Parachute cord isn’t only light and strong (550lb. rating) for its size (5/32” diameter), it’s also more versatile than other types of rope because it can be dissected and parted out, cut and used for its braided nylon sleeve and/or seven separate core strands.

I first learned about parachute cord while doing fieldwork in Venezuela, where we used it to hang our hammocks, and also cut open pieces of it to utilize the inner strands individually for fastening wires to frames in order to sift soil. I saw paracord strands used as fishing line, too.

You can get enhanced grip and a little added padding by using paracord to wrap tool handles. It's also used for making lanyards. I recently inserted a length of ball chain into parachute cord sleeve to make a hands-free flashlight for late-night dog walks. The nylon is a lot more comfortable around my neck than ball chain, and the fit is perfect.

I bought this bag about four years ago at a boat show, intending to use it as a home for tools on my sailboat. I ended up using it more as a transport than a permanent home for tools, in part because I liked it so much and found it so useful that I didn’t want to be limited to using in solely on the boat.

I use it anytime I need to cart tools out of the shop for a project whether at the boat, in the house or farther afield. It holds a lot and the tools are protected. I end up making fewer trips back to the shop because it’s quick, easy and safe to carry those tools that I’d otherwise hesitate to take, but end up needing. I assembled a wine storage unit for a restaurant on the fourth floor of a mall, and it was really helpful to load the Diddy Bagg up and configure the straps so I could wear it like a backpack. It left both hands free for carrying other stuff.

A ditty bag is a traditional tool carrier for marine use. Unlike a hard toolbox, it fits just about anywhere and is less likely to ding your shin (or a pretty piece of varnished mahogany) if you bump into it. The Nantucket Diddy Bagg adds to the traditional bag’s usefulness: It’s larger, has lots of individual pockets for delicate tools (can safely carry a sharp chisel) and it’s stiff enough to protect its contents.

The bag’s outstanding features are its straps and zipper. The adjustable straps allow you to carry it in a variety of ways, including as a backpack, and the zipper allows you to lay the whole thing out flat for access or cleaning. You can even attach it to the wall as a permanent, yet portable, means of tool storage.

Its weaknesses are that it is really too big to be a perfect boater’s ditty bag and the zipper is hard to operate. One could wash the bag and soften the canvas, but it might eventually get too soft and not be sufficiently rigid to stand up when full. So I opt to live with a hard to operate zipper rather than risk a flaccid bag. I added leather pulls on the zipper, which helps, but it still requires a firm pull.

These are good for storing just about anything small you don’t want crushed, spilled, or dampened: Batteries, earbud headphones, mini-first aid kit, medicine. They can also be used to carry liquids on a plane, as they hold about an ounce under TSA’s 3-ounce limit. I’m currently using one (pictured) as a throw-in-my-bag mini-EDC kit, in case I don’t have room for the regular Every Day Carry bag.

The ones I liberated from my son’s Scientific Explorer kit are also sold individually as Tube Vaults by County Comm, but the best deal I’ve found is 15 for $10 from Steve Spangler Science. According to their site, the Baby Soda Bottles are actually our ubiquitous 2-liter soda bottles before they’ve been heated and stretched, which explains why the caps are interchangeable with soda bottle caps.

The County Comm site shows video of a truck driving over one, so they are obviously sturdy. While there's a more expensive version with a special cap for threading a carabiner through, I doubt it's worth the extra money.

These food-grade polyethylene test tubes are dishwasher safe, strong, waterproof and, yes, I've used one to hide a geocache!

-- Mike Everett-Lane

Available from Steve Spangler Science

I wanted a simple, small pocket knife; the type you can carry in your pocket without a huge outline lump or constantly being aware of its size and weight. I wanted a knife to open envelopes and packages, cut string and do the dozens of other little tasks that it can do because I actually have it with me all the time.

Folded, the Buck 305 is just 2 5/8 inches long, and it mostly disappears in my front pocket along with my loose change. Especially when wearing nice slacks or a suit, it’s the ideal pocketknife to carry.

Its scant size is one of its primary benefits but also a problem; I find it easy to lose this knife, and every year or so I end up buying a new one to replace the one just lost.

I've been using these knives for about 25 years, and it looks like Buck is starting to send some manufacturing overseas, as I wasn't able to find a 305 locally last fall, when I once again lost my knife. I bought a Buck 375, which is an imported version of the 305. So far I like the 375 as well as the 305, and it was cheaper, too.

This is a hand pump for pumping out the bilge of a small boat. I'm sure it is good for that purpose. However, what it does better than anything else I have ever tried is to pump off a sports field after a downpour. Many fields have no power access for electric pumps. With this hand pump you can dig a small hole, let the water drain into it and then pump it off quickly, into a bucket or just off the field, to help it dry.

I travel around with this bilge pump during baseball season in eastern Massachusetts, and it has probably given my teams three or four games extra each year, by making inundated fields usable.

It's not hard to work the pump -- in fact, I had my nine-year-olds pump it this year -- and the design is simple and industrial. It has a small crosshatch filter to keep material out of the mechanism and the outflow rate is pretty good if you pump it steadily.

A pegboard with a series of different hooks is a very useful thing to have in one’s garage or workshop, but the biggest frustration in using it is that the hook will, more often than not, come out and fall to the floor when the tool is removed. Peg locks are ingenious little plastic gizmos that cover over the hook, keeping it attached. Two flanges fit into the adjacent holes, which are generally not being used for anything else, anyway. They work with both 1/4- and 1/8-inch pegboards.

I carry a ton of keys. I’ve tried standard metal key rings in a few sizes, mini-carabiners of various types, and dual rings with a quick-release between them, and they all have problems. The A&P Mechanic’s Cable Key Ring, by County Comm, is made of strong stainless steel cable with a screw ferrule closure, is very light and the screw-apart fastener makes adding new keys a snap.

The give in the cable allows each key to flex in place a bit when under tension, so keys and ring together conform to my pocket and make less of an uncomfortable, unsightly bulge. The fact that it’s both handsome and just a couple of dollars doesn’t hurt, either.

-- George Cochrane

I only picked up this key ring a month ago, but I have sworn never to return to the old style of key rings again. I got so tired of breaking nails prying the ring apart and then forcing my keys on to it and wiggling them around the ring until they were completely secured. This key ring simply uses a very secure barrel screw to hold the two ends together. The end that pulls out of the barrel easily threads through all of my keys at once and then securely screws back into the barrel.

-- Debra Williamson

Peer behind the service counter at most bike shops and you’ll see a Park Tool workstand. There’ll be a waist-level tool tray on the stand, and unless it’s already in the hands of a mechanic, the triangle-shaped AWS-1, which features a 4-, 5- and 6mm hex wrench, will likely be one of a handful of tools resting in the tray.

While many general tools are too general, this one is specific and functional enough for excellence. It’s useful enough to be taken for granted, one of my hallmarks for a real Cool Tool. So many maintenance and repair jobs on bicycles involve these three hex wrench sizes that it’s easily the most used tool in the shop.

Details that make this tool great include a grip-friendly ball in the center (I own an older version without the ball, and it’s not as comfortable to hold and also provides less leverage) and color-coded rings at the base of each wrench, so the user can quickly choose the correct size.

I still use my Craftsman T-wrenches when I need a hex with more leverage, and particularly on an 8mm crank bolt, which the AWS-1 doesn’t cover. I also use a great set of Pedro’s L-wrenches with a ball end on one side for offset access. But the convenient Park Tool AWS-1 is so much my mainstay that it doesn't ever get put away. The company’s website also hosts an array of helpful repair how-tos.

As a paramedic and racetrack rescue team member, I’ve used most rescue tools on the market, from the Benchmade Rescue Hook to cheap seatbelt cutters. None has the durability of the Boker Plus Cop Tool. This multitool has cut many seatbelts, pried a few doors and, used as a standard knife, tackled all of the tasks I've put to it over the past year. It has required minimal sharpening, and the finish remains in excellent condition. With the included sheath, it fits nicely on my zip-up workboots or on my waistband. Pry, chisel, cut, scrape or pound, the Cop Tool has always pulled through for me.

I've used Tear Mender for years. Tear Mender is a milky-white latex liquid that, when applied to fabric, makes--voila!--instant patches.

It smells a little cheesy, but dries within minutes, and has allowed me to extend the life of jeans, coveralls, jackets, and shirts nearly indefinitely. I have garments decades old that have little of the original fabric showing, with odd clumps and scraps of denim plastered all over them, and I wear them proudly.

The recently re-branded Tear Mender is cheap to buy, lasts a long time, and scores a win whenever I use it. Great stuff.

Better than iron patches? Yes. Holds much better. Never comes off and easy to add additional repairs. If you're careful, you can make "neat" patches, or you can make very strong patches that aren't so pretty.

You can wash Tear Mender -- over and over and over. I haven't had any problems with skin-sensitivity issues. Tear Mender does remain rubbery and "grabby," so I wouldn't use it to mend my boxers.

Tear Mender is also great for laying out sewing projects: it’s like tack-welding metal.

I work on a tugboat where a sharp knife is important. Rusting is also an issue. I have had my Atlantic Salt model number FRN-C89YL for two years. This knife has not shown any sign of rusting yet. I just bought my second one due to losing the first one.

The H1 stainless steel is amazing. I love this tool.

-- John Brown

[H1 stainless steel replaces the carbon in normal steel with non-rusting nitrogen. The outsized hole in this knife blade is useful for gloved hands, and it features a nonslip grip. --Bruce Sterling]

A modern replacement for the classic pen knife, this pocketknife has a thin, 1.5-inch, razor-sharp blade that cuts boxes, cord, tape and tough plastic wrap without effort. Half the charm is its disposability: It costs about as much as a can of soda, so if you get to the airport and have forgotten it's in your pocket, ditching it is trauma-free. I've found the handle grip to be excellent. The slipjoint blade stays in position open or closed. The slim, short design packs a lot of cutting power into a package with about half the volume of a pack of gum. A functional design with aesthetics worthy of MOMA. Derma-Safe also produce a hacksaw version they say will cut through metal as well as wood, which I've not tried.

This LED headlamp is the travel light I've been seeking for years. It's AA-powered, tiny (2 5/8" long x 3/4" diameter), light (2 oz. w/battery and headband), and can serve as a mini-torch, too. Unlike most small LED flashlights, the Zebra's LED is mounted perpendicular to the body of the light, which makes for less awkward placement if you are using it as a headlight, and feels nearly as natural when using it handheld. Zebra's H50-Q5 has three settings: a darn-useful low of 2.6 lumens, a medium of 13 lumens, and a surprisingly-bright high of 66 lumens.

The real kicker: the beam is an even, wide (120 deg) flood. I can't discern a hotspot even under the most cynical examination and even at it's "wide" setting. This makes for a less-fatiguing reading experience than the usual harsh corona. One of the few things I disliked about my previous headlight, were the obvious hotspots.

This is also the most comfortable headlamp I've tried. I used it frequently on a working vacation in Israel, mostly to read at night in bed, on evening bus trips and to comfortably type on my Eee laptop, which lacks illuminated keys. I now use it to read comfortably on domestic flights (the overhead doesn't always swivel where I'd like it to). I also use mine as a close-up light for looking inside computers, and all the underlit places I tend to lose stuff (behind shelf, under desk, under car seat), and as an ersatz ring flash for macro photography -- it doesn't wash out the close objects like my digicam's flash. I'll be taking it camping from now on, too.

Included with the light are a headlamp strap, a pocket clip, a neckstrap (so the lamp can rest on your chest or be hung from a hook or loop), and a small rubber glare shield for use when you don't want the full flood. Nothing in the accessories is revolutionary, but they're helpful. The sleeve that fits over the body of the Zebra makes attaching it to other things -- like my bike's handlebars -- much easier.

For years, I've always owned at least one cheap Energizer swiveling LED headlight; like the previously-reviewed Zipkas and the bulk of others on the market, these operate on three AAAs. Anytime I can have one AA in a device rather than three AAAs (or even one AAA), I'll take it. AAs are ubiquitous and seem to me a better bargain, cost/energy-wise. The only other headlight I've had is a low-end version of the previously-reviewed Petzl Myo 5, which I broke after only a short time by dropping it just a few feet onto a wooden floor. I've seen the similarly-sized, previously-reviewed Fenix L1D, which also functions on a single AA and puts out more lumens. However, the 90-degree head of the H50-Q5 makes it much more natural as a headlamp, because it fits comfortably on the forehead rather than pointing from over one of the ears. Plus, I have not run into any LED (or incandescent) bulbs with as smoothly-dispersed a beam as my Zebra.

Shortcomings: Even at the high setting, this light does not provide enough light for biking on unlit streets, nor does it offer a strobe mode, but I'd certainly wear it for urban biking as a safety device. It also does not have all that much throw; for that reason, I'll likely travel with a similarly-sized Inova X1 (also AA-powered), which is approximately all throw and no flood.

Zebra offers a range of other, tiny headlamps. I did not consider the H30-Q5, which uses a CR123As. I know they have an energy density advantage, but I'd rather stick with AAs since they're universally available. The newer, slightly more expensive H501, which was not available when I ordered my light, offers 96 lumens at the same, claimed battery life.

Wielded by fire and rescue workers everywhere, the Halligan Bar is the best door-smashing, get-me-the-heck-into/outta-here, zombie-fightin’ tool in the world. The deluxe 30-inch one I have (pic above) is made of high tensile strength titanium, so it will never rust and, despite its imposing appearance, weighs just 5.25 lbs. It even has eyelets for a strap! (note: less exorbitant Halligans are available in alloy steel; my titanium bar was a gift).

So far I've only used mine to do three things: hook one end over a bathroom stall to do pull ups, carry it as a hobo's bindle stick and impress people on my walk home from work. Nevertheless, I live in a 17-story apartment building (technically 16). Simply knowing I own one puts my mind at ease. Did you ever hear the story of the maintenance guy on 9/11 who hacked his way through a wall using a squeegee? With something as obscenely strong and useful as a Halligan Bar, he'd have been out in seconds.

I keep mine leaning against the wall in the corner, where it waits for the day when I need to smash into or out of something... or I hear screams of "He's trapped inside!" or "The Zombies are here!"

The Streamlight Nano is a very small, bright, inexpensive keychain light I've been using for a couple years and am almost never without. If I have my house and car keys, I have the light. Machined out of anodized black aluminum, its construction reflects that it's a genuine tool, not a toy or something cheaply made. Besides the obvious uses as a keychain task light, the extreme brightness (10 lumens from four alkaline batteries) allows for near-daylight scrutiny of wherever you shine it. As a self-taught kinetic sculptor, I find my tiny springs, pawls, setscrews and whatever fall off the workbench. Shined horizontally across the floor, this light quickly picks up the otherwise invisible tiny parts I tend to drop. I have other standard-sized flashlights I like a lot -- the Pelican Stealthlight 2400 comes to mind -- but they always seem to be on a charging station somewhere or in a tool box or simply not immediately available all the time. Though not nearly as powerful as the previously-reviewed Fenix L1D-CE, the Nano is a fraction of the cost. An extremely capable and satisfying light for all those mundane tasks, like locating the torn paper or cosmic detritus that jams the printer, keyboard or lathe chuck. After I got mine from a local cop supply catalog, I ordered one each for my wife, daughters and secretary. Everybody should always have a light and a keychain light is always there.

-- Doggo

Streamlight Nano
$8
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Streamlight

As a grad student, I spend a lot of time working on a laptop in coffee shops and living in old houses. What that means: sitting at notoriously-wobbly cafe tables and shimming furniture on uneven old wood floors. Wobble Wedges are small, clear plastic shims with a ridged surface that are invaluable in both instances. Since they weigh just an ounce or two, I always keep a couple in my computer bag (better than jamming newspaper under a coffee shop table). I usually go to a coffee shop twice a week, sometimes more, and find myself having to use them about 30 percent of the time. Sometimes I forget and leave them behind, but they're cheap enough it's no big deal. At home, these also work great because they are clear enough to be almost invisible. They are plenty strong enough for a fully-loaded bookshelf and, in the five years I've been using them, I've never had one break down or crack. Losing them is another story: I once used some to shim a pedestal sink and never saw them again. But the sink never wobbled either!

-- Donovan Finn

Wobble Wedge
$4
(6-pack)
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Focus 12

The toughest challenge with conveying information in any context is concision. This simple little reference presents *a lot* of random facts in less than 200 pages with a cleverness and colorful style that's well worth emulating. Everything from worldwide ocean currents to guitar chords, all the foot's reflex points to a time line of 19th century painting and industry (on two pages), how to make eight pancakes and much more. As a writer, I find all the size/speed/shape comparisons to be great fodder for potential similes: the girth of various insects, the world's fastest animals, the height of fictional characters like Jabba the Hut and the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters (13 feet and 131 feet, respectively). You can find all this stuff online, of course, but that's only if you'd even think of searching for it in the first place. Whether you use words, pictures, film or any or all of the above, this guide is sure to educate and entertain. But don't take my word for it. The designers I work with at Wired are smart and accomplished and, therefore, difficult to impress. When I showed one of them this book, he smiled and gave it two enthusiastic thumbs up.

-- Steven Leckart

Visual Aid:
Stuff You've Forgotten, Things You Never Thought You Knew
and Lessons You Didn't Quite Get Around to Learning
Draught Associates
2008, 196 pages
$12
Available from Amazon

I wanted to rig a single line of rope across the ceiling of my garage for a storage solution, but was concerned about getting the line tight enough to keep from sagging. Rather than tie up a come-along winch -- which requires a lot more hook up room and has a tendency to release quite hard -- I saw the Rope Ratchet and decided to give it a try; I'm glad I did. The contraption is basically a rope that's fed into and around a ratcheting wheel and bracket that holds the line and prevents backspin; you can release the line with a lever. It's quite simple, but I haven't seen anything quite like it. I'm using one to hold up a 70-lbs. tackle bag 6 feet off the floor of my garage and another holding about 80 lbs. of plastic lures on a rope stretched across hooks against the ceiling of my garage. I'm using the 1/4-inch Rope Ratchet that's rated for a working load of 150 lbs., but there are different sizes for different needs: the 1/8-inch will hold 75 lbs. up, while the 1/2-inch will hold 500 lbs. After a number of months, mine are holding strong with no sign of failure.

-- Doug Mainor

Rope Ratchet
$9
(1/4-inch, w/rope, pic above)
Available from Carolina North Mfg.

Or $12 from Amazon

Other sizes available for $5 - $20 from Carolina North Mfg.

I rarely purchase new batteries for old cordless tools. Instead, I have the packs rebuilt by Primecell, a service that replaces and upgrades the cells in NiCd and NiMh batteries found in a variety of equipment including camcorders, RF Scanners, and power tools. New replacement batteries for, say, my Ryobi 12V drill would have been about $90, roughly the cost of purchasing a new drill with *two* new batteries and charger. Having the battery packs renewed by PrimeCell ran me about $60, two-way shipping included. I first used this service about five years ago and have since shipped them a total of three battery packs. The turnaround is quick (about a week, though you can pay up for 24-hr service). Not only is it less expensive than buying new ones, from my experience, the rebuilt batteries are much more powerful than OEM and they’ve also lasted 30-50 percent longer than the newer packs my Dad purchased for his drill.

-- Ladd Morse

Primecell
$15+
(depending on type, voltage)

A standard food service industry item, these heavy-duty plastic bus pans do not bend or fold when loaded up with dirty dishes, camping equipment, or gallons of soapy water. I've found the 7.6-gallon variety are the perfect size to use as wash basins for handling all your dishes while camping. Water doesn't slosh over the high sidewalls, yet they are still portable enough to carry to a dump station without too much effort. They also do double duty as carrying containers, and can nest (one inside the other) to save space. I have used several other containers at camp to wash dishes, most recently a plastic tote, which would bend as I carried it when full of water. I have also used collapsible sinks which are next to useless in my experience. I have not used other bus pans, but the ones I have from Rubbermaid are sturdy, well-made and seem to pretty much withstand almost anything I throw at them. Even though the Sam's Club web site says an individual pan costs $12, when I purchased mine at my local store, I paid the same price for a pair. I'll likely get a couple more to keep tools together in the back of my truck.

-- Brad Reese

Bus Boxes
$9
Available from Ace Mart

Manufactured by Rubbermaid

The head of these hex wrenches pivots, allowing you to get access into numerous tight places and achieve speedier running in for final tightening (with the same hex or via torque wrench). Unlike a standard hex that only gives you 90-degrees, the flex head can be quickly adjusted. You simply move the handle to the angle that works best in the situation then turn (it's like a tight, square drive U joint adapter; there is no screw to lock it). Often you can simply flip the handle for another turn without disengaging from the socket head. The short end or long end can be used as the driver. I start screws with the long end then simply flip the wrench for snugging down.

I bought mine after I saw a bicycle mechanic using one. I've used mine *hard* for bicycle maintenance for over a year with no appreciable wear (they're chrome-plated vanadium steel). While elegant looking, they have never failed to bust loose stuck bolts, especially stainless ones in aluminum or even steel threads. I gave a set to a Mechanical Engineer whose hobby is designing high-end racing recumbents for setting human powered vehicle records. He was also thrilled with them.

