At a glance, a zero-offset ratcheting combination wrench (top) looks the same as a standard ratcheting wrench (bottom). But closer examination will reveal a one-way mechanism and a straight box end. These wrenches are still considered reversible — you just have to flip the tool to reverse the ratcheting direction.

What’s the appeal of this tool — the zero offset?  Sure, a perfectly straight wrench has its uses, especially in tight areas and when you have to hold the entire wrench flush against a surface. However, some people probably choose these wrenches because they’re cheaper than traditional reversible ones, or maybe they think the tool’s more durable due to fewer moving parts.

Let’s hear from you - do you find zero-offset wrenches appealing, or are they simply cheap alternatives to standard 15° offset wrenches?

Zero Offset Ratcheting Wrench [Gearwrench]
Standard Reversible Ratcheting Wrench [Gearwrench]

The Silverback magnetic glove is basically a fingerless glove with a big-ass magnet slapped on the back of it. We can see uses for this; it’s always cool to have a readily-available place to store a few metallic odds and ends.

One concern: if you’re doing automotive work, we could see that big-ass magnet pulling your hand towards every stray piece of steel in the engine bay — of which there’s a great deal nowadays. And that bulky magnet strapped to your fist might prove to be a tight fit — especially with  nuts and bolts along for the ride.

Of course, a different arena such as roofing might show the Silverback magnetic glove in a better light, though we don’t know many roofers who carry around fasteners anymore. But what do you think? Let us know in comments.

Street pricing starts at $7.

Magnetic Gloves [Silverback]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

I recently used Minwax’s “one-step” Polyshade finishing product on a project in the Toolmonger shop. Right off the bat I was excited about the fact that it creates a progressively darker color with each coat. I was also stoked about not having to add a polyurethane coat afterwards. After four coats — and more hassle than I ever expected — I came to the conclusion that it would have been faster to use oil-based stain, then poly it and even wax the sonofabitch afterward.

Polyshades advertises a one-step process that requires no extra products. What the label doesn’t tell you is that in order to get the color you’re looking for – in our case a deep red Bombay Mahogany – you need to use four coats of the stuff, which completely negates any time saved by skipping the poly/wax aftercoat. Also since Polyshades isn’t a straight stain or poly product, it has a very odd “sticky milk” consistency that’s harder to work with than either stain or poly individually.

Our question: do any of you Toolmongers out there have a different experience? Is this stuff actually as evil as it seems, or did we just not have our head on straight? Let us know in comments.

Polyshades [Minwax]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

Everyone loves a quality combo tool. But here’s a combination tool that I don’t quite understand: a multi-driver/saw blade holder. I can’t think of a job for which I’ve ever needed just a saw and a screwdriver without also requiring a box full of tools. Also, I’m not exactly how they get four (”Quad”) tools out of this device. I only recognize two: a multipurpose blade holder, and a multibit screwdriver.

I do like the fact that its handle locks into both straight and pistol grip positions. At one end of the handle there’s a quick-change locking chuck that holds standard recip saw blades, and there’s a magnetic bit holder. The cap at the other end holds seven insert bits inside the handle. All the blades, the magnetic bit holder, and the handle fit into the handy carrying case.

Lets tally the included pieces: three reciprocating saw blades (drywall, metal, wood), seven insert bits, a 1/4” socket adapter, a 4” magnetic insert bit holder, dual position locking handle, and travel holster with belt clip. That’s 14 pieces if you include the holster. All this can be yours for $17.

But is this multi-tool something you’d use, or is it just another poorly thought out marketing gimmick? Let us know in comments.

Quad Saw/Driver [Manufacturer]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What's this?]

If you’ve ever painted plastic, you know what a choir the prep work is. And rattle-canning plastic has always been a shaky proposition. Now Krylon — as well as companies like Rust-Oleum and Plasti-Kote — offer specialty products that claim to handle plastic surfaces with ease.

As you can imagine, we’re skeptical. Have you tried any of these specialty paints? And if so, do they work as advertised? Let us know your experiences — or anything you’ve heard about ‘em — in comments.

Krylon Fusion [Official Site]
Rust-Oleum Paint for Plastics [Official Site]
Plasti-Kote Plastic Bond Enamel [Official Site]
Street Price [Google Products]

A small workbench is where most projects in the home shop start. Even if you’ve built yourself a beautiful big bench, smaller foldable units like the Black and Decker Workmate are often extremely handy to have around. The problem with most of the old orange-and-black standbys is that they’re heavy and a pain in the ass to unfold and setup. The X Frame model Workmate from Black and Decker aims to ease some of that pain.

