Carabiners make everything better, right?  That seems to be the mantra of SnapGate, a company who builds a carabiner into products like tape measures, flashlights, and pens. They sell both plastic promotional products and a few real tools.

One of the real tools is an 6″ aluminum flashlight they claim to be waterproof (non-submersible) and shatterproof. Two AA batteries power the flashlight’s krypton bulb. The other real tools are the tape measures which they manufacture in 16′ and 25′ lengths. Both tapes feature a rubberized coating over an ABS plastic case.

If you’re into snapping things onto your belt loops, the tape measures will cost you either $7 or $9 shipped while the flashlight will set you back $6 plus shipping. Check out SnapGate’s contact information on their website if you’re interested in their promotional products.

SnapGate [Corporate Site]
Flashlight [Campmor]
Tape Measure [Harbor Freight]

You’re probably not going to have a set of break-over torque wrenches in your garage, but that doesn’t mean they’re not handy tools in a production environment where you need to repeatedly torque the exact same fastener or set of fasteners. The name comes from the fact that the wrench breaks over at 90° when the preset torque is applied — supposedly the break-over mechanism minimizes the shock to the fastener.

These interchangeable-head, break-over torque wrenches from Mountz come in torque ranges from 25 ozf.in to 50 lbf.in. and can hold the torque setting to ±6%. The aluminum handles help make the wrenches lightweight, are small enough to be used in confined spaces, and come in six different colors so you can color code specific torque settings. (more…)

Today a friend asked me a question that the folks at Stanley tell me they hear all the time: why does the claw — you know, the little catch at the end of your short tape measure — move back and forth? Is it just poorly attached? The short answer: no, the loose claw is no accident of manufacture. It’s loose on purpose. The longer answer lies after the jump.
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You’re not going to build a house with the Measure ‘N Mark tape measure and ballpoint pen combo from General Tools, but that’s not the point of the tool.  You’d carry one for the same reason you carry a Leatherman — so you have something available when you need it, even if it isn’t the best tool for the job.

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The Modified Square isn’t an easy tool to wrap your head around — I’m still trying to completely understand it myself.  At first glance it looks like a framing square that got into a bad accident, but upon closer inspection there are some intriguing uses for it, like transferring measurements from the underside of a workpiece to the top and finding the quarter points on round stock.

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For any sort of carpentry, woodworking, or masonry project, you want to measure your angles accurately.  If it’s time to replace that antiquated adjustable angle finder with a newer, shinier model, take a look at Craftsman’s new 4-in-1 digital angle finder.

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If you always seem to be looking for a piece of paper to jot down measurements when using your tape measure, look no further.  The LaserJamb PMS25 measuring tape sports a round, reusable writing pad built right into the side of the tape measure, so you can record your measurements as soon as you make ‘em.  You write on the white pad with a standard #2 pencil, and you can erase your marks easily with either a rubber eraser or cloth.

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You thought the only thing missing from your layout square was lasers — well, the Stanley FatMax Laser Level square may not have all the functionality of a layout square, but it does feature two lasers attached to an aluminum 90-45-45° square with level and plumb vials to boot.

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With Mother’s Day behind us, we’re a little curious about what Toolmongers gave their dear old moms on the day dedicated to her — but since not all moms are into tools, we’ll extend it to Father’s Day as well.  So here’s the deal:  We have here, already boxed and ready to go, one Stanley 30’ FatMax Xtreme tape measure for the best Mother’s or Father’s Day present given this year or in the past.

The rules are simple, since we’re bloggers and not lawyers.  You must, if picked, be able to provide picture proof that the parent in question actually has the tool in question — and no Photoshop workups of Dad standing in Norm Abram’s shop with a Stanley # 96.  We’ll select the best story/tool combo and announce the winner Wednesday, May 20th.  Then we’ll send the above box (with the tape inside) to their location posthaste.

To throw your hat into the ring, just tell us about your sweet Mother’s/Father’s Day gift in comments, and make sure the email address you use is one we can actually contact you at.  Good luck.

