The Task Force jigsaw we have here in the shop died last week. We’d like to be upset about it, but we’re actually amazed it lasted this long. The Task Force cost us $19 brand new — and though it was never a looker, it did work for a little over a year.

When you break it down, our saw cost us a little over a dollar a month during its time here. We’d have liked it to hold on another year, but the non-stop action in the shop of hard knocks didn’t exactly prolong its service life.

In the end we’re left with this question: Is it better to pay up for a longer-lasting tool, or to take the disposable tool for all it’s worth and see what you get out of it? Looking back over the life of the saw this last year, we’re inclined to think we got our money’s worth out of it. What do you think? Is this a bad deal or a great way to get some work done cheap? Let us know in comments.

Task Force Orbital Action Jigsaw [Lowe’s]

Big box stores and credit cards are some necessary evils in life — well, my life anyway. This coupon, the result of a partnership between Visa and Lowe’s, saves you $10 on a purchase of $25 or more.  The catch: you have to use your Visa card to get the discount, and there are some exceptions, like products that are exempt from the deal. To get your coupon, just enter your name and email address on the link provided. The offer expires July 30th.

Life Takes Visa [Visa]
Lowe’s $10 Coupon [Lowe’s]

These sockets work where deep sockets just aren’t deep enough. Kobalt’s Thru-Ratchet sockets and ratchets are hollow down the center, so they can fit over any length of bolt.  In a lot of cases you could get the same performance out of your ratcheting wrenches, but this system allows you to get into deep recesses that would otherwise be inaccessible.

Thru-Ratchet sockets plug right in to the ratchet handle, instead of attaching to a square drive. Integrating into the handle reduces overall height by up to fifty percent over a standard ratchet and socket — which is good for areas with low clearance.

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A friend of mine had a leaky upstairs toilet, and he didn’t find the problem until it had caused $40,000 in damage to his home. The water destroyed flooring, sheet-rock, and some framing. Zircon’s Leak Alert electronic water detector could’ve saved my friend some grief — you simply place it near sinks, toilets, sump pumps, fish tanks, water heaters, or any other appliances that use water, and the Leak Alert does the rest.

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Lowe’s has placed the Gardner Bender Circuit Alert wire stripper on clearance. This little gem of a wire stripper packs an AC current detector in the handle. Its clearance price of $12 brings it down to the price range of more frugal Toolmongers such as myself.

Check out your local Lowe’s to see if you can snatch one up before they’re all gone.

Store Locater [Lowe’s]

If you or your children are interested in crafting small derby cars, head to Lowe’s on Tuesday for a free demonstration. After they show you how to make a derby car faster and more aerodynamic, your kids’ll get an attendance badge, and you’ll receive a coupon for 10% off Dremel products. See more details after the jump.

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If the new year finds you looking for Energy Star compliant appliances, Lowe’s is offering a 10 percent discount on “select” models and brands, i.e. last year’s models over $400. You get the discount at the register, so at least you don’t have to sweat cutting UPCs and mailing them to a P.O. box in China somewhere.

It’s not like they’re slashing prices to the bone here, but it would be handy if you have to go buy a dishwasher this weekend. You can get the offer from 1/17  to 1/21.

Energy Star Sale [Lowe’s]

As part of their end-of-the-year sale, Lowe’s is slashing 20% off the price on all Kobalt tool chests. With gas-spring supported lids, sturdy ball bearing slides, spacious load-bearing drawers, and a sharp finish, these chests store your tools in style. As a bonus, each well-constructed unit includes no-slip drawer liners and a dust cover.

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According to Lowe’s website today, they’re willing to give you a $10 “project starter coupon” if you’ll spend at least $50 in the store or online between now and Dec. 31st. As always, there’s a ton of small print, but hey — it’s pretty damn easy to spend $50 at Lowe’s. I spent $50 there on light bulbs the other day.

