I’ve wanted one of these ever since reading about them in Sean’s great post on new vs. old-school tools.  Yeah, they’re not as good as the new Stanley levels, but I have a new Stanley level.  I don’t have a #96.  But since I’m low on discretionary cash right now, I’m going to pass this find on to you.

Mr. Peabody (from somewhere in New England) currently lists the #96 picture above as:

“A 28″ long model with three laminations, never abused or altered, both vials original and functioning… Expected dings and scuffs from careful use and never retrofitted with a hang hole.  A nice one.”

Bidding’s currently at a very-low $10.50, but he just listed it.  There are six days left on the auction.  Good luck.

Nice Stanley #96 Rosewood Level [eBay]

Take a standard 10″ adjustable wrench and cross it with a set of locking pliers, and you’ve got Stanley’s new product: the MaxGrip locking adjustable wrench.  As you might imagine, the locking portion of the tool provides a bit of extra force to help keep the jaws attached to the fastener.

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Long-time TM reader and commenter Stuey wrote in with this killer Dealmonger find: “Stanley’s Mobile Project Center is $69 after applying the currently-available 25% coupon and after a $10 Stanley rebate — you pay $79 at time of purchase, still a good deal.  No tax, free shipping — what more could you ask for?”  You’ll need to apply the code “PTADADDY” at checkout to get the 25%. 

“What to do if you already have one?” Stuey asks?  “Order and send me one as a wedding present!”  Congrats on the happy day, Stuey, from your friends at TM and all your fellow Toolmongers.

Via Amazon [What's this?]
Hands-On: Stanley’s FatMax Mobile Project Center [Toolmonger]

A while back we wrote about these great (and cheap) 25-compartment organizers from Stanley, but TM reader Stuey dropped us a line to let us know that a) they’re available at Target again if you get the urge to snag one in a hurry, and b) the real deal right now is buying them four at a time using Amazon’s $10 rebate for purchases of $50 or more worth of Stanley products.

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Stanley now offers a ball pein hammer that incorporates the same technology they’ve spent so many years cramming into framing and woodworking hammers.  It’s about time: metal workers need their wrists and elbows when they’re old, too.

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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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Amazon is running a sale today on a pretty wide variety of Stanley tools, and they’re also offering $10 off any Stanley purchase of $50 or more.  Combine the two, and you can snag a pretty good deal.  The link below takes you directly to the list of Stanley sale items, and Amazon automatically applies the $10 discount at checkout.  Happy hunting!

Stanley Deals Via Amazon [What's this?]

Stanley’s new hi-vis tape line includes one significant new feature: its color.  Not only will this be easy to spot around the shop, you’re also likely to be the only guy on the jobsite carrying one like this, so you’ll know when someone walks off with it.  And if you drop it in the dirt, you’ll have a good chance of finding it.

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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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I can’t count how many times I have heard a tool guy say, “they don’t make them like this any more” while pointing to an old hand tool hung with reverence in the shop.  We talk with folks all the time who love to tell us how an old planer, level, or saw they have can cut (or measure) straighter than anything on the shelves today while simultaneously rescuing wounded dolphins from fishing nets and ending world hunger.  While that sounds great — and we love old tools as much as the next guy – it’s also largely incorrect.

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We’ve heard rumblings for a while now about new developments in marking chalk from Stanley, and this appears to be it: a new product that claims to “eliminate chalk clumping inside the chalk reel” and is also waterproof, avoiding fade and bleed in wet environments.

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Besides its thick, durable casing and slip-resistant TPR grip, this new marker from Stanley offers something we often need on the job site: the ability to mark on wet and oily surfaces.

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Today I found Stanley’s ever-popular TR-150 for $17 from Amazon and $16.53 at Hardware World. Which to patronize? I chose Amazon — but only because I bought a book there and qualified for free shipping. The TR-150 features an anti-jam mechanism, easy-slide staple loading, and lightweight aluminum construction. And because its yellow, it’s pretty hard to lose.

Stanley TR-150 [Stanley]
Via Amazon [What's this?]
Stanley TR-150 [Hardware World]
Street Pricing [Google's Product Search]

Douglas writes: “The Stanley multi-saw is nice to have in the tool box for quick and rough cuts.  It takes any standard hacksaw or reciprocating saw blade and has a nice, large rubber grip that fills the hand.”

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Michael writes: “The only time I’ve ever had to go to an emergency room was when I was cutting paper with a mat knife and a straightedge.  It was late at night and I didn’t notice that my finger was just past the edge of the straightedge until I’d sliced off a piece of skin.  After that I was terrified of using a mat knife and a straightedge until I found the Stanley MaxStick.  On the surface, this looks like a typical ruler/straightedge.  What’s hard to see from pictures is that the cross section is a “T” – there’s a large rib on the top surface.  You hold on one side, the knife goes on the other side.”

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You’ve probably seen the cable guy with a bag like this to carry his wire cutters, punch downs, and crimp tools.  It’s called a “technician’s bag,” but it’s great for home use, too: load one up with slotted and Phillips screwdrivers, pliers, a measuring tape, a small hammer — you get the idea — and you’ve got the perfect kit for fixing stuff around the house.

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Our friends over at This Old House clued us in to a gallery full of awesome old tools that we somehow missed on the first go-round.  Thankfully it’s still available in their archive.

Our favorite: an 1872 “Miller’s Improved Joiner Plow Plane” (pictured) which was “manufacturerd by the Stanley Rule and Level Co. of New Britain, Connecticut, now known as StanleyWorks.”  Talk about reason enough to hang on to your old “sentimental value” tools: TOH says this sold for $8 originally, but ”fetched  $18,150 at auction in 2005.”

Wow.

Old Tool Gallery [This Old House]