-- Fred Larimer

Pivot Head Hex Wrenches
$30
(metric or inches)
Available from Garrett Wade

or $32 from Amazon

I have other step stools, but none so handy, sturdy, easy to use, and simple to store away as this small, plastic folding step stool. One lives in the narrow crack between my refrigerator and wall—it breaks down to less than two inches flat, but pops out easily to give me the extra nine inches I need to root around in the back of the top cupboards. Very sturdy: rated for 300 pounds. Reasonably lightweight: less than 2.5 pounds. And it has a nice handle when folded, so it's great for use wherever, whenever. I'm belatedly realizing I should have brought mine to the Red Bull Soap Box Derby the other day; I would've seen something other than the backs of people's heads as the giant donut, belt sander, and Rubik's cube whizzed by. Live and learn.

I've used mine for five years, inside and outdoors, and it's not showing any signs of age; I just hose it off on occasion. Really good to have on hand anywhere space is at a premium -- apartments, boats, RV's, etc. They're also available in 6- and 12-inch heights, plus a two-step model (17 inches high), that folds to 4.5 inches (haven't tried those models myself, though). The stools also come in a variety of colors.

—Barbara Dace

We have a Turtle Stool in our kitchen which we use all the time. It's quick to unfold, easy to store, lightweight, and incredibly strong and stable. A reader noted in the comments that the inventor of the stool also makes wooden versions, in difference sizes. No prices, but lots of choices and inspiration at his Tower Stool website.

-- KK

E-Z Foldz Step Stool, 9-inch (aka "Turtle Stool")
$11-21
Available from Amazon

This light is designed for star gazing, but it is also a superb in-the-glove-box light since it provides red light for map reading or general fumbling around without disturbing a driver's night vision. You can switch to white light when you need it. Yes, the previously-reviewed Pilot's Light is much brighter with 20 white LED and six red, as opposed to the Skylite's two white, two red. So as an all-purpose light, the Pilot's Light might be a better option.

But there's one feature the Skylite has that the Pilot's Light doesn't: a rheostat wheel that lets you attenuate the brightness. Very useful in my case, since I use the light to get up early in the a.m. and walk to the meditation hall/temple. When entering a dark mediation hall at any time of day or night, the red light allows one to navigate to a seat without disturbing anyone else already seated. And I can also adjust the beam down further so as not to disturb them. My friends all use red lights as well, because our Spiritual Master instructed us that white light (as opposed to red) stimulates the pineal gland, and it's best not to do so first thing before meditation. Many of my friends use pinch lights, but I prefer the Skylite because it also provides the option of the adjustable white light when needed.

The light uses a 9v battery -- the upside is longer batter life, the downside is no rechargeable option. In addition, you do have to mind the rheostat wheel to make sure you don't leave the light on slightly. Nevertheless, this is one of my favorite and most used flashlights.

-- Cliff Rediger

Skylite LED
$32
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Rigel Systems

The Figure 9 carabiner lets you quickly fasten -- and quickly loosen or adjust -- a small-diameter rope to a fixed point without a knot deploying a clever combination of friction and angles. To those of us with knot-dyslexia, this is a real boon. The only requirement: your fixed attachment point must feature either a place to clip the carabiner (i.e. a metal loop in a pick-up truck bed or a thin, sturdy tree branch), or something around which your line can be looped. That could mean securing a Tarptent to a tree, improvising a handle around a bundle of cables, or securing a travel clothesline between window-grate and curtain-rod.

All you need to do is pull the rope through in the right sequence and finish with the rope's loose end tugged into the notched “V” section to keep the rope attached and taut. There are actually multiple sequences and ways to work the geometry. Three methods are diagrammed in the instructions that come with the carabiner (see below).

Thus far, I have used the devices only with standard-issue parachute cord, but they're sized to work with a range of small-diameter ropes. Though the tying system looks suspiciously wimpy, I've found it is as robust as promised. I ordered the Figure 9s to replace the mesh netting that came with the roof-rack basket on my car. Not only do these make a decent replacement (i.e. riding around with a kayak strapped to my car this summer), but tying one more knot under the car is something I'm glad to skip. Note: the device is anodized aluminum and weighs a bit more than I expected (slight downside to ultra-light hikers); still, "Not for climbing" is printed on the packaging, repeated in the instructions, and emblazoned on each carabiner. I think they mean it.

-- Timothy Lord

Nite Ize Figure 9 Carabiner
$5
Available from Amazon

Also available from Think Geek

Manufactured by Nite Ize

This two-color LED light is geared toward us aircraft owners and pilots, but it's also popular with hunters or anyone else working at night or in conditions where they need to preserve night vision. It has 26 LEDs -- 20 are bright white and six are a less-obtrusive red. The push button switch alternates between the colors. I use mine when I'm preflighting the aircraft and also during flights if I need something more powerful than the existing interior lighting inside the plane. I also know some law enforcement people who use them in vehicles at night. The light is sold by the big aviation supply houses like Aircraft Spruce, but also on Amazon. It's very inexpensive, especially considering how effective it is.

-- Robert Cullinan

Pilot's Flashlight
$18
Available from Amazon

I have been considering buying a kitchen scale for quite a while, but was often underwhelmed with what was out there. Unlike a garden-variety kitchen scale, which typically weighs up to only four pounds, the Ultraship can handle up to 55 pounds. It reads in ounces, pounds, grams or kilos, so it's perfect for the kitchen, but can also be used for shipping packages and mail. Heck, you could even weigh a small child on it. Also, it features a just plain brilliant design:i f you are weighing a really big monster package that blocks the display, you can detach it! The entire face of the unit can be unclipped and pulled away from the scale with a 5-foot-long extension cord.

When I compared the Ultraship to a laboratory-grade scale used at my company, this one went gram for gram with the lab scale. Within the 0-2 pound range, it is actually accurate to essentially 0.035 ounces as opposed to the 0.1 ounces in the specification. If you take baking seriously, this is the only way to go. I fish quite a bit, so it's nice to be able to weight those 30-pound striped bass. From 2-55 pounds, the scale is accurate to within 0.5 ounces. While my initial motivation was for the kitchen, I have also been using it for boxes and packages.

-- Aram Salzman

Ultraship Digital Shipping Postal Kitchen Scale
$35
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by My Weigh

"The Tool" is a minimalist stainless steel multi-tool intended for surfers. It has an Allen wrench, Phillips and standard screwdrivers, wax comb and a leash hook. I asked a friend who works in a surf shop in Venice, CA if he'd heard of it. Turns out he uses it almost daily... -- sl

Since I started working in the shop about four months ago, I've been using The Tool fairly regularly, mostly to tighten or install fins with the flathead screwdriver and the Allen wrench. The little hook, prong tool is solid for jamming the string used to attach a leash to a board through a surfboard's leash plug.Though the Phillips rarely gets used in surf-related application, it's still handy to have for random, non-surfing needs.To buy all these tools separately, I guess you'd spend about 30 bucks, maybe less, so it's not a huge savings. But you have to factor in the convenience of the one-stop tool shop. That has value, to me, especially on the go, in the car, and on the beach. They're not flying off the shelves at our shop, but we have had several customers specifically request them and a few folks have been impressed after seeing them in action. I rarely use wax combs, but even if I did, I actually would hesitate to use this one, get it covered in wax, then throw it back in my pocket or bag. Once you get wax all over it, next comes sand, pet hair, you name it. Then again, carrying the Tool you'll always have a comb handy. In dire straits, you could use it and deal with the sticky aftermath.

-- Rob Kieswetter

The Tool
$20 (w/shipping)
Available from Cor Surf

Or $30 from Amazon (w/shipping)

Manufactured by Cor Surf

I have had a wide range of work duties and hobbies over the years, and in difficult situations nothing has served me better than the judicious application of zip ties. Neat-ifying cables, creating stand-in hinges, holding car parts on for the trip, fastening bike components, acting as primitive locks on hardsided luggage -- the uses are endless and well-known.

What is less known is that not all cable ties are created equal. The zip tie was invented by Thomas & Betts for aircraft use and the company has continued making higher-quality zip ties while the market of lesser cable ties has proliferated. The brand is called "Ty-Rap" and there are several types of different lengths, colors, and widths. Thomas & Betts makes the only zip ties I use. Despite their additional expense they are worth the effort to find and use.

The difference is that the T&B ties use a stainless gripper as the 'ratchet' mechanism, and there are no serrations on the bottom of the tie surface -- it's completely smooth. The stainless locking head actually digs into the underside of the wrap when threaded, leading to infinite adjustability and tight application (the el-cheapo ties always seem to be one "click" too loose.) They are higher-strength material - probably double or triple the strength of standard ties. They resist melting, and seem to be impervious to the worst chemicals I've thrown them into (including lye baths for metal stripping.) They are resistant to abrasions and take a bit of effort to cut through even with a sharp knife. I find that I typically have to wedge a knife blade under the tie, and twist the blade like a tourniquet stick to cut the ties - this also avoids the unpredictable jumping of the blade which is typical of the brute force method of cutting these infernal things once they're on an object.

This preference for a particular zip tie brand may seem like a minor detail, or a slight difference not worthy of attention. However, I have had cheap cable ties stretch, snap, or lose their ratchet grip at the worst possible times, which I'm sure has cost me more than the delta of price that I would have paid for the better T&B ties. In an ugly but unavoidable hack, I needed to hold a set of horizontal computer rack fans on the door of a 19" cabinet. I was not working with my own toolset, and was forced to use "typical" zip ties to hold the heavy fans in place. I came back less than a week later, and the ties had stretched to the point where the fans were sagging and rattling horribly against the cabinet door, and would have broken in not too long a time. I replaced them with the T&B Ty-Rap ties and a year later they were as tight as the day I put them on despite the frequent stresses on opening the door.

I have NEVER had a T&B cable tie fail on me under anything less than overwhelming circumstances. They are extremely durable, many of the models are UV-resistant, and the stainless gripper never, ever lets go. A long time ago, after several years and lessons learned using cheaper ties, I have sworn never to use the cheap stuff for anything other than wrapping up cords for storage. The T&B ties are expensive, but worth it. Every year or two I just ignore the price and buy a big bag of them on eBay, and I've never regretted it. I find the TY27M to be a good general purpose model, but take a look at the catalog for ideas.

-- John Todd

Ty-Rap Zip Ties
$19
(100 ties - TY525MX)
Available from Amazon

Other models/sizes also from Amazon

Manufactured by Thomas & Betts

BONUS TIP: The only way to reliably remove the "tails" of these ties without leaving a razor-sharp edge is to use a pair of flush-cut nippers, such as the Xcelite 170M (available from Amazon). As an add-on tool in any toolbox that has these cable ties, this is mandatory for anyone building a computer rack or doing cable management -- your unbloodied hands will thank you.

I picked up my first Strap-A-Handle while helping my brother move into his dorm room. Before we got started, I saw these for sale outside his building. It's an adjustable strap rated for 50-lb loads with a comfortable, built-in handle on top. It helped eliminate numerous trips to and from our car, and allowed me to walk up the four flights of stairs and navigate his winding hallways with ease. You just wrap it around the box(es), clip it and go. It's more expensive than DIY Box Handles, but obviously, it requires no assembly and can be reused. I let my brother keep the one we initially bought, and when I left his dorm I bought two more -- one for my mom to use when shopping to help carry cases of soda and water, and the other one's in the glove compartment of my car. I've since discovered a bunch of ways to use it to help eliminate carrying awkward-shaped items or items in bulk, including a PC tower and beach chairs. I also plan on using it to carry portable grills when I go tailgating this football season. The strap comes in two different sizes -- the standard 6-ft. (which I have) and an XL strap that's 8ft.

-- Brian Donovan

Strap-A-Handle
$13
(6 ft.)
Available from Amazon

$15
(8 ft.)
Also from Amazon

Manufactured by Strap-A-Handle

This product turns an empty pail into a more useful item: a resealable pail that's strong enough for stacking and sitting. I started using the lids because I just wanted a seat for my fishing pail. It does more than that, though. Keeps everything inside nice and dry (like my camera). And when I'm done, it will seal up the fish I bring home with no fishy water getting out in my car. The lid has two parts: one snaps onto your pail and a gasket seals it tight. The second part is a removable screw in/out center piece also with a gasket for an air- and watertight seal. They fit 3.5 - 7-gallon pails. I happened upon them in the in the livestock section of my local Farm and Fleet store. So far, I have only used mine for fishing. However, I have purchased several more to use for storage around the house. Just need to get the pails. A local pool company sometimes throws out larger buckets, which I'm hoping to reuse.

-- Dave Friese

The Gamma Lid creates a useful object from trash and works with simplicity and perfection. A hammer and a bit of scrap wood can help secure the outer ring onto the rim of the bucket. After that, the inner disc-shaped lid threads neatly onto the outer ring, leaving you with a solid, easy-to-open, waterproof lid that can replace those pry-off tops that shred your fingertips. I have used these for about five years. You can get free, clean, food grade buckets at most large food store bakeries. At present, I store rice and bulk grains in them (a 20-lb. bag of rice fits nicely into a three-gallon bucket). I have also used them as a food bucket for a big wall climb in Yosemite and on river trips to store food. Stunningly simple and effective.

-- John Godino

Gamma Seal Lid
$8
Available from Amazon

$39
(six lids)
Available from Pierce-Ohio

Manufactured by Gamma Plastics

A Leatherman is one of those tools you will use if you have it with you; and with the thinner, lighter Skeletool, you will always have it with you. I carried the Wave for years. In fact, I've carried many of the Leatherman's since the original. Each new model was always bigger and heavier than the previous, especially my most recent, the Charge Ti. Since I wear business casual clothes most days, a belt-mounted case wasn't an option. I always keep mine in my pocket. The Skeletool is small enough for your pocket, but retains the best features of the Wave and Charge Ti: externally-accessible blade for one-handed operation, built-in interchangeable bit driver with spare bit holder, and of course, the pliers. But it's lighter and slimmer. Its reduced size is the result of eliminating what many people find to be the marginally-useful tools (second blade, saw, file). It also has a convenient carabiner/bottle opener! I now keep my Wave in my car, and my Charge Ti stays in my computer bag (just in case!). For the last six months, I've kept the Skeletool in my pocket for daily use: opening boxes/envelopes/packaging, removing splinters from kids fingers, cutting everything from rope to stray threads on my wife's clothes. Having multiple screwdrivers comes in handy when opening the case on a computer -- the pliers are great for reaching in a tight spot to grab something. They also sell a more expensive CX model of Skeletool. According to the specs, the CX adds carbon fiber, but the weight doesn't change. Since it's not lighter, I'm less inclined to try to justify the additional money.

-- Todd Seaborn

(also recommended by Cormac Eubanks)

Leatherman Skeletool
$50 from Amazon

Manufactured by Leatherman Tool Group, Inc.

Related items previously reviewed on Cool Tools:

Leatherman Micra

Doc Allen's VersaTool

Field Tweezers

We've been using 3M's SOLAS reflective tape for several years. It was designed for the Coast Guard to use on life jackets, so you know it has to be tough and withstand time, bad weather and wet conditions (SOLAS = safety of life at sea). It is a bit expensive, but it is the brightest and most durable stuff I've ever found. We use it everywhere and have put in on just about everything: garbage cans, walking sticks, jackets, kayaks, a bicycle, a stroller, a trailer, traffic cones, automobile door jams (so oncoming traffic sees me right away), the trunk of my car (an instant safety device if I get stuck on the side of the road) and the car's mudguards. The strips on our mudguards -- which take a lot of abuse! -- are still sticking after more than seven years. Now that I've seen how effective it is, I really think it should be a law that all cars come stocked with reflective stripping on door jams.

-- Jeff Ellis

SOLAS Marine Reflective Tape
$35 (1" wide)
$50 (2" wide)
(both, 30' long)
Available from The Reflective Store

Manufactured by 3M

Related items previously reviewed on Cool Tools:

Reflective Yield Symbol

Storm Whistle

Gorilla Tape

S-Biners are much lighter than conventional carabiners and have two attachment points, which really comes in handy when you need to quickly attach and detach things. When I stumbled on these at Frys recently, I picked them up right away. I'm a product design engineer so whenever I see a simple elegant design, I just have to get it. I now use a #2 for my backpack and a #1 for my keychain; I like to clip just my motorcycle key to my jacket, so I don't have to root through my pockets, and I also like to separate my car key when I take it in for service. The two attachment points really makes this easier. On a recent bike camping trip, we also used them in a pinch to hold my friends panniers in place. In addition to various sizes, S-Biners even come in a variety of colors. Just don't use 'em for climbing.

-- Cormac Eubanks

Nite Ize S-Biner
$5
(size 2, black)
Available from Amazon

Other sizes/colors also available from Amazon

Manufactured by Nite Ize

Related items previously reviewed on Cool Tools:

Grocery Bag Panniers

Sigg Aluminum Water Bottles

Black Stallion Cowhide Welding Jacket

This 1.6 oz. tool, manufactured by the makers of the previously-reviewed Utili-Key, can fit on a key chain or in a coin purse, which is where I keep mine. I most often use it for tightening the tiny screws on my glasses, but the small #1 Phillips and flat, pliers, wire cutter/stripper, sheet shear and rule markings (bonus!) are all unbelievably useful at the frequent odd moments you need the right tool which is anywhere but near (particularly the pliers). I have yet to try to go through airport security with it, but the TSA says pliers/screwdrivers and "tools" less than 7 inches can be carried on.

-- Dale Simpson

Swiss Tech Micro-Plus 8-In-1
$11
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Swiss+Tech Tools

Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:

Atwood Mini Tools

Credit Card Survival Tool

Topeak Mini 6

I carry a roll of the Velcro Plant Ties in my tool bag, but also keep One-Wrap Velcro strips in the shop. While they're much more expensive, I've found the larger kind to be substantially bulkier and stronger. Here in Toronto, we have alternating weekly garbage, recycling and green waste pickup. We also have rapacious raccoons. I found if I add a simple loop of One-Wrap, screw it into the side of the green bin and loop it over the locking bail of the bin, the raccoons cannot open it. I first tried Plant Ties. They just wouldn't hold. For my purposes, a One-Wrap is good for about a year, after which it is easily replaced. It's available in various colors and sizes. The lower-end of the One-Wrap line is a similar size to the Plant Ties, which are 13 mm wide; however, the One-Wrap also come as large as 22mm. It has deeper loop Velcro (thicker and fuzzier), and as the width of the tape increases, the size of the loops and their grip strength increases. Plant Ties really are great for handling all kinds of tasks, but One-Wrap is strong enough to bundle thicker rope, heavier hoses, and most importantly for me, they keep raccoons out of the recycling.

-- David Keldsen

I much prefer the uncut rolls rather than the precut pieces that are never quite the right size. You can get the rolls in widths ranging from 5/8" to 2" wide, in various colors. Snip off just as much as you need. All my computer cables are shortened by rolling them and wrapping with one-wrap. I use one-wrap anywhere I used to use twist-ties.

-- Charles Platt

Velcro One-Wrap
$8
(6 ties, 22mm)
Available from Amazon

$14 - 35
(1 roll; sizes vary)
Available from Feiner Supply

Also in various sizes from iTapeStore

Manufactured by Velcro

Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:

Velstrap

Millipede Cable Ties

Dual Lock Fastener Tape

For two years I've subscribed to the Lifehacker.com feed for a steady stream of always awesome productivity tips and tricks, everything from Firefox add-ons (Buylater) to various household how-to's. Flipping through this book -- the second edition of hacks distilled and updated from the blog -- was pleasantly surprising. Somehow I managed to miss, dismiss or simply forget some great stuff. For instance, I stumbled on and immediately installed Noise, a Mac-based program that generates soft white noise. Now when I can't decide what to listen to and shuffled tracks seems too distracting, Noise steps in as the perfect default work-time soundtrack. The book has a good mix of desktop tweaks ranging from easy to advanced, affordable to free, and Windows/PC to Mac-specific. Some bits overlap a bit with Rule the Web and Getting Things Done, but I like to envision productivity and organization info charted out as a Venn diagram. The overlap is often what's most essential. Everything else is potential gravy.

-- Steven Leckart

Upgrade Your Life
Gina Trapani
2008, 450 pages
$20
Available from Amazon

Free PDF of Chapter 1: Control Your Email

Also see Lifehackerbook.com for table of contents and links to the original posts

Sample excerpts:

Hack 114: Have Your Mac and Windows, Too, with Boot Camp

..The web site BugMeNot (http://bugmenot.com) maintains a public database of shared usernames and passwords for free web sites. If you come across a site that prompts you to log in to view its content, bypass the registration process by heading to BugMeNot to search for an already created username and password. Not all BugMeNot logins will work, but you can see the percentage success rate for a particular login and report whether it worked for you as well. If you can't find a BugMeNot login that works, create one and share it with the BugMeNot community.

