Grip-on locking pliers are the bee’s knees. Seriously. Grip-on offers a wide selection of locking pliers styles, their prices are fair, and their tools are of superb quality and feel. Grip-on’s pliers are available with an enamel coating as shown above, or uncoated. The ones we have are uncoated, and are spectacular to use. Grip-on […]
Channellock Retaining Ring Pliers
“I’m looking for a first pair of retaining or snap ring pliers. What do you recommend?” We hear this a lot, and often recommend that Channellock is the way to go. Why? Well, Channellock’s internal/external universal retaining ring pliers are high quality tools that are easy to use and are very affordable. Channellock’s interchangeable tip retaining ring pliers typically […]
August Tool Giveaway Prize Sneak Peek
As many of you are already aware, we are giving away tools as part of this month’s ToolGuyd Tool Giveaway. Well, we’re not going to reveal all of the prizes/gifts just yet, but there’s no harm in offering up a brief sneak peek. One of the top items included in the giveaway is the above pictured Craftsman deep offset […]
Sog Micron Keychain Knife
The Sog Micron is a very, very tiny knife. With its 1.5″ blade fully extended, the Micron stretches out to a whopping overall length of 3.44″. The Micron is perfectly sized as a keychain knife, but if size is not an issue, something like the Victorinox Swiss Army Classic pocket knife would be more versatile for […]
Intro to Dead Blow Hammers
A dead blow hammer is a type of mallet designed to deliver strong blows with minimal rebound. The head of a dead blow mallet is hollow and filled with sand or shot. Because of this, the force delivered by each strike is spread over a greater amount of time, thus reducing rebound while minimizing damage […]
The Tools We’re Buying
We’re about to place an order for a few new tools and wanted to share our selection and reasoning with you. First off we’re picking up Channellock’s 8-Inch Wide Adjustable Wrench (808NW). We spoke favorably of their extra-wide Code Blue version a few weeks ago, but could not justify a 65% increase in price for a 1/3″ […]
Gearwrench Roto Ratchet
Gearwrench’s Roto Ratchet is a flex-head swivel ratchet with a pivot through its drive head. This design enables the Roto Ratchet to be positioned perpendicular to a fastener to apply maximum torque, axially aligned for rapid spinning, or any angle in between. Gearwrench’s Roto Ratchets are available in 1/4″ and 3/8″ drive sizes, and a set of both […]
Clever Marketing Images of Swanson Speed Square
We just wanted to share with you the clever marketing images we found on Swanson’s website. Keep reading to see three more.
Swanson Speed Squares
Swanson Speed Squares can be used as a try square, miter square, protractor, line scriber, and saw guide. In other words, it’s a pretty handy layout tool that should be found in every home and shop. At the very least, it makes an excellent straightedge. We’ve been using an orange Swanson Speedlite square for about […]
Channellock Product Videos via YouTube
As we were working on a recent post about Channellock’s adjustable wrenches , we discovered several entertaining and insightful Channellock product videos. The clip above features Channellock’s adjustable wrenches. To view the other Channellock videos, check out their YouTube channel. Channellock YouTube Channel
Swanson Mini Surface Level
Swanson’s mini surface level is suitable for two-axis leveling tasks that do not quite require extreme precision. This type of level is extremely easy to use – hold or fasten it to a workpiece that needs to be horizontally parallel, and then adjust the workpiece until the level’s bubble is perfectly centered. Although this level […]
Victorinox American Flag Swiss Army Knife
Check out this Victorinox Swiss Army Classic Knife with an American Flag motif. It is slightly more expensive than those with the standard design and color, but it’s cool enough to overlook. Victorinox American Flag Swiss Army Knife (via Amazon) Product Details via Victorinox Note: To view this product on Amazon, you have to select the […]
PB Swiss Household Screwdriver
The PB Swiss Household Screwdriver is a cute flat head screwdriver with a 5.5mm tip, (right smack in the middle between 3/16″ and 1/4″,) and a very comfortable soft-textured “Swiss Grip” handle. With its useful tip size and truncated shaft, the appropriately named Household Screwdriver is well suited for many common driving tasks. With its small […]
Channellock’s Wide Adjustable Wrenches
I had the opportunity to use a Channellock adjustable wrench today, and it was an impressionable experience. The Channellock adjustable had very little play in the jaw, was relatively smooth to operate, and felt robust and sturdy. To top it off, the Channellock packed a huge jaw capacity into a small package. The adjustable […]
Sog Fusion Themed Knives
Sog’s Fusion series of knives includes several funky theme-based designs. Each lockback knife has a 3″ blade, an overall length of 7.5″, and several themed doodads and accessories.
Tool Science 101: Chrome Plating Part 1 – Introduction
As you might be well aware, most mechanics’ tools such as ratchets, sockets, and wrenches, are chrome (chromium) plated. This layer of chrome, although extremely thin, greatly enhances the properties of these tools.
Kershaw Onion Leek Pocket Knife
So I received my new Kershaw Onion Leek pocket knife the other day. I needed (wanted) a new pocket knife, and spent quite some time narrowing down the options. It was a tough choice to make, but I ultimately chose the stainless steel Leek since it seemed to best fit my needs. Following is a partial […]
Channellock’s New Code Blue Screwdrivers & Nutdrivers
Channellock recently announced a “new and improved” series of Code Blue screwdrivers and nutdrivers. Each screwdriver has a 3-sided handle grip, straight-thru steel blade, and a magnetic tip, while the nutdrivers have full hollow shafts and the same high-torque grip. The color scheme and grip design of these drivers look rather appealing – if the drivers feel as […]
Xuron Precision Pliers, Shears, & Scissors
Xuron produces superb precision tools – we love their pliers, shears, and scissors. Xuron tools are durable, comfortable to use, provide exceptional performance, are very affordable, and are made in the USA. Our favorite Xuron tools are their non-serrated short nose pliers (pictured above), fiber cutters, and tweezer nose pliers. We are also huge fans of Xuron’s flush-cut micro shears (also […]
C.H. Hanson’s Innovative New Precision Ball Level
C.H. Hanson just released their precision ball level – a 24″ level which uses a rotating ball compass design. One of the level’s main selling points is that it eliminates some of the guesswork normally associated with reading a traditional bubble level. While greater ease of use is a good thing, we are even more impressed […]