Face it: It sucks when nuts and bolts rust and freeze into place.  They’re the white whale to our Ahab – difficult to catch hold of and frustrating to an extreme once you do. 

Well, a company called J. Walter Inc. claims to have the solution.

Cold Shock is (according to its maker) a fast acting penetrating oil that super-cools bolts to -30°F causing a “cold-cracking” action of the rust and corrosion.  This “cold-cracking” process allows the penetrating oils to seep between threads to loosen rust, (hopefully) allowing the nut or bolt freedom from its rusty prison.  J. Walter claims to have had success on bolts up to 3″ in diameter.
 
Anyway, Cold Shock is available for around $13 in 400ml aerosol cans.  It sounds pretty slick, though we’re not sure what happens if you get some on your hands.  One of the few things we imagine sucks worse than frozen bolts would be “cold-cracked” fingers.  

If you’ve tried this stuff, let us know.  In the meantime, we’re gonna order some and check it out.

Cold Shock [J. Walter, Inc.]

From Reader Comments: Bob says, “Candle wax works great at loosening stuck bolts.  For some reason it penetrates great and lubricates the friction surfaces well.  You have to get the surfaces really hot, like Oxy Acetylene torch hot, and that creates the hazard of the wax’s vapor lighting on fire.  You have to be careful of that.”  He attributes this tip to the Oldsmobile Enthusiast community, and says he’s had good luck with it.  Click through this post to see the full comment.

The PowerDriver is one of a number of interesting new tools Black & Decker’s scheduled for release this October, and though we haven’t seen an actual unit yet, we wanted to pass on what we already know from the early press release.

Think of the PowerDriver as a small, cordless-screwdriver-shaped impact driver.  It uses the same kind of hammering mechanism you’d find in a standard impact driver, but it’s much smaller.  While you might get something like 700+ in-lbs of torque from, say, a 12V impact driver, the PowerDriver delivers 315.  But remember, it’s shaped (and priced) more like a cordless screwdriver.

It represents an interesting combination of existing technologies.  This sort of reminds us of the concept of convergence devices in the tech world.  Is it a camera-phone or a phone-camera?  Which is more useful?  Black & Decker seems to be thinking that the homeowner and DIY crowd will be more interested in a cordless-screwdriver-driver than a driver-screwdriver.  And, at a street price under $50, we’d tend to agree.

We’ll pass on more information about the PowerDriver as it arrives.  We’ll likely have a hands-on test for you sometime before its release date.

(Wednesday, August 16th, 2006) It’s a full night on Discovery; Just set the TiVo on cruise control and enjoy!  Pay special attention to How It’s Made: Episode 41 as plastic injection moldmaking is one of the most important processes in manufacturing today.  A large percentage of manufactured products – including the remote in your hand – are a product of injection molding.

All times are central.

• DIY Tools & Techniques: Specialty Industrial Tools (DIY, 5 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 23: Gummies Candy, Fish Farming, Aluminum Cans, Bronze Sculpture Erection (Discovery, 6 p.m.)
• Naked Science: Bullets (National Geographic, 6 p.m.)
• Modern Marvels: The Tool Bench (History, 6 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 30: Temporary Metal Fences, Asphalt Shingles, Expanded Polystyrene Products, Hard Candies. (Discovery, 6:30 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 41, Plastic Injection Moulds, Automotive Oil Filters, Filing Cabinets, Blown Glass (Discovery, 7 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 47, Ceramic Tiles, Nuts, Steel Forgings, Skateboards(Discovery, 7:30 p.m.)
• Chop Cut Rebuild (Speed, 7:30 p.m.)
• Everything You Need to Know: Coasters (Discovery, 8 p.m.)
• MythBusters: Shattering Subwoofer (Discovery, 9 p.m.)
• PINKS: Arizona (Speed, 9 p.m.)
• PINKS: Gainesville (Speed, 9 p.m.)
• MythBusters: Myths Reopened (Discovery, 10  p.m.)
• Unique Whips:  A Unique Dream (Speed, 10 p.m.)
• MythBusters: Killer Brace Position (Discovery, 11 p.m.)
• I Love Toy Trains: Richard Kughn’s Train Layouts & Collections (RFD-TV, 11:30)

Our insomniac’s suggestion: Unique Whips (Speed, midnight), PINKS (Speed, 1:30 a.m.), or Unique Whips (Speed, 2 a.m.).  Tonight — as it often is — Speed Channel is your late night friend!

