It’s the end of the year, the transitional period between peak holiday deals and regular content seasons.
There are still plenty of tool deals, but the “WOW, that’s a great bargain” ones either ended or sold out, and you probably don’t need to be reminded about the best of the rest.
I spend some time this part of the year recovering and doing some ToolGuyd housecleaning – literally and figuratively.
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The image above is of the Husky Pro mobile workbench I reviewed a few years ago. You can still buy it from Home Depot, but only in black.
META HELP?
Before we get into things, Does anyone know someone at META that can potentially help a friend? Their business Facebook page was taken over by scammers, and every round of support has led to “we don’t see a problem.” It looks like their Instagram page is also now compromised.
The impact has been devastating, and my friend is considering shuttering their business.
It seems like a hopeless situation, but maybe we can get the attention of someone who can help get this resolved. Please?
2026 Planning
As usual, I am starting to recover from the chaotic November-long Black Friday build-up. It’s always a lot of fun, but also exhausting, and I get tired of all the deal posts.
Things are slow this time of year, and so I usually take the opportunity to plan out 2026.
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I’m still working on a site redesign. Even before that, you might see some experimentation with post formats, styles, and maybe limited page navigation tests. I don’t have much updates there.
The goal right now is to get in more workshop time, but that still allows for some content, review, and project planning.
Tool Review Suggestions & Requests?
I still have some test sample funds leftover – do you have any tool review suggestions or requests?
More 3D printing content or reviews? I have a bunch of offers for review samples, and also have test sample funds for trying other options.
A lot of 3D printing content topics (e.g. how to get started, why to get one, etc.) are saturated, and so it didn’t make sense to add more of the same to the mix. That said, we can explore requested topics.
The same goes for most other types of tools. I can’t accommodate everything, but I can try to work in as many reader requests as possible.
Project Content Plans
Once I’ve made more progress with ToolGuyd’s site redesign, I intend to relaunch an adjacent site for maker-type projects that I have been putting off for a very long time.
For example, there’s a robotic/mechatronic project I have wanted to work on. I can make a small panning and tilting platform. I can mount a light payload to it. I can program it for wired control, maybe even wireless. Scale it up and switch to autonomous control? That’ll require a lot of small skill-building projects I still haven’t gotten around to.
My goal is to increase the amount of time I give to projects like that, and hopefully a place to occasionally share progress will help ensure steady progress. It makes sense to host that content separately, there could potentially be a lot of it over time.
I used to do freelance work for magazines, but that’s no longer viable. So, I’ll create project logs outside of ToolGuyd, and potentially expand upon different topics as needed. Since most projects will involve tools, I can put relevant tool content here and expand upon the project or parts aspects there.
There are other places to host content (such as Instructables), but I’d rather be in full control of my content.
Even though some of my project content will go outside of ToolGuyd, there’s a reason I bring this up.
Off-Topic Reviews?
And that’s because I’m also thinking about more off-topic content here.
A company reached out and invited me to review their gaming chair. Wow, a free gaming chair! meh. Other tool reviewers featured their products, but I do NOT intend to and declined.
From a business sense, maybe I could have found use for a new chair. Maybe it could have been a paid sponsorship opportunity. But the chair looked generic and a review sounded boring, and that’s why I declined.
If I find it boring, so will you.
A mattress company wanted to partner with me over the summer – that was also a hard “no.”
A company sent me an invite for a makeup sample package. I asked them why they thought that ToolGuyd would be a good fit, and they never responded. So I filled out the form and am curious if they’ll actually send it. No, that wasn’t the strangest “collab” opportunity pitched to me.
An idea did come up over the weekend – something I saw sparked my curiosity about European-style stand mixers where the motor is on the bottom.
I tried finding info online, and so many of the reviews were of the “look at ME” type of shallow time-wasting influencer content. 10 minutes later and I didn’t actually learn anything useful.
So, I spoke to my boss and convinced them that “kitchen tools” are still tools, and that this one might be worth exploring. They green-lighted the sample purchase.
Thus, you’re probably going to see a review on that at some point, maybe as a “weekend review” that doesn’t take away from regular content.
I do veer off-topic on occasion – see I’m Trying out an Oxo Nylon Grill Brush.
Are there any off-topics you’d like to see explored or reviewed, potentially as part of a regular roundup post?
