Sears is selling these mechanic’s gloves for $10, down from $20. The machine-washable, 4-1/2 ounce gloves feature synthetic material in the palm for increased grip, and double density in the fingers and thumbs for added protection. Spandex in the top provides flexibility, and you can adjust the gloves at the cuff with a Velcro closure. The offer’s good through April 26.
Craftsman Mechanic’s Gloves [Sears]
Archimedes once said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” Most people don’t need to move the world, but occasionally they might need to replace their alternator. This indexable pry bar from Innovative Products makes it easier to get a lever into the ever more-packed engine compartment.
Although Innovative Products of America designed this tool especially for oil drain plugs, you’ll find plenty of uses for the eight sockets sized from 12mm to 19mm on the Multi-Wrench — especially after you pay about $35 for the tool.
To fit eight sockets on the Multi-Wrench, IPA designed the tool with a rotating head sporting four sockets on each end of the wrench. The laser-etched sockets click into place as you rotate the heads.
Made from drop-forged steel and finished with chrome, the Multi-Wrench also features a built-in rare-earth magnet with 11-lbs of holding force that allows you to stick the Multi-Wrench to your oil pan and accidentally leave it there.
Multi-Wrench [IPA]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon(B000Q6RZSS) [What’s This?]
Maybe you’ve lost the original pin wrench that came with your grinder, or maybe you’re sick of keeping up with a different wrench for each grinder you own. If so, you’re in luck — you can choose from several replacement options.
Harbor Freight sells a cheap adjustable pin wrench that may fit the bill. It adjusts to fit grinder hubs from 3/8″ to 1-1/16″. For only $4 this cheap-ass tool of the bunch could be yours.
If Harbor Freight tools make you cringe, try an almost identical model from Garrett Wade for four times the price. Don’t fear, you’re getting something for the extra dough — this wrench can accommodate a wider variety of grinders, with hubs from 3/8″ to 1-9/16″.
Amazon also sells an adjustable pin wrench that looks like a pair of dividers. For $15 this 7″ long wrench fits a much larger range of grinder hub sizes. Made of chrome vanadium steel, this wrench features 5/32″ diameter pins. Customers have complained that these pins are too large for their grinder — but that’s nothing a few minutes on the grinding wheel can’t solve.
Adjustable Pin Wrench [Harbor Freight]
Adjustable Pin Wrench [Garrett Wade]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
These sockets work where deep sockets just aren’t deep enough. Kobalt’s Thru-Ratchet sockets and ratchets are hollow down the center, so they can fit over any length of bolt. In a lot of cases you could get the same performance out of your ratcheting wrenches, but this system allows you to get into deep recesses that would otherwise be inaccessible.
Thru-Ratchet sockets plug right in to the ratchet handle, instead of attaching to a square drive. Integrating into the handle reduces overall height by up to fifty percent over a standard ratchet and socket — which is good for areas with low clearance.
Tighten or loosen hose clamps in hard-to-reach places without worrying about the driver slipping off the nut. SMC Corporation designed their locking nut driver to lock onto a nut with the flip of a lever.
Keep the battery charged on your ATV, motorcycle, or personal watercraft, and it’ll be healthy and ready to go when you need it. Deltran makes Battery Tender trickle chargers in various sizes and capacities for different applications. Their waterproof unit will keep batteries full even when the charger’s fully submerged in water — never again will a sudden downpour make you run outside to make sure the battery charger’s covered.
C’mon — tell me you can’t think of a fun application for this $10 old-timey “oooga” horn from Harbor Freight! Think about it: it’s a 12V horn, so you could probably swap it into your car without too much hassle — or maybe into your significant other’s car, if you’re brave enough. If your ATV has a 12V system, it’d work great for clearing drunk dunderheads at your next back-woods booze-up.
And it’s way more interesting and useful than HF’s vaunted electronic fly swatter. No, really.