We imagine that the world can (probably) be easily divided into two groups: those who have a reciprocating saw and those who need them.  Seriosuly, as intimidating as the recip saw might seem to the uninitiated, it’s an incredibly useful tool.  There are lots of situations in which it’s the only tool that’ll make the cut.  But, at $90 or so, a recip saw is bit expensive to just keep around for household tasks — not to mention a bit scary for the average homeowner.  Black & Decker’s looking to offer a simpler solution to handle those simpler tasks: a single-speed, cordless, miniature recip called the HandiSaw.

It’ll hit shelves this October, but we had an opportunity to take an early look at one and thought we’d go ahead and pass the information on now.

Unboxing

The HandiSaw will come packaged in a form-fitted, clear clamshell designed to let you pick it up off the shelf and hold it with your finger on the trigger.  Obviously it’s difficult to feel the balance of the tool with the packaging still attached, but the whole idea of encouraging you to pick it up off the shelf strikes us as a good one.  This is one of those tools you might not really “get” until you put it in your hand.  Then it makes lots of sense.

  

After defeating the clamshell packaging with the Open X or a good ‘ole utility knife, you’ll discover a couple of other items: a wall-wart-style charger and a plastic hanger.  (By the way, don’t miss Mark Cuban’s blog entry about savaging himself with clamshell packaging.  Apparently even $1.8 billion in the bank won’t spare you.) 

The hanger is pretty slick, as it allows you to insert the tool end of the wall-wart’s cable to turn the hanger into a charging station.  (Once the cable’s end is inserted it becomes the fulcrum upon which the tool rests when in the hanging position, both holding the tool in place and making the electrical connection for charging.)  If you don’t want to hang the HandiSaw, you can just plug the cable directly into the tool to charge it.

The HandiSaw’s casing is similar to most of the more modern tools we’ve reviewed recently in that it includes carefully-located sections of a softer-durometer material to give you a better, more comfortable grip and hence better control.  In this case, the (black) soft material is positioned around the trigger, around the back of the grip, and around the area just behind the front of the tool — all areas that you’ll want to hang on to.

Its controls are also quite simple.  To turn on the saw, you must first release a safety switch located on the top of the tool, then squeeze the trigger.  It’s a great design; If you have a good grip on the tool, it’s easy to reach the safety switch with your thumb.  If not, well, you should.  This is a saw after all, and the front of it is indeed sharp.

Speaking of the HandiSaw’s sharp end, we should mention that it’s designed to accept standard jigsaw blades, which means a quick trip to your local big-box home center’ll net you all kinds of blades for all kinds of different materials.  Clearly wood blades are the most common, but blades are available for metal (and other materials) as well.  Installing (or swapping) a blade is as simple as pressing a release just below the blade and sliding it in or out.  The best part: There’s no wrench to lose.

The HandiSaw features an internally mounted rechargable battery — a design feature which simplifies design and keeps manufacturing costs down.  The HandiSaw is clearly targeted at homeowners and the DIY crowd, so price is a factor.  We’re already finding pre-sale listings on Froogle for around $40.

In Use

We definitely like the safety switch.  Even though the HandiSaw is a lot more friendly-looking than a full-on recip saw, it still presents many of the same hazards.  Some of the best advice we’ve ever received regarding power tools was make sure you have a good grip on the tool before squeezing the trigger, and Black & Decker’s placement of the HandiSaw’s safety switch definitely encourages good behavior as far as grip is concerned.  The safety switch also prevents accidental activation of the saw if you happen to carry it in a tool bag or tool box. 

(Incidentally, the safety switch is what lets Black & Decker leave the end of the clamshell packaging open to give you the opportunity to pick it up off the shelf.  While the trigger is exposed, the safety switch is safely enclosed in the packaging.)