Any Other Ideas, Suggestions, Requests, Feedback?
I can’t promise I can accommodate everything, but I consider all feedback and requests.
Questions?
Ryan
Is there a reason why you want to put the maker stuff on another site? I guess depending upon what it is, it may fit here.
IMO, there’s a lack of information regarding the practical uses of 3D printing. There’s a good thread on GarageJournal with people’s practical 3D printer
projects, but the bulk of content is something along the lines of “here’s a file you can download and print” and “I’m printing a Star Wars head.”
For me, the 3D printer is another tool. I believe there to be a market for content catered towards people who believe similarly.
As for non-tool reviews, YMMV. I’m only one person and I only speak for myself, but there’s nothing more annoying than a tool site/channel that starts “reviewing” random Chinese junk that’s not tool related. See: Den of Tools and the power banks, chairs, etc. l
Stuart
For here, I might only feature a summary of the final result. On a separate site, I can go into more granular details.
One thing I’ve wanted to do is automate a nerf blaster. One particular newer style features a spring and piston pump, and I can’t find examples of how it operates internally. So, a breakdown might help with that, and be in its own post, kind of in lieu of a lab or project notebook.
That’s not exactly suitable for a ToolGuyd post.
A skill-building project required sourcing retaining compound for some of the bearings. That was appropriate for here (https://toolguyd.com/retaining-compound-selection/ ).
For 3D printing, my biggest challenge is designing, going from concept to result. I always seem to find a lot of content where someone goes through steps A1, A2, and A3, and then all of a sudden they’re done with step Z. I’ll be exploring that more, as I have a lot to learn, but it’s also not strictly tool content.
Content creation is difficult these days, and messy. It can be a challenge to balance “what the audience wants,” “what the algorithms will show to more people,” and “what I’m interested in.”
Frankly speaking, posting about no-name and cheap tools on Amazon, Walmart, or other marketplaces gets a lot of interest and affiliate clicks. Thus, *not* posting about such leaves money on the table.
More people are searching for cheap tools, cheap machines, cheap lifestyle tech and accessories, and so there’s potentially a lot of money to be made there.
Vevor? They offer a lot to reviewers. I never accepted because I don’t see it as good stuff. They have a walk-behind floor push sweeper https://www.amazon.com/VEVOR-Floor-Sweeper-Non-Electric-Adjustable/dp/B0CF212GM3/?tag=toolguyd-20 for around $85, and Amazon says they sold 5K+ in the past month. A post about that would definitely make some money.
Let’s say you were a content creator. Would you post about “random junk that’s not tool-related” for $100? $500? $1,000? More? It can be hard to turn down money.
If a sample opportunity aligns with my interests, I might accept. But there’s a high bar for what’s interesting and suitable. I never forget that I am lucky to be able to have this choice, and that might not always be true.
With the mixer that came up, I couldn’t find a review I found helpful. I can’t be the only one wondering, so ToolGuyd ordered one. It’s about what I want to explore, rather than what is pitched for me to feature or promote.
It can be a tightrope, which is also why I felt it worth bringing up.
Josh R
Oddly enough, everything I’ve bought from Vevor has worked fine, and it’s usually dramatically cheaper. I’m usually pretty picky about what I buy from them though.
fred
When I needed a rolling magnetic pickup tool (my old one had disappeared), I looked on Amazon and decided to give a Vevor QJ8012-18 a try. For around $42 it worked well enough and I was satisfied. Later that year I needed to move some machinery around and thought of the Jung (German-made) skates we had in our fabrication shop. After choking thinking about the price of Jung skates, I thought to give Vevor ones try. I bought 4 six-ton capacity skates from Amazon for about $45 each. The 3-piece Jung set (rated at 12 tons for the set) was over $3000 – so, I did.t expect much for under $200. I sort of got even less than. expected. With less than a 1- ton load on 4 skates rolling over a smooth concrete floor, 3 out for 4 skates started falling apart. I had to switch to rigging pipe rollers to complete the move. All 4 Vevor skates got boxed up and sent back to Amazon. The ones I bought are no longer listed on Amazon – so maybe newer Vevor skate/rollers are better – but my experience with the skates left me sour on the brand.
Rick
“Any Other Ideas, Suggestions, Requests, Feedback?”
How about the best and worst new products in 2025?
