If Paul Bunyan had a bread twisty tie, this would be it. KwikTwist is an industrial size twist tie able to hold (so they claim) up to 100 lbs. That’s not too bad for something that looks like a big bendy straw.
After dragging a standard drain tank around underneath a project car for the last week or two, this product looks pretty sweet: It’s a low-profile rolling tank (only 9-1/2″ high) that catches 17 gallons of oil (or other fluids like antifreeze), can be pulled around the shop by the attached T-handle, and includes an electric pump for simple drainage.
Think about it: You can just roll this baby under the car, dump a crapton of antifreeze in it, then use the included pump to return the refuse to the new fluid’s containers when you’re done.
So there you are on the side of the road at two-in-the-morning, your once glorious, well-lit 4-wheeled steed now a lame mule ready to be put out to the pasture beside you. Well, it might be a pasture. If only you had a flashlight. Oh yeah, did you bring tools with you?
Ah, but you simply smile as you remember your spiffy “more than meets the eye” Achiever REM14250 Utility Flashlight with Tool Kit by Remington. Or, “a flashlight with a built in tool kit,” as we laymen like to call it.
Develpoed for race engine troubleshooting, the Provision Eagle is based on fiber optic technology and uses a long cable to view hard reach and sometimes impossible to see areas.
The concept is much the same as the scopes that doctors use to look inside a patient, except the cable is surrounded by a stainless steel armored shaft and has a machined-aluminum lighted lens tip to protect it against heat and harmful chemicals such as motor oil. The ProVision will fit into holes as small as 1/4 inch diameter, allowing you to look behind walls, down into drains, or even inside engines without costly demolition or disassembly.
The system is powered by 2 “AA” Lithium Batteries and sports a street price of around $225 (with some careful shopping). That’s not super cheap, but then again it’s something that you just couldn’t even put your hands on for under a grand just a bit ago.
We’re thinking about making the investment in one of these ourselves. How handy would it be to be able to stick this through a spark plug hole and see what’s going on inside a cylinder? Or how about seeing what’s actually stuck in the drain? We can think of dozens of applications, and based on the response to our post on mirrors the other day, we bet you can, too.
The Elite ”Eagle” Fiber Optic Scope [Provision]
Street Pricing [Froogle]
D’you ever wish you had an extra set of eyes on the tip of your wrench? Well, for those of you who aren’t X-Men, a telescoping mirror’s probably the next best thing.
Telescoping mirrors are by no stretch of the imagination a new thing, but we’ve run into quite a few people who don’t keep one in the toolbox. Shame on you. These can be a life saver if you can’t see what you’re trying to grasp or otherwise get to.
Recently we were attempting to remove a lock ring from a water pump — damn Porsche to hell for putting the thermostat there, pointing downward of all ways – and just couldn’t get the right view and still see where our pliers were positioned without a mirror. The concept’s pretty simple — it’s just an adjustable mirror on a telescoping bar handle. Slide the mirror into place and adjust as necessary to see an object at the correct angle for the task at hand.
Available in almost any shape and size with street pricing starting around $2, you can pick one up in a multitude of places both on the web and in your favorite brick and mortar establishment.
Pick one up and throw it in the drawer, you won’t be sorry down the road.
Mirrors-On-A-Stick [Froogle]
Whether you admit it or not, we know that you know what we’re talking about – that brief second where things all go wrong and that little bit of metal something falls into a space that by all calculations it shouldn’t have been possible for it to fall in. Yet there you are jamming your fingers down a hole altogether to small for them, trying to reach that little whatsit.
Hasn’t happened to you yet? You’re not trying hard enough. For those unhappy occasions, it’ll help to have a flexible grabber. The design is simple yet effective; Just slide the grabber end into the offending space. Once you’ve found your target, push the claw open by squeezing the handles together and then release them and pull the wayward object free.
Grabbers come in varied sizes and can be found for a few dollars on the net or at your local auto center. The one pictured came from a local dollar store. (Guess how much it cost.) Trust us: You want one of these. Really.