Some of you may be thinking, “But it’s a single speed.  I hate single speed tools.”  We’ll admit, we thought the same thing.  However, in actual use we found the lack of variable speed to pose much less of a problem than we imagined.  Certainly it does limit to some extent the fine, delicate work you can do with the saw, but for most general situations the single speed selected by Black & Decker — 1850 strokes per minute — is fast enough to cut well without too much vibration.  In short, it’s pretty comfortable.

What really contributes to the comfort of cutting with the HandiSaw is its bent-in-the-middle shape.  The bend makes it easy to hold at a variety of different angles, and placing a hand on the grip up front behind the blade gives you a little extra control when you need it.  The grips are comfortable.  All in all, the HandiSaw feels very solid grip-wise.

The HandiSaw doesn’t cut surprisingly quickly or even tremendously powerfully, but it does cut at a smooth, steady pace with minimal armpower required to guide it or to “bear down” on it.  Using the wood blade, we had no problem cutting through 2×4 lumber without the saw “hanging up” or sticking/kicking back.  It even leaves a relatively smooth surface after the cut.

We’re fans of the tool-less blade mount; It’s easy to install and swap blades.  Not only does that make it handy when you need to switch blades for different materials, it also makes it easy for you to remove the blade before you store the saw — further lessening the possibiltiy of accidents should the tool fall or should the kids get hold of it.

Black & Decker claims the HandiSaw’ll make up to 200 cuts through 1/2″ oak dowels on a single charge.  Though we didn’t go out and buy a ton of oak dowels to check up on them, we suspect they’re probably pretty close.  We cut through a number of 2×4s with it straight out of the box — before charging it — which leads us to believe that it contains a decently sturdy battery.

The charging system, while a little odd, is certainly effective.  If you’re planning on hanging the tool, it’ll be slick.  If you’re not, you’ll have to just plug it in and lay it on the bench.  We can’t think of any easy way to design a horizontal charging station that wouldn’t be bigger than the tool itself, so hanging it makes sense to us.

Summary 

Basically, this is a relatively idiot-proof miniature recip saw.  It’ll cut effectively, though not necessarily quickly, through some pretty serious wood and metal.  It’d also be handy for PVC work or even drywall.  Heck, we can imagine numerous uses around the house for it, and at around $40 it’s not going to be a wallet-buster. 

It hits shelves this October — just in time for the Christmas season.  We can imagine why: It’d make a great gift for any of the new homeowners or burgeoning DIY-ers on your list.  Or, grab one for the house.  We can think of plenty of situations where a large recip would be overkill if you had a HandiSaw around.

The HandiSaw Cordless Powered Hand Saw [Black & Decker]
Street Pricing [Froogle]

The T-handle is the big brother of all screwdriver handles.  With a two-handed grip you can generate a great deal more of the twisting torque you need to insert or remove screws.  The problem is that since they help you generate all that force, you can often break cheap T-handle drivers.  Bondhus offers their Pro Guard T-Handle Drivers as a heavy duty step past the normal T-Handled driver sets you might have broken in the past.

At first glance the Bondhus drivers might look like all the others you’ve seen, but they do offer a few not-so-obvious yet significant features:  The oversized handles curve downwards in order to put more usable torque comfortably into your twisting grip.  And, the handles are welded to the blade to guarantee they will never slip — like the cheap-o friction-fit plastic-handled drivers that eventually begin to wear and loosen.

Bondhus says they’re frequently asked why two of the handles in the ball end T-Handle set are “shorter” than the others.  (Hey, we wondered, too.)  The answer is a bit complex, but indicates again that Bondhus put some thought into their design.  The 5/32″ and 3/16″ blades — and the 4MM and 5MM blades in the metric set – are ball-end blades.  Larger handles would easily generate sufficient torque to shear the neck of the ball end tip, thus reducing the tool to a stick with a handle on it.  So, you get shorter handles that match up with the smaller tools’ torque-handling capabilities.

