Ok, so it’s not meant to be deadly, but it sure looks that way to us. This drill employs microwaves to drill through concrete, stone – and even glass without breaking it. And it produces no dust or noise, either. Of course, stray microwaves can effectively cook your internal organs if you’re not paying attention, so, um, pay attention.

This tool basically sends microwaves – yes, the oven in your kitchen — that creates a 2,000 degree-C hotspot in the material you’re “drilling.” (That’s over 3,600 degrees F!) Then it rams a steel rod through the molten material, pushing it out of the way.

Even this super-drill has its limits, though: it can’t get through everything. Sapphire, for example, has too high a melting point, and most metals conduct heat too well to allow a hot spot to develop in a specific area.

The technology isn’t yet available commercially. It was developed by some researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel, and while they’ve patented the technology, they’re still working to bring it to market. We’d guess it’ll do well, though, since it allows silent drilling of many brittle materials — those that aren’t heat conductive and don’t generate enough thermal stress to shatter. Not to mention that there’s no wear and tear on the drill, no bit to replace, etc.

Its creators also claim it’s faster and cheaper than drilling with high powered lasers. But there are some downsides – primarily the whole cook your insides deal. Yeah, I would put that on the con column.

The Microwave Drill [Homepage]

Here’s another tool for breaking s#@! from the firefighters’ playbook. It’s called the Rabbit Tool by most, although it’s officially the Hydra-Ram. Whereas many of the other fire and rescue tools we’ve featured require some pretty violent swinging force — or a powerful pneumatic or hydraulic power source — to get the job done, the Rabbit Tool just needs one guy squeezing the handle and the tool together.

It’s almost like a small bottle jack, but its fittings to allow you to break open a door. It doesn’t matter what kind of door you need to break, or even if you’re opening it at the latch or at the hinge. As you pump the tool, the two plates that start off together begin to spread out — and eventually separate the door from its frame.

Make sure you have your contractor and locksmith on speed dial though – you’re looking at a new door, door frame, and locks after the Rabbit does its thing. You better also have your accountant on speed dial, too, as one of these will set you back between $1,600 to $1,900 depending which model you choose: the Hydra-Ram I with a 4” maximum opening (how far the plates can spread out) or the Hydra-Ram II with a 6” maximum opening.

Hydra-Ram Forcible Entry Tool (Rabbit Tool) [Fire Hooks Unlimited]
Hydra-Ram Forcible Entry Tool [The Fire Store]

Thanks to MSA Safety Works and their line of NFL hard hats, you can now break s#!$, support for your favorite football team, and protect your melon all at the same time! These hard hats meet industry standards and (most importantly) feature bright, colorful logos that you can proudly wear in public. Not only do they look good, but these hats are said to be comfortable enough to wear through an entire game project.

At a street price starting around $20, these would make excellent gifts for yourself or others, especially with the holiday season approaching and football season already in full swing. And fo those of you primarily interested in noggin-shielding features, bear in mind that MSA’s plain hard hats can be found for as little as a quarter of the price. Most team styles can be found for $20 or $25 at Amazon, or for $20 at Home Depot.

NFL Hard Hats [MSA Safety Works]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
NFL Hard Hats [Home Depot]
Miami Dolphins Version Via Amazon [What's this?]

Dubbed the KATool by manufacturer Council, its “KA” supposedly stands for Kwik Access — but it could just as easily be Kick Ass. We hear that firefighters love this tool because it’s a classic fast attack tool, allowing you to tear up a wall quickly to check for fire extension, cut wires, clear doors, etc. And we hear they particularly like like the fact that it’s light enough to carry into a fire along with all their other gear.

Another advantage to the KATool is that it gives you the option of opening a wall up a little bit to take a peek or to tear the whole wall out — either way without having to return to the truck for another tool. I love the fact that the KATool can also lightweight metals like mobile home skins and metal buildings. That’s right: you can use this like a can opener to slice open a double-wide. How cool is that?

The alloy blade is made of tool steel with sharp cutting teeth and machined to penetrate and puncture with the front tip and chop with the back edge. The whole tool weighs just 4-1/2 pounds (for the short version) and 6 pounds for the longer version. You get either a 24” or a 52” non-conductive fiberglass handle with a D-grip on the end, so if you use it to slice through wiring in a wall, you don’t have to worry about electrocuting yourself.

They’re made in the USA, and they all come with a vinyl sheath complete with a velcro strap to keep the sheath on the tool. Though MSRP is well over $200 for both, The Fire Store is currently asking $140 and $160 for the short and longer version respectively.

KATool – Short version [Council Tools]
KATool – Long version [Council Tools]
KATool – both versions [The Fire Store]

This video of the Calder cooling towers falling down looks so similar to the nuclear plant in the Simpson’s home town of Springfield that I kept waiting to hear Homer’s voice over the crowd — “DOH!”

Still, this is some seriously cool breaking s#!$.

It’s a pry bar. It’s a nail puller. It’s a hammer. It’s a pick. It’s yet another demolition multi-tool with a kick-ass name: the Demo Dawg. Designed by a remodeler to simplify many of his back-breaking tasks, the Demo Dawg helps remove drywall, tear up flooring and roofing, tear out cabinets, and even relocate a landscape planting.