Stuart
I usually don’t post about the worst ones. “Best” with respect to what was new, what I’ve tested, or readers found interesting?
“Worst” would be AI nonsense. Google inserted a post into my news feed that claimed Home Depot filed for bankruptcy (they didn’t).
Rick
Well I should have been more precise: the best and worse tools in 2025 that you, or readers here, have actually used.
Given that, I see no reason not to post about the worst as well as the best. And doubly so since you are not shy about criticizing as well as praising.
It is trivial to obtain basic information on new products, and it is often easy to find video reviews of them on YouTube. But it is much harder to locate sources of trustworthy reviews and comments. I think that you and your readers are far more trustworthy than (say) posters/bots on YouTube.
(What specifically prompted my suggestion was the diversity of views I see for Milwaukee’s new(ish) M12 six inch orbital sander, though I am always interested in the experiences “real” users have with any new tools.)
Andy
I have the M12 6” RO sander with the 3/16” (5mm) orbit.
I’m extremely happy with it so far, super smooth and well balanced. I’ve only used it on end-grain maple and it’s had plenty of power for my needs. That said, I don’t have any experience with a comparable Festool, Mirka or 3M Xtract product, so there may be something I’m missing or not picking up on.
I also have a pair of 5ah and several 6ah batteries to use it with, so runtime hasn’t been a concern.
I’ve only used it hooked up to my “6HP” Ridgid shop vac but I’ve been really happy with how much of the sawdust is captured.
Daniel
ToolGuyd website….
The comment section will contain some great comments. Would be great to click like on a comment. I don’t really feel the need for a dislike, but having the ability to acknowledge a good comment would be cool.
Stuart
That’s not possible.
WordPress hasn’t reworked their comments code in years, presumably because most sites have comments turned off or barren.
There are plugins that allow for this, but it’s a bad idea with respect to server load and site security. There’s also no way to actually control it, leaving it open to abuse from shills and similar.
I look into it every now and then, and there’s no easy or secure way to enhance the comments section.
Will
Wish I could provide some help re: Meta/Facebook. My original Facebook page, which I had for nearly 20 years, was hacked a few years ago. There was/is no ready customer support for getting it back. The person who took it over asked for $1,500 to return control to me. I never replied, and luckily the page has remained dormant with no changes for years.
Adam
Sorry to hear about your friend’s Facebook and IG pages. I actually have the opposite problem, in that I created a FB business page for a carpentry business I had at the time and despite being out of that business for around 13 years, haven’t figured out how to delete the page and dissociate it from my main account. I get the feeling they really don’t want people deleting their presence on the site, though they obviously don’t much care when it falls into the wrong hands.
A small business I know of had their IG account taken over a few years ago and they ended up creating a new page using underscores where there used to be spaces and DM’ing all their known followers to let them know what happened. TBH, that seemed to work well enough for them in the long run, since once a majority of an account’s followers migrate elsewhere, there’s really no value in it to the thief, I’d imagine.
Stuart
It’s a content creator page with substantial following, and all of that will be lost if they simply create a replacement.
That they scammers are able to post to Instagram too is a new problem that worsens the situation.
Adam
Come to think of it, I start to get “We’ve made it easier to log back into your account” emails from IG when I haven’t used it for a while. I suppose it would be unlikely the thief left the original contact email address unchanged, but in the event they did, maybe your friend might be on the lookout for one of those emails to see whether there’s a password-reset option available? Though I have to imagine if they are an online content creator, they’re most likely internet savvy enough to have tried that. In any event – they should take this as a lesson to enable MFA for future accounts, if they rely on it as a source of income.
Aaron SD
The site is fantastic with great content. I check it a couple times a day.
One thing I don’t think covered was inflators, whether car tires or sports balls. Can the small cheap ones really work as advertised?
The business side of tools is also interesting and seems to be covered well now.
What about other trade shows outside of Dewalt and Milwaukee events? They showcase small companies making unique tools. I’ll see something interesting once in awhile in reels.
A W
Great point: and can the M12 and M18 inflators both pump up a full size truck tire.
Stuart
Cordless inflators? It’s a matter of ease of use, air pressure, volume, and time. Most are decent. I use Dewalt’s the most. I took a video last week of how long it took to top-off a car tire.