You can order sets in eleven different configurations which include varying sizes of hex, torx, standard, phillips and square driver heads.  Our searches online indicated that some sets are easier to find while others — like the square head — can prove to be a bit scarce.

Though we haven’t tested them in person, they look like a pretty good solution to us, and we’re thinking about ordering a set to check ‘em out.  We found sets starting around $30 with a bit of price-sleuthing.  If they’re as good as they sound, they’d fit nicely between the cheap plastic sets and the very-expensive ones from pro-tool manufacturers.

10pc T-Handle Driver Set [Bondhus]
Price Search [Froogle/Google]

We were watching Billy Lane set his bike on fire last night on a Tivo’ed episode of Biker Build Off and saw that DIY Network is hosting a “workshop giveaway” — not just a “large” workshop give away, but “The Ultimate Workshop Giveaway.” OK, so the name’s a bit hokey, but the giveaway doesn’t seem to be.  The grand prize is $100,000 to build the shop of your dreams.

The contest is live from July 31st – August 28th and you can enter once a day till the contest is over.  Entry is via the standard email registration (read: sign away your personal information), though if there is something worth giving your personal info for a $100,000 shop would be high on our list.

The Ultimate Workshop Giveaway [DIY Network]

PS: In Nostradamus-like fashion we predicted Mr. Lane’s troubles.  Woot.

(Tuesday, August 15th, 2006) Tonight’s an amazing night of tools, cars, trucks, trains and factory tours. What could warm the heart of any red blooded American more than John Ratzenbergers tour of the Budwiser brewery?  Restoring Farm Trucks promises to be useful and interesting, and don’t miss The Tool Bench, both for the glamour shots of hand tools as well as a good time identifying the program’s errors in tool identification and use.

All times are central.

• Machinery of the Past: Restoring Farm Trucks (RFD-TV, 5 p.m.)
• Tools & Techniques: DIT-303 Shop Technology (DIY, 5 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 17, Winter Jackets, Animation, Mushrooms, Gold. (Discovery, 6 p.m.)
• Modern Marvels: The Tool Bench (History, 6 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 33, Mustard, Violins, Nuts and Bolts, Toilet Paper (Discovery, 6:30 p.m.)
• Classic Tractor Fever: Small Tractor Fever (RFD-TV, 6:30 p.m.)
• Overhaulin’: Chip & Chris Flipped (TLC, 7 p.m.)
• Bullets (National Geographic Channel, 7:30 p.m.)
• PINKS: Safari vs 924 (Speed, 7:30 p.m.)
• Rides: Driven (TLC, 8 p.m.)
• Overhaulin’: Chip & AJ Trading Places (TLC, 9 p.m.)
• John Ratzenberger’s Made in America: Alliance Rubber Bands, Pelican, Benjamin Moore (Travel, 9:00 p.m.)
• Mega Movers: Locomotives (History, 9:00 p.m.)
• John Ratzenberger’s Made in America: Budweiser, Nocona Sporting Goods, Disney (Travel, 9:30 p.m.)
• Trade School: Plumbing (DIY, 9:30 p.m.)
• Build Or Bust: Brian the Engineer (Speed, 11:00 p.m.)
• Pimp My Ride (MTV, 11:30 p.m.)
• Unique Whips: The White Stuff (Speed, midnight)

Our insomniac’s suggestion:  Machinery of the Past (RFD-TV, 1 am) or
Classic Tractors (RFD-TV, 2:30 a.m.).

A reader sent us a link to Battery University this week — a site sponsored by Cadex Electronics, a manufacturer of battery analyzers and chargers.  (Thanks, Kevin!) 

It includes all sorts of information about the capabilities and limitations of different battery types as well as lots of advice on how to store and maintain your batteries.

Information on the site is provided in the form of white papers and articles, all of which are offered free of charge for non-commercial use.  We particularly like the way the site breaks down the needs of each major battery application and explains how each battery type applies.

It’s worth a look, especially if you’re in the market for a new cordless tool — or even more so if you’re planning on buying into a new cordless system.