Related items previously reviewed on Cool Tools:

Google Hacks

SpamSieve

Missing Manuals

Microfiber towels are listed in Cool Tools as great for drying and travel and camping, but have you used them for everyday cleaning, dusting and wiping? I buy my 16x16-inch towels in bulk. I've used the previously-reviewed MysticMaid cleaning towels and, personally, have seen no difference in cleaning power. Of course, mine may not last as long in the end, but they are are a heck of lot cheaper, so I'm more inclined to use them for everything and anything. And they really are holding their own so far. I've washed my current kitchen cleaner over 50 times with no loss in cleaning power (the packaging says good for over 100 washes). Dampen with water and you can clean the kitchen top to bottom without leaving a streak. It removes grease, grime, and the odd stuff on the stove top. Around the house it cleans glass without leaving a streak, removes the haze from inside of your auto windshield, cleans the car interior and removes all the muck the kids have built up on the plastic, doors and even car seats. Around the desk it cleans up coffee spills and rings. I've also used mine for cleaning monitor screens, brass, cameras (I collect Minolta 16 mm and Minox cameras), jewels, coins, glass objet d'art, lexan screens, fine wood carvings, some photos, and find no scratches or wearing away of labels, paint, or important stuff -- and I've looked hard with my loupes. Cleaning wood work is easy and quick, as well. And in the wood shop it does wonders in getting dust off surfaces before staining or painting. A bonus for ribs lovers -- it's better than any napkin or moist towelette.

-- Patrick J. Meyer

Microfiber Cleaning Towels in Bulk
(12 towels -- 16 x 16 inch)
$14
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Clean-Rite

Related items previously reviewed on Cool Tools:

Scooba Floor Scrubber

Bar Keeper's Friend

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

The small size and stubby shape of this cheap driver allows me to reach tight spaces and still apply considerable torque. I've used it to adjust tension on folding knives and my SOG PowerLock multi-tool, and to open cases on remote controls, my PDA and cell phones. I have a set of jeweler's screwdrivers, Wiha Precision Tech screwdrivers and a Craftsman All-in-One screwdriver (overall length: 8.75 inches) with captive bits that store in the handle. The 2.5-inch Teeny Turner fits easily in a pocket; it's made of aircraft alloy shank, has a magnetic bit holder and the included bits (Phillips 00, Phillips 0, Torx 5,6 & 8, Flat 2mm and 3mm) are generally smaller and much easier to change out than my Craftsman. One small negative is the Teeny Turner has one more bit than storage positions, so you have to choose the least pointy bit to keep in the drive shaft if you carry it in your pocket. That said, the portability really is key. Plus, I do like the name.

-- Chris Jacobs

$6
Available from FireHawk Technology

Or $164 for a jar of 36!

Manufactured by Picquic

Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:

Picquic Sixpac

Switchblade Screwdriver

Doc Allen's VersaTool

I have used butane-powered soldering irons for about 17 years. This one is compact, well made and lighter than most other butane type irons I have used. It is made of a thermal plastic resistant to high temp and the cap is vented so you can put it back on while the head is still hot. The exterior is textured slightly, which makes it easier to hold. It gives a sharp, well-defined flame front with a very efficient burn. The torch has enough power to tin the ends of large cables and shrink large diameter heat shrink insulation. Unlike the cheaper ones from Weller, it comes with inter-changeable tips, including a hot knife tip, so I can use it occasionally on close pitch SM components. There's a wire rack in the case that allows you to set up the torch with a platform so you can use both hands. The fuel window is a nice feature, too. The run time is advertised at 90 minutes -- of course it depends a lot on how hot you run it. I usually use it at 50% or less. I always refill the butane whenever I store the torch in its case, so I have only run out once in 17 years of using this type of soldering iron (I was 35 feet in the air and that was the last time).

The lab I work in is busy and crowded, so I work outside of the lab a lot. I can tuck this soldering iron in my lab coat pocket and forget about until I need it. I use it two to three times a week. The iron is great for soldering crimped pins on a new cable and the torch is good for heat shrink when I don't want to go get the heat gun. I have yet to use it to cut poly rope, but it is nice to know I can. It is also great for lighting fireworks. I have not used the hot knife yet but I gave one of the kits to our mechanical engineer and he, being a sailor, thought it had real potential. The only draw back I have found is the TSA will not let you carry it on a plane.

Hint: I put the cap on the iron in the case and dropped a Leatherman E4 in the cap holder cut-out to create a more complete kit. You still need some flux cored solder, but one can tuck a small coil in the sponge can or carry a small tube separately.

-- Gary K.

Weller Portasol Portable Butane Soldering Kit
(model: P2KC)
$45
Available from Tool Barn

Or $53 from Amazon

Manufactured by Cooper Hand Tools

Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:

ColdHeat Soldering Iron

Third Hand

Jet Swet

When I am wearing my 5.11 tactical cargo pants, this pocket-sized screwdriver/Allen-wrench with interchangeable bits always goes in the right-hand cargo pocket. I'll often use the screwdriver of my Leatherman several times a day, but the VersaTool does a better job due to the interchangeable bits (better fit to the screws). Also, the handle can be adjusted to provide additional leverage or to fit tight spots. To get greater torque, you just slide the handle into "T" or "L" configurations. Recently, I used it to reinstall a bathroom cabinet door that the kids somehow managed to detach. My kids are good at dismantling things, so having this on hand saves time and allows me to complete repairs immediately without having to remember to return to them later. In one weekend, I also managed to complete several repairs on my truck without having to grab the tool box. Interestingly, the hex adapter will disconnect and the VersTool will then accept any 1/4" socket so that it can be used as a nut driver. I do not have enough room left in my pockets for a set of 1/4" sockets, but I plan on buying a couple more VersaTools, one of which I'll be dropping in my briefcase long with a spare socket set.

-- John Rigby

Doc Allen's VersaTool
$17
Available from Duluth Trading

Manufactured by and also available from Doc Allen

Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:

Credit Card Survival Tool

Wiha Microbits

Offset Screwdriver

As a flashlight enthusiast, I review many lights on CandlePowerForums.com, a site for "flashaholics." So I'm often asked which flashlight I reach for the most. My answer: the Fenix L1D-CE, a pocket-sizeLED light that uses only a single AA battery. At one time, LED lights were considered very efficient but not really bright enough, especially when compared to the ultra-bright, xenon bulb, 2x lithium CR123 battery specialist lights like the SureFire 6P, SureFire G2 and Streamlight Scorpions (the ones frequently used in CSI). The Fenix L1D-CE uses a newer Cree 7090 XR-E LED that is spec'd to produce 90 lumens at its maximum brightness, some one and a half times as bright as the typical xenon 2x CR123 lights, which are about 60 lumens. That's brighter than the typical 3D cell flashlight -- amazing for a single AA battery!

The L1D-CE has become my EDC (every day carry) because of its versatility. Being bright and compact (about the size of a Swiss Army Knife) is a plus, but for closer tasks, a blindingly bright light is not really suitable. Most of the xenon 2xCR123 lights are just way too bright for close up work, as is the L1D-CE's Turbo setting (90 lumens).The L1D-CE also has a general mode that has 3 levels of brightness: Low (9 lumens), Medium (40 lumens), High (80 lumens), all accessed by a simple untwist of the head. This allows one to use the light at more appropriate levels for different tasks. Also, the head from the Fenix L1D-CE is fully interchangeable with other models. Fenix sells "powerpacks" with different combinations of heads and bodies, but they also let you purchase the bodies independently. Thus, the strategy is to buy one full flashlight and then just pick up the bodies as you go, like Fenix's L2D-CE (a two AA light) and even the P2D-CE (which takes a single CR123). By having the Fenix L1D-CE, I can also get the larger L2D and P2D bodies, which means having a 2x AA light that can manage 135 lumens and run on low for 55 hours. Or I can also use an even more compact 1x CR123 lithium light. So you can get three lights with one head and satisfy more needs. Like having your cake and eating it, too. Still, I always return to the L1D-CE configuration because it's just the right handy size, has brightness levels appropriate for most of my indoor uses, and I can use one rechargeable AA battery for almost no cost and environmentally-friendly illumination.

-- Vincent Tseng

Fenix L1D-CE Flashlight
$52
Available from Amazon

Also available from Fenix-Store.com

Manufactured by Fenixlight Ltd.

Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:

Stanley Tripod Flashlight

StylusReach Flexible Flashlight

Solar BoGoLight

I recently became a vinegar convert after acquiring this book whose intriguing subtitle says it all: Over 400 Various, Versatile, and Very Good Uses You've Probably Never Thought Of. What's behind the cover fulfilled its title's promise: I am now using vinegar in several of the ways it suggests, primarily (so far) as a spray-bottle cleanser and flavoring agent/foodstuff. While I can't say for sure that all 400 uses will work as promised, I've had success with a number of them. Next up, I plan to leave a gallon of it overnight, with a gallon or two of water, in the bottom of my bathtub the next time it needs a major touch-up. Some other uses: deodorizer (e.g., of pet stains); recipe-helper (in a wide variety of roles); laundry-cleaning-helper; home remedy (e.g., against bug-bites and burns); pet cleaner/medicine; beauty/grooming aid. Compared to its alternatives, vinegar is inexpensive, easy on the environment, and versatile, which cuts down on my household "inventory." The author also wrote a book called Baking Soda, which I'm just about to plunge into.

Here are a few vinegar recommendations I've already used:

- Clean the microwave by boiling a 50/50 mixture of water and vinegar until it steams up. Wipe clean.

- Add vinegar to a hand-pump compressed-air sprayer to kill weeds and grass growing in crevices in a patio and walkways.

- Make any dried bean dish less gassy or stinky by adding 1/4 cup vinegar to the soaking water.

- Make catsup and other condiments last longer when the bottle is almost empty by adding a little vinegar and shaking.

- Spread a cloth soaked in vinegar over a price tag you want to remove and leave overnight.

- Get rid of fruit flies by setting out a small dish of vinegar---it will attract and drown them.

-- Roger Knights

Vinegar
Vicki Lansky
120 pages, 2003
$9
Available from Amazon

Sample recommendations:

Make creamy scrambled eggs: as eggs thicken when scrambling, add a tablespoon of vinegar for every two eggs.

Add vinegar to a pet's drinking water to discourage fleas and mange.

**
I saw in the blurb today for Vinegar uses, that it can be used as a weed killer -- that's true, but you have to be really careful because if you don't do it right you'll also sterilize the ground around the weeds. Vinegar can nuke all the beneficial biological processes soil. My neighbor found out about this the hard way. The previous owner got tired of weeds so he used vinegar all over the back yard and killed everything off. Nothing would grow. To 'restart' the soil my new neighbor had to work in a couple of cubic yards of compost for a year and a half. What a lesson.

-- Mark

Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:

Tips 23: White Vinegar vs. Toilet Bowl Rings

Gonzo Gizmos

Rough Science

These are carry-all-the-time tweezers -- they're tiny and they slide into a guard that keeps them flat. Also known as "Uncle Bill's Tweezers," they are carried by some US military personnel on dog-tags, but you'll probably keep them on your keyring or attached to a Swiss Army Knife or Leatherman. The tweezers were designed to be extremely precise -- they come to a precisely matching pair of points which make it easy to select even very small items and apply concentrated force. -- they come to a precisely matching pair of points which make it easy to select even very small items and apply concentrated force. Their springiness provides a push-back force which makes them easy to operate. I've been carrying them around with me for two years now and have pulled a couple splinters out of myself and one from my girlfriend. Each one was much easier than with conventional tweezers, even full-size tweezers. There's no sign of their losing their precise alignment or the springiness that makes them easy to operate.

-- Jonathan Coupe

Field Tweezers
$6
Available from County Comm

Or $8* from the manufacturer A.G. Russell

[*Shipping isn't cheap ($6.95); however, like the Solar BoGoLight, the manufacturer claims your purchase will be paid forward: "For every pair sold, we will ship two pair to our troops." - sl]

Related items previously reviewed in Cool Tools:

Tweezerman

Adventure Medical Kits

Trix Tick Remover

Like most people I don't have a dedicated workshop, meaning my power tools share the garage with lots of things that aren't happy about sawdust wafting over them like the morning dew. The solution is a Shopvac, but it can be a real hassle remembering to turn it on/off as I turn on/off my table saw, hand sander, Ridgid Oscillating Belt & Spindle Sander, etc. I've been woodworking at home for perhaps 18 years, and the best solution I've found is one of these little outlet boxes, which powers up multiple tools automatically.

You simply plug your main tool into the top outlets, then plug your vacuum or work light into one of the other two accessory outlets. Whenever you turn your tool on, it will automatically turn the other outlets on. When you turn your tool off, it waits a few seconds before turning the accessory outlets off, which is useful for clearing the line of dust, etc. I have two in my shop -- one for each Shop-Vac so I never have to reconnect power cords or vacuum hoses!

I've been using these switches for four years. They definitely save time. On a given woodworking project, I generally turn machines on and off every few minutes and move from machine to machine. Without this switch, you would spend an extra 3 seconds and 2 steps turning it on and another 3 seconds and 2 steps turning it off. Doesn't sound like much, but in reality those seconds and steps really start to add up, so you'd just end up leaving the vacuum on or using some other less effective dust collection (for example, an on-tool dust collection bag).

I had a discussion with someone about 9 or 10 years ago about how you could build one - and I actually found schematics for a load sensing relay that you could make one with. But for $20, this switch certainly beats trying to round up the components and DIY.

-- Yitah Wu

Craftsman Auto Switch
$20
Available from Sears

Manufactured by Craftsman

Buy one of these solar lights, and the company sends another to a developing country of your choice. I purchased two and asked for one to be sent to Iraq and another to Afghanistan. Aside from the feel-good proposition, the lights have a simple and effective design. There's only one switch (on/off) and one screw opens the battery chamber for the three rechargeable AA batteries, which are included. The six LEDs are bright enough to read by. I use one of mine about 30 minutes a night for bedside reading. There's even a hook to hang it over the bed. The package says you can get 4-5 hours of light on 8-10 hours of charging. Supposedly the batteries "last 750/1000 nights!" and the LEDs "last 20 years!" It's also "highly water and shock resistant," but I don't plan to test those claims. My favorite feature: you can charge a second set of AA batteries and switch batteries from one portable device to another.

--George Mokray

Solar BoGoLight
$25
Available from BoGoLight.com

Manufactured by SunNight Solar Company

I have two friends who've been carrying these slim, multi-tools for a few years now and swear by them. I've only used the mini-screwdriver and bottle opener, but those functions alone seem worth it. It's stainless steel and will add some weight to your load, but no more than the average metal beverage pop-top. Why junk up your keychain when you can slip another "card" into your wallet? Added bonus: can opener, straight edge, knife edge, et al.

-- Steven Leckart

Credit Card Survival Tool
$4
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by BCB Survival USA

The beauty of these tools is they feel like a fetish item in your hand and, due to their size, you can always have them with you. They're handmade by Peter Atwood and have incredible strength because he uses a specialty stainless steel made via a powder metallurgy process ("The powder is compressed under significant force to a homogenous, solid state and the steel is rolled to required stock size. Molecules are uniform, inclusions of impurities are insignificant").

Both of my EDC knives -- a Swiss Army Cybertool and a SOG Multi Tool -- have slightly bent tips on the main blades because I tried to open or pry something I shouldn't have. That will never happen with the Mini Son of Prything I carry in my pocket or my Prybaby. The trend in tools is to include more and more features. An Atwood piece - and there are a variety of them worth checking out -- is generally designed to do a couple of things really well, and it does: open a package, pull a nail, cut some tape, strip a wire, etc. There are obviously other discovered tasks -- like propping up a new power supply in my computer while I get a couple of screws in -- but it's calling on that intended purpose that is most gratifying.

-- Greg Needham

Atwood Mini Tools
$35+
Available from Atwood Knife & Tools

This beautiful, informative calendar has four panels representing the Earth's four natural seasons, either from equinox to a solstice or from a solstice to an equinox. Stepping outside the convention of having 12 pages full of squares, the calendar's four panels guide you through the astronomical season using several bands: Sky, Sun, Moon, Earth, Tide Chart and Gregorian Calendar from top to bottom.

I use the tide band to remind me when it might be a good time to plan a trip to the Oregon Coast. This year, I've already taken seven trips and have found an excellent low tide every time, so I've been able to see all kinds of cool critters, including chitons, crabs, starfish and large barnacles. I look at my ECOlogical Calendar every day and at the moon every night. I'm still working on learning to identify the planets and stars in the sky, which is a lot of fun, and the calendar serves as a perfect reminder.

The calendar is also very good for giving reminders of a number of phenomena you just wouldn't otherwise think about at all, such as the activities of amphibians, butterflies, worms, salmon, bats, eagle mating, fledging of birds; plus things such as the mushroom season and when bears start to hibernate. Most of us could probably keep track of some of those seasonal events on our own, but few could keep track of them all -- even a professional ecologist or farmer would have to be fairly compulsive to be mindful of everything on this calendar, simply by memory and/or Internet searches.

You could probably use the Calendar Band to note your regular doctor's appointments, interviews, and meetings if need be. But personally, I use a conventional planner for that, primarily because this calendar seems too beautiful to mark with my handwriting. It's as much a work of art as it is a practical tool for nature awareness. And how many art works change with the seasons?

-- Amy Scanlon

ECOlogical Calendar
$10
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Antenna Theater

[It's only July, so you could still get use from two of the four '07 panels; or you could obviously hold off until '08 (expect to pay about $16) - sl]

The Hookout is specifically designed to get hooks out of fish that have swallowed them, but I have found it's excellent for getting a grip on anything in a tight space. My dad got mine for me in the early '70s. It was part of my fishing tackle box and I used it many times to retrieve fishhooks. I don't fish anymore, but use it all the time around the house.

I keep one in the kitchen drawer since it's especially useful for retrieving items from the garbage disposal (bottle caps, sippy cup valves, etc.). It's also great for automotive work -- retrieving hardware that has fallen into a tight space or, god forbid, down the carburetor throat.

It's perfect because it doesn't require a lot of space to open up, unlike needle nose pliers. The maximum jaw opening is only about 3/8", but the Hookout has a powerful grip. It's useful anywhere you would need some very long skinny needle nose pliers. The jaws are hollow, though, so you're much less likely to drop what you have just grabbed. It does not work like pliers. Instead, when you squeeze the handle, it pulls on a long rod inside the tool and that in turn pulls the little jaw closed. It's spring-loaded, so it opens when you open your hand.

I have the zinc-plated version that's about 9 " long. It looks somewhat cheaply made, but I've tried to bend it by over-squeezing the handle and it won't bend or distort. If I bought another one, I'd be tempted to pop for the more expensive stainless steel version -- just because I have a weakness for things stainless -- but the zinc-plated one has held up very well. I kept it clean and made sure it never saw salt water. After 30 years, it still looks almost new.

-- Jim Barbera

Hookout
$6
Available from Amazon

I own four G2s as well as SureFire's Defender (nasty little tool serrated at both ends), but I fell in love with the A2 and have been using it for two and half years. All of SureFire's 2-battery flashlights last about the same time (continuous 1 hour) and put out about the same amount of super bright intense light (65 lumens), but you don't necessarily need that much light all of the time. That's where the dependable A2 shines: there are two beams, high and low.

I'm a safety officer in a large prison, about 700,000 sq. ft., where I do inspections -- the whole place just me, my little light and my clipboard. I simply can't use the G2 at my job, because it has failed me while working. With the G2, I saw that when the batteries are used to the point they can't support the super bright bulb, that's it; they're done (with no warning). With the A2, the same batteries that quit on the main bulb will keep working for many additional hours on the much more efficient lower beam. I tested the batteries from my G2 with a good battery tester and there was plenty of juice left, but not enough to support the bright bulb. Then I put the same batteries in my A2 and they would run the low beam fine, but not the high beam.

The low light won't blind bears, but it will get you around until you get back to your battery box to replace them. I mostly use the low beam to conserve the batteries, but the high beam is great for looking into little dark places and into large dark locked rooms, through thick safety glass, to see what is being stored in there (it lights up the whole room), or as extra lighting when photographing in low light when a flash won't do. When reading very fine print or to signal other officers rather than shout at (or blind them), I use the low beam.

The neat little clip on the A2 is also great for slipping the light into your front or back pants pocket, shirt pocket, etc. and for attaching the light to your hat bill while trudging through the dark keeping your hands free (just don't look at your buddies or you blind them). You really don't need the nylon holster for short-term use, which is very handy. The A2 also has square edges so it won't roll around if you do put it down, and it has a rough as cob grip (no slip at all).

The U2 Ultra has six output levels, but it's $80 more expensive than the A2, which isn't cheap either. But is the A2 worth $200? Yes. If I lost it I would buy another as soon as possible. G2's are great, but I know my A2 will work at some level, all the time. That's what makes the A2 worth the extra bucks. I carry it all the time, use it all the time, under all conditions.

-- Larry R. Odom

SureFire A2 Aviator Light
$140
(LED: green or white only)
Available from Fox Fire Rescue Police Equipment

Or $188 from Amazon
(LED: white only)

Also $195 from SureFire
(LED: blue, red, yellow-green, white, green)

Manufactured by SureFire, LLC

I drooled over and pondered getting this hammer for a year before I finally took the plunge -- and it was well worth the very high price tag. This hammer really absorbs the vibrations as you pound it. I have been framing for about 14 years and have been swinging an Estwing 25-oz. California-style framing hammer for most of that time. My elbow is almost shot from the vibrations of using those all-steel hammers. Since buying the much lighter titanium T-bone (15 oz.), I have noticed a dramatic difference in my elbow.