Flexible Grabbers [Froogle]
A well lit work area is one of the starting points of any project in the garage or shop, and when we recently went looking for a light to go in one of our work areas, we came across the diamond plate utility light from Lithonia Lighting. This unit hit all the high points that makes a true Toolmonger grin.
The diamond plate utility light is a 48” shop light featuring a 6-1/2 In. reflector with a pull chain on/off switch and mounting chain hangers. There’s no extra wiring to speak of; You just plug the unit into a normal electrical socket – if you’re installing it in your garage you could use the same outlet your garage door opener is plugged into — and hang it from the ceiling using whatever hooking device you deem suitable for its 8 lb. bulk.
It uses two 40 watt T-12 bulbs, which are not included in the package but will only cost a few extra dollars more. Best of all, did we mention its diamond plate? Seriously, what’s cooler than diamond plate?
We found our light at The Home Depot for just a tad over $20, a cool-looking value for the money.
Diamond Plate Utility Light [The Home Depot]
We needed to move a 200 lb. workbench around last weekend, and it seemed like just the kind of “move a heavy, awkward object” situation we were looking for to try out the EZ Moves II pads. Our opinion in short: They’re better than we expected.
With this little system you can move hundreds of pounds across most flat surfaces. Their construction is pretty simple. Objects are gripped by the 1/2″ thick foam. The smooth plastic base has a built in dual spring action to apply upward pressure keeping the pad in place during movement of the object.
We moved our workbench across tile, carpet and concrete and had no issues with one person pushing with one hand. The set is available at your local home center as well as on the net and the $15 investment is well spent considering the no lifting or marred flooring option it provides.
EZ Moves II Moving system [ezmoves.com]
Street Pricing [Froogle]
Fire is cool; it’s just that simple. A full featured “table torch” with large fuel capacity, immediate ignition and a fully adjustable pinpoint flame is much more than cool – it’s practical. We find uses for ours in the shop, around the house, and even in the kitchen.
We’re not talking about a Bic lighter here, but a full-on torch. The PT500 from Solder It has a powerful high-output 2500 degree wind-resistant flame than can be adjusted from around 1″ in length to 5″.
We like the PT500 in particular because its large Butane capacity gives it a 2 hour burn time, it lights with a single button click, and you can adjust the fuel and air mixture to tweak the flame for each task. Oh yeah, did we mention it looks really cool?
On a recent visit to the parents’ place we used the PT500 to Ferr-L-Tite (glue) arrow tips into aluminum shaft arrows, though we did have to pry it out of Mom’s hands first. (She’d borrowed it to make creme brulee. Mmmm.)
You can find the PT500 for around $40 with careful shopping. Note: It’s a lot bigger than it looks. While your run-of-the-mill kitchen torch stands about 5″ tall, this one’s closer to 10″.
Have fun, and don’t burn yourself (or others).
Pt500 Heavy-Duty Butane Torch [Solder It]
Street Pricing [Froogle]
This falls under the “little things that make life easier” category. When you take off a wheel and tire — whether to change the tire or just to inspect your brakes — you have to bend over and grab the whole dirty assembly. Then you have to hold it in place while you try to put the lug nuts back on.
Or, you can just stick the Lock Technologies’ “Little Gorilla” tire caddy under the tire, push down on the handle, and lever the tire right into (or out of) place. Steel wheels with roller bearings on the ends of the Gorilla’s fork-like assembly let you roll the tire around the garage easily, while steel pins keep the tire from sliding off.
The Gorilla will carry a 14” to 19” passenger car or light truck tire. A detachable handle and slim design make it easy to hang in the shop or put away when space is limited. Lock Technologies calls it a “back saver,” and we tend to agree.
The “Little Gorilla” is widely available, and with a bit of price hunting can find you one for around $25.
Street Pricing [Froogle]
It’s a familiar sight: a workshop filled with coffee cans and lots of odds and ends. The Coffee Can Organizer brings some order to the “Maxwell House” brand of canned confusion that can take over a shop.
Each package comes with three trays, and each tray contains four separate storage compartments. Each tray is 2″ tall and will stack three deep in a coffee can between 26 and 28 ounces (1 lb., 10 oz).