Main Site [BatteryUniversity.com]

We mentioned SawStop’s skin-sensing auto-stop table saws a while back, but we weren’t aware of the ongoing legal wranglings in the industry as a result of their product introduction until today.

According to this article in Design News:

Vindication arrived for Stephen Gass on the afternoon of June 28, 2006, when someone finally agreed with him. It had been nearly seven years since Gass invented his skin-sensing table saw, and in that time he’d begun to wonder if anyone would truly see the wisdom behind his device. Over the years, the responses he received from the power tool industry graduated from indifference to hostility. He’d gone from being a rejected outsider to a festering industry sore. And by 2006, Gass himself had considered quitting many times.

But on that June day, everything changed. Someone understood. Acting on a petition from Gass, engineers at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommended that the government begin a “rulemaking process” that could result in mandatory safety standards for table saws. Days later, the agency’s commissioners shocked the power tool industry by concurring with the recommendation. They saw the wisdom in his petition. Suddenly, the ultimate outsider joined the game, and now he was holding a strong hand.

We were under the impression that high cost and lack of brand-recognition was limiting SawStop’s sales, and we wondered why other more notable manufacturers hadn’t licensed the technology.  Apparently liability concerns — and, of course, Gass’ request for an eight percent royalty on each mechanism — factor into the equation.

Now it seems each side is seeking federal legislation to require/not-require the safety technology on all applicable products.  Design News’ writers suggest that such regulation may mean little to SawStop in the short run, but could help to firmly polarize the industry toward developing or not developing the technology.

Personally, we’d like to see SawStop’s gear — or a similar, non-patented technology — made widely available.  Maybe our kids’ll grow up to believe shop teachers really do have 10 fingers.

“Man on a Mission” [Design News via Slashdot]

From Reader Comments: Michael, a cabinet maker, points out that he sometimes cuts wet wood on his saw, which would trigger the SawStop.  (And as the SawStop’s cartridge has to be replaced after each incident, that’d get expensive.)  He also sagely points out, “Nothing will compensate for lack of common sense on the part of the operator.”

When we mentioned offset wrenches a few days ago, we promised to find the specific ones we borrowed — and liked a lot — and report back to you.  Well, we found them.  (Or at least they were found for us.  Thanks, Lorenzo!) 

They’re made by the German company Stahlwille, and come in all sorts of sizes and offsets.  What we like is the way the offset’s so steep as opposed to just angled like most offset wrenches we’ve seen.  They’ll fit in places your ordinary offsets can’t dare to tread.

There’s a link below to the English version of the Stahlwille site, but it’s difficult to tell from their site what combinations of wrenches are available commercially.  We’ve also included a link to Froogle that’s more useful; It returns the specific 8-piece set we used from a variety of vendors starting at around $115.  We’re saving up for a set right now.

US Corporate Site [Stahlwille]
Street Pricing (8-pc set) [Froogle]

(Monday, August 14th, 2006) We’re looking forward to a full night of the shows we love on Discovery, with a smattering of Toolmonger-friendly shows elsewhere.  Last week Bill Murray slapped Paul Sr.  Will there be payback tonight?  Will “Wiring America” be a paean to Edison, or will Westinghouse (and Tesla) get the attention they deserves?

All times are central.

• Trains and Locomotives: Trolley of the South (RFD-TV, 5 p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 15: Honey and Honeycombs, Fiber Optics, Bricks, Pipe Organs (Discovery, 6 p.m.)
• Modern Marvels: Wiring America (History p.m.)
• How It’s Made: Episode 6: Nails and Staples, Safety Glasses, Fabrics, Bicycles. (Discovery, 6:30 p.m.)
• American Chopper: Bill Murray Bike 1 (Discovery, 7 p.m.)
• Wings Over The World: The Flying Tank Ilyushin 2 Shturmovik (MIL, 7 p.m.)
• American Hot Rod: ‘56 Chevy Convertible - Pt. 1 (Discovery, 8 p.m.)
• Biker Build-Off: Trevelen vs. Scott Long (Discovery, 9 p.m.)
• American Chopper: Bill Murray Bike 2 (Discovery, 10 p.m.)
• I Want That! Tech Toys: Episode HITEC-103 (HGTV, 10:30 p.m.)
• American Chopper: Wendy’s Bike 2 (Discovery, 11 p.m.)

