Remember old-school Toolmonger that was all young, dumb and full of… vigor? So do we. Check out what we were discussing a year ago this week:

• This time last year we gave away an Imperial crap-ton of RIDGID Fuego compact framing saws. One’s still floating around the TM shop, and we still like it.
• We wrote about one of our first reader-found homemade tools, a welded-up wrench designed to help remove the 22mm banjo bolt on the BMW M5’s power steering hose.
• A reader wrote in to tell us of his great experience with Redwing boots. Apparently they’re still popular among the Toolmonger crowd.
• If you’re as sick of rusty shirts as we are, you might check out Duluth Trading’s shop apron.
• Surprise! Readers recommended the mechanic-dreaded fix-all J-B Weld. Despite the negativity you’ll hear about this product — mostly caused by massive misuse — it’s still quite useful and something you should keep in the shop.
• Need to cut a smooth hole in sheet metal? You need a Rotabroach.
• Some poor guy tried to eBay his Plow Cycle.
• Though pooh-poohed by most hard core toolies, low-buck battery boosters can still save your ass in wintertime.
• Our friend Phillip Torrone over at MAKE posted a link last year about this time to a crazy-ass method of re-conditioning NiCd batteries with a freakin’ welder. Seriously — attempt this at your own risk. Or better yet, don’t.
• If you’re looking for a last-minute low-budget Chrismas gift, check out these solid aluminum scales. Sure, they probably won’t see much use. But they’re cool as hell.
• For those of you with questionable performance mods and $3,000 burning a hole in your pocket, we posted regarding Snap-on’s portable 5-gas analyzer kit, which provides instant DIY emissions testing.
• We want a home auto lift for Christmas this year just as bad as last. Alas, our desire will again go un-met.

Of course, you don’t have to wait for us to call out these great old posts. Try plugging your areas of interest into TM’s search engine to turn up hours of old-school TM fun. See you next week.

Remember old-school Toolmonger that was all young, dumb and full of… vigor? So do we. Check out what we were discussing a year ago this week:

• We touted GearWrench’s cushion-grip ratchets, released at least year’s SEMA show. TM readers still seem to be split in their love of cushioned grips. 
• We previewed Bosch’s 36V drill/driver, a monster that we’ve had in long-term test for a year now. Look for a massive not-to-be-missed hands-on soon. A preview of the hands-on: this is a bad-ass drill that’ll take one hell of a beating. Ours has blood on it. Really.
• Audra reviewed W.R. Case & Sons’ self-published corporate biography, which she found interesting, but lacking in detail on knives, focusing more on the corporate elite.
• We saw pix of Eli with his Toolmonger-won Ridgid tools. Damn, we need to do another giveaway soon, don’t we?
• We posted about Stanley’s FatMax Xtreme 16′ short tape, which we still love. In fact, I’m using a thirty-footer right now.
• Looking for a nice stand for your T-handled hex/Torx wrenches? Snap-on makes one, and it’s actually pretty reasonably priced.
• I still want a Miller Passport — a suitcase-sized MIG welder. How cool is that?
• And we carried Case’s Red CV pocket knives for a month and reported our findings. In short: they’re nice knives.

Of course, you don’t have to wait for us to call out these great old posts. Try plugging your areas of interest into TM’s search engine to turn up hours of old-school TM fun. See you next week.

Remember old-school Toolmonger that was all young, dumb and full of… vigor? So do we. Check out what we were discussing a year ago this week:

• We previewed GearWrench’s Double-X pliers, though we have yet to try ’em out in person. Have you? 
• I hate how car dealers add crappy pinstriping just so they can (try and fail to) upcharge for it — leaving the new buyer stuck with the stripes. If you hate ’em as bad as I do, you might give this decal removal wheel a try.
• Sean found a sweet snow thrower cab that keeps you from getting covered with freezing snow every time you break out the walk-behind to clear the driveway. Thankfully we don’t need these down South.
• If you’re planning on trying your hand at pinstriping — the real kind, not the crappy dealer upcharge stripes — you’ll need a brush set.
• Everybody needs a collection of pointy sticks.
• We laid hands on MAC Tools’ Foose Special Edition tool and box set, and pronounced it cool. Yes, it’s made overseas. No, it doesn’t cost $3,000. Yes, it makes a kick-ass Christmas present. (And yes, you can lambast us some more in comments about the fact that it’s foreign made. We like it anyway, and we have dragon hide. Flame away.)
• We posted a hero shot of GearWrench’s then-new screwdrivers. Yep, we’re tool geeks.
• We also posted an article about what we should’ve used to protect ourselves against spoiled-fuel fumes when we removed the gas tank from an old bike, but as readers confirmed, we missed the mark. We followed up with a better solution.
• And we re-installed the engine in our Project Yukon.

