Toolmonger’s Top 5: The Week in Tools

It’s been a busy week here at Toolmonger, but we did get to spend some quality time in the shop.  If you’ve been spending time in the shop, too, and you haven’t had a chance to keep up with Toolmonger this week, we suggest you start with these posts, which our readers helped to select:

Hands-On: GearWrench’s 75-Pc. Tap And Die Set
This set’s star performer is a ratcheting T-handle wrench that eliminates the hand-over-hand shuffling normally required to spin taps 360 degrees.  We put it through its paces and had a lot to say about it — as did readers.

Hands-On: Stanley’s FatMax Mobile Project Center
Tired of carting around your old wood-and-steel clamping table?  This model from Stanley handles plenty of weight, but weighs half as much — and sports wheels, on-board power, and the ability to convert into a two-wheel dolly to boot.

Swisher’s Boot Brush
You’ll find these brushes mounted on big-rig trucks everywhere; no trucker in his right mind wants to track mud and crap into his home.  These are great for mounting outside your shop or house to keep dirt out of your home, too.

Hands-On: Dremel’s Multi-Vise
We tried out Dremel’s new combination clamp-and-vise and gave it a thumbs-up.  Its best feature: you can remove the clamp and mount your Dremel rotary tool in it instead. 

Hot or Not? Plastic Miter Boxes As An Economy Option
In short: if you’ve got cash to blow, a metal box will last longer.  But if you’re looking to make miter cuts on the cheap, this’ll get the job done — often for under $5.

Honorable mention:

The Best Notebook I’ve Ever Owned
This post just barely missed the top 5 this week, so we thought we’d mention it here, anyway.  After going digital years ago, I eventually came (part way) back to paper, keeping my contacts and calendar in a cell phone while carrying a small notebook for “idea jotting.”  I found the perfect notebook two years ago, and here it is.

Help us choose next week’s Top 5!

We’d appreciate your help in choosing next week’s Top 5, which’ll be featured here, elsewhere, and in the podcast as well.  While you’re reading TM this week, look out for the “Interesting Post” button at the bottom of the article:

When you see an article that piques your interest, click the button once.  You’ll return to the same page, but TM’s software’ll score your click for future reference.  We’ll check in on the totals before selecting next week’s Top 5.