Sometimes you can’t avoid working on live live circuits, and for those times, I want Cementex tools.  They’re double-dipped — first in one color, then another — so you can easily see cuts and scratches in the outer layer before they become dangerous. 

They’re also not cheap — the pictured cutters street at around $180 and basic pliers start around $30 — but when you’re betting your life on them, quality and safety are worth paying for.  And, of course, they’re made in the USA!

Cementex Tools [Cementex Tools]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

Most modern electronics draw power even when in “standby” mode — turned off but still plugged in.  The Smart Strip helps you reclaim those expensive wasted watts by automatically killing power to accessories when you turn off the ”main” device.  For example, when you turn off your computer, it powers down your speakers, printer, etc.

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Greenlee’s new HKL-1232 crimping tool offers up (literally) tons of clamping force – twelve tons to be exact.  It’s a manually operated hydraulic crimper sporting a two-speed hydraulic pump that advances rapidly until it contacts the connector, then shifts to a lower speed to complete the crimp.  Wiring a main electrical box, or work on an oil rig?  This is for you.  For the rest of us, it’s just freakin’ cool.

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The “problem light” joke may sail right by those of you who aren’t Venture Brothers fans, but you could re-purpose this for almost any kind of stylish indicator you require.  In fact, we’re thinking about making one as an “on-air” light to keep the riff-raff out while we podcast.  Thankfully Patrick Kovacich posted a whole collection of photos on Flickr to show us the way.

Problem Light (Steampunk Edition) [Flickr] [via]

Black & Decker’s new Simple Start battery booster provides a few extra amps via your car’s cigarette lighter to help get you back on the road — but it also includes a standard 12V accessory outlet to charge your phone (or other 12V-capable gear) so you can call AAA when the boost isn’t enough.

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Toolup is currently offering 20% off most of their listed Greenlee handtools — and the list is fairly extensive.  I found this #1 3-1/8″ black phosphate plated insulated screwdriver (rated to 1000V AC/DC) for $13.59.

#1 3-1/8″ Insulated Screwdriver [Toolup]
Greenlee 20% off Sale List [Toolup]

Black and Decker’s $25 stud sensor stood out to me in the store not for its features, but for its simplicity.  The current market is flooded with so many over-featured stud sensors — with multiple lasers, calculators, and so on — that it’s refreshing to see one that just finds studs.

OK, it does a few other things, too, but they’re basic and important things: finding metal (as in conduit) and live AC wiring.

I’d go on and on, but that’s all it does.  Nice, yeah?  I think I’m going to pick one up when my Harbor Freight cheapie finally kicks the bucket.

Stud, Metal, Wire Sensor [Black & Decker]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What's this?]

I came across Markertek when I was looking to purchase some high-quality XLR connectors for a portable recording rig.  They’re target market is TV and radio stations, but they sell to anyone.  A friend turned me on to them, and I’ve ordered connectors, wire, and such from them a couple of times with good results.  They shipped on time and packaged everything surprisingly well.

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Amazon has this Black & Decker 200W 12V (to 115V) power inverter for $18 today.  It features ground fault interruption, battery clips, a DC accessory plug, and it automatic shuts down to keep you from stranding yourself by draining your battery completely.  And hey — 200 watts will actually run some pretty serious gear.

200W Power Inverter [Black & Decker]
Via Amazon [What's this?]
Street Pricing [Google Product Search]

From Sears’ weekly circular: a Digital Multi-meter (#82140) with an AC voltage detector (#82174) for $12 – 50% off the regular price.  The multi-meter measures both AC and DC voltage, current, resistance, diodes, and continuity.  It’s also fuse protected, and it comes with two additional fuses.  The AC voltage detector lights up when exposed to 120 or 240V at 50 or 60 Hz.

Multi-Meter and AC Detector [Sears]

Electrical Supplies Online is offering the Greenlee GT-10GFI electrical tester for $8.82 today.  They’ve also got the GT-10 “polarity cube” (read: the same thing, but no GFI) for $5.18.

If you’re doing any re-wiring in your house — especially an older house – this (or one like it) is a must for your toolkit.  It’ll test any 120V grounded or GFCI outlet, and its various light sequences indicate proper and improper wiring.