So, now you can avoid the “spill it and hunt” or “stir stick and flashlight” approaches to finding that elusive fastener in favor of just grabbing it from the appropriate bin.
Available through Duluth Trading Company for $9.
Coffee Can Organizer [Duluth Trading Company]
Purchasing pre-cut/pre-threaded pipe can get to be a bit costly. There is also no room for error or extra fittings that may occur in a piping project. The answer to resolve this issue is to thread your own.
Cutting a pipe can be done by any number of tools around the shop, but threading it requires a pipe threader.
The process is simple; secure the pipe, fit the die heads to the handle, then fit the die head to the pipe end and slowly twist. A simple kit like this one can be found for around $40 and features 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 and 1″ pipe threading die heads.
Sample Selection/Street Pricing [Froogle]
DR Power Equipment wants to save you the hassle of buying a stand for each of your “portable” power tools by selling you their universal saw support, which is designed to hold up anything from a miter saw to a band saw or planer. Though we haven’t hand our hands on one of these yet, it looks like it’d fill the bill.
Clamp-style “universal machinery mounts” snap securely to the aluminum top and hold the equipment in place, and adjustable extension arms can also be fitted to support materials up to 16′ in length. Some other features listed include:
Its “fold up and store away” design scores high with us in terms of the garage space factor, though $299 (direct) is a bit pricey for a stand when you consider that you can get a pretty decent miter saw for that.
The Universal Saw Support [DR Power Equipment]
The Wobblelight wobbles, but it doesn’t fall down. Weeble references aside, it’s a self-righting, heavy-duty work light. Standing three feet tall with a 175-Watt metal halide bulb output of 15,000 Lumens, the Wobblelight can illuminate an area 30 - 42 feet wide.
Due to the heavy rounded base, the Wobble light can be knocked around and knocked over and still right itself without requiring your attention. The downside is that it doesn’t have a battery and must be plugged in. However, nine to twelve of them can link together in series for greater lighting.
Some price-hunting around the web will find a Wobblelight for around $150.
Wobblelight wl175MH [Wobble Light, LLC.]
Street Pricing [Froogle]
Around our house summertime means activities, and this means things of all sizes and shapes need to be inflated. Not all of us have room or budget for a high dollar shop air system, but a portable air compressor can be a great solution to the hand pump blues.
A small 2.5hp, 6 gallon compressor like the one pictured here can be had for less than $100 with some careful shopping. Don’t expect to use air tools with it as it doesn’t have the volume of air to drive them, but it’ll do fine for tasks such as filling tires and sports equipment, filling inflatable beds, and (our personal favorite) blowing dust out from difficult to reach places in a vehicle. (Always wear eye protection when doing this, and never direct the airflow directly at your skin.)
With the small footprint and the low cost of a unit like this, it’s worth the invetsment to save all that hand pump action and trips to the gas station air pump.
Some Examples [Froogle]
With the release of their Excelerator model, Genie claims to sell the fastest garage door opener on the market.
Is it the fastest? We can’t say. A lot of factors affect the answer to that question, including the weight and structure of the door to which it’s bolted as well as the specifics of the mount and even whether or not the owner has pets or children. We can say however, that we’ve had experience installing screw-type openers and compared to other types they’re incredibly fast and quiet.
Other features (that might be more germane to your garage experience than its speed alone) include:
Street pricing starts around $250.
The Excelerator Garage Door Opener [Genie]
Street Pricing [Froogle]
Many of us house our shops in our garages, and try as we may to push all the vehicles outside (to get that extra space), sometimes we have to share. But to get that last inch of space for the band saw, we’ve got to assure the car is parked in exactly the same place every time.
We recently came across a cool, high-tech update for the ubiquitous hangling tennis ball: Liftmaster’s Laser Garager Parking Assist accessory.
It mounts to the ceiling near your existing garage door opener and automatically turns on with the opener’s light, using a small laser to project a red dot on a spot of your choice. It shuts off with the light, too, so it pretty much takes care of itself.
Liftmaster says you can use up to two on a single door opener, and street pricing starts around $20.
LiftMaster 975LM Laser Garage Parking Assist [Liftmaster]
Street Pricing [Froogle]
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