This good little $4 shopping cart filler can lift you over the magic $25 mark at Amazon. The set includes a plastic case with seven Stanley drill bits, coated in black oxide to prevent rust, in sizes 1/16″, 5/64″, 3/32″, 7/64″, 1/8″, 5/32″, and 3/16″.
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon
The other day at my local hardware store, I ran across a Stanley tool I’d never seen before — the Stanley MaxDrive 15-piece Locking-Flex Ratchet System. Apparently Stanley released this tool in April 2006, but we’ve yet to cover it on Toolmonger.
With interchangeable heads you can convert the MaxDrive from a socket driver to a bit driver and back again as easily as changing sockets on a ratchet. The flexible head swings 180° and can be locked into 15 different positions. For about $25, the system comes with the flexible-head handle, a 3/8″ socket driver head, a 1/4″ bit driver head, and 12 driver bits.
The flexible head can reach places other ratchets and bit drivers can’t touch, and you can get a lot of torque on a screw by turning the driver head 90°. So, is this the next gotta-have tool? Or would you rather carry a separate bit driver and flexible head ratchet in your toolbox? Let us know in the comments.
MaxDrive [Stanley]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon
When we sat down with the guys from Stanley, we noticed the adjustable sawhorse holding up a few tables. The coolest thing about it was that each leg was on a different plane. You can adjust the horse for uneven terrain, with up to eight inches difference between the lowest and the highest foot.
They look pretty sturdy as plastic sawhorses go. They’re sneaky, though — they don’t seem very special, until you notice they’re balancing heavy loads on uneven ground and are still as stable as a workbench. We haven’t got our hands on ‘em in the shop yet, but we look forward to testing ‘em out.
Street pricing starts at $50.
Adjustable Sawhorse [Stanley Tools]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
During our time with Stanley today we found out they’ve added a small, 12’, high-visibility tape to their lineup. We were actually pretty stoked to see it — our choices of quality tiny tapes in the 12-foot range were pretty slim.
Picking it up, it was clear that Stanley had a good day in the design room when this was being drawn up. It’s super comfortable, super small, and super easy on the wallet at around $2.50. All the guys who would rather not lug around a boat anchor will soon be able to jump on this at the local big box.
Stanley Hand Tools [Stanley]
We spent some time with the Stanley crew today in Dallas, and ran across this interesting new flashlight destined to land on shelves later this spring: a rechargeable tripod light. It’s a little larger than Stanley’s standard tripod shop lights — and a lot larger than the mini-tripod light — and features built-in NiMH batteries to save you cash normally spent on AAs.
With all the tools posted on Toolmonger, you’re gonna need somewhere to put ‘em all. Stanley recently added this 4-in-1 Mobile Work Station to their FatMax line, and Amazon is selling it for $80, with free shipping. The cantilever multi-level rolling cart gives you access to all of the storage areas — a toolbox, part bins, portable tray, and a larger oversized bin on the bottom — at the same time.
The handle telescopes for added maneuverability, and a single locking latch secures the entire cart. Stanley offers a limited lifetime warranty.
FatMax 4-in-1 Mobile Work Station [Stanley Tools]
Via Amazon (B000V29B7K) [What’s This?]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Levels have come a long way in the last hundred years, and Stanley has been there for the entire ride, making a good product the whole way. One of their latest, the Fatmax Xtreme level features bigger vials and aluminum construction. We admitted to being pretty big fans when it came out, and we still are.
We’ve used ours not only as a straightedge for scribing a line and truing up a surface, but we also clamp it down and use it as a guide fence when crosscutting sheets of plywood. We’ve put it through all manner of abuse, and it still looks like new — not bad for a $50 off-the-shelf piece of gear.
Our Fatmax Extreme level performed so well in the shop, we requested them for our birthday presents last year. Light, comfortable, and easy to read, they display all the hallmarks of a good level as far as we’re concerned. They’re gorgeous to look at as well — chrome and silver is never a bad combo in our book.