The X Frame is smaller and lighter than a standard workmate and boasts a 350 pound weight capacity — but that isn’t the good part. The X Frame opens like a TV tray for easy setup and tear down. We dig that.

The question, though: is the trade off of sturdy vs. light-and-easy really what you need in the shop? Let us know what you think in comments.

Street pricing starts at $30.

X Frame [Black and Decker]
Street pricing [Google Product Search]
Via Amazon [What's This?]

In the most recent email from Harbor Freight, they offer a coupon for $2 off stainless steel cable ties. Since I’m a big fan of cable ties, the stainless steel version really piqued my interest. I tie a lot of my outdoor garden projects together with cable ties, but I have noticed that over a few years they can become brittle. I’m wondering if the stainless steel version fairs any better.

These are Storehouse brand, so I wouldn’t expect the best performance, but I’m wondering in general has anybody used stainless steel cable ties? If so, for what purpose did you use ‘em? Let us know in comments.

Stainless Steel Cable Ties [Harbor Freight]

Everybody hates clamshell packaging, and with the holiday season fast approaching we’re going to see a lot of it shortly. Many companies market tools make opening this viscious packaging easier, but Zibra’s Open It! has me intrigued.

The Open it! is more diagonal cutter than scissors, delivering the leverage to cut through those nasty clamshell packages — and to snip strapping, too. Built in to one of its handles is a retractable utility knife for cutting boxes and slicing through DVD packaging. And for opening battery compartments and minor assembly, the other handle hides a built in screwdriver with interchangeable Phillips and slotted heads.

The Open It! sells for about $12 at Amazon, Target, Walgreens, and other stores, so it’s a tempting buy right now. But is this $12 tool the solution to my clamshell woes, or is this a piece of junk that belongs only in As Seen On TV store?

More specifically, have you tried one? And if it sucks, can you recommend a good one? Let us know in comments.

Open It! [Manufacturer]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What's this?]

Since I can remember, I’ve watched my father slice up Thanksgiving turkey with a long, sharp blade and serve the rest of the family like we lived in a Norman Rockwell painting. (We didn’t.) So when my dad took me aside this year and showed me his new tool for carving up the bird — and it had a cord – I was shocked.

Though I’m sure the electric meat carver is a perfectly good tool (for cutting automotive seat foam) I just can’t get over the negative idea of a small, humming recip saw at the Thanksgiving dinner table. Something about this corded blade wounds my sense of traditional holiday spirit even more than the thought of my brother eating all the cranberry sauce before I get any.

Then I think of how much faster that thing can rip off hunks of meat for us to wolf down (with stuffing and homemade rolls) and it’s a complete toss up. What do you think? Let us know in comments.

Electric Carving Knife [Cuisinart]
Street Pricing [Google Product Search]
Via Amazon [What's This?]

It’s easy to say that you make the world’s best universal oil filter wrench, but it’s pretty hard to prove — especially when the wrench looks like it has about as much chance at gripping your oil filter as a the crane in a claw game has of grabbing a stuffed animal.

But hey, it takes all kinds, right? It looks to me like tightening the nut on top turns gears inside to tighten the claws’ grip. I can see how it’d hold on to the filter, but would it grip the filter well enough to allow you to turn it — especially if some fool at the cheapie lube shop was showing off his muscles when he installed the last filter?

Has anybody tried this wrench? I found one online for $6, and I’m tempted to purchase one just to see how well it works. If it doesn’t, I’d still have a cool-looking conversation-starter tool.

Universal Oil Filter Wrench [Manufacturer]
Universal Oil Filter Wrench [Factory Power Tools]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What's this?]

In my book, dovetail joints are one of the marks that separate serious furniture makers from beginners. I’ve always viewed dovetails as something only for woodworking ninjas, but in the last few years I’ve seen dovetail jigs that claim to produce pro results in no time — without having to slay a unicorn to possess its sacred power.

Though often complex, the units I’ve seen — like this Rockler model — appear to offer a good template set and be accurate enough to make good quality joints without endless stopping and measuring.

But even though these jigs sound like a great idea, I’ve have yet to try one. How ’bout clueing a fellow (novice) woodworker in? Are dovetail jigs a direct spark of the divine or just a hassle? Let me know in comments.

Complete Dovetail Jig [Rockler]
Street Pricing [Google Product Search]

The ShopSmith Mark V 5-in-1 woodworking system has been around since the ’50s — and hasn’t changed much since then. Recently I had a chance to work with one, and the results were surprising. It’s obviously not built for pros, but it’s simple to use and can handle almost any basic function — like cutting, sanding, or turning — in a multitude of formats. I can’t fault it for being what it is: a good starting point for hobbyists who don’t have a great deal of space and want a shop.