All-around it's an absolutely wonderful hammer. The magnetic nail starter isn't a new invention, but it's handy, and I use the side nail puller every chance I get instead of relying on the claw. The hammer also features a removable steel head (or face), which can be replaced with a milled waffle or smooth head (depending on which face you purchase to begin with). Stiletto makes other cheaper hammers with a titanium head and a wooden or fiberglass handle. They absorb a lot of shock, too, but tend to break fairly easily - unlike this model, which has a titanium handle covered in rubber.

If you are serious about building and/or want to lessen the impact on your elbow, arm, etc., this hammer is certainly worth the investment. I don't know offhand what a shot of cortisone costs, but they probably add up. I wouldn't recommend this hammer for the average Joe, but if you use a hammer a lot, this is the one to get. They come with a curved or straight handle. I have one with a curved handle, which just feels right.

-- Greg Morris

Stiletto Tibone Titanium Hammer
$190
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Stiletto Tools

I've used these money clips for 30 years, getting a new one every eight to ten years. This simple tool holds my money and provides an excellent knife that is always available in an unobtrusive way. The footprint is tiny: 3 cm X 5 cm folded,13 cm long when both knife and nail file are open. Most other "pocket" knives are bulky and complex, but this knife has a slim profile (it's just a knife, file and clip).

The blade is easily sharpened with any kind of small stone or diamond-imbedded file. It's not the highest quality steel but it's certainly good enough for my purposes. Because it is always with me, I always try to use this knife first for any task. Mostly I open letters/packages, but it also can be used for staple removal, as a mini screwdriver, scribe or awl, for removing splinters, etc. I work in the operating room as a CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) and even there, with all the precision instruments, I've used this knife to cut off loose dressings (after the blade has been steam sterilized, of course). Interesting side note: the Zippo Company actually survived the demise of smoking by diversifying with products like this.

-- George Higgins

Zippo Money Clip Pocket Knife
$19
Available from Gunther Gifts

Manufactured by Zippo

The Viewtainer is an inexpensive, flexible plastic tube with a rubbery cap at both ends. Originally, they were intended to hold small parts (screws, nuts, bolts, etc.). On one end the rubber cap has a slash in it, so when you squeeze the tube, you can dump the parts out. Although these Viewtainers may work well for storing parts, I've found that one of the larger Viewtainers, which is about 8" x 3", is an awesome mini-toolkit container that's easy to access and stash. It's amazing how many different useful (and in some cases, full-size) tools, you can fit into such a tiny container: screwdrivers, sockets, specialty bits, pliers, mini-saws, tire irons, flashlights, and on. I keep one in my car, one in my bike bag, and one in my study on the second floor so I don't have to run out to the garage every time I need a screwdriver.

-- Sam Mapadatha

Viewtainer
$4 (8" x 2.75")
Available from and manufactured by Viewtainer

When it comes to cutting into thick, rigid plastic packages, it's tough to rely on scissors. Knives slip on the plastic and can be more dangerous. The clever feature of OpenX is that there are two blades in one. The razor-like, pop out blade is perfect for starting an initial cut, and then the main protected blade works great to slice the whole thing open. I've used this on every kind of thick plastic packaging imaginable and it hasn't dulled yet.

-- Boris Feldman

OpenX Dual-Blade Package Opener
$5
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Ranchmark, Inc.

[I remembered hearing about this one a while back and was skeptical -- until the company sent me one to try out. It's been such a time saver (I get a lot of packages) that it now lives in the top drawer of my desk. - sl]

[Note: Just wanted to drop a note about the Open X -- left handers need not apply. As a leftie myself, I was pretty disappointed when I realized that due to the locations of the button to extend the hidden blade, this tool can't really be used left handed. Once the initial cut has been made, it can be used, but the switch does get in the way a bit. Just thought lefties might want to know before they buy!
-- Ari Brown]

I found this incredibly loud whistle while putting together a disaster preparedness kit for my car. I did some non-scientific testing against my Fox 40 (rated 115 decibels) by having my son blow into each of them across a soccer field. The Storm (rated 118-120db) definitely sounded louder (decibels are based on a logarithmic scale with a base of 10, so the Storm's decibel intensity is almost 3 times the Fox 40). It is also advertised as working underwater (the chambers clear as you blow). I haven't tried it underwater yet, but regardless, this is the loudest whistle I have ever heard.

-- Mark Chow-Young

Storm Whistle
$6
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by All-Weather Safety Whistle Co.

Like other adhesives, this one can be used on metals, glass, wood and leather, but it is the only household product I have ever used that will withstand constant exposure to gasoline and/or brake fluid (DOT3 and DOT4). J-B-WELD will work in some cases, but you have to thoroughly clean and dry the surface or it will fail. Seal-All will seal a leak in a master-cylinder-reservoir (non-pressure side) even if you apply it over brake fluid that has already wept out onto the surface. I have also used it to seal an old Coleman fuel tank, and also a weeping fuel fitting on the bottom of a gasoline tank on my bike. This stuff is not what I would consider a toolbox item, but I ride my bike far from home on occasion, and this is one of the items I like to keep in the "just-in-case" bag.

-- Jackie Gregory

Seal-All Adhesive & Sealant
$1.50
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Eclectic Products

I'm a computer geek, both by trade and by lifestyle, so I've accumulated several boxes full of tools for disassembling and reassembling all sorts of obscure computer stuff. Since I found the Micra, most of what's in those boxes sits unused in my office. Smaller than most pocket knives, and with the ability to unfold into a completely handy pair of snips, the stainless steel Micra contains two functional flat-blade drivers (micro and "regular") and a #2 Phillips-equivalent screwdriver, so I can achieve most anything I need to do inside a server closet or at a customer's desk. You could opt for the Wave, which features more tools. However, the less expensive Micra is lighter (1.75 vs. 8.5 ounces) and smaller (2.5" vs. 4"), and overall it's much more of an urban survival tool. It comes with tweezers, scissors, nail file, and a bottle opener, but the features that make it the most valuable to me are the "Phillips" blade (a flat blade shaped to fit into a Phillips head) and the micro flat driver blade. I'm constantly opening stuff - packages from FedEx (knife,) packages of sunflower kernels (scissors), laptops (micro screwdriver,) data racks (Phillips) and the like. This tool has everything I use on a daily basis in a simple, little package.

-- Steve Sussex

Leatherman Micra
$20
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Leatherman Tool Group, Inc.

This in-door, out-door adapter is the best I've found for dealing with multiple wall-warts. The outlets are spaced just far enough apart to allow virtually any size wall wart to fit, and you can chain together the adapters (each outlet has five outlets, so every additional one in the chain gives you four more outlets). It's cheaper than specialty adapters like the PowerSquid, and it's inherently more organized. If you chain a couple PowerSquids together, you've got a mess of extra cords on account of that model's 'tentacle' design. If you daisy chain two Yellow-Jackets together, you've got a tidier package.

The Yellow-Jackets also feature cable restraints or 'cord locks' you can run the cables through. Personally, I cut them off to make the outlets more compact, but if you had five people working outside -- each using a power tool and each pulling the adapter in a different direction -- these restraints make it so that you'd have to pull a lot harder to cause an accidental unplugging.

-- Stephen Malinowski

Yellow-Jacket 5 Outlet Adapter
$7
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Woods Wire Products, Inc.

These are big Ziploc bags that are extra sturdy and have a carrying handle. There are two sizes: 2ft x 1.7ft for the XL size and 2ft x 2.7ft for the XXL. They only cost a few dollars.

There are probably a million uses for them. One great use we found is for our kids to bring bristol board projects to school. The bristol board is kept flat, clean and dry and is easy to carry. In the past we had to roll them up which resulted in them being curled instead of flat. Or placed in a green garbage bag to keep them dry which was awkward to carry and resulted in them being dog-eared and bent. The Big Bags would serve the same purpose for anyone who has to transport or store blueprints, prints, paintings, posters, etc.

-- Doug Jones

* Expand as needed to fit where totes won't go. Perfect for storing even your bulkiest items while helping to protect them from moisture, dust and pests. XXL holds the equivalent volume of a 75.7L tote.

Ziploc Big Bag
$5.50 for 3 XXL bags
Available from Drugstore.com
Or $7 from Amazon
Manufactured by Ziploc

The Engel Hot Knife is fantastic for cutting and sealing synthetic ropes and textiles in one hot cut. Particularly when making kites, bags, tents, or anything with textiles this is faster by a factor of 10 than scissors, more accurate, and also seals the edges against fraying. It has two blade types, one long and arced, great for fast large things, one pointed and small for detail work. The fact it has a work light directed at the blade is a tremendous detail only the German's would have thought of including. I use it for other things as well, like sealing plastic bags and various plastic welding jobs. This is probably a misuse of the tool, but periodically I find that useful. I own two of these, and have owned them for 5+ years, and I love them.

-- Saul Griffith

Engel Hot Knife
$140, with one blade
Available from Rochford Supply

This yellow plastic caliper is lightweight, reasonably durable (I lose it before it wears out) and pocket-friendly (only 4 inches long). I use it frequently during house or auto repairs to ensure the right size replacement part (such as nuts and bolts, or o-rings and sealing washers) comes home with me from the store or junkyard. I find this easier, quicker, and more accurate in many cases than using a small rule. It is not a precision machinist's instrument. However, in most of the work I need to get done, measurement to the closest 1/32 of an inch or 1 mm will get the right part or a fit which is good enough to work.

-- Ken Johnson

General Tools 141ME Pocket Caliper
$9
Available from Amazon
Also from Village Supplies and from Art Stuff

The Craftsman Ratcheting Tube and Pipe Cutter is, like its cousin the Craftsman Ratcheting Screwdriver (reviewed previously), a well thought out tool. This Ratcheting Cutter works great for cutting pipe in tight spots and is so ergonomically correct I often use it to cut pipe on my workbench. The only reason I hesitate using it on the workbench is I don't want to dull the cutting blade too fast. Oh, did I mention it comes with a spare blade that is nested in the handle so it's sure to be there when you need it? It's also very well built, sturdy, and has the ever so wonderful lifetime replacement policy.

Certain tools are what I refer to as "lifers" -- buy it one time, have it for life, need it throughout your whole life, and it makes life so much easier. It would be a mistake for the homeowner and/or professional not to own this one.

-- Eric G. Yukins

Craftsman Ratcheting Tube and Pipe Cutter
$30
Available from Sears

After a telescope, this is the best astronomy educational tool I've seen. At night this AAA battery powered green laser pointer can seemingly touch the stars millions of miles away. Compared to a red laser pointer, the green beam remains visible and penetrates the air much farther. Because of its particular spectrum you see the beam and not just the end dot. Also, it's about 50 times brighter than an ordinary red laser pointer -- using the same safe low power. On a clear night it can easily shine a dot a mile away. With its sharp laser beam you can pinpoint the exact star you want, which greatly accelerates mapping and learning the constellations. I've been amazed at how much faster I've learned the heavens with one of these in hand.

The problem with green laser pointers has been their stiff price. Only recently have they dropped below $50, which is still a lot for an educational tool. Manufacturing green laser engines is more art than science so their actual power output varies by final pointer. The lasers are sorted after they are made. The select ones near to the legal "pointer" limit of 5 milliWatts are labeled as such and are priced around $100 these days. The others are labeled as "less than 5mW" or "guaranteed to be up to 5 mW" and are priced as cheap as $40, but their actual power is not stated. For a star pointer all you need is one of these cheap ones. I've been using an in expensive "up to 5mW" version that works wonderfully.

Incidentally, you can purchase higher powered green lasers from Wicked Lasers that exceed the mandated 5 mW. Their 15 mW green laser (6 mile range) goes for $100 and their scary/astounding 300 mW for $2000. These are incredibly bright at night, but overkill for an astronomy aid.

-- KK

BTG-2 Green Laser
<5 mW
$42
Available from Amazon

Starpointer
Full-powered 5mW
$110
Available from Sky Pointer

Wicked Lasers Classic
15 mW
$100
Available from Wicked Lasers

Sooner or later, most people need to move something too heavy to lift or too awkward to handle. This little book presents the basic physics, tactics, and best moves. Lift that piano without fear of hernia. Get your truck out of the ditch without calling for help. Stand that 500 lb. 55-gallon drum up on end with a flick of the wrist. Here are the tools, knots, and safety precautions you'll need. The formulas and tables for calculating the capacities of ropes, chains and cables are here, too, all described in the proper lingo (e.g. "swigging" and "parbuckling " - very useful moves) and illustrated with the author's classy drawings. Long out of print, and really missed, this classic book is now available again.

-- J. Baldwin

Moving Heavy Things
Jan Adkins
2004, 48 pages
$11
Available from Amazon

Sample excerpts:

Precept Two: The Geezer Ploy
When the old fellows didn't have diesel cranes to pull their fat out of the fire, they were obliged to be fiendishly clever. Ask yourself how they would have set up for your problem in 1900, in 1800, 1700, and so forth.

*

Precept Five: Applied Sloth
As stated in the stagehand's axiom: "Never lift what you can drag, never drag what you can roll, never roll what you can leave." Creativity germinates in indolence, and the cleverest people are often the laziest: they are always looking for an easier way. The easiest way is often the simplest, most direct, and the best way.

*

*

Long ago a contractor friend of mine turned me onto a simple fixture for a powerdrill. It's an inexpensive gizmo that allows anyone to drive long screws in straight and fast. That's a huge plus now that sheetrock screws have replaced nails for most homestead projects. The guide fits into any chuck. You slip the screw head-first into the extended tube. A magnet at the bottom holds it. You place the loaded guide with the tip of the screw poking out over the place where you want to screw and the tube collapses as the screw goes in. The result: no muss, no-hands, quick, straight-in screw first time. Kids and newbies really love it. I keep one permanently affixed to my drivers. I use it for short as well as long screws. In fact I had forgotten how dependent I had become on the guide until I misplaced one recently and had to work without it. Now I have multiple backups. I don't think the brand matters; I use a $5 one. Make your life easier: keep one on your driver.

-- KK

Dewalt Compact Magnetic Guide
$6
Available from Amazon

A carry-around tool that can pass through airports security (without me even taking it off) is the Tool Belt. It is designed for snowboarders but is useful all the time. The buckle can be disassembled easily (without removing the belt) and gives you a phillips, a flat head and 8, 10, and 11mm hex wrenches (which turn out to have handy standard equivalents). It's also a good tough and comfy belt which I have been wearing and using since 1999.

-- Alexander Rose

Tool Belt
$32
Available from Daddies Board Shop

Manufactured by 686 Enterprises

My wife and I are renovating the bathroom on the second floor. We needed a way to get debris out of the house and into the dumpster parked on the street. Since we preferred to not carry buckets of plaster through our house, we needed an alternative. I found a link online and thought I would give Demo Bags a try. We sealed ourselves into the bathroom, filled the bags, and duct taped them shut. Then we threw them out the second floor window and dragged them to the dumpster. Not one of the 40 that we filled broke open. For a small remodel these are ideal! Our only mistake was to make them too heavy. Do yourself a favor: buy a lot of 'em, and make them light!

-- Matthew L. Cartwright

Demo Bags
$20 for 20
Available from Accent Shopping

Or 4 packs of 20 for $92 from Ace Hardware

Manufactured by DemoBags

This is a non-conductive (plastic), non-contact voltage sensor that glows red and/or beeps in the vicinity of an energized conductor. In other words, it lights up near a "live" wire. You don't actually have to make contact to see if the line is hot. It lights up even if there is no load on the line, since it senses the electric field, not the magnetic field. It's much easier to use than a contact indicator light or meter. It works for AC line voltages. Also it only lights up when near the "hot" line, not the ground or neutral, so you can immediately see if an outlet is wired backwards. Works great for finding the dead Christmas light bulb on a series string of lights too (not as easy though when you have two or more strands braided together.) I always rub it against my shirt first to see if it is working. Static discharge sets it off. A number of vendors besides Fluke make this type of device, but Fluke is a high quality name brand.

-- Bruce Bowen

Fluke Voltalert
90VAC to 600 VAC
$23
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Fluke

Long ago, I saw a tree guy toss a small Stihl chainsaw 25 feet to the ground. His partner picked it up, refueled it, and started it on the first pull. While I certainly don't plan to abuse any of my tools to that degree, the incident stuck in my memory.

I've used three or four other brands of chainsaws but when a 50-foot-tall, 34-inch-diameter walnut tree fell on my barn, I decided I needed a better chainsaw than I could get at Sears. A brand new Stihl model 280 with a 20-inch bar cost $420 USD at my local store and I don't regret one penny. I've run my 280 continuously (well, with stops for refueling and lemonade) for eight or nine hours without problem. I pinched the blade at one point (user error) hard enough that I had to use a come-along and bow-saw to get it free, but afterwards it still worked fine! The balance is excellent, the weight is manageable (the less expensive model 290 "Farm Boss" is heavier) and there is noticeably less kickback than any other chainsaw I've ever used. All Stihl saws have a "recommended" or "stock" bar length but are capable of running shorter or longer. I wanted the lightest saw that could actually cut through a 36" diameter tree... so I got the lighter 280 with an extra-long 20" bar which fits perfectly and runs fine; it's chewed through 34" of black walnut, 24" of maple, and 10" of oak so far without complaint.

I'm less than happy about owning anything with a 2-stroke motor -- after all, I've been using an electric lawnmower for decades and driving a Prius since 2001 -- but Stihl has even addressed that concern. Their motors use a 50:1 gas/oil mix rather than the 40:1 ratio of cheaper saws, and they sell a (relatively) environmentally friendly bar oil. They also claim to use 50% less bar oil than other brands, and unlike every other saw I've ever used my Stihl 280 never leaks oil on the ground or into the carrying case.

Real pros -- men who use chainsaws eight to ten hours a day for a living -- will want to spend around $900 USD for the model 361, with weight somewhere between the 280 and 290 and *significantly* more horsepower. For the rest of us, a model 280 or 290 is a big, burly tool that will be more than sufficient.

When asked why the word's best selling chainsaw (it's pronounced STEEL, like the metal) is not carried by Wallmart or Home Depot, Stihl representatives will proudly state "because we don't have to!" To find the Stihl distributor nearest you, use their web site's store locator.

-- Charlie Brooks

Stihl MS280 Chainsaw
$420
Manufactured by Stihl

These straps are incredibly strong. The tensile strength of these 1.5 inchers is 2000 pounds. With their cam locks these NRS straps are easily and infinitely adjustable and can be cinched down very tight. They have almost no flex/stretch and can be used in situations where a bungee would be too weak or stretchy and would not be "bomb-proof" like a cam strap.

If you are a river runner you are already familiar with these straps. They hold your boat, frame and oars on your truck for the drive to the put-in. You then use them to hold the frame to the boat, your bags, spare oar and rocket boxes to the frame. The originals are 1" wide and come in sizes from 1 foot up to 20 feet. As a commercial boatman I used these for everything from bundling firewood collected for that nights campfire to pulling a truck out of a ditch.

NRS has come out with a 1.5" model that is the perfect width. I have even been using one for several months as a belt. In a pinch it can be used (at the risk of my shorts heading south) to strap/bind/tow just about anything. I keep two of the twenty footers in my truck at all times. These straps are a permanent part of my kit, right next to the duct tape, bailing wire and channel locks.

-- Topher Stephenson

NRS 1.5" HD Straps
$7+
Available from NRS

Sticks to a brick

Gorilla Tape is duct tape raised to a higher power. It is both stronger and stickier; you can use it on rough surfaces where duct tape won't stick. I have used a variety of similar tapes, from the Army's green 200 mph tape to the fabled Electric Boat tape that Submariners are familiar with. Gorilla Tape sticks better and holds longer than the best quality duct tape in everything I have used it for. It is also waterproof (once applied) and because of the thicker adhesive, less prone to peeling.

-- Stephen Young

Gorilla Tape
2" x 35 yards
$12
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Gorilla Tape

When trying to move Very Large Objects don't forget the Hi-Lift Jack, still about 50 bucks and able to lift 7000 lbs 4 feet or more. After a flood moved a 60 ft. barn where I lived, I moved it right back where it belonged with that jack, and a few pulls on a come-along. The Hi-Lift is great for extracting fence posts, too. While living on a nature preserve, I jacked out several miles of steel fence posts and dozens of big gate posts complete with concrete wad still stuck on using a Hi-Lift Jack. Also levelled our house, which was 6 inches out of level, one click per day, without breaking any windows. No problems. It's a big bad beast, but a good-'un. It can also serve as a high labor, low frequency log splitter (good upper body exercise)! You can buy wheels for it (but they'll only work on smooth hard surfaces) and a neat "sheath" for stowing it theft-resistantly in or on your vehicle. However, as someone once told me: "Never let go of the handle while lowering the load or you'll EAT TEETH!" -- a worthwhile reminder for users of this pre-OSHA device.

The Hi-Lift comes in a number of lengths in either cast or steel. I like the cast model best, as it seems to be more durable in heavy use. The 60-incher is not rated to take a full load to 60 inches, and it is heavy enough to be damned awkward to carry around. The 48" is perfectly fine -- though no lightweight -- and the one I use.

