These Israeli and Czech gas masks have always sold well as novelty items, but sales have been through the roof recently. So what can you actually use them for?

One thought is that people were buying them up to use as part of their Halloween costumes. There’s a also been a surge of people buying them as part of zombie-defense kits, which falls in with other novelty uses. We have also seen them as props in a few indie and amateur films.

After watching the news recently and seeing a few photos about what’s going on in California and New York, it appears that scores of Occupy Wall Street protesters are snatching these up to shield themselves against tear gas deployed by police.

We have also heard of some people buying these for paint and particle protection. Although these masks technically can be used for such purposes, we’re inclined to recommend 3M, AO Safety, and other brands’ respirators for such applications.

If you have ever bought one of these, what do you use it for? What would you use it for?

Buy Now(Israeli Gas Mask via Amazon)
Buy Now(Czech Gas Mask via Amazon)

Are you my mummy? (huh?)

Craftsman’s search for a clueless non-handyman (or handywoman) is nearing and end, and I have to say, I’m really excited to see how it all turns out. The chosen beginner will be put through a 10-week process that involves a series of DIY tasks as well as “tool and survival challenges”, with the goal of turning them into the ultimate handyman.

Here’s a string of interview video snippets, which is pretty amusing. Our vote goes for Kora, whose interview/audition video is also embedded below.

Screw’D will be an interactive show, with viewers being given the opportunity to guide and help the chosen tool-clueless person along the way.

More information via Craftsman’s YouTube page.

Sugru is a quick-curing silicone-like putty that is self-adhesive, waterproof, flexible, and somewhat heat and cold resistance. It’s a fantastic move in the right direction!

Since the putty was first announced, the growing company’s inventor has placed a lot of emphasis on how Sugru can be used to hack, improve, repair, or personalize your stuff. Initial batches sold off very quickly, and production has been ramped up to meet growing demand.

Recently Sugru opened up a USA-based distribution center for speedier and cheaper dispatch.

Sugru costs $18 for 12pc minipacks, with $2.37 shipping. Smaller 6pc single-color minipacks are available at $12 each.

Sugru Tool-Related Hacks via Sugru Gallery
Buy Sugru Now via Sugru

Jay from Coptool found this rather amusing Bosch OIS promo video. The TV infommercial-style video does a good job of showing the capabilities of Bosch’s OIS oscillating tool accessories, and tosses in a bit of fake food prep ridiculousness for fun.

It even cuts through three sticks of butter!

Luckily for corded tool lovers, some manufacturers are taking advantage of loopholes and are marketing their tools as cordless, despite requiring the use of aftermarket extension cords.

If you live in Europe, you might have seen Bosch’s value-oriented IXO mini cordless screwdriver. At 9x the price (~$440), you can now buy a limited edition IXO lithium-ion screwdriver that’s decorated with Swarovski crystals. No, this isn’t joke.

Here in the states, the same driver is Skil-branded. What would your reaction if you saw this in person behind a plexiglas display at the local home improvement store? I’m not yet sure if I’d laugh or cry.

Bosch IXO Limited Edition Screwdriver w/ Swarovski Crystals via Amazon (Check out the product specs for
Skil IXO Li-Ion Mini Screwdriver

Thanks to Dan for the amusing reminder about this tool via twitter.

If you had this giant pocket-busting swiss army knife, what would you do with it? Would you put it on display in your home, or whip it out when needed?

Personally, I would never buy a tool like this, simply because there’s no built-in ballpoint pen – I’d expect at least a mini Mont Blanc in a tool like this!

Then there’s the $1000 price tag. You can get a two silver Leatherman Charges for that much dough! Although, $1000 isn’t in the same realm of ridiculousness as this $40,000 Leatherman Wave!

Realistically, it’s hard to imagine that anyone but a collector would spend so much on this. Victorinox’s super-sized swiss army knife is a little more reasonably priced at a fraction of the Wenger’s size.

Giant Wenger Swiss Army Knife via Amazon
Victorinox SwissChamo XAVT via Amazon

That’s right, these cufflinks have built in bubble levels! It’s a pretty nifty idea, and they might even be as functional than all those Android and iPhone leveling apps available today.

For leveling on the go, there are many pocket-friendly mini levels to choose from that will offer far greater accuracy and utility. Even so, this is a pretty cute novelty for less than $30 shipped.

Green Bubble Level Cufflinks via Amazon

Novelty USB flash drives are nothing new, but these are the first we’ve seen that are designed to resemble common hand tools. You now have a choice between a pipe cutter and wrench memory thumb drive.

If you’re really into having a tool-related flash drive, it shouldn’t be too difficult to integrate one into plastic toy tools.

USB Pipe Cutter Flash Drive via USB.Brando
USB Wrench Flash Drive via USB.Brando

Ever squeeze a melon to check for ripeness only to have your finger pierce its flesh? Thankfully Duck branded duct tape came to the rescue! The downside is that the neon blue melon bandage was a bit too bold to hide from my wife. She found my coverup to be amusing, but guess who had to cut up the melon that night…

Here’s the “before” picture:

You can buy all kinds of Duck branded duct tape from Amazon and other online retailers, but you’ll save a few bucks by going to a local store.

I thought you might enjoy this image of pliers floating in the sky in England. It looks like a Google streetview driver briefly left pliers on top of his camera while mapping a neighborhood.

Check out the blunder here, or via the story on Geekologie.

Oh, and please feel free to share any clever captions you come up with to describe the image.

I was doing some online shopping when I came across a flash advertisement for Brother printers that featured what looks to be a pair of Channellock disagonal pliers. Cool. I whipped out a pair of Channellock cutters, and compared the two, finding that the cutters in the ad were most definitely modeled after the Channellocks.

You know you’re a tool enthusiast when you reload a webpage five times to get a good screenshot of a tool depicted in an ad. A year ago, we spotted a Proto wrench in a video game. In this case, the cutters were not labeled as Channellock, but the shape of the tool and the blue comfort grip handles gave it away.

Shop for Channellock Pliers via Amazon (which happens to be where I spotted the ad)

What the news article does not mention is where the tire change took place – the wording implies that this was all done on the side of the motorway.

Reuters Link

We had been holding out for more details – or at least a photo of the car, but it looks like the story’s dead. The following unrelated video shows what the incident probably looked like.

This Step2 child-sized tool chest dresser is perfect for the little ones in your home that want to have a toolbox just like dad’s (or mom’s). If you ask us, its size makes it better suited for use as a night table or as a toy box.

The tool chest dresser retails for about $95 including shipping.

Step2 Tool Chest Dresser via Amazon

I was browsing Grip-On’s catalog the other day, and found mention of this unusual tool. Grip-On’s bunion relief pliers can be used to spot-stretch all types of footwear to accomodate bunions, corns, and other painful bumps on the feet.

In case you’re wondering, no, this is not an early April Fools Day joke.