The really small ones are really best for bike tires and sports balls. Duty cycle becomes an issue if you try to inflate 4 car tires in a row by more than 1 or 2 PSI.
In other words, can small inflators work as well? “It depends.” I used to have a Craftsman Nextec 12V test sample that worked well. The design and engineering really matters more than the size.
I’ll add this to the discussion queue, and can poll to see if there’s anything I need to test.
Media events. Few tool brands have media events these days. Milwaukee is consistent. Some others I’m invited to but don’t attend, and others are more influencer events that I might not be invited to. I have (had?) open invitations to some HQs.
Staftda seems to have lost attendance, not that I’d go there either. World of Concrete is a possibility. A lot of influencers get sponsorship from one (or more!) brands in exchange for coverage.
One brand offered to cover my plane ticket and accommodation for this year’s WOC event, but I probably won’t take them up on it.
Any event is usually a 3-day hectic interruption. I go to Milwaukee’s whenever I’m invited and can make it because they pack my time with tool insights. Having dinner? There’s an aerospace engineer at your table talking about their lawn mowers. Lunch? There’s a product VP talking about their most recent challenges. Dinner and rinks? There’s a President talking about why certain tools cost more than one would think to design, test, and produce.
The National Hardware show tends to have a lot of smaller brands. That would be a 3-4 day trip. Frankly, I love trade shows for learning a little bit about products I’m interested in, but the format is very difficult for content creation and deeper insights.
One brand that wanted to pay me to attend a show wanted a guaranteed number of “hype generation” posts. And then you’d see a lot of just that – hype by influencers on their payroll – but without disclosures.
Thus, I avoid traveling unless it’s going to be advantageous for ToolGuyd.
When an invite talks about “networking” and “collaborate with content creators” and “unplugging for a bit” that’s an automatic no. Not that I don’t like other content creators, because I do – some of them are truly awesome to see and hang out with every year – but influencer “experiences” just don’t excite me.
I was working with a contributor who was going to do some traveling to small brands HQs on ToolGuyd’s dime, but they had to bail.
KC
I would like to see a review / comparison of some of the multi-head drills that have been introduced recently. I know that both Dewalt and Milwaukee make them. Perhaps adding interest would be how they compare to the Festool option that’s been around for a while. Thanks in advance for the consideration.
Stuart
Festool’s tool is well-polished, but I wouldn’t recommend any of their cordless systems to most users.
Milwaukee’s is excellent but some people don’t like the format or direction switch placement. Dewalt’s is excellent. I like the 12V Max version better than the larger 20V Max Atomic.
Bosch’s is the best value among pro brands https://www.amazon.com/GSR12V-300FCB22-Brushless-Flexiclick-Driver-Batteries/dp/B084Q4143Y/?tag=toolguyd-20
The 2pc kit special buy is back in stock at $149 again https://www.amazon.com/GXL12V-270B22-Chameleon-Flexiclick%C2%AE-Oscillating-Multi-Tool/dp/B09VWMBN4V/?tag=toolguyd-20 .
I’d go with the Bosch 12V or Milwaukee M12 models. Maybe the Dewalt 12V Xtreme if you’re already in their 12V/20V systems since you can share a charger (with some exceptions).
Less expensive lower voltage tools are okay but only if you’re on a strict budget.
KC
Thanks for the reply. I already have a vast assortment of DeWalt 20V batteries in different sizes, as well as several of the Flexvolt batteries, so staying in that platform makes sense for me. Hearing that you find their version to be excellent just reinforces that. I was considering the Festool version because I would like to acquire a couple of their other cordless tools, especially the small table saw. I have a 3HP Powermatic TS that I bought about 20 years ago for the bigger projects and a DeWalt contractor saw. I think the Festool saw would be a good replacement for the DeWalt saw that i use when the larger saw is seemingly too big. And the dust collection on the Festool saw I feel like would be far superior to the DeWalt contractor saw I use for those smaller projects now. So buying their drill didn’t scare me too much. I am curious why you wouldn’t recommend their cordless tools to most users? I have also considered getting their cordless six inch sander because of the light on the front, but would rather have a corded one. If I have something attached to dust collection, a cord does not bother me at all. I am going to hold off on the six inch sander for a while as I anticipate they could add the light to a new corded version in the future. I have heard that the light has gotten positive reactions from end users. The Festool rep was at a local woodworking store last week doing tool demos and provided some useful information. Thanks again for the response!