-- J. Baldwin

Hi-Lift
48 inches
$60
Available from FatBoys Offroad

Manufactured by Hi-Lift

Northern Tool and Harbor Freight both carry a Chinese-made version, called a Farm Jack for $40 -- KK
Available from Northern Tool & Equipment

My favorite general-purpose pliers are parallel-jaw pliers. They excel at crimping and grasping near the tips since they apply uniform pressure across the whole face. Since the jaw faces stay parallel, these pliers may be used in a pinch to hold or turn a small fastener without deforming its face. A small groove running down the center length of one jaw lets you use these pliers to tension cable or wire, and many models come with an effective wire cutter on the side.

I had a pair, passed down from my father, that was stolen -- I despaired of replacing them until I found this robust spring-loaded pair of Shimano pliers made for fishermen. Parallel-jaw pliers are also apparently used by jewellers and tennis-racket stringers among others.

-- Philip Flip Kromer

Sea Striker Billfisher Deluxe Pliers
$49
Available from Tackle To Go

Jeweler's Parallel Action Pliers
$22
Availble from Shor International

Parallel Jaws Pliers
$25
Available from Tennis Warehouse

I have always had a penchant for large, heavy objects, and therefore long ago started to pay close attention to how to move things which had weights far past the threshold of "mere human" move-ability. Palette jacks are the first and foremost tool for moving such things, but there are serious limitations with palette jacks in close quarters, or just getting a heavy load raised to the point where you can put a palette under it.

The "Johnson bar" (also known as pry truck, pry bar, mule, or wheeled steel lever) is a tool that solves those problems, and it has a host of other uses which you will discover. The pry truck is a miracle of simplicity and unbelievable strength. Moving a 1500 pound (680kg) lathe is child's play with one of these levers, and I have moved multi-ton steel shipping containers (empty) with them. With two levers (and two people) almost any large object can be shifted and moved into position or onto more convenient conveyance (dollies, casters, or just onto steel pipe rollers.) Given two people, some time, and some shims, one can get large objects raised off the floor enough to slide a palette under with a palette jack or dollies. While it seems like this should remain in the realm of "industrial moving", I've found that I use it almost once a week for other odd jobs around the house, like levelling a shed, moving a palette of floor tiles in the basement, etc.

Unlike a floor jack that needs clearance, this can be put under things with only ~1/4" (~64mm) of gap between the floor and the object. It takes a few minutes of experimentation, but one can learn very quickly how to move objects by levering them off the floor and then rotating the handle around it's axis to make objects move 4-6 inches (10cm-15cm) at a time.

Every time I use this tool, I wonder how I would have ever been able to do any moving and transport task without it and I can't imagine not having one handy. Apologies to Archimedes: Give me a big enough lever on wheels and a place to stand, and I shall move the world.

There are several varieties and sources to purchase them. I have always used the wood-handled variety, however I can't imagine there's much of a difference between various models other than capacity. They're somewhat expensive, but I've never seen one on the "used" market -- I suspect once people have such a useful item, they only part with them during estate sales.

-- John Todd

Oak Lever Dollies
5,000 lbs.
$150-$200
Available from
Gilmore-Kramer Company
Steel PryLeverBar
6-foot
$175
Available from
US Cargo Tools

Ever have to fight with a thirty foot cord on a cold day? This tool has no cord. And no batteries. No worry about theft, obsolescence, charging. Imagine being able to remove #4 Phillips screws, long embedded with their heads effectively stripped before they were painted over. By hand. The same tool, with a "no moving parts" adapter, is a speed wrench for 3/8" drive sockets. And you can use 1/4" hex bits as well.

The traditional hand brace does all this, and weighs less than a commercial-duty battery pack. That's why I have two old braces in my on-site tool kit, where I do a vast array of kludge-like repairs to building systems -- everything from removing the third set of windows in a building's life, to re-hanging wood and steel doors (remember those stripped, self-tapping, Phillips screws?), boring holes to run a fish-tape through, and taking mechanical stuff apart.

I just bought my first-ever "new" brace from Lee Valley Tools. Made in France this version will accept traditional square-taper auger bits, and with its three jaw chuck, any round or hex shank tool up to about 15 mm (9/16") diameter. This new one together with two power tools -- a 25-year-old Black and Decker screw gun, and a Makita 7 1/4" circular saw -- makes my tool kit.

-- Lou Parsons

Three Jaw Brace
$67
Available from Lee Valley

Every household garage and homestead needs a hand truck. It's amazing how often you'll use it once you have one. Makes heavy and awkward things seem less so. I've hauled all kinds of weird stuff. Big tires can work outside in the yard, too. And you'll be a hero next time a friend needs to move. "Be sure to bring your hand truck," they say.

The truck I settled on is a light weight yet tough nylon model made by Harper, but I don't think the make matters much. (There is a similar one from Gleason.) Since it weighs only 22 pounds it's easy to toss in the trunk, yet it will handle weights greater than I can move (600 pounds). It has big fat balloon tires, stair glides (to ease going up or down stairs), and is just about indestructible. Given that it will outlive me, it's a bargain at $60.

You can get a cheap new metal one for $20. Since they are hard to kill, a hand truck is a great candidate for buying used.

-- KK

Harper Tuff Hand-Truck
Model #PGCSK16
$60
Available from Ace Hardware

Manufactured by Harper Trucks

Gleason Poly/Nylon Hand Truck
$40
Available from Home Depot

$22 Cheapie
Available from Amazon

I'm preparing a tool kit for my college-bound daughter and I wanted a cordless screwdriver that was small, tough, and long-lasting in dormant battery mode. Something she could quickly grab, hold securely, and be sure it would still be charged despite not being used or plugged in for months on end. I found the ideal tool in the Skil iXO. It uses the new generation of tiny Lithium-ion batteries which reduces its overall size to nearly fitting into my palm.

Once I started using it, I bought one for myself. I throw it in the desk drawer where my other simple household hand tools live. It's held its charge with gratifying dependability. (Skil claims it will hold its charge for 18 months to 2 years of non-use; I haven't had mine that long.) It's not that powerful, but good enough for around-the-house chores. Occasionally I need it because it can squeeze into places my larger cordless driver can't.

Its eager readiness, and tiny size, make it the driver I reach for first.

-- KK

Skil iXO Cordless Palm Sized Screwdriver
$40
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Skil

The same drill is sold under the Bosch name in Europe.

What makes a ladder really useful are individually adjustable legs. I've had adjustable legs on my ladders for 30 years. You can bolt them almost any ladder. (Ours is a 12-footer straight convertible into a 6 ft stepladder.) They let you level the bottom end of the ladder on uneven ground. Mine will handle 18 inches of difference.

There are several brands, many of which will only fit certain ladders. Most of those only accommodate three inches of difference, which is not enough. Also, the levelers you want are like this kind from McMasters, which are infinitely adjustable; most accessory levelers I've seen have a selection of set incremental positions that are, of course, not quite right most of the time.

Mine make their variable adjustment by means of a stack of tightly-fitting washers on the extension tubes. A spring holds them free when you squeeze the stack. Let go and the washers jam tight permitting no slack at all. They are very easy to adjust without tools. I think that there must have been a problem with liability lawsuits, otherwise the things would be in every hardware store. But even a ninny couldn't mess them up. A guard protects the washers stack. They've never slipped or failed me in any way for 36 years.

The kind here costs less in real money than mine did in 1970 when I paid $20. I literally use mine every time we use the ladder here, at the chicken farm. They can also give you another 15" or anything in between when leaning the ladder on something. You'll love 'em.

-- J. Baldwin

Ladder Levelers
#7948T75
$81 per pair
Available from McMaster-Carr

Never have the wrong size bungee cord ever again. Python Cut-to-Fit Bungee Cord enables you to make custom-length bungee cords in less than a minute. I'm a big mountain biker. I use the Python Bungees in a variety of ways ... securing bike bags, pumps, ice chests and other gear in the back of my trunk as well as further securing bikes on my roof top Thule racks and 4-bike Hitch rack. In the past, I'd buy a bag of bungee cords and have to spend time linking them together to get the required length. The hooks were metal and the little end piece would come off and I'd be left with a sharp edge. With the Python Bungee I can determine the length I need then make one for that purpose. Plus the hooks are plastic and not sharp.

The Python Bungee Kit comes with 72 inches of super-strength UV resistant bungee cord tubing; six custom-contoured high-impact hooks that won't scratch or rust; six plugs for securing the hooks, and one custom cutting tool. The Python Kit makes up to three bungee cords. The tubing in the kit is 6 feet long and it stretches 3 times is length. So you could use the tubing to make one cord that stretches 18 feet.

You can also order tubing by the foot ($0.50 per foot) up to 300 feet, for that extra long need.

-- Kim Merrill

Python Cut-to-Fit Bungee Cord Kit
$11
Available from Python Bungee

The Little Gorilla is like the Little Giant Ladder sold on TV. Both are pretty nifty 4-in-1 ladders. You get: 1) Standard extendable A-frame ladder, 2) Adjustable for uneven terrain such as having one side on a stairway, 3) Flat extension ladder to lean against a wall, 4) Divided into two smaller A-frames which can support a scaffold or 2x12 plank between them.

The Little Giant is very expensive ($300 plus), while the Little Gorilla (different company) is much cheaper -- $99 (I bought one recently on sale for $89). The Little Gorilla Ladder does all the Little Giant does but better. It is light weight -- 29 pounds; anyone in normal physical condition can lift it. It is strong -- 300 pound rated steps, stronger than most ladders. And it is small -- when folded for storage, only 43 inches long. It fits easily in a car or in a closet. I can carry it around the house without bumping into walls or precious decorative objects.

Although it is advertised as a 13-foot multi-position ladder, the maximum length of the Little Gorilla is actually 11 feet. There are larger sizes of the Gorilla but they are bigger than I need, heavier and cost more. The Little Gorilla is best.

-- Jim Teter

Little Gorilla 13 ft. Multi Position Aluminum Ladder
$99
Available from Home Depot

Manufactured by Gorilla Ladder Company

This mail order supply carries more Cool Tool items than anywhere I've seen. I've also found more items here that I would like to try for Cool Tools than anywhere else. The outfit sells clever stuff, most of it not ridiculous prestige and life-style crap, but honest attempts to be useful. Like its competitor Think Geek, X-treme Geek favors products that are high tech, slightly unusual, maybe hackable, and certainly ingenious. However X-treme has a wider range of stuff than Think Geek. I really enjoy browsing their large-format, paper catalog.

-- KK

Sample items:

Flexible shaft screwdriver, $9

Bionic wrench, $30

Sardine can survival kit, $13

X-treme Geek catalog

The single most useful tool I used to carry when blagging it in various builder trades. There are just so many situations where a really sharp blade comes in handy.

This particular model has a simple but sturdy locking wheel that I find much more practical than the usual stepped version. You soon learn to operate it one handed, and for a quick slash of some packing you don't even need to lock it before you retract it and slip it back in your tool pocket. To extend a short steady blade, or the full length is equally quick. The "carpet tucker", as Olfa calls it, at the rear end is also surprisingly useful when you always have it handy. Opening a can of paint, forcing some casing apart, lifting staples, scratching away some dry glue drippings, or as a screwdriver in a pinch.

I guess there is a reason why I almost never see a painter carry anything else other than this particular model.

-- Gaute Amundsen

Olfa Heavy Duty Carpet Cutter
Model 5011
$9
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Olfa

A nail puller like the ones reviewed in Cool Tools earlier (here and here) is not the best. It will gouge a quite horrible crater in your material unless the nail is at the surface, or just the right size. With this one, on the other hand, I can extract a headless nail from more than a centimeter inside a beam. The wood was not unscratched of course, but since it was compressed rather than splintered, a bit of water can make it swell back up somewhat.

-- Gaute Amundsen

This design is not new. You can find antique nail pullers like this hundreds of years old. The sharp teeth of this tool are perfect for slicing into the wood, yanking out deep air-hammered nails, or finishing nails from a surface you care about. There are several different makes; none are cheap, but these last a lifetime.

-- KK

Cooper Group 56 Nail Puller
$45
Available from Amazon

Bahco Nail Puller
$61
Available from Builder Depot

I helped some friends move once and they had a set of these. Made moving mattresses and furniture too awkward/fragile for the hand truck much simpler. I've seen the same basic idea used by appliance delivery men (one or two long, wide webbing strap looped under something and lifted by someone on each side) but this is nicely finished and padded, for a lot less than I suspect it would cost to obtain similar materials.

-- Paul Hubbard

Forearm Forklift Lifting Straps
$20
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Forearm Forklift

These tools work similar to ViseGrips except they automatically adjust to the size of the object they're gripping. The tension desired is adjustable via a set-screw, but once the tension is set, different size objects can be clamped without readjustment.

Also, the release lever is opposite that of the ViseGrip in that you pull on the lever with your ring finger while maintaining full grip of the pliers. No more pliers flying across the room and no more pinched fingers between the release and handle!

-- Bob Muir

LockJaw Self-Adjusting
$22
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by LockJaw

I'm remodeling my house. I got a low bid from a drywall guy -- only catch was I had to buy and haul all the drywall, which turned out to include 4'x12' sheets for the ceiling -- 7 of them! I only had one guy helping me. The 4'x12's were about 100lbs each, not to mention totally awkward and cumbersome to maneuver. The total haul was over 2500lbs. A dude at the store recommended the Stanley Panel Carry -- about 8 bucks there, but 6 on Amazon. Anyway, this seemingly simple and obvious tool made luggin' all that drywall a manageable process -- the 12 footers in particular, since they are only 5/8" thick and wobble enough to break if you torque them too much whilst lugging. I saved about 1,000 bucks on the drywall bid, made easy by an investment of $16 for two Panel Carrys. Very cool tool.

-- Jon David

Stanley 14" Panel Carry
$7
Available from Amazon

I always knew there had to be an easier, smoother way to change cables on my bicycle or Lambretta. Previously tightening a brake or clutch cable on my old scooter involved fumbling with a vice grip or begging someone to hold the cable taught while I clamped down the adjustment screw. Enter the 4th hand tool. This little beauty grabs one side of any cable you are adjusting. Squeeze the grips and it clicks locked at the distance you are aiming to adjust!

-- David

Fourth Hand Tool
$37
Available from Amazon

In my household I am Mr. Find It. I rarely if ever lose things myself, and have become the go-to guy to find what others have lost. Over the years of finding things, I have evolved a set of principles very similar to those laid out in this very simple book. This method really works.

You can read this book for free online. That way you'll never lose it.

But some people like the laminated-paper-pulp form to give as a gift. While there is more in the slim book, none of the extra is essential. Still, it's a handy quick reference.

-- KK

How to Find Lost Objects
Professor Solomon
1995, 120 pages

Free PDF from Professor Solomon (5 MB)

Paperback, $7 from Amazon

Sample excerpts:

Principle Ten
The Eureka Zone

The majority of lost objects are right where you figure-once you take a moment to stop and figure.
Others, however, are in the immediate vicinity of that place. They have undergone a displacement-a shift in location that, although minor, has served to render them invisible.
Some examples:
A pencil has rolled beneath a typewriter.
A tool has been shoved to the rear of a drawer.
A book on a shelf has gotten lodged behind other books.
A folder has been misfiled, several folders away from where it belongs.
Objects are apt to wander. I have found, though, that they tend to travel no more than eighteen inches from their original location. To the circle described by this eighteen-inch radius I have given a name. I call it the Eureka Zone. With the aid of a ruler, determine the Eureka Zone of your lost object. Then explore it. Meticulously.

How to Find Lost Objects
Professor Solomon

Some years ago my then-girlfriend smelled something burning in her house. We finally tracked it down to a bad electrical connection up in a ceiling fixture. A bit scary, though. Poor connections have a higher resistance, and when you ask for lots of current through them, they can heat up, and in some cases cause a fire.

So how can you find these bad connections? Just measuring the voltage at outlets won't tell you anything. You need a special tester that first measures the voltage at an outlet, then places a brief but heavy load (typically 12, 15, or 20 amps) and measures the new voltage. The amount by which the voltage drops tells you if you have a problem. Anything over 5-6% drop is not good. By testing outlets sequentially on a single circuit, you can generally figure out where any big drop is.

A lot of house inspectors and even electricians don't seem to know about testing for voltage drop under load, but once you start doing so, you won't want to go back. And yes, I've found one or two instances where an outlet that otherwise looked fine had an unacceptable voltage drop.

-- Dale Grover

Ideal Suretest 61-164
$280
Available from Telephone Stuff
(Some cheaper models are available; see manufacturer's site below.)

Manufactured by Ideal Industries

I'm finishing my basement and am in the drywall phase of this year-long solo project. After renting a 100 lb drywall lift for a weekend for $60 to get the largest ceiling panels positioned, I found Free Hands on the internet. They are simple plastic cleats which you screw into the studs or joists to provide a ledge to support an edge of the drywall while you position and screw it in place. I've been using them for all the rest of the odd-sized and half-sheet drywall panels on the ceiling and all the panels on the walls. It takes about a minute to attach and remove the two cleats each time. The smooth plastic surfaces allow me to slide the drywall up onto the cleats and move the panel around until I get a precise fit. They're sturdy and inexpensive, and I'm making good progress with them. I could have made cleats out of scrap wood, but I really doubt they would have performed nearly as well as these. They've made one-person drywalling possible for me.

-- Malcolm MacDonald

Free Hands Drywall Cleats
$20
(for a three-pack)
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Free Hands (which sells individual pairs more cheaply)

An engineer friend introduced me to the virtues of ABS plastic, which is extremely strong, does not splinter when you drill or saw it (unlike wood or acrylics), comes in a variety of thicknesses of 4x8 sheets (just like plywood), and usually is smooth on one side with a textured finish on the other. We use it to make everything from little brackets and shelf supports to complicated containers for transporting fragile equipment. You don't have to paint it, and its consistent texture makes it very easy to shape. If you live near any large urban area, there will be at least one plastics supplier near you that will sell it to you by the sheet.

The best part of fabricating things with plastic is that you can bend the plastic. When you work with wood, you have to join two pieces (mitering, gluing, whatever) to make a right-angle. With the FTM heating device, I can make a controlled bend within a couple of minutes. Sponge it with water and the plastic stiffens, seemingly just as strong as before. It's like large-scale origami.

Other plastic benders may be available online, but the Cool Tools Rules state that I may only recommend the tool that I have used personally. So, this is it, even though I must warn you (shock! horror!) you cannot buy this online. You can visit the manufacturer's web page and view the specifications, and then if you want to purchase your own bender, you'll have to pick up the phone and order it, with your credit card, from a human sales person.

-- Charles Platt

FTM - FS24 Free Standing Heater
$209
Manufactured and sold by
The Fabricator Source

For those who decide to venture into the world of plastic arts-and-crafts, this is the tool that is of importance second only to your plastic bender.

When you saw or drill ABS (and many other thermoplastics), you create particles that get hot enough to stick together as a result of friction. So, you need to scrape them away, and a deburring tool is the right tool for the job.

I would not have believed that this weird-looking little gizmo can produce such a smooth edge. I've watched visitors pick it up in puzzlement and then smile with fascination when they realize how easy it is to use. Of course, it works on metals, too.

The manufacturer's web site lists a veritable plethora of edge-smoothing devices.

-- Charles Platt

Vargus UV-1
$3
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Shaviv

This is the best way I have found to clean paint rollers.

After squeezing and/or scraping as much paint out of the fur of the roller as possible, it only takes the Roller Washer about a minute or two to blast water deep into the roller and rinse away the remaining
paint.

I usually then give my rollers a "shampoo" with some liquid soap, and moving the roller up and down inside the Roller Washer until the soap bubbles disappear. This is followed by spinning the roller on the frame with an air compressor blow gun to remove the water and fluff the fibers.

-- Andy McConnell

Wagner Roller Washer
$7
Available from Gleempaint.com

Manufactured by Wagner

I recently needed to remove several panels of particle board subflooring while preparing to install a hardwood floor. These panels were fastened with a gazillion ring-shanked nails, driven in by an overly enthusiastic pneumatic nail-gun operator. After much sweat and frustration with a conventional assortment of hammer claws, cat paws, and pry bars, I finally came across the magic tool. It's the Japanese manufactured SharkGrip Nail Puller. The tool very efficiently gets underneath the offending nail head and will even latch onto the nail's shank should the head shear off. It's available in various sizes and configurations.

-- Mike Pel

SharkGrip
$16
Available from Amazon
Additional sizes available from Coastal Tool

Manufactured by Shark Corp.

I earn my living installing wood trim on doors and windows as well as crown moldings and molded wall panels and the like. When two pieces of trim come together at a corner they are cut, or mitered and fastened. The tighter the miter the better the carpenter. My boss is fond of saying if your paycheck can fit between the miters, you can't keep it.

Pinch dogs are simple u-shaped pieces of steel that are driven into the wood across the joint. They draw the joint together until the glue dries. They are also useful for clamping boards together edge to edge if you don't have bar clamps long enough to reach the outside edge.

I have gotten used ones on EBay at substantial savings.

-- Paul Francy

Pinch Dogs
$2 to $5 depending on size, quantity, and source
Available from Hardwicks
Also available from Japan Woodworker
Also available from Woodcraft

Manufactured by CS Osborne

This tool is awesome, I use it all the time. The hawkmate is a spackler's hawk [tray for carrying mixed spackle] with a plate on its underside that holds the taping tools. I no longer have to hold multiple knives in my hand or in my pockets. Also when�I put the tool in my truck the knives stay protected from chipping or bending.

