There’s so much stuff packed in Dremel’s XPR 400 kit that it’s like a micro-shop in a box. Hell, calling this a “hands-on post” isn’t really fair — it’s more like four or five separate hands-on posts. Dremel uses literally every last part of the included toolbox to hold a Dremel rotary tool, six attachments, and over 90 accessories and bits.
Read on past the jump for our hands-on experiences with this massive mess of Dremel tools.
Baird Brothers’ light switch and outlet covers save you loads of time finishing out your favorite room. Instead of getting bogged down making hardwood outlet covers, they’ll sell you one and ship it right to your home for about $6 per cover — and no one has to know.
It’s been a busy week here at Toolmonger. If you’ve been spending time in the shop — you should! — 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: Buck’s X-Tract
We reviewed the Buck X-Tract and found it to be a solid knife worthy of the shop. Check out the review for details, but in short: we didn’t find much wrong with it.
Hands-On: Dremel’s Scroll Station
Guess what? Dremel doesn’t just make small tools. Their Scroll Station kicked ass and took names with the best bench-top rigs out there when we fired it up in the Toolmonger shop.
Circuit Alert’s Voltage-Sensing Wire Stripper
As our readers pointed out, this tool has probably saved many an apprentice a “hey, grab that wire for me” fate on jobsites everywhere. And it looks like a decent set of wire strippers, too.
Bring Real-Time Engine/Computer Data To Your Dashboard
The ScanGuage II can clear pesky check engine lights in your rig, but you can also set it up to as a dash-mounted data tracking computer that measures everything from throttle position to airflow. Check out the post for details.
It’s Just Cool: The Tank Tool
Holy crap — this is our favorite post this week: the Tank Tool rumbles in at number five. It’s small. It’s green. And we must have one. Look for a group buy option shortly.
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.
This digital rangefinder kit from Bosch adds a few features that we’d like to see on all electronic measuring devices: the ability to automatically account for the size of the unit when measuring from the front and back of the case — and a swing-out extension pin to assist in measuring to inside corners.
Today only at Amazon, $10 will buy you the the Zircon i500 Multiscanner One Step. Powered by one 9V battery (included), the i500 can detect studs, copper, and ferrous/non-ferrous metals. Additionally, it can also detect hot AC wires and unshielded AC wiring. Best of all, if you add it to other stuff you’re ordering to top $25, it’s eligible for free super-saver shipping, too.
i500 Multiscanner One Step [Zircon]
Via Amazon
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Brass setup bars make it easy to accurately set the distance between the cutter and fence on your router table without damaging your carbide bit. For example, if you want to set the distance to 5/16″, simply place the 3/16″ and 1/8″ bars together between the fence and the cutter.
Looking for a set of “disposable” Torx screwdrivers that you won’t mind disappearing? Try this set I found for $10 at Micro Center. The 34-piece set includes four standard and three Philips precision drivers, and four flat and three Philips handle-type screwdrivers — plus T10, T15, T20, T25, T27, T30, T40, H2, H3, H4, H5, H5.5, and H6 Torx and Hex bits. You also get 0.20″, 0.24″, 0.28″, 0.31″, and 0.35″ 1/4″ drive sockets, a 1/4″ socket holder, and a 2.8″ bit holder. Everything is enclosed in a plastic molded case.
VTSET19 [Velleman Inc]
34-Piece Tool Set [Micro Center]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
(Friday, August 31st, 2007) Tonight’s highlight is a new episode of Trick My Truck. Otherwise it’s reruns on Home, Science and DIY.
All times are central.
Enjoy.
Everyone needs a basic set of mechanics tools to handle the miscellaneous home and auto issues that crop up. And after you acquire the basics, you face about a thousand options that — to the average consumer — might or might not be handy around the garage. That’s why Husky’s 45-piece Stubby set piqued our interest: it’s cheap and looks like a well balanced set that’d augment a standard set nicely.
Read on past the jump for our hands-on experiences as we gave this stubby set a shot in the TM shop.
Some awards groups seem to think Vaughan’s S2 hammer is the pinnacle of hammer design; too bad it never materialized. Now Douglas Tool is stepping up to the plate with a 23oz framing hammer including their patented head-handle interface technology (H2IT) – a polished steel alloy shank that slides into the 16” slotted hickory handle.
Craftsman introduced the CompuCarve last year to great fanfare, but we have yet to try one out — or hear much from reliable sources who have. We’re hoping some of you Toolmongers may have first-hand experience with one.
If you own (or have owned) one, let us know about your experiences in comments. Is this as powerful a tool as it seems? How difficult is it to use, and what are its realistic limitations?
Craftsman CompuCarve [Sears]
We’re still seeing lots of great portable tool setups posting to the Toolmonger photo pool, like this one from TM reader xweave. He also including pictures of the bag closed up as well as the numerous hand tools that fit vertically into the other side — check the pool for the rest of the photos.
Maybe he’ll stop by and let us know how he likes his Panasonic drill; we haven’t tested one, but we’ve heard good things about ‘em. And the leather-handled Estwing rocks. Kudos on carrying a first-aid kit, too.
Toolmonger’s Photo Pool [Flickr]
The Fisher Space Pen is well known for its ability to write in zero-g environments as well underwater and on nearly any surface. But Fisher also offers a pressurized pen with the handyman in mind: the Multi-Purpose Contractor Tool Space Pen. It’s a rugged multitasker that does a lot more than that pencil nub you carry ‘round in your pocket.
Picture this: you’ve had a tough day in the shop and your mouth is watering for a cold one and some beer-can chicken, but you’re not sure how much gas you have left. That’s where the Original Grill Gauge helps — simply attach the gauge to your gas tank and lift to tell whether you need to make a gas run before you light the fire.
Last weekend I was digging through my makeshift wood rack looking for a piece of molding when an avalanche of wood hit me squarely on the noggin. Several rooms away, my daughter learned a few new swear words. I think before I pile all my wood back up (to fall on me again), I’m going to install something like Triton’s lumber rack system — six shelves that hold up to 110 pounds each in an easy-to-see (and hard to drop on myself) format.
I found a new site today called Today’s Concepts, and they’re currently offering this DeWalt heavy-duty brad nailer, stapler, and compressor combo kit for $215. The kit includes a 2.0 SCFM/90 PSI pump, a 2.0 gallon tank compressor, DeWalt’s D51420K stapler, and their D51236K nailer — all with a 3-year warranty.
D55141BNS Combo Kit [DeWalt]
DeWalt Compressor Combo Kit [Todays Concepts]
Street Pricing [Google Product]
(Thursday, August 30th, 2007) Tonight: another Thursday to remind us of the glory that was Monster Garage. New episodes of American Hot Rod, American Chopper, and Hard Shine follow, each with their particular brand of over-the-top manufactured emotional conflict. Obviously we like the yelling on American Chopper the best, but what do you readers think? There’s also a new Katrina episode of Boneyard, which doesn’t have any yelling at all, thankfully.
All times are central.
Enjoy.
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