July 20, 2007
This is one of those tools that I only use for one very specific task—but I get compliments, admiring glances, and the occasional, "Hey, I gotta get me one of those" whenever I break it out.
So what is it?
Find out after the jump...
MoreJuly 19, 2007
The lyrical brilliance of this company's slogan—"Adda Black Adda to your ladder"—didn't fully strike me until I heard the silent R, as spoken by its Australian inventors. It rhymes, mate.
But the brilliance of the product speaks for itself—installed through the open rung of an aluminum or fiberglass ladder, the leg extends and the foot adjusts to create a stable platform on uneven terrain.
MoreJuly 19, 2007
I get annoyed pretty easily with those pitiful showerheads that claim to cut your water bill in half. Ultimately, you're just going to end up taking a shower that lasts twice as long, right? I like full-powered, soaking showers. My roommates, well, they prefer a shower that’s the equivalent of a gentle rain. Let’s just say we don’t see eye-to-eye on the issue.
But with American Standard’s FloWise three-function showerhead you can choose how much water to save. And that means I get my long, powerful shower while the roommates bask in their glorified mistings.
MoreJuly 18, 2007
I didn't expect my finish nailer to survive a 12-foot drop off a scaffold onto a bluestone patio.
I expected, instead, to hear the hiss of compressed air bleeding out of the housing. But all was quiet as I quickly climbed down, swooped in, and cradled my poor Bostitch, inspecting its new scratches.
MoreJuly 18, 2007
The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday on public auctions of confiscated tools—apparently several thousand airplane travelers every year approach security checkpoints with hammers, circular saws, nail guns, and such. The TSA takes the items and states sell them off at discounts even deeper than Tool King.
Your fellow travelers' loss could be your toolbox's gain—I just placed a $14 bid on a carry-on Leatherman.
MoreJuly 17, 2007
We're always warning you dear readers to don rubber gloves whenever you mess with polyurethane foam insulations and glues—and you can see how we ignore our own advice.
But look at my mitts! At most offices, these splotchy stains would be a dress code violation. Here, evidence of a weekend project is a badge of honor.
The only downside: my hand modeling days are over at least for a week, as I learned when I tried to serve my daughter an orange this morning.
MoreJuly 16, 2007
Forrest saw blades have topped the tool test charts for years. But considering the price of excellence, ($120 for a 10-inch, 40-tooth table saw blade; $150 for a 12-inch miter saw blade) I've sometimes—OK, most of the time—settled for less. Truth be told, I don't need a Cadillac-quality blade to cut boards for a compost bin, or plywood for some shop cabinets.
MoreJuly 16, 2007
I acknowledge that adjustable wrenches have a problem holding a firm setting, but I'm not convinced many wrench reinventions are any closer to solving it.
Take Irwin's new Quick Adjusting Wrench.
MoreJuly 13, 2007
We at This Old House are longtime advocates of aerating your lawn, but we've never emphasized the importance of doing it in style.
With the Mow-Aerator—a bracket studded with 1-inch spikes that wraps around the riding mower's back tires—you simultaneously cut the lawn, aerate the soil beneath, and frighten away any would-be raiders plotting an assault on Thunderdome.
July 13, 2007
These cooler-than James Dean-in-an-ice-storm architectural panels are made by Salt Lake City-based 3form—one of the greenest companies I’ve ever seen.
Not only does 3form use a polyester resin made from post-industrial recycled plastic to manufacture its colorful, multi-textured panels—which can be used for backsplashes, baseboards, cabinet fronts, you name it. No no. They go much further than that:
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