Once I saw this monster I quickly realized the race for the largest rolling tool chest had been won years ago by Craftsman. Near as we can figure, that is a three-piece, twelve-foot, rolling mechanic’s chest.

This image was taken at the Sears headquarters in Hoffman Estates, IL. The chest itself was, of course, just an advertising prop, but we still tip our hats to them for coming up with the idea and wonder who managed to walk off with it when they were done with it.

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Yes, ladies and gents, this is a preview of the upcoming Craftsman C3 cordless chainsaw — they’ll add it to the existing C3 line in late July.  Craftsman recently released this information to Sears associates only, and just as of today it’s cleared for public consumption. On with the show! (more…)

A couple days ago Benjamen previewed the upcoming Tow-N-Stow trailer. However, the $2,500 price tag and the odd choice of pairing it with a stationary storage unit got some lukewarm responses from Toolmongers. In light of that, I’d like to see what y’all think of this new fold-up utility trailer from Craftsman.

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In a struggling economy retailers come up with creative ways to move more products, even if it means cutting their profit margins.  You’ll see Sears’ latest marketing effort in the main aisles of their tool department — Craftsman Value display boxes, containing special versions of their best-selling products: tool bags, utility knives, tape measures, levels, and socket sets, to name a few.

The tool sets in the Value boxes come packaged with extra items, for the same price as the standard sets found elsewhere in the store. The 48″ level includes a free 10″ torpedo level;  the 16″ tool bag includes a free 12″ tool bag;  and the 18pc. socket set includes a free 4pc. wrench set.

These prices may not be the best you’ll ever find, but if you need a new socket set or a couple of tool bags, or you’re looking for some nice gifts for Father’s Day, take a look at the in-aisle displays at your local Sears for a pretty decent deal.  All items are available as long as quantities last locally, and no two stores will have the same selection.  Approximately 37 different value boxes have shipped out, and they’ll be replenished randomly over the next six months, so you’ll find a wide selection to choose from.

Sears [Corporate Site]

I really hate cleaning out my hot tub.  Here in Florida, even if you overdose your tub with chemicals, you’re bound to see algae and scale buildup when you get close to the six-month cleaning.  I especially hate trying to remove that 10-15 gallons at the bottom, below the drain pipe. Today, instead of my classic method of bucket removal and swearing, I broke out my Craftsman two-gallon portable wet/dry vac.

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These days, a lot of manufacturers and retailers are trying to appeal to the eco-conscious consumer by selling products that make a minimal impact on the environment — it also doesn’t hurt if they save you some money. The new propane-powered string trimmer from LEHR promises to do both.

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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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For some time now Sears has marketed their top-of-the-line hand tools under the name Craftsman Professional, attempting to set them apart from and above the standard Craftsman line.  Now, that distinct black and marigold color scheme has found its way to their lawn and garden department as well, on an assortment of commercial-grade powered lawn equipment.

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Next week Craftsman is set to release its newest addition to the existing 12V Nextec line:  the Multi-Tool.  If the shape seems a little familiar, it should — except for a few slight differences in the casing, it looks very similar to the Bosch PS50-2B multi-saw.

Craftsman designed the Multi-Tool for cutting, sanding, scraping, and grinding, all by means of the 15,000 OPM drive.  The unit comes with six attachments, a sampling of cutters and scrapers that Craftsman says will tackle anything from drywall to masonry.

Like the rest of the Nextec line, the Multi-Tool features an LED work light and a 30-minute quick-charger. The Multi-Tool will also run about $100 with the charger and bag included, which is less than half the price of the PS50-2B.

Nextec 12V Multi-Tool [Craftsman]

Here’s another one of those “why didn’t I think of that” tools:  a garage door opener that works even when the power goes out. Normally in that situation you’d have to pull the emergency release and open the door manually, and I can’t see my wife working too well with that option — with her luck she’d have the door on her foot in seconds.

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My cold drinks always get hot in the shop.  Sometimes I carry a small lunchbox with a freezer pack out there, but I usually forget about it and end up leaving it out in the garage for a few days.  For Toolmongers who don’t keep a mini fridge, or the “old” fridge, out in the shop, Craftsman makes this Retro Design Cooler — it looks cool and it keeps your drinks cool, too!

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My quest for a dado blade began on eBay where, after numerous searches, I picked up an older 7″ adjustable dado with carbide blades. The first time I used it I discovered that my contractor saws won’t hold most blades — the shaft diameter was right, but there weren’t enough threads to hold the blade on.  So I did some additional research, found out that I’d need to use a smaller blade, and ended up with the Craftsman 6″ Stacked Dado Blade.

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Routers are versatile — they can mill, do moulding, create dados, dovetails, mortises, and much more — but full-size routers, especially models over 1-1/2 or 2 HP, can be intimidating and hard to keep level when cutting narrow material like the side of a board. The smaller “palm” routers started coming out a few years ago, and now Craftsman has gotten into that game with their Professional Fixed-Base Palm Router.

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Craftsman’s LocBoard Tool Cart consists of two LocBoards, pegboard-like units that connect at the top, and a bottom “shelf” — the whole unit can hold 850 pounds.  While it would look really cool to fill up both sides of this cart with hand tools or specialty tools, I’m not sure if it’s practical for my shop.

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I caught this 3-pc. Locking Flex Pry Bar Set in the new Craftsman catalog — it looks like the classic pry-bar design, but Craftsman put a spin on it:  a pivoting head.

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Usually when I work under the hood, I keep the tools that I’ll need in the next hour or two on the body seams or on the coolant and windshield washer tank — and these tools often fall off or just end up missing.  This new portable automotive service tray from Craftsman reminds me of a TV tray for mechanics, but it’ll keep tools and small parts at your fingertips, not down in the engine.

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While browsing through the local Sears, I caught a glimpse of the new 2009-2010 Craftsman tool catalog.  Well, I did more than glimpse — I snagged a couple of copies for myself. I’ve been getting these since the mid 1980’s, and I still have most of ‘em stored away.  If I could have back all the time I’ve spent looking at those books, it’d probably add another year or two onto my life.

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