Greenlee GT-10GFI [Electrical Supplies Online]
Greenlee GT-10GFI [Greenlee]
Street Pricing [Froogle]

Here’s another Toolmonger item from way back that’s a good deal right now: Meritline has the Kill-A-Watt listed for $20 right now — about $2-$3 cheaper than normal – and while we did find it for $18 from one other mail-order-only shop, Meritline beats ‘em out on shipping. 

The Kill-A-Watt not only shows you the voltage and frequency that the power company is delivering to you, it also shows you how much power the appliance it’s connected to is drawing.  It’s a kick-ass (and inexpensive) way to “energy audit” your home, and I’ll bet we all have older power tools around that draw power just from being left plugged in or left in standby mode.  With the Kill-A-Watt we can know.  

The Kill-A-Watt [P3 International]
Kill-A-Watt Model P4400 for $20 [Meritline]
Street Pricing [Froogle]
Via Amazon [What's this?]

Sizod writes: “There’s no excuse not to own one now; they’re $9.99 at Sears.”

From Sears.com:

“Craftsman digital mini multimeter. Functions include continuity and diode tests. Measures AC/DC Voltage with 0.5 percent basic DC accuracy. Also measures resistance. Includes Type K thermometer; allows for surface or air temperature measurements. Display is a backlit, extra large 2000 count LCD screen. Also features fuse-protected current input jacks, battery test, tilt stand and a molded rubber holster. Includes test leads and temp. thermocouple. Category II - 600 volt.”

This looks pretty darn useful for the price.  I actually have a multimeter, but at this price I might just pick up another.

Craftsman Digital Mini-Multimeter [Sears]

Eli’s a long-time friend of Toolmonger, and comments pretty regularly hereabouts.  He’s moving to Austrailia soon, and finds himself in a bit of a fix regarding all his beloved power tools, both corded and cordless.

He writes: “Since RIDGID doesn’t make an Oz voltage charger, I’ve checked the Australian site of a certain online bidding service and come to the realization that tools are really pricey there.  It might make sense after all to bring ALL of my tools with me when we move there, even with the hassle of having to use special converters. I’m pretty sure they are 240 volts @ 50 cycles, and we are 120 volts @ 60 cycles.”

“So I’ve been looking at step down transformers, and working out all the wattage of my tools.  I thought maybe there was an electrical engineer or Australian ‘Monger among us that could help me determine safe working loads for the different stuff.  For example, my Makita power planer is 4 amps, which as I understand it translates to about 440 watts (amps x current=watts).  But I’m wondering how high a wattage transformer I should have for safety under load.  A grinder or any saw or a thickness planer would all be different under load.  I don’t mind buying several and hard mounting them right to the tool itself for the big ones, and keeping it with a U.S. extension cord in a bucket or something for the hand tools.”

We’ve contacted some of the manufacturers to see about conversion kits with no luck, but we wondered if some of you might have ideas for alternate solutions to the problem.  To help out, we’ll kick out a Black & Decker AutoWrench to a single commenter of Eli’s selection in this comment thread.  (And if you don’t care about the AutoWrench, we’d appreciate it if you’d offer your wisdom anyway.  Remember, we Toolmongers have to take care of our own!)

Sold by Woods under the YellowJacket brand, this little gizmo is the pinnacle of cube-tap evolution, plain and simple.  It turns a single extension cord outlet into five, and locks itself onto the cord that feeds it.  There’s one lock for the inlet and a second lock for one outlet, so you can insert this at the junction of two cords and they won’t come apart. 

Look for more pics after the jump.

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Based on a Toolmonger comment we read a while back, we decided to pick up a set of Irwin’s (semi-)new self-adjusting wire strippers, so we thought we’d give you a look at ‘em as well.  In short: They rock.  They’ve quickly become the wire stripper of choice in the TM shop.

Read on past the jump for our hands-on experience and some detail pictures.

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Deal King Sizod writes: “I wish I’d found these $2.42 cutter/strippers before I bought the $20 at home depot.  It’s made of hardened steel, and the stripper has a plier nose and cutters.  It strips fiber jackets and 10-20 gauge wire.  They’re spring-loaded with a locking mechanism to keep ‘em shut when not in use.”

Wire Cutter/Stripper [MilesTek]