Spend $50/Get $10 Promo [Lowe’s]

Most cordless drills come with on-tool storage for one or two bits, but sometimes one or two bits just isn’t enough.  That’s why Kobalt created a weird-looking bit strap: to keep you working instead of climbing. Of course, unless this bit strap gets you coffee or cleans up after you, we suspect it won’t “change the way your work.” Read on past the jump for a massive picture, plus lots more information.

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I cherry-picked a few deals from a recent Lowe’s sales flyer (forgive the photo-chop), with prices valid until 12/24. To see the full details of the sale, head over to Lowes.com and check out the “Weekly Ads”. Or click on the link below, and be sure to select the flyer that says “12/17″.

Included in the sale are quite a few Toolmonger favorites and featured tools, such as Kobalt’s CO2 Regulator (don’t forget to pick up your free 9oz CO2 tank at the store), Black & Decker’s Workmate, and Skil’s Power Wrench.

Lowe’s Weekly Ads [Lowes]
Kobalt CO2 Regulator [Lowes]
Skil Cordless Power Wrench [Lowes]
4-Tool 49 Piece Air Tool Kit [Lowes]
B&D Workmate [Lowes]

Lowes is prolonging their Black Friday promotion of $10 for an Irwin 63 piece bit set. For this ridiculously low price you get 43 screwdriver bits, and 20 drill bits – 15 black oxide split points along with five spade bits.

From the looks of the above photo-chopped image taken from its product page, this may be a special Lowes-only bundle. Several Lowes stores in my area still have several dozen sets each, so there’s no need to rush to the store just yet.

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Self-professed cheap-asses, listen up! By joining Kobalt Garage before December 31,  2007, you’ll receive an email voucher for a free 6-in-1 screwdriver. Redeeming this voucher at your local Lowe’s also enters you in Kobalt’s Test Drive and Win Sweepstakes, the grand prize of which is $4,800 in Kobalt Tools and the opportunity to wave the green flag at the Kobalt Tools 500.

A word of warning: your local Lowes store may not know about the give away. Mine didn’t. I printed out my voucher, headed to my local store, and tried to redeem it. No employees knew about the contest and they were unable find the 55 screwdrivers their computers said were in stock. I finally found one hiding among the aluminum multi-bit screwdrivers and checked out after 45 minutes.

The screwdriver is a standard 6-in1- model with #1 and #2 Phillips, 3/16″ and 1/4″ hex drive, and two different sized slotted bits. The molded rubber handle feels better in your hand than the standard cheap plastic mutli-screwdriver.

If you don’t mind trading some personal information for a $4 tool and a chance to win some more tools, this deal is for you. Just be sure to get your screwdriver before your fellow cheap-asses run the local Lowes out of stock.

Join Kobalt Garage [Manufacturer]

My shop often felt like a Vegas casino — there’s lots of things going on there, there wasn’t a clock on the wall, and I tended to lose all track of time. But now my problem’s solved. I recently ran across a sweet garden clock that’s actually perfect for wood shop use. Why? It also displays temperature and humidity — important to anyone who’s ever applied stain.

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Lowe’s is currently offering Stanley’s 2-piece demolition driver set for a hair below $10. In case you don’t remember, these drivers can take a serious pounding. As part of the the set, you get a 5/16″ flat driver and a #2 Phillips driver — both massively overconstructed and ready for abuse. For reference purposes, street pricing on this set is about $15.

2-Piece Demo Driver Set [Stanley]
2-Piece Demo Driver Set [Lowe’s]

Ever had to stop a plumbing project because you broke a threaded nipple off inside a fitting? As often is the case, there’s a very specific tool designed to save your ass in this instance: for a few bucks you can snag an internal pipe wrench, which locks into the stub with an eccentric mechanism and backs it right out.

It saves not only the cost of a new fitting, but also the time and hassle of tearing everything apart. Street pricing hovers around $5.

Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s this?]

If you’re looking to buy a new cordless drill, now may be the time to do it. Lowe’s is currently offering a 10% discount on any in-stock cordless drill until 11/4/07. The promotion is available both in-store and online, and also includes some cordless screwdrivers — like Bosch’s kick-ass PS10, PS20, and PS40.