Right now E-Z Up 4 Less has the EZ UP Eclipse II 8′ x 8′ Canopy for $429.00.

We’ve been using the E-Z Up Eclipse II for many years when vending our jewelry outdoors. In the winter months I set it up on the back deck as a place to do woodworking and other messy tasks that are best not done in the house. The name E-Z Up is a bit of a misnomer — while it’s not difficult to get the canopy up, it is a bit of a struggle for one person, especially someone small (like my wife). It is incredibly easy to take down but E-Z Down isn’t as good a name.

The Eclipse II has a steel frame and is quite rugged. In all the time we’ve used it, the only maintenance has been replacing the occasional nut or screw that came loose. There are numerous knockoffs of the pop-up canopy out there, so I’d love to hear opinions on other brands that people use. When shopping around it’s important to make sure you’re getting the canopy and frame. Many vendors show the complete unit, but the listing is only for the fabric top or the steel frame alone.

Ez Up Eclipse II 8′ x 8′ Canopy [ezup4less.com]

Amazon has the best deal on the Wiss W7BWN Offset/Bent Pattern Snip at $31.75 w/ SS shipping.

The W7BWN Offset/Bent Pattern Snip is a non-compound leverage snip, like a pair of scissors. The handles are bent up at an angle to clear the surface of the sheet metal. They are rated as being able to cut up to 18 ga. low carbon steel. I find that often snips like this give a better quality cut than the compound types, although they are more tiring in heavier gauges.

Via Amazon [What’s This?]
W7BWN Offset/Bent Pattern Snip [Cooper Hand Tools]

Amazon has the best deal on the Bullet Tools 513 Mag Shear Lite, $293.28 w/ SS shipping.

The Bullet Tools 513 Mag Shear Lite is a lever-operated manual shear that the manufacturer claims will cut a variety of materials such as laminate flooring, wood flooring, vinyl tile, cement siding, and wood siding. The shear is “dustless,” which means that unlike a powered electric shear or saw, it doesn’t send out a cloud of particles when cutting. The manual (.pdf) shows setup and use. It seems like a useful tool and one I wish I’d had when I was putting in laminate flooring, since I had to constantly run outside to use the miter saw as it wasn’t suitable for use in our house.

Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Bullet Tools 513 Mag Shear Lite [Bullet Tools]

Esslinger currently has the GRS Benchmate Basic Package on sale for $185.00.

The GRS Benchmate is a mounted ring holder that allows ergonomic positioning of a ring clamp for setting stones, engraving and other operations. The basis of the system is a tapered dovetail plate that is attached to the front of a jewelers bench. The mount slips on and locks in place in seconds. The height is somewhat adjustable and the ring clamp is fully adjustable so it can be mounted plumb or at an angle. The ring clamp swivels in the holder as well allowing access to every side of the ring settings.

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Right now Lee Valley has their Precision Pen Oiler pen on clearance for $5.00.

From the photos, it appears to be the Empire 2776 Precision Oiler that was covered before at a price of $8.00. It’s of much better construction that the usual plastic tube pin oilers and looks like a useful item for tiny oiling jobs. Push-button action disposes a “drop” at a time (no mention of volume per drop). And it has a sealed cap so you can carry it in your pocket without worrying about spills.

Lee Valley Precision Oiler Pen [leevalley.com]

Right now Cabela’s has the Super Siphon hose for only $4.99.

The Super Siphon seems like a great idea. It’s a 6′ hose (although Cabela’s doesn’t give that figure, other sites do) with a check valve at one end. You drop it repeatedly into the source container and the check valve allows fluid to go into the hose but not come out. You repeat until the liquid gets to the point that it starts siphoning. PU-Products has a showing the action (their price is $10.00). There seem to be other variations on this product such as the “Shaker Siphon” and other name variations.

Super Siphon [Cabelas.com]

Looking around for a replacement for my old, worn whisk broom I settled on a few parameters. The replacement should be of broom corn, not plastic, and the sewing should be three, not two, rows of stitching. This led me to two possible candidates: the Harper Brush 338 (pictured above) and the Weiler 44266 (.pdf) The best deal on the Harper Brush is $6.69 from Restockit, and on the Weiler $5.48 from Paintstore.com. That said, I’ll likely hunt around my local stores to avoid shipping. Either brush should be heavy duty enough to deal with the metal chips and other heavy, oily messes I generate in my shop.

Harper Brush 338 [restockit.com]
Weiler 42266 [paintstore.com]