12V “OOOGA” Air Horn [Harbor Freight]
It’s so very temping to beat normal wrenches with a hammer when a nut or bolt sticks, but doing so is potentially dangerous and can damage the wrench. A striking wrench is designed to take this kind of abuse. Stanley Proto offers a few different options for striking wrenches, including this twelve point offset striking wrench.
Nick’s post and the discussion on the scratching capabilities of Scotch-Brite pads made me think of what I use for scratch removal. Novus has been making polish for acrylics for over 25 years — their three-part system can handle almost all but the most severe scratches. I’ve used it to polish museum display cases, and even some glass, with excellent results.
Toolmonger’s own Benjamin Johnson offered up this seriously sweet and sandy ride. Ben created this awesome Dodge sandbox truck for his daughter, with help from his father-in-law. Ben built some wheels onto this completely cool plaything, so it can be moved around the yard. Someone’s thinking.
Check it — this ride comes fully loaded with brake lights, license plate holder, steering wheel, wooden windows, bench seating, and a hard, flip-up sand cover. Ben has single-handedly raised the bar for sandboxes around here — nice.
Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]
Cars and tools are so closely connected, some people have trouble separating the two. You can’t really have one without the other. In the case of Snap-On’s ’57 “Glomad” Chevy, we have to say we had no idea tools could look so damn good on a car.
The Glomad sports actual wrenches that make up the two-tone on the sides and the rails at the rear of the trunk — and the lug nuts on the bad-ass rims are sockets. It also comes complete with a huge, fold-out Snap-On tool system in the cave-like rear area.
Busted-up radiator fins with 10 years’ worth of embedded moths and grasshoppers don’t only look nasty, they also reduce the efficiency of whatever cooling system they’re serving. If a radiator’s still structurally sound, you don’t need to replace it — several manufacturers offer radiator fin combs that make cleaning out and realigning fins a snap.
Steck designed these EZPull pliers to do big-time pulling on a ride that has some big-time damage. The wide jaws on these locking pliers can firmly grip one area or grab hold of a few pins to straighten out bodywork.
The ring and chain may look out of place at first — but they allow you to grab hold and pull on the clamped-down pliers in whichever direction you need to, to straighten out that mangled metal.
Though it’s just one of many tools needed to get straight bodywork, we welcome anything that helps.
Street pricing starts at $40.
EZPull Pliers [Steck]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Modern engine bays, with tight tolerances and complex intake and exhaust systems, make removing spark plugs difficult to say the least. Faced with an afternoon of busting knuckles and contorting like a gymnast, even the most patient shade tree mechanics might prefer to bring their cars in for tune-ups. Now, HeaderSockets give mechanics easier access to their plugs, because the sockets are designed with a cut-out.
Instead of disassembling an obstruction to get behind it, sometimes you can get around it with an indexable ratchet. The ratchet head on this 1/2″ drive model from Pittsburgh swivels 360° and locks into various positions allowing you access to locations otherwise impossible to reach. This might not be a tool for every day, but when you need it you’ll be glad you have it.
Pittsburgh makes the reversible ratchet from heavy-duty chrome vanadium with a polished chrome finish. The ratchet measures 12-13/16″ long, and the handle features an ergonomic rubber grip.
On special, I’ve seen this ratchet go for as low as $13. Sure, you can buy quality indexable ratchets from respected companies like Stanley Proto and MAC — but unless you use it regularly, you might be better off with this economical version.
Indexable 1/2″ Ratchet [Harbor Freight]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
With lawn and garden season fast approaching, it’s time to fire up the garden polluters, and by that I mean the tools powered by two-stroke engines. Luckily, Green Earth Technology has developed its new line of Green Oil, a “Green alternative” to your regular motor oil. Green Earth Technology makes their G-Oils from American-grown base oil that’s “enhanced with the power of nanotechnology and dehydrogenation”.
G-Oil contains bio-additives such as amino acids, plant and vegetable extracts, non-ionic surfactants, and plant-based fatty acids in a base of colloidal micelles. It all adds up to produce a range of oils that’ll work in anything from your lawn mower to your heavy-duty turbocharged and super-charged diesel.
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