Of course, you don’t have to wait for us to call out these great old posts. Try plugging your areas of interest into TM’s search engine to turn up hours of old-school TM fun. See you next week.

Remember old-school Toolmonger that was all young, dumb and full of… vigor? So do we. Check out what we were discussing a year ago this week:

• We did a round-up of fun Halloween Projects from MAKE. Guess what? Most of these projects would kick-ass this year, too.
• Sean ran across some universal-joints designed for impact tools — great for those hard-to-reach-and-stuck-on-like-hell bolts.
• Husky loaned us one of their portable AC/DC power supplies to check out, and the results were pretty positive.
• Need to drill a hole in tile, porcelain, or even glass? You need a diamond grit core bit, like these from Hitachi. (Bonus: you can tell your friends “I have a diamond grit core bit.” Rock.)
• If you plan on soldering on-the-go, we still hear good things about Weller’s Portasol line a year later.
• We asked TM reader what they thought of Harbor Freight. Guess what? They love/hate it! Check out the comments, and don’t be afraid to add your own. This post is still popular in search engines.
• Though the manufacturer never made good on their promise to let Sean play with test drive one of these, we still think it’s cool.
• Even if you don’t like these Uvex “Strategy” safety goggles for shop use — I do! — these would make a sweet addition to your mad-scientist costume this year. (Is Uvex becoming the D&G of safety equipment? Damn, all their gear seems to look hot.)

Of course, you don’t have to wait for us to call out these great old posts. Try plugging your areas of interest into TM’s search engine to turn up hours of old-school TM fun. See you next week.

Remember old-school Toolmonger that was all young, dumb and full of… vigor? So do we. Check out what we were discussing a year ago this week:

• We got our mitts on an early version of Stanley’s then-new FatMax trigger clamps, and pronounced ’em good. We still use this one in the shop. 
• Tired of hacking at cable casings with your nice pocket knife? Use the right tool for the job: a hacking knife.
• We first saw Dremel’s EZ-Lock system about this time last year. Now it’s a fixture in our Dremel rigs.
• For years contractors working in remote areas have known about Ramset’s gas-powered nailers. But we didn’t discover ’em until a year ago.
• Any post that leads off with “Listen up all you Little House on the Prarie freaks” is worth a read in my humble opinion.
• It’s a year later and Eastmen Industries still hasn’t brought the hovermower to US shelves. What the hell’s wrong with them? You know we’d all buy one — even if it doesn’t work worth a damn. I mean, c’mon! It’s a freakin’ hovermower.
• Save your thumb. Really. Though you could probably save your wallet by making one of these yourself.
• And lastly, let’s hope the ‘Depot puts grills on sale again this year. Mine’s getting a little worse for wear.

Of course, you don’t have to wait for us to call out these great old posts. Try plugging your areas of interest into TM’s search engine to turn up hours of old-school TM fun. See you next week.

Remember old-school Toolmonger that was all young, dumb and full of… vigor? So do we. Check out what we were discussing a year ago this week:

• We wrote about Dremel’s cordless pumpkin carving kit, a cool (and cheap) addition to the upcoming Boo-day fun.
• We also noticed Ryobi’s radio for the One+ kit. Man, that One+ line has everything.
• Kreg’s “universal bench clamp” still looks like a cool solution if you’re willing to mod your bench.
• We gushed about the only Snap-on tool I can afford. (PS: I’ll send a pair of gloves to the first person — who doesn’t write for TM — who guesses correctly in comments which project I bought it for.)
• Crafting on the go? We found a cool butane-powered hot glue gun.
• And after testing GearWrench’s serpantine belt tool we pronounced it freakin’ awesome. I still wonder how we lived without one.

Of course, you don’t have to wait for us to call out these great old posts. Try plugging your areas of interest into TM’s search engine to turn up hours of old-school TM fun. See you next week.