48″ Fatmax Xtreme Level [Stanley]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Stanley’s Mobile Work Station adds a few features to the increasingly common two-wheeled toolbox. You don’t unstack this work station like other rolling toolboxes — this one slides out on ball-bearing glides to reveal four different storage solutions: a portable tote, a toolbox, parts storage, and a large bin for heavy items.
When all the levels are stowed, you can use the top as a work surface. And when you’re ready to move on, the handle telescopes out to make it easier to roll away on its seven inch wheels.
Stanley built its economical and compact 4-in-1 pocket driver for both precision and general-purpose applications. The precision tips on one of the magnetic double-ended bits will fit the small fasteners found on eyeglasses, toys, battery compartments, and other such devices. You can use the larger, more commonly used tips on the other bit for on-the-go tasks or quick jobs around the house.
The pocket driver’s handle, textured with contrasting materials, provides a comfortable non-slip grip. With a street price of $3, it wouldn’t hurt to buy several pocket drivers, one each for your home, vehicle, and workplace.
FatMax Pocket Driver [Stanley]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
We’re students of the old school when it comes to workbench design, so when we first saw Stanley’s Mobile Project Center we didn’t want to like it. We figured that a metal and plastic bench that stands high instead of wide wouldn’t last a week in the shop. We were wrong. Read on past the jump to find out why it’s one of our 2007 favorite tools.
All of us here at Toolmonger dig Stanley’s Fubar line of demolition hammers. You can imagine my glee when browsing Target’s clearance end cap I found a model 55-119 Functional Utility Bar (or Fubar) on clearance for $15 — that’s half off its usual retail price of $30!
Stanley says this new flooring saw is perfect for cutting dovetails, miters, and tenons — the bread and butter of custom flooring installation. Having never really done any myself, I can’t speak to the saw’s functionality. But I do like the idea of the angled handle.
While 40′ probably doesn’t sound “short” to you (or me!), most framers call any self-wind tape like this one a “short tape” — distinguishing it from the soft, hand-cranked types that extend 100′ or more. In the past, short tapes have been 25′ long, or maybe 30′ for some of the newer ones. But with taller-peaked roofs becoming ever more popular in today’s McMansions, some runs now exceed 30′. That’s why Stanley’s now offering a whopping 40-footer.
Looking for an easy “starter set” gift for relatives who’re just starting to get their hands dirty? Stanley’s making it easy by combining their products into quite functional tool kits. Pictured above, for example, is their FatMax Xtreme kit, which includes a 25′ tape, a marker, a utility knife, a rip claw hammer, a box beam level, a chalk box, a FuBar, a demolition driver set, and an auto trigger clamp — all in a handy open-mouth tool bag — for $250. Other sets range lower and higher in price.
Cheap-ass Dealmongers, start your engines! Our friend Mike from ReadyMade sent in this “Bargin of the Month” promotion from True Value Hardware. If you’re willing to suffer through a mail-in rebate — and they don’t run out of stock — you can snag the following tools for free:
These promotions are available in-store only so the cost to you is your time and a stamp — and some serious patience.
Bargin of the Month [True Value]
25-Foot LeverLock Tape Measure [Stanley]
ProTouch Utility Knife [Irwin]
77-Piece Drill and Screwdriver Accessory set [Black & Decker]
Repositionable vises are great additions to any shop as you can temporarily attach them to nonconventional work surfaces such as mobile project centers and dinner tables. But while adjustable vises like the Dremel Multi-Vise are great for precision work, they’re too fragile for anything but light-duty tasks. On the other hand, cast iron vises are constructed to endure massive abuse, but are not adjustable enough for precision tasks.
With the MaxSteel Multi-Angle Vise, Stanley combines the two, offering both flexibility and durability. They claim the MaxSteel vise can handle all materials delicately, from heavy steel bars, to soft precise wooden model components.
Did you know that Stanley makes FatMax 10″ Groove Joint PushLock pliers? Despite their resemblence to Irwin’s GrooveLock pliers, these FatMax pliers incorporate a few features that may be enough reason to add a pair to your collection.
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