So that means if you want your saw against a wall (and where else would you put it other than a wall in a small workspace) it has to be about 1 foot away from the wall--as does the bench its on. The result is that you can't use that space for much other than air. Moreover, the space in front of the saw is consumed too because you need to stand in it. So if you have an 8 foot long work bench, you need about 8 square feet of air on either side of the bench to accommodate rails and you. The Bosch Glide's innovation is that the saw's cutter-head moves not on rails but on a hinged armature the company calls Axial Glide. This armature requires zero inches behind the saw which means you get that footprint of shop space back. That alone is huge. The cut capacity has been increased as well, which in combination with a tall fence, enables you to cut larger base and crown than in previous models. Bosch's new saw glides its way to more work in less space.
Must-Have Tools 2011
Judi Roaman: We Talk Endlessly About the Next President,…