Remember old-school Toolmonger that was all young, dumb and full of… vigor? So do we. Check out what we were discussing a year ago this week:

• A friend of ours owned up to once conceiving the brilliant idea of cleaning his pilot-light-equipped cooktop with WD-40. Doh!
• We suggested that you buy an ice scraper for your car now instead of waiting ’till the first freeze hits and you suffer the wrath of Ace Hardware’s patented old guys when you stop in to get one of their specially-marked-up (and sold-out) specials. And for the record, credit cards are for buying an ice scraper, not using as one.
• We showed you how to install standard-style rear-exit handles in your GM truck. They’re way better than the near-the-corner factory models, and it’s not that difficult an install.
• I pined over my dad’s Troy-Bilt Horse. Guess what? I have it now, and I live on a postage stamp-sized lot. Live in Texas and wanna buy it? Contact me.
• And we laid hands on GearWrench’s XL Pass-Thru ratchet set, which quickly became one of our favorites. It still is. We just can’t put it away.

Of course, you don’t have to wait for us to call out these great old posts. Try plugging your areas of interest into TM’s search engine to turn up hours of old-school TM fun. See you next week.

Remember old-school Toolmonger that was all young, dumb and full of… vigor? So do we. Check out what we were discussing a year ago this week:

• I shared a great story about wrecking my dad’s Camaro, leading up to telling readers how this inflatable dent remover might have saved my teenage life.
• We dropped an anvil on Sean’s foot.
• We put 946-and-a-half pounds on Husky’s X-Workhorse portable work stand, but couldn’t manage to break it. (Check out the great picture of Sean standing by our handiwork.)
• A reader tipped us off to the Swench manual impact wrench, some models of which can deliver over 1,000 ft-lbs of torque. He used it on a nuclear aircraft carrier, so it should fit right in around your garage.
• Shuttle astronauts broke an “articulating socket” while installing a new 17-1/2 ton solar panel on the International Space Station, and we felt their pain. The closest Home Depot was at least 150 miles below. NASA kindly sent over some photos of their killer tool box.
• Reader PeterP wrote in to show us himself hamming it up with the V18 combo kit he won right here on Toolmonger.
• We loved GearWrench’s then-new X-Beam wrenches. They’re still a favorite.
• I dished on why you should own a set of good files.
• And we tried out Hobart’s awesome welding gloves. They’re absolutely sweet, and, um, Hobart? We promise we’ll get ’em back to you sometime. Maybe.

Of course, you don’t have to wait for us to call out these great old posts. Try plugging your areas of interest into TM’s search engine to turn up hours of old-school TM fun. See you next week.

Remember old-school Toolmonger that was all young, dumb and full of… vigor?  So do we.  Check out what we were discussing a year ago this week: 

• We ran across Bosch’s “Dimpler,” a drywall screw setter that attaches to pretty much any power driver, leaving screws at their perfect depth every time.
• We posted an early “Doh!” in which a reader tells us he ran over his dog with a belt sander.  Thankfully, the dog was OK — but doesn’t hang around the shop any more.  Maybe we should bring back “Doh!” posts; if you have any funny shop stories, drop us a line.  We’ll change the names to protect the foolish — we promise.
• We showed you how to build a dart board surround to save your wall/apartment deposit/marriage.  Sean’s step-by-step instructions with lots of pictures make this a cheap and easy solution.
• Festool’s odd-shaped, yet popular C12 cordless drill caught our attention.  Maybe we’ll be able to actually try one out now that Rockler’s carrying Festool.
• Readers cracked on our recommendation to use soaker hoses to prevent foundation cracks in dry weather, but having seen the results personally here in Texas, we stand by the tip.
• Everyone loved USAG’s uber-rolling-cabinet, though we’ve yet to see it offered for a reasonable price in the US a year later.
• We drooled on Snap-on’s adjustable crowfoot wrenches — exactly the kind of specialty tool for which even hobbyists would trek to the truck.
• Starting the Christmas season early, we mentioned a tree stand based on locking pliers.
• And we touted a great way to fix damaged radiator fins: a fin straightener.

Of course, you don’t have to wait for us to call out these great old posts.  Try plugging your areas of interest into TM’s search engine to turn up hours of old-school TM fun.  See you next week.