-- Matt

Hawkmate
$10
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Hawkmate

The Japanese Kugihiki flush cutting saw saves me time, makes a cleaner cut, and needs no setup time. Since the teeth have no set, you can slide the saw against a surface without marring it.

These and other Japanese hand saws such as Dozuki and Ryoba have caused me to abandon power tools for many jobs. The cut almost never needs cleaning up and is good for many materials. The Ryoba looks intimidating but can replace a cheap circular saw any day for a lot less money.

-- Alan

Kugihiki Flush-Cutting Saw
$27
Wood Craft


Takumi Ryoba 8-1/4" Super Fine Cut Double Blade Saw
$45
Amazon


Shark Corp 10-2610 Takumi Dozuki 9" Super Fine Cut Saw
$38
Amazon

I'm in the process of restoring an old lapstrake wooden boat. The MultiMaster with a saw blade was the perfect tool for cutting out a section of a board. The boards overlap each other, and the travel of the blade of a jigsaw or reciprocal saw was too great to target the piece of the board that overlaps another board. Even doing it with a handsaw was too difficult to control on this tough wood.

The MulitMaster tool is just a vibrating head. So it vibrates this little sawblade and it cuts right through with great accuracy. The blade itself has very little travel, making it perfect for this application. I shoved a thin piece of sheet metal between the overlap of the planks to keep from sawing into the other board, and I was able to cut exactly where I wanted to. I know of no other tool that I could do that with, though I'd love to hear of any alternatives.

-- Monty Zukowski

Fein Multi-Master MSXE-636-2 Electric Variable Speed Kit with Flush Cutting Blade & Scraper
$240
Available from
Amazon

Manufactured by Feinus

I use small/micro screwdrivers all the time to work on cameras, computers, micro electronics etc. I've had the same set of Wiha microbits for going on 10 years now. I bought the following special bit set and have never needed another screwdriver set or bit. They make many other kinds of drivers and bits as well.

ESD SAFE MicroBit Set #75992
Slotted, Phillips, TORX, Inch HEX
Precision ESD System 4 MicroBit Set
27 Pieces In Molded Indexed Box
4-Slotted Bits: 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0,
4-Phillips Bits: #000, #00, #0, #1
9-TORX: T3, T4, T5, T6, T7, T8, T9, T10, T15
8-Hex: .050, 1/16, 5/64, 3/32, 7/64, 1/8, 9/64, 5/32
1-Extension: 100mm Long
1-Handle: ESD Safe Anti-Static

They are made in Germany of course.

--Vin Capone

Wiha Microbit Set, 27pc
$52
Available from
Amazon

Manufactured by Wiha Tools

This is by far the best tool bag I have ever owned. I am an Espresso machine field service technician and I use this bag every day. I purchased the LC version about a year ago and it doesn't show a single sign of wear yet. In the previous 6 years I had completely worn out 2 different other tool cases.

The Veto just feels right in your hand or over your shoulder. The quality of construction is simply amazing. A molded polypropylene tray forms the bottom, the sides are 1800 denier nylon which is doubled up in many places and secured with double stitching. The bottom and handle are attached with rows of rivets, and the the zippers are massive. The large handle is attached directly to the center divider so that all the weight is carried by the center divider and end panels. There is no weight carried by the side panels and zippers. The bag comes with a wide padded shoulder strap attached with rugged metal swivels. The Veto bag is divided into two identical half's. I keep my tools in one side and my electrical meters and plumbing hookup parts in the other. I like that this bag completely zippers closed. I don't like the new trend for bags that are covered with external pockets, I want to know my tools are safe and secure.

Veto make two other sizes, an overall larger bag and a low-riding long one to hold carpenters tools.

-- Paul Flynn

Veto Pro Pac
Model LC
$100
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by
Veto Pro Pac

My grandfather, who had been a tool & die maker in San Francisco in the 20's and 30's, instilled in me the habit to always buy the best tools available, period. One of the first tools I was required to buy when I entered trade school was a caliper. At the time you could get either vernier scale or dial calipers. Well the dial calipers were the new thing, so I went out and bought a pair of Starrett Dial Calipers, the best American made tools at the time, at about a week's wages. I was so proud and took extra care of them, but to my dismay, within a year I found that they, and almost all dial calipers, had a fatal flaw. The dial is driven by a very small pinion gear that rides on a very small rack, and the rack had a tendency to pick up fine chips and grit in the teeth that were very hard to clean out. This in turn caused to pinion to skip and would cause the dial to jump its calibration. I had my first introduction to this problem when I was working on a camera part and all of a sudden it seemed all my dimensions were off by .025" (this is a lot in the world of precision). This cost me a day's work plus I had to fess up to my boss, a real tyrant, about my problem, and was he pissed! Well about five years later a colleague of mine showed me the "new new" thing which was a digital caliper. This caliper works on an electro-magnetic field so there are no moving parts to speak of, just the reader head sliding along the scale. This requires a wipe down with a clean rag every couple of days of use. The other features that made the digital version so much better was you could set the zero any place you wanted. So you could zero on a master part, and then check all succeeding parts and instantly know if they were plus or minus of the master. Also you could switch from inches to metric with push of a button, very handy for working on things made overseas (metric).

Without a doubt my favorite digital calipers are the 6" Digimatic made by Mitutoyo. Mitutoyo is among the first to make digital calipers and seemed to get a jump on everyone else. Remarkably that seems to still be the case 20 years later. The Mitutoyo are the most copied, knocked-off calipers on the market. A friend of mine recently acquired a set of Swiss-made digital calipers and although they work well they are a little clunky and the sliding action is a bit rough.

I never cease to be amazed at the number of things I use my digital calipers for, out side of working in a machine shop. I keep one of my old sets at home and I use them all the time.

-- Chris Rand

Mitutoyo MyCal Digital Caliper
6 inches
$130
Available from
Penn Tool Co.

Also from Amazon

The vast majority of wood that people cut is 1-1/2" thick or thinner. So, why use an oversized cumbersome heavy weight 7-1/4" saw? The light weight and small size of the 5-1/2" Skil HD5510 saw improves accuracy, dexterity, safety and reduces fatigue.

Couple the Skil 5-1/2" Circular Saw with the 95100 rip fence accessory and you can cut long even thin strips of wood, vastly easier than is possible with a table saw. The old adage applies, it is much easier to bring the tool the work, than the work to the tool.

-- Bruce Hallman

Skil HD5510 5-1/2 " Circular Saw
$98
Available from Amazon
Amazon

Rip fence
Amazon

Several years ago after failing to get my-son-the-mechanic to take a hint and get me the premium SnapOn ratcheting screwdriver reviewed earlier in Cool Tools, I bought the (much cheaper) Craftsman Ratcheting Screwdriver (yeah, good 'ol Sears!) model #41796. Turns out, it was a great buy.

This tool is well thought-out by someone who actually uses tools. The handle is round-and-rubberized rather than square-and-slippery, and it is a bit oversized, so you can actually apply significant torque and work with it for a long time without ruining your hands. It has the best ratchet I've ever used. There is no slack whatsoever. Feels like a clutch-action rather than a geared ratchet. However, if you're like me, you'll never use it, since there's a much better way. The back-end of the driver handle swivels effortlessly, so if you lock the blade in the fixed position, you can keep pressure on the back of the driver and swivel your hand in either direction instantly, without ever having to push a button, flick a button or twist anything to switch back and forth from 'tighten' to 'loosen'. The handle also contains a pull-out bit storage device that keeps 14 additional standard-size hex bits instantly available in individual slots. Just pop one out and swap it for the bit currently in the magnetized driver tip. (no more lost bits.) Comes with a good selection of all the common sizes of blade, Phillips, Torx and square-drive bits.

-- Steve Waskow

Craftsman Ratcheting Screwdriver Set
Model #41796
$25
Available from
Sears

These hefty four-way rubber bands are so much more useful that a plain old rubber band. Also they can be used decoratively on a simple brown-paper-wrapped gift. Or as a solid tie for bundles of magazines or newspapers.

-- Kaz Brecher

Box
$5 / 6 bands
Available from
Paizo
Available in other sizes and manufactured by Flying Buffalo

Also see the 2-in-1 Rubber Band from Amazon

Small enough to fit in your tool bag. The flared end gets thinner and thinner towards the edge and is great for removing base trim with minimal damage. It is also a scraper and a wedge. The nail puller is orientated 90 degrees to the pry bar. Women in the trades really like them because they are strong and lightweight. As a do-it-yourselfer and a woman, smaller smart tools like this one get my attention.

-- L.C. Boyle

Dogyu Kenzai Hagashi Moulding Pry Bar
300 mm (about 10 inches)
$15
Available from
eHardwicks

[Orders must be placed via phone at 206-632-1203, because eHardwicks' site is offline as of Jan. '08; We'll update the link as soon as they do. --sl]

For heavy-duty release applications, a Seacatch is THE thing to use. I've never found a better way of releasing a heavy line under tension. It's a better solution than a pelican hook (not strong enough, tough to get a smooth release), or a sacrificial line (inelegant, and can foul up launch). Personally I use a Seacatch model TR7LM for homemade trebuchets and ballista releases. Ballista -- as in a giant crossbow, suitable for launching bowling balls, pumpkins, etc. (It's one of the more bizarre hobbies that has arisen in the last 25 years.) But I've also seen Seacatches used by tractor-pull people, construction, you name it. Comes in a wide variety of sizes as well. Beautifully engineered, bombproof, cool.

The action of a Seacatch is smooth, the construction is top-quality. I've never heard of one failing. Their electrically/pneumatically/hydraulically actuated models are commonly used in the Hollywood special effects industry for dropping things at precise moments. They were originally designed for shipboard use (tugboats, fishing boats, etc.) but they've found niches elsewhere.

This is an expensive specialty item for sure, but if you need what it does, it is absolutely worth its price. Before I learned they existed, I spent at least that much on materials and machining yet without being able to create a better release mechanism.

-- Olai Skjaervoy

Seacatch
TR3 (capacity .65 tons) $283
TR7 (capacity 3.52 tons) $595
Available from Seacatch

I find myself reaching for this tool a couple of times per week. It is like nice sharp pair of scissors with (almost) the power of tinsnips. It is VERY sharp and will cut through tough materials like vinyl cove base, nylon pallet strapping, or rope quite easily. I recently had to cut some vinyl trim that was too thick for scissors, but got mangled up with tinsnips. This tool cut the material perfectly. Fiskars says this about the Titanium Nitride coating: "EXTREMELY DURABLE Titanium Nitride coating resists wear, nicks and scratches as well as corrosive chemicals and sticky substances while reducing friction for easier cuts." I found the rubber grip is comfortable and the tool is very easy to control. It seems very well made. It has nice little touches such as: the tab that keeps the blades locked closed is powdercoated.

-- John Nichols

Fiskars Titanium Nitride 8 inch Shop Snip
$17
Available from
Amazon

It looks like only a simple odd shaped piece of plastic -- which it is! -- but it is fantastic used as a pot and pan scraper, pocket or purse sleet scraper, snow ski boot and binding scraper, paint or tar scraper, lawn and garden-digging utensil, putty knife, vinyl remover. Effectively scrapes any surface you don't want to mar or scratch. It is light, small, inexpensive and almost indestructible. It is often given away as a promotional gift; however you can purchase them for as little as twenty five cents or as much as $4.00. They can be found online, and at craft, hardware, office supply, and paint stores.

-- Larry Zibilich

Lil Chizler
$0.61
Available from among others
Worldwide USA

If you do carpentry work, cabinet work, deck work, fence work, or whatever requires something to be connected to wood or concrete or brick, the square-drive screws from McFeely's are incredible. The pay-off is that they have a wide selection in stainless (two grades) and other rust-proof finishes. Your hand or power screw-driver bit will never slip out of the slot. McFeely's also has innovative ideas like self-drilling screws with a small augur built into the tip. I use two old Makita 9.6 volt drill-drivers, and it is no lie that I can drive fifty to sixty #10 by 3-inch augur tips into pressure treated wood on ONE charge.

Recently, I converted a basement into a one-bedroom apartment for a friend. I never drove one nail in the whole project. Outside of the dry-wall screws I bought at Home Depot, every piece of framing, trim, dropped ceiling and hardware is anchored with square-drive screws from McFeely. If I were ever to build another house, I would use their screws exclusively (they sell dry-wall screws, too).

Superior product and superior service (average three days between order and delivery via UPS Ground), plus they CALL you to advise of back-orders or any possible order changes. I have only a few companies I have dealt with over these years which have truly impressed me, I'll rate McFeely's right up at the top. I've never been disappointed with one of their products or their service.

Home Depot now carries some square-drive screws. But I started buying from McFeely's 20 years ago since they offered stainless steel screws (very unique at that time). What McFeely's has going for them is their immense variety of metal types of screws and bolts, including a superior galvanized steel finish, called "No-Co-Rode". Four years of southern sun, gully-washer rains, snow and ice, and not the first "No-Co-Rode" screw I've used has rusted.

They have a lot of other "cool tools" on their web-site besides screws. Look at their "BITZ" holders that stick to a drill or their orange velcro straps that I have used for years to tie up my electrical cords. Generally very high-quality stuff at reasonable prices.

-- Jim Stagg

Square drive screws have been a trade secret among woodcrafters for years. They've just about replaced Phillips heads in Canada. Many manufacturers make them, although most hardware stores in the US don't stock them (yet). But no one can match the variety of square drive screws from McFeely's. They also sell screws with a "combo" drive which permit a Phillips driver to work in a pinch. Also the McFeely's website has the best tutorial on screw types and materials I've seen, and a decent FAQ on why square drives are superior.

-- KK

McFeely's Square Drive Screw Assortment
1,200 assorted screws
$78
McFeelys
100 Black Oxide Flat Heads
$2.50

Square Drive FAQ

Over the years I have tried every type of wall anchor and toggle bolts on the market. The best product I have come across is the Toggler Hollow Wall Anchor. They are quick and easy to install and very strong. They work equally well in both drywall and plaster walls. These anchors are also translucent (many other anchors are color coded to designate size) which is nice if your object is small and doesn't cover the anchor completely, such as a coat hook. You can get a sample kit from their website.

-- Scott Darley

Toggler Wall Anchors
$10
Available from
Home Depot

Manufactured by
Toggler

One of the joys of producing Cool Tools is the delightful moment a
reader turns me on to a better tool than the one I just reviewed. I
got a note (below) letting me know that the good old standby Staple
Gun which I ran last week has a superior improvement: the forward
action stapler. You increase impact by squeezing toward the point of
contact (on the left side in the illustration here.) I immediately
got one and was hooked. It's ergonomically ingenious, more effective,
and no more expensive than the standard type. Takes the usual T-50
staples. It is so much better that I will retire that early review.
This good "new" standby is the one that belongs in the most basic
toolbox.

-- KK

There's no doubt that a staple gun is, well, a staple. And far be it
for me to knock the old school tools - age, or more properly staying
power, seems to correlate very highly with usefulness when it comes
to tools, but I have to say I think there are better staple guns.
The problem with the classic design is that the stiff spring requires
you to place the bulk of your squeeze pressure as far up the handle
as possible - that is, away from the staple-point. This has the
unfortunate tendency of causing the staple point to lift in a sort of
pre-recoil when the trigger engages, leaving you with staples that
are not-quite-in. Experienced users learn to counterbalance and apply
extra pressure to the front -- also to anticipate the recoil -- but
these adaptations speak to a need for revision.

The newer school of staple guns have very sensibly reversed this
arrangement. The handle now inclines towards the front, with the
trigger mechanism at the rear. Now the strain of battling the spring
causes you to bear down directly on the staple point. You can get
both consumer and contractor-grade "forward action" staplers.

-- Johnathan Nightingale

Powershot Pro Stapler
Model 800KB
$30
Available from Amazon

EasyShot Light Duty
$9
Available from Amazon

Also $12 from Ace Hardware

Manufactured by
PowerShot

The Straptite appears to be the exact same tool formerly known as the Bandit, a tool I've used forever. This thing works very well indeed; it makes extremely heavy-duty straps. It has long been considered essential emergency equipment by blue water sailors -- for splinting broken spars on long voyages. The device is used to clamp traffic signals to their poles, as well as in more mundane hose clamping duties, for instance to repair the hydraulic hoses on farm machinery. I have used mine as a huge clamp to secure perimeter details of domes, and it has been particularly useful reinforcing wiggly deck railings. Stainless steel strap is ideal and most common (and expensive) but permanent. Of course it can be used with blue-black steel strapping to bundle lumber, pipes, crates etc. (The Poly strapping used in shipping uses a different tool). This tool is not particularly cheap, but it sure does work well; mine is showing little wear after 35 years. Cackle, wheeze.

-- J. Bladwin

Straptite
$105
Available from
Straptite

By far the brightest pocketable flashlights these days are powered by a pair of 3-volt lithium batteries (the kind used in cameras -- 123A). Smaller than your hand they throw out four times more light than huge D-cell monsters. Lithium beacons were pioneered by the law enforcement and military supplier Surefire. They are issued in delux $200 plus anodized versions.

Now catering to the rest of us, SureFire puts the same innards into this cheap(er) indestructible plastic version -- the G2 Nitrolon for $34. Like the other SureFires, its xenon bulb is so blindingly bright that it's hot to the touch after a few minutes. It WILL temporarily blind someone closeup in the dark. These torches are the opposite of nifty LED lights which supply a cool light that keeps going forever. Instead these bright xenon lights exhale the sun while inhaling lithium batteries at shocking rate; a pair of lithiums will last only one hour uninterrupted.

Keeping this spotlight going in constant use means finding a bulk source of lithiums. SureFire sells a dozen generic lithium batteries for $15, a marked bargain compared to drugstore prices ($4/each).

You can dial up the intensity of the G2 even further by substituting a more intense bulb (P61); that doubles the lumens to quasar level of 120 lumens, but it reduces the run time for the batteries to only 20 minutes! You can also get a SureFire model that takes 3 lithium batteries for yet more photons, but this longer stick edges away from being pocketable.

You want cool and long, go with an LED. You want super bright, go with the G2.

There is one exception, a hybrid, if you are willing to pay for it. SureFire now offers the ultimate light: a lithium-powered chip-controlled LED light. Very bright, very long-lived (40 hours per pair of batteries) and extremely expensive; see below.

For my more occasional use, the G2 is more than adequate.

-- KK

For the price, I don't think you can get a better flashlight than the SureFire G2 Nitrolon. I once guided the Canadian Coast Guard into our disabled boat with this light. They couldn't believe how far away they saw the beam. The lithium batteries will last years just sitting there (I have one in the brief case and one in the night stand). SureFire's entire product line is tops, if a little law enforcement/military heavy. But hey, if the guys who go into harm's way bet their lives on it, I got no problem throwing it into my backpack.

-- Jimmy Hill

SureFire G2 Nitrolon
$34
Available from
SureFire

*

SureFire's U2 Digital Ultra

SureFire's latest tactical flashlight, the U2 Digital Ultra, packs a blinding 80 lumens from the 5-watt LED. Unique circuitry and a selector ring allow the user to dial between six different levels of bright white light. Carved from aerospace-grade aluminum and anodized matte black, the U2 Digital Ultra is the ultimate flashlight, with a suggested retail price of $270. One LED diode outlasts dozens of tungsten or xenon bulbs; efficiently producing more light and less heat; insuring this next generation of flashlights will last longer when you need them.

--Dan Dubno

SureFire U2 Ultra
$270
Available from
Surfire

Box of 12 SureFire 123A Lithium Batteries
$15
Available from
Surefire

This hand tool is used to unscrew bolts that may have become rusted into place. One end has a 3/8th inch socket stub over which you fit with the appropriate socket head. You place this over the bolt and then use a hammer/mallet to hit the other end of the cylindrical tool while applying a slight twisting force on the the body of the impact wrench. The perpendicular motion of the hammer is translated (via a system of springs and prawls) into a sudden twisting motion at the head of the troublesome bolt. Since static friction decreases so much when the force is applied over a very short duration ---like the time it takes a hammer to smack the end of the impact wrench -- bolts that would otherwise require so much force that they might snap off can be easily removed. Very cool tool. Other tool makers make things very similar, but in my experience, the Snap-on version works best.

-- Gabriel Pilar

Snap-On Impact Driver
$55
Available from
Snap -On

This hand-held Impact Driver is not to be confused with the hundreds of pneumatic and power Impact Drivers which have largely replaced it. For occasional use, this little guy will do -- although it takes some skill to keep it on the bolt when you hammer it. I've used the Craftman's brand, which is half the cost of the Snap-On.

-- KK

Craftsman Impact Driver
Sears item #00947641000
$25
Available from
Sears

This little-known tool has a cult following. It transforms any old wire into the tightest clamp you can imagine. Unlike a hose clamp there is no limit to the diameter you can tie together. You can bundle bamboo into scaffolding, or twigs into fencing, make brooms from twigs, repair handles, and tie stuff down incredibly secure. Works great as temporary clamping for odd-sided things. Ranchers and farmers rely on cheap baling wire to band anything that doesn't want to move. Fishermen and sailors substitute stainless steel wire to make clamps for pumps and sumps. Also perfect for drip irrigation projects. I've found it takes a bit of skill to tie a clamp neatly, but it ends up far tighter than a hose clamp.