ken
What about a group project to design and possibly manufactured a new tool that solves a problem for the trades. You could set parameters for what is acceptable for inputs and outputs. You could also moderate what happens if there is a success or failure. How it is funded, how profits are handled if there are any etc. For example, I have an idea for a better wallpaper scorer that requires less manual labor. I have a prototype created from commercially available tools that are slightly modified. It works well but does not survive long and helps reduce manual labor but with input from your viewers perhaps we could make something that eliminates even more manual labor and is more durable as this one does not last long until the parts fail because they are not heavy duty. I am sure many other viewers have their own ideas or prototypes that need improvement. Perhaps by combining everyone’s expertise we could create something that works and solves a problem. If that happens we could at least share the result with each other or perhaps create a commercial application and use the proceeds for something-ie charity, toolguyd, the investeros or creaters or some mixture of these or even for something else.
Stuart
It’s a good idea, but I’m not willing to take on the liability (or the potential headaches).
Fastcap has worked with inventors to bring construction solutions to market. Lee Valley has collaborated with some on woodworking tools or accessories. There are others that work with inventors and similar.
Crowd-sourcing product ideas here could also be problematic since it would be in full public view. What happens if everyone puts in a lot of time and work only to see their idea sold on Amazon the next day?
I’ve had ideas stolen before, it sucks.
I’m happy to give inventors a boost, but I can’t do much more than that.
I posted about the Allwrencher in 2018: https://toolguyd.com/allwrencher-smart-wrench-multi-size-ratcheting-wrench/
Wera’s came out in 2020: https://toolguyd.com/wera-joker-6004-self-adjusting-ratcheting-adjustable-wrenches-042020/
Sometimes the little guys can sue the big guys. https://toolguyd.com/viking-arm-stanley-black-decker-infringement-lawsuit/ But that’s not always possible.
Farmerguy
Toolbox organization, what’s in the drawer and how to organize the drawer. I would guess you have covered it before to varying capacities. Just a focus on how to organize organizers within drawers to optimize space and contents.
Maybe a little a little out in left field, but there are some great regular posters on your site that maybe a guest column on their favorite tools or tool topics or current hobby projects to share about. There appears to be centuries of collective knowledge that could be explored. Another avenue could be “what people carry” to show what people carry versus individual tools that may add to toolbox.
Stuart
Thanks, will add that to the list!
My tool boxes are always in flux, but one day might be presentable. Or I might modularize and explore different setups.
I don’t permit guest posts anymore. There could be paid opportunities, but there tends to be a learning curve that makes one-off posts a hassle for everyone.
A W
Speaking of grill brushes, I would love to get your take on the Smarter Everyday grill scrubber.
https://www.smartereveryday.com/smarterscrubber
The lengths they had to go to try to get all components made somewhere other than China it’s pretty crazy, and I think you’d appreciate the engineering that went into it.
Stuart
I haven’t seen that yet, thanks! $75 seems a bit much, but I like that it has rings and not sharp coils or bristles. I wouldn’t want to be an early adopter though. Will watch the video when I can.
MT_Noob
I was also wondering about toolguyd’s take on their scrubber.
Oarman
If a mattress company hit me up for a promo, I wouldn’t tell them no that quickly. At the very least I’d tell them I’d sleep on it.
The issue with reviewing the Vevors and no-names is they’re clearly slapping their name on something out of someone else’sfactory, and there’s next to no guarantee the SKU you see reviewed is what you’re going to get.
I see a lot of functional 3D printing stuff on Youtube (and do a lot of functional printing myself.) I can see text articles being hard to compete with video there, it’s just something that benefits heavily from being able to see things in action, multiple angles, etc. I think there is real value in text and photos in cases, and real value in video, and you have to look at which medium is most useful where.
Saulac
Think Project Farm for tools. Simple honest reviews that teaches people the basics and provides quick references (best of something) as they need them. Focus on trades and forget hobbies such as robotics or 3D printing.
Stuart
“Best of something” has been overdone. Generally speaking with respect to most channels and magazines these days, it’s rarely about teaching people the basics or what to look for, but to push a purchase and collect the affiliate commission.
Any “best of [tool]” post might trend for a day and then be squash by content farms’ auto-generated and auto-updated posts, because Google now values “freshness.”
