We spent a little time with Stanley’s new 24” FatMax magnetic (43-525) and non-magnetic (43-524) levels here in the Toolmonger test shop. They look like any other level — and even a bunch like the old FatMax lineup — except for a few new features. But instead of just checking out the new features and moving on, we decided to put them through a little hell to find out how they hold up to some real-life abuse. Specifically, we dropped them each from eight feet onto concrete a hundred times.

Guess what happened! Wait, don’t guess. Just read on past the jump and we’ll tell you.

(more…)

Let’s be clear: the press hates Husky’s 5-in-1 drywall tool. Popular Mechanics named it one of their “10 Worst Gadgets of 2007″ — along with the Zune, leading dozens of Microsoft fanboys to blog, “at least my Zune isn’t as uncool as the Husky 5-in-1.” And it’s not pretty. It’s freakin’ huge, and it looks like unplanned result of a one night stand between a utility knife and a Swiss Army multi-tool.

But sometimes form follows function. The Husky 5-in-1 wasn’t designed to cram five drywall tools into a smaller space, but rather to combine them in a way that they can still function. Specifically, its boxy end makes squaring off freshly cut drywall holes a breeze.

Is it a misunderstood tool or waste of toolbox space? Read on past the jump to find out.

(more…)

Small spenders take note: Ryobi has added lithium-ion power to their low-buck One+ system, dramatically increasing the line’s potential and raising the bar significantly for affordable cordless power tools. You’ll find several combination sets on store shelves now — all featuring the new batteries plus a retina-burning, high-visibility green color scheme.

For today’s test, we snagged a four-piece set — the “Ryobi One+ 4-PC Lithium Power Tool Kit,” which includes a charger, two batteries, a drill/driver, a reciprocating saw, a circular saw, and a worklight. Wondering just what $300 buys you in a four-piece li-ion combo? Read on past the jump to find out.

(more…)

Fluke markets its LVD1 as a non-contact voltage detector (”volt sniffer”), but I’ve found that the bright LED at the end makes a perfectly competent flashlight, too. The LVD1’s voltage-sensor indicator light glows when the unit is close to an AC field, as you’ll see after the jump.
(more…)

Often cordless tools serve as the “little brothers” of their more powerful corded siblings. But recent advances in battery technology have enabled tools that break that mold — like Ridgid’s MaxSelect reciprocating saw. Though it accepts the older Ridgid 18V NiCd batteries (use ‘em if you got ‘em), slapping in the latest 24V lithium-ion pack makes it really shine. Read on past the jump to see if the Ridgid can stand up to some major demolition testing.

(more…)

As we wrap up glove week, we couldn’t help but include one pair of fingerless gloves: Milwaukee’s.  We suffered through our scary memories of 1980s fingerless driving gloves, reminding ourselves that these are work gloves — not something from 1983 that Eddie Murphy might wear — to bring you some quantitative test results.  Read on past the jump for our experiences and (of course) lots of photos. 

(more…)

Mac Tools’ M-PACT-2 heavy duty work gloves totally look like something Halo’s Master Chief would wear; they just bristles with extra hand “armor” and offer the coolest vibe of any glove we’ve seen this week.  But cool vibes don’t mean a thing if the gloves don’t perform.  Read on past the jump as we get busy with the M-PACTs and report back with our experiences and lots of photos.

(more…)

Our next contestant in glove week is Milwaukee’s Contractor glove. Unlike other tool-branded gloves, the Contractors don’t have any other logos adorning their stitch-work. It’s red and black all the way with these babies. Read on for the results as we run them through the Toolmonger “gauntlet.”

(more…)

It’s day two of glove week, and today we’re trying on Mac Tools’ Foose-branded work gloves.  One thing even the most casual observer will notice is that these gloves are stuffed full of logos.  Foose Designs, Mac Tools, and a little yellow tag on the edge seam that reads “Mechanix Wear” all fight for hand-space like NASCAR sponsors. 

We’d imagine that at least a few hardcore deals went down to bring these gloves to the public, but (as always) we ask only one question:  “Are they worth a crap in the shop?”  There’s only one way to find out, so we put ‘em to the test.  Read on past the jump for our experiences and lots of pics.

(more…)

Irwin’s InnerGrip work gloves are a bit different.  They look cool, but any Toolmonger will tell you that looking good and being good are two separate things entirely.  So we inagurated glove week by putting ‘em to the test, Toolmonger style.  Read on past the jump for our detailed hands-in experiences and lots of pictures.

(more…)

There’s so much stuff packed in Dremel’s XPR 400 kit that it’s like a micro-shop in a box.  Hell, calling this a “hands-on post” isn’t really fair — it’s more like four or five separate hands-on posts.  Dremel uses literally every last part of the included toolbox to hold a Dremel rotary tool, six attachments, and over 90 accessories and bits.

Read on past the jump for our hands-on experiences with this massive mess of Dremel tools.

(more…)

Everyone needs a basic set of mechanics tools to handle the miscellaneous home and auto issues that crop up.  And after you acquire the basics, you face about a thousand options that — to the average consumer — might or might not be handy around the garage. That’s why Husky’s 45-piece Stubby set piqued our interest: it’s cheap and looks like a well balanced set that’d augment a standard set nicely.

Read on past the jump for our hands-on experiences as we gave this stubby set a shot in the TM shop.

(more…)

Most Toolmongers know that I’m a total multi-tool hater.  Most of ‘em are designed primarily as a combination tool (that just happens to have a knife blade), and while that’s handy, I want a real knife.  That’s what the X-Tract claims to deliver: a multi-tool that’s primarily a knife, but offers some other functionality, too.

It’s really intended as an “outdoors and sports” knife, but we decided to see if the X-Tract could serve a more traditional working-shop role.  The results were surprising.  Read on past the jump for lots of photos and hands-on goodness.

(more…)

The words “hand me the Dremel” call to mind a compact rotary tool.  But after spending some quality time with Dremel’s 18″ Scroll Station, that’s not necessarily the case anymore.  The Scroll Station is a full-featured benchtop scroll saw with plenty of power.  Read on past the jump to find out about our experiences with it with lots of pictures to boot.

(more…)

I always thought of air nailers like exotic European sports cars: very cool, nice to look at, and totally out of my league.  Guess what?  I was wrong.  Some of Ridgid’s models — like the R2138NA 2-1/8” brad nailer — are quite affordable and simple to operate.  After spending some time with one, I can’t believe I didn’t buy one long ago.  Read on past the jump for my hands-on experiences.

(more…)

You need to know up front that the Irwin Quick Adjust ratcheting wrench isn’t a standard adjustable.  It’s a totally different tool intended for different use.  

Almost everyone who picked it up in the shop made fun of the fact that our test model is marked specifically for SAE.  ”Why mark it for SAE if it’s adjustable?” they ask, then laugh.  Why, indeed.  Read past the jump to find out, and to see why you might want one of these in your kit. 

(more…)

When we first laid hands on Stanley’s MaxLife Mini-TriPod, we thought that it was more show than go.  Common shop wisdom (read: old stereotypical views) state that if flashlights aren’t big enough to bludgeon a live cougar to death or aren’t forged from unobtainium, they aren’t going to last very long in the shop.

The “dollar store” vibe exuded by the Mini-Tripod’s clear plastic box doesn’t help, either.  But once we freed it from the packaging and actually beat the living crap out of it in the shop, we’re telling a different story altogether.  Read on past the jump to find out why.

(more…)