-- KK

ClamTite Clamp Maker
$28
Available from
Gempler's

Stainless steel versions (good for boaters)
$40-$70
Available from Clamptool
Clamptool.com
(This site also has the best step-by-step instructions on making the clamps.)

This is superb little light fits on your keychain, runs 100 - 150 hours on a commonly available watch type battery. It has the perfect indent to sit on your finger because it was designed to be a bicycle headlight sitting on the handlebar, where the elastic band reaches around and hooks on the little turtle legs. The kicker is that this light is only $3.50 CDN, and a red version is available for $3.00 CDN.

-- Gina Rheault

MEC Turtle Front White LED light
Product Number: 5006-705
$3.50 Canadian
Available from MEC

I've gotten more recommendations for a particular pocket knife than any other tool. Knives are the original tool; everyone has one, and after 10,000 years there's endless variety. They are intensely personal, too. I've seen and tried many of the suggested knives I've received, and I've published a few of the more well-proven ones.

So, after many trials, here is the one I actually carry: it's a dollar plastic box cutter. There is no knife lighter weight, none cheaper, few as sharp, and not very many as quick. I can open it one handed in less than a second from the moment I reach for it. It is as fast as a sheath knife. Keeping its edge a razor is as easy as nicking off the tip. This plastic snap blade is as thin as a pen and so light that I carry in my pants pocket without even knowing it is there; no special holster needed, and it won't wear the pocket out. It's cheap enough that I hide one in all the clothes I ordinarily wear. I'm not afraid to lose it, and yes, I keep it away from airports.

The cheaper the version of the box cutter the better. You don't want rugged metal ones, like those offered by respectable tool companies; they are bigger, heavier, costlier and no better. What you want is a cheap all-plastic made-in-China throw-away that should cost about a buck. Mine are day-glo orange for easy retrieval if I lay one down.

Other than it being butt-ugly I can't think of why I would want one fancier. I use this one at least 5 times a day, and its quick handiness gives me pleasure each time.

-- KK

Plastic Snap Blade Knife
$2
Available from Amazon

The one thing that I hate most about painting is the taping. We all know that if you don't tape, then it will not look as good. So, I'm always looking for an easier way to tape. This little device holds a roll of tape and has rollers to ensure adhesion of the tape to the surface. This is the first device that I've ever used that would work on baseboards, my personal nemesis in painting. I picked mine up at Home Depot and was able to tape an entire room is less than half the time of doing it without a dispenser.

-- Michael McDonald

3M Paper Tape Dispenser
Model M-1000
Internet/Catalog # 105065
Store SKU# 4590
$24
Available from Amazon

It is difficult to saw stainless steel very precisely without discoloring it as a result of heat. A chop saw using an abrasive blade is not suitable. A band saw using a metal cutting blade (like a hacksaw) is insufficiently precise. What you need is the (relatively) new class of saws which run relatively slowly and use specially designed circular toothed blades. I opted for the DeWalt DW872 after watching the very nice QuickTime video on their web site.

This saw, with a default general-purpose metal cutting blade, costs about $420. I also bought an accessory blade specifically for stainless steel. This set me back an additional $200.

It is, without doubt, the best way to make clean, precise cuts in metal.

One word of warning: Don't try to economize by using the special-purpose toothed metal-cutting blade in a regular chop saw, which runs significantly faster. This generates safety issues.

-- Charles Platt

DeWalt DW872 Multi-Cutter Saw
$410
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Dewalt

Although it will never replace a cordless drill in terms of speed of driving/removing screws, my trusty Snap-On ratcheting screwdriver requires no batteries and is far less cumbersome in both weight and size. And for a 1- or 2-screw job is actually faster.

This unit has a smooth-action, incredibly durable RATCHET action that will send the shaft merrily cranking in whichever direction you desire with a flick of the easily rotated ring. It can also be set in the fixed, non-ratcheting position. I have tried another ratchet screwdriver and found the action laughably rough with plenty of slop. The stainless shaft on the Snap-On is magnetized and bored out in the end to accept the standard hex-shaped bit tips. A durable plastic cap screws into the butt of the hollowed-out handle and has a gasket to keep the interchangeable bit tips that rest inside moisture- (and therefore rust-) free.

-- Carolyn Branson

Snap-On Ratcheting Magnetic Standard Screwdriver
$67
Available from
Snap-on

This black nylon strap is used to carry hefty and unwieldy loads. It has a handle, a d-ring, and a lot of velcro on it, allowing you to cinch a load together and comfortably carry it. It's rated for 50 pounds, but I've used it for maybe 10 pounds more than that. I use it to carry stuff all in one trip which I'd never been able to managed without the strap. It's six feet long and 2 inches wide, and most of it is velcro, so I've not yet run out of strap or had so much extra I couldn't use it. It's great for things that are in bunches or are otherwise unwieldy. (It also allows you to say "unwieldy" a lot.) I actually got a load of packages at work today, and wished I'd had mine with me; I might go grab another one.

-- Jeremy Gllissen

Velstrap
2" x 6 feet
$6
Available from Amazon

Or $7 from Ace Hardware

I'm a part-time musician and have to deal with suitcases of coiled cables every time we set ourselves up. I needed a re-useable, quick release kind of strap to keep this kind of gear in order, and wasn't sold on the limits and expense of the plastic zip ties, or beaded ties that I had found.

A roll of Velcro Plant Ties is perfect. Rather than the usual two part Velcro, one side of this stuff is fuzzy, the other side has hooks, so it sticks to itself. I can snip off exactly the length I need, and then with one wrap, the cables are secured. I am finding other uses....behind the stereo and computer desk, the cables are now neatly routed and secured ... why stop there? Anywhere you need a light-duty, non-marring reusable, quick release wrap. These strips will virtually last forever, and if you lose them, no big deal. Find the roll and snip another length off.

-- Eric Litman

[Electrical stores sell black versions of this wrap as Velcro One-Wrap Tape, but in smaller rolls at higher prices. Or in very expensive pre-cut strips. Velcro Plant Ties rolls are a fantastic bargain if you can live with green. They also work great in the garden (bundling hoses, tieing up vines, etc) and you can get it in rolls as long as 70 feet. -- KK]

Velcro Plant Ties
2 pk of 1/2 inch by 30 ft. rolls
$3
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Velcro

This unique tool provides instant adjustment, memory retention of jaw opening and single handed, self gripping operation with a grip that won't let go. The Knipex jaws really grip. You can literally hang from the handles and they will not slip. The upper and lower jaws are notched. This allows the user to grip a hex nut on the corner and the flat side so as not to round off the nut.�They have a flat nose where the jaws meet that allows you to do some pretty fine work. The jaws are very tough. The Cobra is designed to eliminate "knuckle-busting" and the "burring" of nuts, bolts and fittings. Its thin profile and light weight ensure ease of operation.

On first glance they look like the classic Channel Locks (on the right in the picture below). But the Channel Lock handles actually touch together in the extreme "wide" position. This can and has led�to pinched hands and fingers if you slip off the work piece. The Knipex handles do not touch, which leaves you with that little bit of saving grace if you slip off the work piece. Also the Channel Lock has�5 jaw positions that slip/slide into place, while the Knipex has 12 jaw positions and, each position is spring-pin locked into place. For example you are working in a�blind, tight space and drop the Knipex: the jaw will still be�set to the position you started with and you suffer no aggravation except that due to�your own clumsiness. Not so with Channel locks. You will have to fiddle around with them�to get them back where you want them, and if you bump or roll them around the work, while trying to get a bite, the jaws will slip back�out of position.�
����

I have used this tool almost every day for the past 18 years working with elevator and escalator system installations, repairs, servicing and maintenance. It is always the first tool I grab to take with me to do a job at home or at work.

-- Shaler Derickson

Knipex Cobra Pliers, 10 inch
$23
Available from Amazon

A cool tool. Unlike the usual drywall saw, this hand-tool is like a drill with a round grinding blade. The tip allows precise "drilling" into the drywall to start your cut. The rough round blade then allows cutting either straight or curvy lines. Very useful for the renovator. Nothing worse than mucking up a cut on a sheet that has a few cutouts required.

-- James Wagner

Drill Saw
$12
Lee Valley Tools

The handiest simple tool in the world (that most people don't own) - a sheet-metal worker's T-reamer.

This utterly simple no-working-parts hand tool will easily, smoothly, safely, and precisely enlarge round holes (and keep them perfectly round) in any rigid, non-brittle material (i.e. not rubber or leather, not glass, but almost anything else). I discovered this tool by accident when I was twelve years old and have owned one, more or less, ever since. When I lose one, I have to buy another. Costs a few bucks, and, with regular household use, never wears out. Try it. You'll like it. Don't get marooned on a desert island without one.

-- William Gibson

T-Handle Taper Reamer
$4
Amazon

A knife without an edge is worthless, and most knives you find in pockets, sheaths, and kitchens are dull. Every edge you have, including an ax, should be able dry shave hair off your forearm, should slice loose-held newsprint without catching.

The most effective sharpener I know is also the easiest to use--just carve straight down on the V of slender stones, a stroke on one side, a stroke on the other. The stones are triangular, so you can use either the flat side or the angle (which permits sharpening serrated blades such as bread knives). Spyderco has had the leading product for 20 years and now has a new improved "Sharpmaker" that looks pretty good.

-- Stewart Brand

Spyderco Sharpmaker
$54
Available from Amazon

If one needs a single tool, Vise-grips are it. On a motorcycle I have used one as clutch or shift lever or attached to a broken throttle cable. You can turn a screw if you can reach the side of it with this tool . Lock one down to something under the hood; you might not like to bugger up a bolt, but you won't care if you are no where near tools. If required, you can rip sheet metal with one. Wire cutting too. You can clamp it down hard enough to hit it with a hammer. Vise-grips and a crowbar are thieves' favorite tools. Buy the small size; and only the brand name: these are made of high-strength steel.

-- C. Bridger

And they come in a whole tribe of specialty varieties. The standard should be in everyone's tool box, the small one in every emergency pouch, and you should at least know about the others. The same relentless leveraged but sensitive clamping action works with super wide vise-grips, narrow ones, wide necked ones, nut cutters, curved necks and so on. They are extremely handy.

-- KK

Irwin Vise-Grip
5WR
5" Vise-grip Curved Jaw Locking Pliers with Wire Cutter
$11
Amazon

MaxTools has good selection

Ikea sells these near the cash register. They are large -- about 4 feet by 2 by 2, with two clever lengthened (short & long) handles, made of some nearly indestructible nylon-plasticy mesh fabric in Ikea blue. For a buck, they're amazing. We put a mess at home, in the car, garden, garage. Great for dragging stuff from Sam's Club, or dirt in the garden, hauling firewood or just whenever you've a lot of loose stuff to move.

-- Vince Crisci

We use 'em. Lightweight, generously oversized, foldable, durable, and only 99 cents. What's not to like?

-- KK

Ikea Tote Bag
$0.99 in Ikea stores only

Strong-ties are heavy-duty metal brackets that fit standard lumber. They enable you to shortcut the complications of joints. You cut straight lumber to fit the bracket, then nail or screw it in. They come in close to a hundred shapes; you could build a very strong house using them. In fact they are increasingly used for earthquake- and hurricane-proof construction. If you don't mind the rough style of metal on wood, plenty of things can be built quickly using 2 x 4s. (Strong has plans on their website.) It's he-man K'NEX.

-- KK

I'm a handy-man sort of guy; I could have built my workbenches without using this product, but I'm very glad I didn't. Simpson Strong-ties let me do the task in 1/10th the time, using only straight cross-cuts and no fancy notching and bracing. The bench looks mighty attractive. It is likely more sturdy than an all-wood design -- which would have required careful measuring, complicated notches, and patience. The Strong-ties made it a breeze to get the job done well, which means I can now turn my attention to more important stuff, like renovating my bathroom.

I believe even a relatively *un*handyman would have success with these brackets. If you can wield a handsaw and cut a straight line, you can build benches, carts, tables, decks and more. Even if you have all the appropriate tools for building it without the Strong-ties, as I do, you'll find that in the end, Strong-ties are worth every penny just for the savings in time and labor.

I was doubtful when I bought them. Now I'm sold on them!

-- David Priest

Simpson Strong-ties
About $1- $6 each
Available from Ace Hardware among others

Manufactured by Strong-Tie

I work in an independent hardware store that carries a plethora of interesting items that Home Depot and Lowes will not. This tool is by far my favorite dohicky. It provides you with a way to keep a stripped out screw screwed in. Essentially Mr. Grips are little metal strips that are perforated much like the fine side of a cheese grater. If you cut off a strip as long as your screw, then fold it over like a taco, you can jam it down into the hole that has become stripped out. Simply run the screw back in next to the strip and, presto, the screw holds like new. Our bathroom door is held up with nothing but these. Works in metal, wood and even cheap particle board.

-- Brad Thompson

Mr. Grip Screw Hole Repair
$2
Do It Best

People who make things keep one of these little books in their truck, one in their tool box, and one in their office. Its tiny pages are crammed with dense tables, charts, lists, codes, conversion formulas--more than 500 pages of numbers, yet it fits into a real pocket. What is the friction rate of water in a one inch pipe? What's cubic feet per second in liters per minute? The country code for Turkey? The voltage drop of number 12 wire over 100 feet? The shear strength of Eastern White Pine? The insulation value of carpeting? You get the idea; it has the numbers for everything, and 95 percent of them found nowhere else (of the web), and no where else in one handy place.

-- KK

Pocket Ref
Thomas J. Glover
2002 (3nd edition), 768 pages
$10
Amazon

Pocket Ref site

Cheap (less than $4) copies of the slightly shorter 2nd edition are readily available at Powell's

Excerpt:

The best way to describe McMaster is to say that they carry everything you need to build anything. Items that you could normally only order through factory distributors, or materials that could only be ordered in large quantities, are easily available in any size and quantity, no matter how small. (No minimum order, either!) Their prices are excellent and they tend to only carry good merchandise. Amazingly, when I order stuff at 5:30 p.m., it arrives the next morning with their normal shipping. Their catalog has long been difficult to get because you had to be a reasonably sized business with a Dun and Bradstreet number and established credit to have them mail it to you. But now that they have added an online service, everyone can easily order from them with a credit card.

-- Alexander Rose

McMaster-Carr Online Catalog

Do not order here. Contact McMaster-Carr directly via the blue link above.

A decade ago some community librarians in California initiated a great idea: why not lend tools as well as books? The idea slowly spread to a couple of dozen other US towns, but the most active and well-stocked tool libraries are still in the Bay Area -- one in Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco. The typical tool lending library offers basic hand tools, and a selection of garden, landscaping and construction tools. The hot items with waiting lists at the San Francisco Tool Lending Library (now in the middle of a move to a new location on Howard Street) are heavy duty power tools. The top four borrowings are: an electric jack hammer, a drain snake for clearing sewage lines, an electric weed wacker (the library only deals with electrical tools, no gas), and rotary impact drills. There are racks of shovels, rakes, stampers, crow bars, pliers, and the usual shop tools, but the Saws-alls, belt sanders, wet tile saws, and other not-so-often needed tools get the most rotation. Many of these occasional tools are what you might find at a tool rental shop; indeed anyone with a city library card -- including contractors -- can, and do, borrow tools for the maximum 3 days.

Lending tools, like planting trees, is unalloyed goodness. Tool Lending Libraries are a great idea that should be duplicated everywhere. The biggest cost is not the tools but the liability insurance for the power tools. Patrons are pretty good at returning things in good order -- they want to be able to use 'em again.

Check your local system to see if they have one up and running. If they don't, start one. If you live in the Bay Area head for one of the three below. [Thanks to Charlie Bremmer for the reminder.]

-- KK

Oakland Tool Library

Berkeley Tool Lending Library

San Francisco Tool Lending Library

Just the other day I had to solder some wires on our irrigation valves out back in the garden. Completing the job quickly was a breeze with this tiny flameless soldering stick that will get red hot anywhere. In my experience soldering jobs always seem to happen beyond the reach of electrical outlets, so this inexpensive cordless tool is now part of my kit. A tiny catalytic converter burns ordinary lighter butane to a steady orange glow without flame, keeping the tip super hot. It's perfect for small electrical and wiring jobs. I know some hardware hackers who work inside near power yet swear by the Portasol because it heats up so quickly. Comes in a plastic lid which allows you to pack it away while still warm and doubles as the flint sparker to ignite it. This is the low-end cheap one -- $ 15 (includes small bottle of butane) -- which suits my occasional use fine. Weller makes fancier Portasols with piezo self-starters ($35), more wattage and temperature control ($70), and many assesories.

-- KK

Weller Portasol Soldering Tool C1C
$16
Available from LightHouse Hobbies

Previously from Amazon

Manufactured by Cooper Tools

The venerable Mouser catalog should be on your list of recommendations. Mouser provides electronic components with no minimum purchase required. I don't know why Mouser is seldom a hit in Google searches. But if I want anything from neon indicator bulbs to video cabling, Mouser is my first and usually last stop. Their complete catalog is searchable online and is viewable as PDF pages. They offer a huge range of shipping options (using five different carriers) and charge only the actual shipping cost, no "handling." Until relatively recently, you had to telephone one of their operators to place an order, but they now have online ordering in place.

--Charles Platt

Mouser Electronics

A tapeless tape measure! I really like this Zircon ultrasonic measuring tool because as a restoration contractor I can walk into a room that is wet, or fire damaged, or very large, and get accurate measurements of its size without having to lay out a tape. I don't need a second person to hold the "dumb end' of the tape, and the device will automatically calculate perimeter, area, and volume as needed. It is fast, and best of all, it is accurate to the inch (or centimeters if you prefer).

-- Stephen Seitz

Dimensionator
Manufactured by Zircon
408-866-8600
$33
Tyler Tool Company

On application this duct tape is not as invisible as one would wish for, but neither is it the blazing grey badge of desperation you usually get with industrial duct tape. It's a little less noticeable, but still retains duct tape's old magic -- a straight 90 degree tear by hand, durable strength, good sticking power. Another benefit of this transparent version: 3M claims it lasts 6 times longer than the standard variety, having been engineered for extreme temperatures and UV exposure. Since it has only been recently introduced, I can't measure its full longevity but it seems to hold up remarkably well. Dispenses easier too. Good stuff. [Suggested by David Stubbs]

-- KK

Scotch Transparent Duct Tape
1.88in. x 60ft.
$7
Amazon

Manufactured by 3M

For the last five years I've used a synthetic chamois called The Absorber to dry my boat and cars. It is so good I can't bear to use anything else. It holds more water and absorbs faster than towels or real chamois. The chamois I used years ago had to be thoroughly dried out after use or it would rot, and when dry, was hard to store. Then you had to get it wet before use and wring it out frequently since it didn't hold much water. A towel, once wet, doesn't leave a dry surface (all those spots). The Absorber when moderately wet leaves your surface utterly dry. It's kind of amazing, really.

After you're done using it, just fold it in half, roll it up wet and tuck it in its hard plastic storage tube. It says you can machine wash it but I haven't tried that myself.

On the company website, you can read details on its PVA open-cell material. The company claims that the product is "the best drying tool you'll ever discover" and I have to agree it is -- it is superior drying technology. I now own four of them in different colors. The site says you can use it to dry pets but I have never tried it on my dog (she's a short hair model and doesn't really need it), but I will try it on myself.

The Absorber is sold in marine, powersports and automotive stores, as well as most Walmarts, K-Marts and Targets for between $13 to $15 for a 27" by 17" section, as well as Amazon. I believe knock offs may now be available at mass market.

-- Steve Leveen

The Absorber
Manufactured by
Clean Tools
800-654-3933
$10
Available from Amazon

Although I had read about it, I never really understood how much of difference really sharp tools make until I got a Tormek sharpening system. I know that a skilled carpenter can get a good edge with wet stone, but I never could. Until I got a Tormek, my chisels, gouges, and plane knives were sharpest when new. Now, I wouldn't consider trying to cut wood with the semi-dull edges that come home from the store. At $400, the Tormek sharpening system seems like a lot, but now that I know know what "finely honed" really means I consider it one of the best investments in my shop.

-- Danny Hillis

Tormek Sharpening System
$390 from, among others:
Tools for Woodworking

Manufactured by
Sharp Tools USA

This $6 plastic sharpening tool has the cheap feel of a "as advertised on TV" item. But it does work and is super quick and easy to use. It holds a carbide V that sharpens knives and scissors when you run the blade through it. The groove keeps the blade pretty steadily angled. There are similar products for serious knife sharpening but they are more expensive. When compared to the Tormek, I have to qualify my definition of sharp -- however the V does significantly improve the edge in seconds. Often that small honing is sufficient for most household chores. This gizmo is especially great for scissors, which in my experience are hardly ever sharpened after they are bought. I keep mine in my desk drawer.

-- KK

Smiths Jiff V Knife & Scissor Sharpener
$10
Amazon

Several people have reminded me of a cool tool that I use all the time, and should mention again. It is the website "This to That" which functions as a glue calculator. You tell it what you want to glue -- this to that -- and it will recommend the type of glue to use. It's pretty reliable. And does a great job of educating you about glue-ic possibilities.