Our insomniac’s suggestion: Unique Whips (Speed, midnight) or Trains and Locomotives (RFD-TV, 1 a.m.)

The phrase “9-piece” generally brings visions of fried chicken to our minds — not cordless tools.  But DeWalt seems determined to give you the ‘whole hog” with their two new incredibly-complete 9-piece 18V XRP cordless combo kits.

The first kit — the DC9PAKRA — contains:

• the DC925 hammerdrill
• the DC390 circular saw
• the DC385 reciprocating saw
• the DW960 right angle drill
• the DC410 cut-off tool
• the DCW919 flexible floodlight
• the DC330 variable speed jig saw
• the DW059 impact wrench
• and the DC550 cut-out tool

The second kit — the DC9PAKIA — includes:

• the DC925 hammerdrill
• the DC390 circular saw
• the DC385 reciprocating saw
• the DW056 impact driver
• the DC410 cut-off tool
• the DW919 flexible floodlight
• the DC330 variable speed jig saw
• the DW059 impact wrench
• and the DC550 cut-out tool

So, in the -RA kit, you get a right-angle drill and in the -IA kit you get an impact driver — definitely an interesting difference.  Either way, you get two big “contractor bags” to carry the tools in along with two 18V XRP batteries, a 1-hour charger, and lots of blades and small accessories.

The DC9PAKRA starts around $975 on the street, while the DC9PAKIA is a tad more expensive starting at close to $1000.  (Careful shopping puts them in the same range, essentially.)  This is just about as close as it gets to one-stop-shop for 18V cordless tools.

One concern, though.  The lithium-ion revolution that started earlier this year at the top end (28-36V) and bottom end (10.8V) of the voltage range is quickly pushing toward the middle.  We expect to see more and more li-ion tools until eventually they’re the market standard, so buying into older technology this heavily might not pay off — unless you’re using them so heavily that you’ll be buying more next year.

The DC9PAKRA [DeWalt]
The DC9PAKIA [DeWalt]
Street Pricing (DC9PAKRA) [Froogle]
Street Pricing (DC9PAKIA) [Froogle]

There’s no reason DIY projects can’t achieve the same level of professionalism as that of the biggest manufacturers — assuming the DIY-er brings a bit of skill and the right tools for the job.  In the case of some of the newer electronic projects such as robotics – a subject that has always fascinated us – properly torqued screws are the order of the day.  A 1/4″-drive torque screwdriver, like this one from Armstrong Tools, can help get you get the most out of those tricky fasteners on your next project.

Torque screwdrivers work much like torque wrenches; They just use the twisting motion of a screw driver instead of a socketed wrench.  They produce a crisp, audible click over the entire torque range so the user can hear when proper force has been applied.  A detent-style locking collar allows you to set the desired torque and prevents accidental changes in settings when in use.

A linear ball-bearing mechanism assures accuracy and repeatability of the settings by eliminating friction between the spring and case and provides a precise application to the user of between 6 and 36 in-lbs of torque.

This particular driver from Armstrong comes with a 1/4″-drive female hex adapter and is available on the web for around $165.  Yeah, that’s expensive if you’re just putting the vacuum cleaner back together, but if you’re assembling more mission-critical stuff (especially with stretch-type fasteners), you’re going to need one.

1/4″ Torque Screwdriver [Armstrong Tools]
Street Pricing [Froogle]

For the times when a stubborn fastener wins out over brute force and becomes more circular than it should be, there are a few more options these days than just the old standby of drilling.  The Twist Out set from KD Tools is one such option.

The Twist Out set contains five specially-designed sockets that grip rounded bolts, studs, carriage Bolts and cap Screws for easy removal.  They’re are made of hardened tool steel for long life and durability, and sizes cover the range of 5/16″ to 5/8″ for standard and 8 mm to 15 mm for metric. 