FatMax Xtreme Tape Measure [Stanley]
Street Pricing [Google]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

We’ve covered magnetic stud finders before, but rather than just indicate where a nail or screw is located, the Magic Stud Finder Plus leaves a little target stuck to the fastener — no marking up the wall required.

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Yesterday I mentioned Grizzly’s SuperBar, but if you really want to be accurate when adjusting your saw blade, you’ll want to use that gauge in conjunction with a Master Plate.  You install Grizzly’s Master Plate on your saw’s 5/8″ or 1″ arbor — unlike a blade, the Master Plate won’t flex when you’re making your measurements.  It’s worth the extra effort to keep the blade at exactly the correct angle to the work surface, ’cause if you’re off just a degree, or a fraction of a degree, it’ll show up as loose joints in the end product.

Grizzly’s Master Plate measures 6″ by 10″ with zero runout, and it’ll help you set your saw to 90 degrees or any other angle.  It sells for about $50.

Master Plate [Grizzly]
Street Pricing [Google]

Grizzly’s SuperBar not only helps you align your saw blade to exactly 90 degrees, it’ll also help keep the blade parallel with the miter slot and the fence.  It runs in the miter slot, and its precision dial indicator gauge is accurate within ± .001″.

The dial gauge features a full inch of travel.  You can measure the saw blade itself or a Master Plate made by Grizzly or someone else — the gauge’ll measure other tools as well.

The SuperBar sells for $80.

SuperBar [Grizzly]

Lasers just keep getting cheaper — Rockler cut the price of the Infiniter RS-1 Laser Cutting Guide in half.  That’s right, it’s on sale for just $13, cheaper than the Harbor Freight version is currently listed!

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Why monkey around with paper strips or spend a lot of money measuring pH when you can get an economical pH tester for $20?  This inexpensive pH meter from Milwaukee Instruments, not to be confused with Milwaukee Tools, measures pH from 0.0 to 14.0 in steps of 0.1 pH and is accurate to ±0.2 pH.

The 150mm x 30mm x 24mm meter instantly measures pH when the tip is immersed in water, and it’ll run for approximately 700 hours on the supplied battery.  If you need to recalibrate the tester you can purchase a PH7 calibration fluid from Milwaukee Instruments to perform a simple one-point calibration.

pH600 [Milwaukee Instruments]
Street Pricing [Google]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

You know the iPhone has entered the mainstream when big brand-name companies that have nothing to do with the original product start making apps for it — like Stanley’s iPhone level.

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No, this level wasn’t a victim of jobsite rage.  Checkpoint designed it to check 0°, 22.5°, 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90° angles — the U shape is just a byproduct of its function.  While they were at it they made the U6 in two varieties:  the U6 Flat for flat surfaces and the U6 V-Groove for tubing or conduit.

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Checkpoint packs a hell of a lot of measuring into their EV600 Square — it’s a combination square, torpedo level, and laser level, plus a bunch of well-thought-out features, all in one small package.

Checkpoint CNC-machines the EV600 Square from aluminum alloy 6061, laser-engraves all the markings, and anodizes it in four different colors: Brilliant Red, Royal Blue, Black, and Platinum.  They use acrylic vials with 45 minutes of angle sensitivity and a 650nm Class III laser diode that’s aligned to within a 1/4″ at 100 feet.

The rule stows inside the level and can be configured as an offset or flush square at a fixed 45°, a fixed 90°, or an adjustable angle.  A threaded aperture adapts all Checkpoint lenses and accessory attachments to the tool, plus the unit has a standard 1/4″ thread for use with standard camera tripods.

The EV600 Square runs for 10-20 hours continuously on two AAA batteries, and the laser diode will last an average of 10,000 hours.

Although the EV600 Square retails for $60 you can find it for $40 at Rockler.

EV600 Square [Checkpoint]
EV600 Square [Rockler]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]