-- KK

this to that

My neighbor turned me onto this elegant hand tool. It allows you to work in tight places where the usual screwdriver wouldn't fit. It's not a new tool (actually it's a classic), but what's special about this one is that it has four different heads, including two Phillips, so you get four-in-one opportunities to have it fit.

-- KK

Rigid Combination Offset Screwdriver
$10
Amazon

The late Carroll Smith built race-cars. When it comes to high-performance fasteners, he's the man. He explains how teensy little threads on a bolt can hold together several tons of speeding metal, and how they can fail. And why and how pop rivets work, or not. If you build anything that absolutely must not come apart, this is your reference.

-KK

Carroll Smith's Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners and Plumbing Handbook
Carroll Smith
1990, 223 pages
$22
MBI Publishing
Osceola, WI
Amazon

The newest of the Panasonic cordless drill drivers is a transcendent tool. It has an interchangeable head that makes it into an impact driver. At first I thought this was a silly add on, but quickly realized that impact drivers are amazing. They allow you to drive 6-inch lag bolts with one hand, and remove seized nuts easily. However with the non-impact head you canbe gentle with small wood finishing screws, orgently tightening nuts. We have both kinds of drivers in our shop but when they cost $300 each its nice for most people to get both types in one tool - this one.
--Alexander Rose

Panasonic EY6431NQKW 15.6- Volt 1/2-inch Cordless Hyperformance Drill Kit
$290
Amazon

An incredibly handy tool that seems utterly trivial until you have one, but finds its own uses once you do. It�s a snaky picker-upper, about two feet long, able to pick up things deep in pipes, behind furniture, in holes, cracks, and gaps. I use it all the time, mostly for rescues that simply couldn�t be achieved otherwise. Seems to last forever with occasional lubrication.

--KK

Pick Up Tool
$3
MCM

Previously available via Harborfreight
1826-4VGA, $3
805-388-3000
800-423-2567

This is a cool tool. It is a powerful water pump you can use without electrical power; instead it uses the Bernoulli effect from water pressure in a hose. This pump saved us a few weeks ago. It rained all day and then at about 5:15 the power went out. Our sump pump in the basement had been going every two or three minutes but there were still two or three inches of water covering the cellar floor when I got home from work. I was desperate to keep the level from getting up to the furnace. Our neighbor Jan had a generator to run their sump pump, so she could offer me her PUMPS-A-LOT which they'd used to use before they got the generator.

You connect the pump to a faucet with a garden hose. Inside the unit there's a nozzle pointed at the output hose. It sucks water from below, spitting out that water together with the propelling water via the output hose. In truth, I didn't believe it would work. The makers claim you can pump 800 gallons per hour, or 6 gallons for every one gallon of water you use. But if it didn't work, I'd be filling my cellar with more water. So I tested it in a bucket of water first. It worked! Like magic. It emptied the cellar in a few minutes! Since it has no moving parts, takes up little space, it is an ideal emergency tool.

-- Michael Shook

$17
(pump only)
Available from Amazon

Bring up the subject of favorite pocketknives with outdoorsmen and you're sure to instigate a passionate discussion. Knives are potent symbols of power and utility; most men I know have deep paternal (or in my case, grandpaternal) associations with them from their youth. After 35 years of pocketknife buying and using, I have settled on California-based Myerchin as my folding knife maker of choice.

My daily driver is the Lightknife Crew Pro L377P. It uses a featherweight Zytel body (same material that's used in many modern handguns) surrounding a securely locking Japanese 440 stainless blade and a marlinspike (knot untangler). The 3/4 serrated, 1/4 straight edge, 2.25-inch blade is designed to please anyone who works regularly with line. (On a sailboat, I insist that a serrated blade is a mandatory safety tool.) The body has a unique clip that turns your pocket into a secure sheath. Mine has never fallen in years of regular use. Inside the water-resistant shell is an industrial red LED that's perfect for reading maps and charts without sacrificing your night vision. I've immersed my Lightknife many times without any problems. At 3.8-inches when closed and a mere 2.75 ounces, you won't even notice it's there, and the lack of an obvious sheath eliminates unwanted attention.

The small Sebenza knife reviewed in Cool Tools, like Reeve's other folders, is a gorgeous piece, but they start at six times the price of a Myerchin. Imagine how you'd feel watching one of those go over overboard! The Boye sailing knives are getting rave reviews but to my eye lack the timeless aesthetics of Myerchins -- particularly the B300. You simply must hold one of these Myerchins in your hand to appreciate the gravitas they generate -- and they cost under US$100 and can be found in any West Marine store.

Need something more substantial? Check out their flagship, the B300 Offshore Folder. If they're good enough for the US Navy and Coast Guard, they're good enough for me.

-- David MacNeill

Myerchin Lightknife Crew Pro L377P
$60

I work as a grip in the motion picture industry, and it's always been difficult to find one place that stocks every specific tool and supply you need for film work. Studio Stores often have everything, but they're too expensive; hardware stores are affordable but not specialized enough. When I found Toolsforstagecraft.com, I knew I'd scored big. They have some wrenches, etc. that I assumed were one offs, made in people's garages. Plus they're interdisciplinary, not just film but stage as well, not just grip, but electric and even carpenter. Check it out, it's a small operation with really good service that deserves more business. My favorite purchase was the switchblade screwdriver. Everybody asks me where I got it, It has a bunch of bits, and it takes up less space on my belt than a 4-in-1 screwdriver.

-- Eli Golub, Local 80 Hollywood, Motion Picture Studio Grip

Switchblade Screwdriver
$20

Manufactured by ToolsForStagecraft

This is the first place to look when you need a hard-to-find or exotic material in small portions. Experimenters, researchers, and prototypers patronize this outfit. Beryllium Copper sheets, form-remembering Nitinol wire, Teflon needles, Titanium bolts, small diameter Tungsten tubing, Polypropylene ball bearings, Nylon gears � stuff like that. Their paper catalog is downloadable.
��KK

Small Parts, Inc.
800-220-4242
305.557.7955

If you think duct tape is useful, try Gaffer's tape, known by the brand Permacel (P-665). It's the standard film industry tape. Easy to rip with your hands yet very strong. The adhesive is designed to not rip off paint. My film teacher stuck some on the school wall and left it sit for the whole day under a kilowatt of light a few inches away. The next day it peeled right off leaving the paint on and no adhesive residue.

Standard practice is to roll smaller amounts of the tape off onto a film core for use during the shoot. It comes in many colors and is easy to write on. Uses include sealing film cans and labeling them, marking spots on the floor for measuring, labeling of all kinds. This stuff is really strong. I've heard it referred to as "hundred mile an hour tape" used by NASCAR racers. Also nice is that it comes in a one inch width which I usually have to rip duct tape in half to get. Comes in 2", 3" and 4" widths as well.

Another tape, P-672, is about double the price of P-665 but is weatherproof, twice as thick, and the adhesive is designed for low temperatures. It's the real Gaffer's tape. Sealing in the cold is important as film cans generally get refrigerated or frozen.

--Monty Zukowski

Camera Tape, P-665
Small core, 1", 20 yards
$4.50
Available at here or any local lighting and sound supply.
Large core, 1", 180 feet, multi colors
$8.50

Manufacturer's by Permacel

I picked up four of these at my local Container Store, not knowing exactly how I'd use them, but guessing they'd come in handy. Within 48 hours I'd already used them twice-once to secure the barrel of my telescope to its collapsed tripod for easy transport to a remote location, and then to stabilize a table and chairs in the back of my car for a trip across town-both times with great success. These giant, rubberized "twist-ties" were much more efficient and easier to use than a bungee cord in both cases.

Griptwists offer several advantages over bungees in particular. First, they provide "point-to-point" stability, rather than "tie-down" or "net-like" attachment. For example, when moving dining room furniture in the back of my car, I was able to use four Griptwists to connect the legs of chairs to each other, etc., at critical points, so that the entire mass (i.e., of one table and four chairs) was stabilized from within, rather than essentially trying to "net" or "wrap" the mass together from the outside, with bungee cords. Second, with bungee cords, there's always a certain amount of "give," unless you stretch them to their maximum, which isn't always practical; bungeed objects will often move a bit more than you want them to. Third, if you do stretch bungee cords to their maximum, they exert great pressure on the object being contained. I wouldn't have wanted to use bungees around the barrel of my telescope, for example. The Griptwists remain as tight (but only as tight) as you tie them, with no inherent potential energy to give or take along their own length like elastic bands. Which brings to mind a fourth benefit: no danger of "snapback" when it's time to unload or unpack.

Some things will always have to be netted down, and sometimes the stretchiness of bungees provides a benefit in and of itself (like the ability to squeeze one more last-minute object under the cords, without having to repack). Moreover, from the outside, to the extent they lack handy points where a Griptwist could be employed (e.g., a couch, a canoe, a stack of luggage or boxes). But for temporarily affixing one object to another in point-to-point fashion, with stability, I see more everyday utility in the Griptwist.

--Adam Zaner

Griptwist
$8
(17", 4-pack)
Available from Amazon

Also from Griptwist
17", $10 for 4
34", $10 for 2
68", $10 for 1

The genius of this product is that it sticks to itself. You just roll it around the boxes or posters or lumber that you want to wrap and it sticks tight. I use it for a bunch of things, as in the garden to stake trees to stakes or to tie say tomato plants to a frame, or as shown in the photo, to keep some nuts together with ball bearings (and have them be visible). It's the same material they use to wrap boxes of books on pallets so that they're one tight bundle for shipping. Also cool is that it is such a strong yet ultra-thin plastic membrane, not using a ton of resources to produce. They sell them at U-Haul stations. They're cheap!

-- Lloyd Kahn

Above is a pic of stretch wrap I bought at a U-Haul location. At left is a tube of skateboard ball bearings, with some loose nuts wrapped to the tube. Not only attaches them, but keeps them visible.

Stretch Wrap
5"w x 1000 ft, single roll
Available from Amazon

Probably the most used tool in my office is a set of tiny screwdrivers sometimes sold as precision screwdrivers. Hardly a week goes by when they aren't needed to disassemble or repair a gizmo or tool.

-- KK

Stanley 6-piece Precision Screwdriver Kit
$5
Available from Amazon

I raved about these gadgets last time. They make opening shrink-wrap CDs a joy instead of a trial. But I didn't know where to buy 'em because all mine were giveaways. Here's where to get them.
��KK

EZ-CD Opener
Plastic CD-301 $1.50 each
Metal CD-306 $5 each
Mac Tech Products: CD Essentials
800-622-8321
818-702-6979

My brother-in-law, who's a tool salesman, gave me one of these lights for Christmas. It's a natural white super bright LED light on a flexible, shielded cable. The LED has a rated life of 100,000 hours. The light is extremely tough. My bro-in-law likes to whack the crap out of 'em to demonstrate how durable they are. Waterproof too. Two settings on the light: blinking and steady. There's also a blue LED version, which is easier on the eyes. The StylusReach is pen-sized (when the shaft is folded over and clipped to the battery tube) and 14 inches long when extended. It has a pocket clip (and you thought that Fisher Space Pen made you look like a geek!). I use mine for all sorts of hardware hacking and around the house stuff (like looking under the burner on our stove to try and find out why the stovetop heated up to the point where it shattered the tempered glass stovetop inset!) Inside computers, you can actually clip it to the side of the case to direct the light where you want it. It's also really useful for seeing behind furniture, etc. The light lets me clearly see what I'm going for before I reach and grab.
--Gareth Branwyn

StylusReach Flexible Flashlight
$19 available from
Amazon

The Picquic Sixpac may be the last multi-bit screwdriver I'll ever need to buy, but it wasn't the first. I've gone through a dozen less successful attempts at this kind of tool, always losing at least half the bits in the first month or so of use. When I try to use the few bits I haven't lost, they invariably fall out of the bitholder, which weakens over time.

The Picquic Sixpac fixes both problems. Each bit is stored in a separate compartment in the screwdriver handle. You remove the bit you need by pushing it out of the handle with the bit you are finished with. Since there's no other easy way to get at the bit you need, you always put bits away as you finish with them. I've had mine for three years and it still has all its bits!

Additional features include a solid, spring-lock bitholder that holds as tightly now as it did the day I bought it, and a stainless steel shank that has stood up to everything I've thrown at it. It comes with six bits: two flathead, three Phillips head, and one Torx T15. Other bits are available in Bitpacs from Picquic.

-- James Home

Picquic Sixpac
$15
Available from Westlake Electronic

Manufactured by
Picquic

My new favorite tool is the Tube Wringer, from Gill Mechanical.

From their website: "The Tube-Wringer efficiently squeezes the contents from tubes of caulk, glue, medical compounds, adhesives, and toothpaste. Nearly indestructible, the Tube-Wringer will last a lifetime under normal use and pay for itself in short order."

In addition to sqeezing every little bit out of just about any tube, the squeezed part is left with a zig-zag texture so future usage doesn't undo the squeezing. Tubes are left efficiently squeezed, and cool looking. My only problem is that I wish I had more partially-used tubes available because it's so satisfying to squeeze every last bit out of them.

They come in light, medium, and heavy duty versions.

-- Sally Rosenthal

Light duty (Household use. Model 202-N)
$12
Available from Tube-Wringer
Also from Amazon

I've been getting into higher-end LED lites, via a friend in the LAPD. LED flashlights are a powerful improvement on existing technology. My favorite for pocket carry is the amazing SureFire Executive, but fitted with the more expensive high-power head. Needs pricey lithium batteries but the amount of light thrown by these things is astonishing. I didn't really understand what it could do until I used it alone in pitch-dark Canadian woods. I was amazed. You can navigate very difficult terrain with it; gives you the big picture in a way the others don't.

The SureFire with the power head has a unique ability to semi-illuminate a huge volume of space. I have a skinny black 5-LED Inova that's as powerful, but the shape and quality of the light thrown are different. For the desert island, I'll take the SureFire (with a crate of lithiums!).

BTW, its "milspec hard anodyzed" finish is great. Probably an offshoot from small-arms manufacture. I love the look, like dull machined bronze. If I were a car designer I'd use it in place of chrome.

There's a whole universe of this stuff on the web, it turns out:
Candle Power Forums

-- William Gibson

SureFire Executive KL1 LED Head
$100 (street price) from, among others
The LED Light.com

The target audience seems to be HO railroaders and model builders, but there are tons of things in here useful to anyone who fixes stuff, especially small stuff. Every Dremel bit and attachment you could imagine. Tiny vacuums, gram scales, grippers, dental piks, tiny saws and sanders. And every flavor of small organizer container one could imagine. I bought a bunch to organize electronics parts and small screws.

-- Paul Saffo

Micro-Mark
"The small tool specialists"
800-225-1066

I don't know anything else non-explosive, that you can pick up with one hand, and that can move five tons one hundred feet -- with safety, precision, and astonishingly little work. Like many good tools the Tirfor is a thing of beauty, superbly designed and engineered. With 100 feet of cable (or more) its reach is much greater than a come-along, and this can often make all the difference. Its speed is much faster, too, not just the speed in moving something (the lever is double-acting) but speed in setting up or moving the set-up around. Often when you need to move something, minutes if not seconds count. The action is precise. A come-along winds the cable upon itself, and often when the cable comes under tension the cable wrap slips a bit. The resulting jerks can cause all kinds of problems in a situation where precise movement counts, and a sudden shift in load may cause failure somewhere else. Finally, the Tirfor has a much more effective (and safer) mechanism for smoothly *lowering* a heavy load. Most (ratcheted) come-alongs are very poor at this.

--George Dyson

In Europe these tools are known as Tirfor Hand Winches. In the US they are branded Griphoists. They are also sometimes sold as Scaffold Hoists. This diversity indicated their astounding versatility for moving heavy things by hand. They do the work of motorized winches -- haul logs, or move stuck tractors, raise towers, and so on -- but with the deftness of a human hand. Because there is no ratchet or coil, a Griphoist permits very small adjustments, unlike either come-alongs or winches. The patented double grip mechanism of the Griphoist/Tirfor is considered so reliable that some versions of the unit are rated by the UL to be suitable for hoisting humans -- for instance in hoisting window-washers scaffolding.

The consumer versions of the Griphoists are the Pull All, which is rated to move 700 lbs and the Super Pull All, rated at 1500 lbs. Of course you can get heavy duty versions that move up to 8 tons. The Pull Alls can handle pulling out stumps, hoisting car engines, and other homestead chores.

Pull All Griphoist
$250
Available from Amazon

Super Pull All Griphoist
$630
Available from Amazon

Also available for $260 and $675, respectively, from Ver Sales (distributor)
818-567-3000

Manufactured by Tractel
392 University Ave., PO Box 68, Westwood, MA 02090, 800-421-0246

Rotary cutters aren't new tools. It's just taken me a while to appreciate how great they are. The Fiskars 45mm Rotary Cutter replaces exactos for most heavy-duty cutting jobs in our household. It's faster, surer, easier and therefore safer to use than razor blades. It will slice through paper, vinyl, cardboard, fabric, and foam board with ease and accuracy. I can only manage perfectly straight long cuts with a rotary cutter and straight edge. Cutting curves is buttery. Seamstresses can add pinking blades. The replaceable blade retracts when not in use; it can be side-switched for left-handers. When I think "cut" I reach for this tool.

Fiskars 45mm Rotary Cutter
$12
From, among other retailers,
Amazon

Manufactured by Fiskars

Unlike a lot of tool-heads, I don't live on my belt. I'm a pocket guy; I like pants, shirts, and jackets with lots of pockets, where I keep my knife, light, pens, phones, cameras, and so on. Others hang everything on their belts. Stewart Brand is a belt guy. It's always instructive to have Stewart give a tour of what he currently packs around his waist. His latest refinement is making me re-examine my fashion sense. I may have to try the belt-mode after all.

Stewart Brand writes:

I've been refining the tools I wear on my belt for 30 years. The current kit is on my bod at all times except in bed and on airplanes. I use some of what's in it every day and probably all of what's in it every month. Each device is exquisite in its own right. In combination they surround nearly any problem.

The whole kit weighs 12.1 ounces and cost me $282.

Handyman Belt Organizer

Start with the Handyman Belt Organizer from Brigade Quartermaster---$13. Made of Cordura, it has a couple more loops and dividers than you need; cut them off. The remaining main pocket is perfect for the Nikon 7x15 Monocular and Workchamp Swiss Army Knife next to each other. The pocket flap carries the Brunton Classic Compass. The belt loop can unfasten independently, which is handy when preparing for air travel without disrobing. Weight: 1.4 ounces.

Belt Organizer
$12
Available from Brigade Quartermaster

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Workchamp Swiss Army Knife

The Swiss Army Knife I now favor is one of the larger ones from Victorinox---larger in length, not fatness, so it meets the hand without feeling miniature. The Workchamp has all the tools I want, with none of the usual Swiss Champ ones I can do without---small blade, fishhook disgorger, packet hook, magnifying glass, etc. Here's what it does have: quite large blade with lockback feature, pliers, file & metal saw, wood saw, scissors, bottle opener with large screwdriver, can opener with small screwdriver, large and small phillips head screwdrivers, awl, corkscrew (with the crucial tiny screwdriver for glasses), toothpick and tweezers. I'm going to get a drill and hotrod my Workchamp to carry the wonderful pin (for splinters) and ballpoint pen from my now obsolete Swiss Champ. And I'm thinking of grinding the tweezers to make a sharp point---also good for splinters. The whole weighs just a half ounce more than the Swiss Champ: 7.2 ounces.

Workchamp Swiss Army Knife
$50
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Victorinox

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Brunton Classic Compass

Most compasses are way too fancy and fussy. All you need is something that is stable and sensitive, well marked, and has the ability to adjust its declination so you can read off true north directly anywhere you travel. All that at a great price is in the Brunton Classic. It's big enough for hand and eye but only weighs: 1.1 ounces.

Brunton Classic Compass
$12
Available from Amazon

Manufactured by Brunton
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Nikon Monocular

For decades I treasured my old Zeiss monocular, long discontinued, but I finally retired it because it's been surpassed by a new wonder from Nikon, the 7 x 15 monocular ($195). It is light, small, robust, and powerful, perpetually handy for identifying a distant bird or the small-print citation on a distant PowerPoint slide. Used backwards, of course, it is an admirable little microscope. It comes with a particularly intelligent neck-string, which I use when hiking. Weight: 2.45 ounces.

[This tiny telescope/microscope is really quite amazing. Worth carrying even if you are beltless. --KK]

Nikon Monocular
$197
Available from Binoculars.com

Or $215 from Amazon

Manufactured by Nikon

Several nerdy friends of mine who feel naked without their pocket knife have independently discovered that this handy mini-knife disguised as a key will both work in a pinch and -- shhhhhh! --pass through airport security checks unnoticed. Here is a way to travel with a knife at the ready. Just hand them your keys when you go through the machine!

I've had one, and when I bring my keys I have no trouble getting through security on international and domestic flights. I was surprised to find the other little gizmos incorporated into this miniature thing -- particularly the philips screwdriver -- are just as useful.

-- KK

Utili-Key
$7
(0.5 oz,)

Available lots of places including Amazon