They are a bit pricey, but this, too, is mitigated by their longevity. My dad, for example, has had his for almost 30 years, and it’s never broken once — even after helping us build countless projects with values far outweighing the $2,000 he shelled out for it back in the day.

So is the hardy shop-in-a-box method worth it for the home hobbyist, or is it just better to save up and buy what you need in pieces? Let us know what you think in comments.

Mark V [ShopSmith]
Street Pricing [Google Product Search]

LED lights have infected the general market like pod people, and every time you turn around in stores there’s another one waiting to snare you. But in the shop lighting arena LEDs still seem to be missing traction.

Though they come in all sorts of form factors — just like bulb lighting — the front-loaded buy in scares some new adopters — especially cheap-asses like me. Twice as much up front? I’m not sure I can swing that.

The question is: do the new LED shop lights have what it takes to light up your work area better than traditional halogen and incandescent bulbs? Let us know in comments.

Street Pricing [Google Product Search]

During our recent trip to Maker Faire in Austin we witnessed quite a few people wearing gloves in various applications – everything from fire protection to general work gloves. What we didn’t see the entire time were fingerless gloves. We still see them on the shelves, and folks like Milwaukee still think they are useful for something around the jobsite.

What do you think? Are finger-free gloves still around for a reason, or are they only good cyclists and winchers on sailboats? Let us know in comments.

Fingerless Work Gloves [Milwaukee]
Street Pricing [Google Product Search]

The debate is heated: to shell or not to shell. If you’re planning on carrying anything that might not easily withstand rain or moisture, a camper shell is pretty much a necessity. But at times they’re constricting, too; you’ll never move anything that sticks up higher than the cab.

What’s your take on this classic question? Is you’re truck equipped with a shell, or do you drive it au natural? Let us know in comments.

My memories of pushing a heavy-ass reel mower uphill (both ways) as a kid may have turned me off to these green human-powered lawn clippers, but I’ve been hearing good things about ‘em recently. I hear they’re better designed, lighter, and smoother-rolling than the rusty monster of my childhood. And many say they deliver a better cut, too, because the scissor-like action of the blades shears the grass, rather than crushing it like a gas mower.

Probably the best feature is the fact that they require little maintenance and no gas.  They’re also are so quiet that you’re a lot less likely to get dirty looks from your neighbors when you roll one of these babies out on a Saturday morning.

Of course, you’re probably not going to mow a 40-acre Montana ranch with one. But for a smaller lawn, what the hell?

What’s your opinion on this? Would you rather just jump on your Cub Cadet with cup holders, cruise control, and fine Corinthian Leather? Or are these the future? Let us know in comments.

Is a reel mower right for you? [ReelMowerGuide.com]
Environmentally Friendly Lawn Care Products [Clean Air Gardening]

Details about Craftsman’s new storage system, the AXS, were scarce when we introduced it to you almost 8 weeks ago as digital bling. But now that it’s officially released, the full specs are out — and the AXS storage units are making appearances at many Sears locations. I think that this storage system offers a number of cool features, but whether or not it has earned its description as the “cutting edge of tool storage” remains to be seen.

To refresh your memory, the 6-drawer chest comes with a 12V car-style adapter plug – which really can be handy at times. There’s also an LCD display on the chest which seems to provide radio controls, calendar information, and the temperature. Sears calls this display a multi-functional LCD digital information center, so hopefully it provides more information than can be found on a $15 travel clock radio.

The 7-drawer roll-away, on the other hand, is somewhat more appealing, with a load capacity of 1200 pounds, a slide-out lighted worksurface, and a 6-outlet 120V power strip.

Both the chest and roll-away come with 27″ wide self-closing ball-bearing drawers which can hold 75 pounds each. In addition, you get a Master Lock One-Key Locking System, which allows one to adjust the lock to accept the same key – or most standard house keys – for both chest and cabinet. Finally, you get the option to choose among many different color combinations and patterns, though some color schemes will drive up the price.

The AXS combo is on sale this week for a cool $1,000, or available separately for $430 (chest) and $570 (roll-away).

Personally, I think this storage system screams “gimmick”, and would rather get a lot more bang for my buck. But quite a few of you chimed in when we first posted about the AXS, and now that further details have been released and display models are available for firsthand evaluation, we’d love to hear your opinion in comments.

Craftsman ALX [Sears]
Press Release [Business Wire]