I’ve neglected my interests too much, and 100% intend to spend more time on robotics and other projects.
BG100
Re: the robotics projects: please post plenty of ” lessons learned ” content, with mistakes and corrections as you refine the processes and hone the skills. That is hard to find content and very valuable, at least to me.
MT_Noob
Regarding kitchen appliances, I mean tools. I’ve often wondered if there were a way to create a system of gadgets that could be powered with an existing drill/driver. For example an immersion blender attachment would be simple/obvious. Or even a blender could be powered by drill/driver. It could be a base with a 90 degree 1/4 hex quick lease out the side that lets you use your driver of choice to mix your favorite drinks or smoothies. No more corded appliances and one universal attachment for powering them.
Stuart
I think there’d be too much liability with respect to work-created dust falling into food.
KitcheinAid has one with modular attachments – https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-Variable-Blender-Accessories-KHBV83AQ/dp/B0DB4W42VN/?tag=toolguyd-20
There’s zero incentive for them to make attachments that work with unspecified motors. When someone tries to mix a thick batter with a 4V screwdrivers, they’re not going to blame the tool or their choices, they’re going to leave negative reviews for the KitchenAid before sending it back.
A right angle attachment would reduce the chance of non-food debris flying into the food, but the ergonomics would be terrible. I haven’t used an immersion blender, but all the videos I’ve seen show the tool moving up and down, which would be harder to do from the side.
Nick
You had some long ago, but I’d love to see more about working with aluminum extrusion. Knowledge of it seems to be very scattered, with no great explanation for a lay person. I managed to figure out some stuff with 80/20 and built a great outfeed table, but I’d love to learn more.
Tucker
I’ve got a couple projects I am looking for organizing tool/parts cases. I’d be interested in anything to help shorted the learning my mistakes learning curve.
Stuart_T
@Josh R and fred, re Vevor
It seems to be a “hit or miss” vendor. I have a 5K diesel heater which has been very useful and reliable. But I was looking at an X-Y table I could add to my drill press (solely for accurate positioning of holes for drilling/tapping, NOT using the DP as a milling machine, which is a no-no), but reviews were mixed enough that I’ve shelved the idea, not least because it uses non-standard sized t-nuts and they don’t supply any.
Ross
There’s an Ave video where he tears down a kitchenaid mixer and he’s super impressed that a kitchen tool could be well built. Clearly a guy who’s never kneaded bread before! I have a bottom mount mixer (whatever the old Electrolux is called now) and it’s a beast.
Adam
How about reviewing some of the online fabrication services companies (laser cutting, CNC, 3D printing, etc.). I’ve used SendCutSend several times over the last few years and while I love how easy they are to use and get quotes from, I think their prices have crept up quite a bit and their lead time isn’t the greatest. I’d love to hear about alternatives as well as get req’s on where I can upload 3D models (STLs) to have printed and shipped to me. Same for CNC fab (SendCutSend has limited CNC fabrication), though I imagine it’s cost prohibitive.
Robert
Your current coverage is essentially random from a tool buyer’s viewpoint. It does show me tools I wouldn’t know existed, so it is fine to a point. But at this point in my tool purchasing, I need systematic examination of a tool category, “Best of” comparisons, but you have generally shot that format down in your responses.
BG100
Have you covered BBQ grills here yet? I just got a Blackstone on a decent sale. I went into it thinking it would supplement my regular gas grill. The more I use it, I begin to doubt ever using the gas grill again. I wish I’d known more about the sizes offered and gone a size up.
Basically I was uninformed about the pros and cons of a griddle in BBQ form; about the paradigm shift leaving open grill bars and using flat tops. No more grill marks on my picture perfect steaks (usually lol)…
Comparing and contrasting Traeger smokers vs pit style smokers. Gas vs charcoal vs combo cookers…
There’s a lot to cover in the ‘grill’ world and think ToolGuyd would be a good place to discuss it.
Brian
CNC and laser engravers could be covered more. Woodcraft and Home Depot (online at least) sell them and they can be useful in various projects. I have a cheap, generic 3018 (lots of issues) but even midrange ones aren’t outside the price range of “normal” woodworking tools.
Btw, thanks for occasional “meta” posts like this that show the thinking (and human) behind the site!