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.

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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. 

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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.

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In 1897 Karl Elsener created the Original Swiss Army knife in the small village of Ibach, Switzerland.  Ever since then, two things have remained true of Swiss Army knives: they’re red and they contain multiple blades.  The Pioneer is no exception to these rules, but it’s different than any other knife I’ve seen bearing the familiar silver cross — and it’s the only Swiss Army pattern I’ve ever carried daily. 

Even so, I haven’t carried a Swiss Army knife since I was a Boy Scout.  But this last week I was reunited with a childhood friend.  Read on past the jump for the rest of the story.

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The friendly folks at Stanley gave us a call to point out an issue with our review of their FatMax Xtreme auto trigger clamp.  Apparently it does work as a spreader.  Our bad.

With a little help from the guys at Stanley, we pulled harder on the end covers and while they seem fixed in place, they actually do come loose as you can see in this series of photos (continued after the jump).

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Over the last few years, Stanley has worked to funnel their tools into three categories: “Stanley-branded” tools, which offer a competent basic line of features; “Fat Max” tools, which include improved materials and/or features; and “Fat Max Xtreme” tools, which usually include one significant additional feature beyond the “Fat Max” line. 

So what’s the new clamp’s “significant additional feature?”  It one-ups the Fat Max’s quick-moving trigger system with a spring-loaded closure mechanism that snaps the clamp closed all at once with the touch of a button.

Read on past the jump for our hands-on experiences with the Fat Max Xtreme trigger clamp along with lots of pictures.

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Michael recently saw our post on the Mini Wood Lathe, decided he wanted to check it out, and ordered one.  When it arrived, he was kind enough to send his thoughts on his experience and snap a few pics for us, which we’d like to share with you.  Read on past the jump for his opinions and photos.

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Like you, we were skeptical about whether Dremel’s Multi-Vise — a tiny vise and clamping system designed to hold small projects — could command its $30 street price.  But after spending some time with one this week, we were pleasantly surprised.  It works well as a clamp, and read on to discover another feature that makes coughing up your hard-earned cash for it worthwhile. 

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A good tap and die set is an absolute must have for any serious Toolmonger.  They’re necessary for metalworking, but they’re also incredibly useful in more common situations as well — like, for exampel, cleaning out or straightening threads that (somehow) got mangled or making a bolt out of some loose stock when you don’t have the right size handy.

Because these are such simple tools, we haven’t really seen a lot of innovation in tap and die sets — until we came across GearWrench’s unique ratcheting T-handle.  It’s a great idea, and it’s packaged in a set that performed well in the Toolmonger shop.

Read on past the jump for our hands-on experiences and lots of pictures.

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When we first “previewed” Stanley’s FatMax Mobile Project Center – or the “MPC” as we like to call it – a number of you complained about the materials from which its made, speculating that it’s not sturdy enough for heavy use.  So, we contacted Stanley with a challenge: offer up one for us to beat on.

They accepted our challenge, and we gave it our best.  We used and abused the MPC for weeks in the Toolmonger shop, and we even broke out our water barrel testing rig to put 946.5 pounds of water on it — over 140% its rated capacity.

Read on for our the results along with our hands-on experiences and lots of pictures.

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So you’ve set up shop at home, but for some reason the home owners association won’t let you keep a tank of acetylene (next to a big tank of oxygen) big enough to turn the neighborhood into a crater.

This may be the one time the HOA is right, but don’t tell ‘em I said so.

What you really need is a plasma cutter.  Yeah, they’re a little expensive, but once you see what you can do with one, you’ll be ready to raid the kids’ college money.  We tried out Hobart’s entry level AirForce 250A, and we’d have a hard time without one now.  Thankfully, it’s part of our long-term test group, so you’ll see lots more about it in future posts.

Read past the jump to find out more about our experiences with the 250A along with lots of pictures.

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We’ve received a ton of email from folks asking, “Do you know of a decent starter air compressor that’ll run air tools?”  Our answer: yes, we do.  Here it is.

We spent eight weeks with Husky’s 26-Gallon compressor and the bevy of air tools that come with it — enough time to discover that it offers some serious value for its price and a great way to add air tool functionality to your home or small shop.  Read past the jump for our hands-on experiences and lots of pictures.

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As fans of the other two tools in Bosch’s still-relatively-new 10.8V line, we’ve been eagerly anticipating the release of the PS40 10.8V Litheon Impactor.  So as you might imagine, we were pretty excited when we received one of the first marketing samples of from Bosch.  After playing around with it a bit, though, we found ourselves in a quandary.  How could we show you the crazy-mad power this little sucker puts out? 

We decided the best way was to stack it up against a totally unfair opponent: Bosch’s classic 14.4V Impactor – the PS40’s ”older brother” that hangs out with the in-crowd and spends too much time at the gym.

Read on past the jump for the results of the showdown plus lots and lots of pictures and video.

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We’ll admit it: we’re always tempted to dismiss out-of-hand any drill that’s this pretty.  But when we tore into the new SC1400 lithium-ion drill from Black & Decker, we discovered it holds a few surprises for those willing to look more than skin deep.  For a drill that looks like it came from the shop where they built the cars for The Fast and the Furious, the SC1400 packs a wallop. 

Read on for our hands on experiences with this slick-looking drill.

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Have you ever wanted to feel like the Toolmonger version of James Bond, pulling out the perfect tool for the job — the job of cutting a lime at a cocktail party or opening the mail at the office?  If so, we’ve found the knife for you: Case’s bone damascus peanut.  It’s beautiful, it’s functional, it’s even a bit rare, and best of all: it’s affordable.

Read on past the jump for our hands-on experiences carrying the damascus peanut for a few weeks.

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When we first saw these a while back, we called them “screwdrivers designed to do all the things you’re not supposed to do with a screwdriver” — like hammering, prying, and generally destroying things.  We also knew that we needed to get our hands on a set to see if they’re really as sturdy as they look in pictures.

And what better way is there to test a demolition screwdriver than to break s#!% with it?  That’s exactly what we did.  The results: we hate to use the word “unbreakable,” but these are some tough-ass screwdrivers.  Read on past the jump for some serious first hand abuse and lots of pictures. 

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With four-wheel independent suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, and an optional Caterpillar 3-cylinder diesel engine, think of Cub Cadet’s latest 4×4 utility vehicle as the ultimate ranch runabout or hunting camp transport.  Of course, living in North Texas as we do, these vehicles are all the rage, so we thought we’d take a swing by our local dealer to have a look — and a drive — for ourselves.

Read on past the jump for our hands-on experiences as well as lots of great pictures.

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