The operation is pretty simple.  Just use the closest-sized socket to grip the rounded fastener – as the bolt or nut may not exactly be the correct size after your earlier “discussion” with it.  Once engaged, turn the Twist Out counter-clockwise to remove the fastener. 

KD also states that some additional rounding with a use of file may be needed to allow the Twist Out to grab the fastener, though in our experience we don’t seem to have a problem getting them all the way round without any additional assistance.  (Doh!)  KD also claims that the fastener won’t get stuck in the socket after removal with their new “no-wedge” internal spiral design that doesn’t allow the newly freed fastener to dig into the interior socket walls.

The Twist Out Set works with both hand and impact Drives.  Prices seem to vary a great deal online, but it looks as if some careful shopping can snag a set for around $30.  It certainly sounds better than drilling — or a pair of pliers — to us.

5pc Twist Out Set [KD Tools]
Street Pricing [Froogle]

(Sunday, August 13th, 2006) If you’re lucky enough to have Dish (which means you have access to RFD-TV), you’re in luck tonight: they’re featuring a full hour and a half of tractors.  Both HGTV and DIY are offering up trade-show specials, which almost as good as being there in person — with the added benefit of annoying television presenters engaging in witless banter.  (But you do get to miss out on the expensive hotels and food.)

All times are central

• Classic Tractor Specials (RFD-TV, 8 p.m.)
• DIY Inside: The Builders’ Show 2006 (DIY, 8 p.m.)
• In a Fix: New Family Style (Discovery Home, 9 p.m.) 
• Classic Tractor Fever (RFD-TV, 9 p.m.)
• Pimp My Ride (MTV, 10:30 p.m.) 
• Practical Woodworker (RFD-TV, 11 p.m.)
• Special Presentation: Kitchens & Baths 2006 (HGTV, 11 p.m.)

Our insomniac’s recommendation: Chop Cut Rebuild (Speed, 2 a.m.) or Dream Car Garage (Speed, 3 a.m.)

Stanley’s been really tearing up the shelves with their new FatMax Xtreme tool line, and we’ve already covered a couple of items from it including (most recently) their box-beam level.   Now the Xtreme line’s giving you an easier way to tear up other things — with a demolition driver.

What’s a demolition driver?  It’s just a large screwdriver that’s reinforced for use in all those ways you’ve been told since a child not to use a screwdriver.

For starters, Stanley added a cold-formed steel “strike cap” on the back of the handle to allow you to hammer directly on the driver, and the cap is connected directly to the driver’s shaft — which runs all the way through — to transfer your hammering force directly to the object you wish to “motivate.”.  The handle itself is made of a specially-durable acetate with a rubber grip for extra control.  The grip also has “thumb indents” to give you a better grip when you’re prying on things.  They even thought to coat the shaft in lacquer to help prevent rust.

Even if you’re not out tearing down buildings on a daily basis, it’d be great to have a couple of these in your toolbox just for whenever you’re contemplating the mis-use and abuse of a screwdriver.  Whenever we got ready to hammer on a screwdriver, our fathers would say, “Use the right tool for the job.”  (Usually that meant a punch.)  Now you can hammer on the screwdriver and use the right tool for the job — all at the same time!

Street pricing starts around $15 for a 2-piece set (standard and phillips).  We’re gonna pick one up.

The FatMax Xtreme Demolition Driver [Stanley]
Street Pricing [Froogle]

We — and your fellow readers — truly value your comments.  We often learn more about tools from readers than we do from manufacturer’s reps!

Leaving a comment is easy.  Just click on the title of any post, scroll down to the bottom, fill out the little form, and comment away.  The email address you provide isn’t made public; We use it to a) contact you if you asked for information, and b) contact you if you win the prize.

Prize?  Yep.  At the end of August, we’ll randomly select a comment posted sometime during the month to receive a brand-spankin’-new Milwaukee V18 combo kit.  We’d comment for it, but then again, we can’t win.  Too bad for us.

We look forward to hearing from you, and thanks to all those that participated via comments last week.