The Demo Dawg comes in three flavors: the 30″ (wait for it) Big Dawg, the 20″ Mean Dawg, and the 16″ Puppy Dawg. For maximum durability, all models feature a hexagonal shaft. On the business end of the shaft you’ll find a wide, 22-degree radius blade for pulling down drywall, prying, and pulling nails. The blade is also sharpened for use as a pick. The hook-like end of the blade is meant for hammering and grabbing edges.

On the gripping end, the Big and Mean Dawgs include a super heavy-duty steel handle with a rotating padded grip — the better to prevent your hands from blistering after hours of destruction – while the Puppy Dawg gets a soft rubber grip handle somewhat like one you’d find on a hammer.

Made in the USA by Demo Dawg, the Dawgs are only available from two places that we can find: the manufacturer and McFeely’s. They’re not cheap, either. You’ll shell out $60, $50, and $30 for the Big, Mean, Puppy Dawgs respectively.

Demo Dawg [Manufacturer]
Big Dawg [McFeelys]
Mean Dawg [McFeelys]
Puppy Dawg [McFeelys]

Don’t let getting hit in the head by flying debris stop your demolition fun — especially when you can pick up this hard hat is from Mfasco for under $4. Is it the best hard hat around? We doubt it. But every bit of damage this cheap-ass hat soaks up is damage you won’t take to the head.

The Radians #300 Safety Hard Hat features a snap adjustment and meets ANSI Z89.1-1997, Type 1, Class E g and C standards for helmets. And it rings up at $3.92 — which means you have no excuse for not owning one.

Plus, if nothing else you could wear it with a suit and be Max Zorin for halloween.

Radian 300 Hard Hat [Mfasco]
Street Pricing [Google Product]

Often cordless tools serve as the “little brothers” of their more powerful corded siblings. But recent advances in battery technology have enabled tools that break that mold — like Ridgid’s MaxSelect reciprocating saw. Though it accepts the older Ridgid 18V NiCd batteries (use ‘em if you got ‘em), slapping in the latest 24V lithium-ion pack makes it really shine. Read on past the jump to see if the Ridgid can stand up to some major demolition testing.

Unboxing

Looking at the box the recip saw comes in, you might think that Ridgid likes to cut corners. They do, but not the way you’re thinking. Some of the corners look like they’re dented in, but really they’re just folded funny. The result: a stylish box with nice, compact dimensions that does a really good job of keeping everything inside nice and snug with nothing rattling around.

As part of the MaxSelect “system,” the recip saw doesn’t ship with batteries or a charger. You’ll have to buy them separately. If that sounds strange, consider that virtually no one is going to buy a pro-line tool like this without owning a drill (and possibly other tools) as well. Ridgid’s MaxSelect drills do ship with multiple batteries and a charger, so this starts to make sense.

You do get two bi-metal blades with the saw — an 18 TPI (teeth per inch) metal cutting blade for cutting metal and a 6 TPI blade for wood with nails for general demo work — plus a user manual and warranty information. We do wish the saw came with a sweet canvas toolbag like the Ridgid Fuego.

If you spring for the 24V battery and charger kit, you do receive a Fuego-style bag. We put the saw in it as the charger stayed plugged in back at the shop.

Read on to page two for our in use experiences.

The AMPCO 7920 German-type sledge hammer will run you $900 on Amazon. Believe it or not, this 23.79 pound — when you pay almost $40 a pound you want to be accurate – German-type sledge serves a practical purpose. Its non-sparking, non-magnetic, corrosion-resistant, beryllium free head meets OSHA and NFPA requirements for use in hazardous, flammable, or combustible environment. So you can break s#!$ just about anywhere.

If that isn’t enough to make you run out and buy one right now, AMPCO’s offers a lifetime warranty. (They don’t specify whether that lifetime is the tools or yours, though. We hear toxic waste can sting.)

Don’t forget to read the reviews on Amazon as you rush to purchase this sledge — they’re quite amusing.

AMPCO 7920 [Manufacturer]
Via Amazon [What's this?]

TM reader and Flickr pool member donaldsquire posted this photo of him and his helper in the demolition phase of remodeling their kitchen. From what we can see, this room is in pretty good — if ungloved — hands.

It just goes to show that you’re never to young to help Dad rip stuff up. I know it would have ranked tops with me when I was his age.

And yes, we’re sending two pairs of gloves, even though one pair might take a while to grow into.

Toolmonger’s Photo Pool [Flickr]

Like Stephen said in a recent Dealmonger post, firefighters are the kings of breaking s#!$. Here’s another tool from their get-through-the-wall-fast-or-die arsenal: the T-N-T tool. It’s a true five-in-one multi-tool — an axe, a sledge hammer, a pry bar, a ram, and a D-handled pull hook.

Depending on where you live, you might also have heard this called the Denver tool, because it was invented by two Denver firefighters. It’s great for chopping your way through sheetrock, prying open doors, pulling storm windows off window frames, or just plain beating s#!$ into submission. The T-N-T tool is made in the USA and features a solid fiberglass handle and a cast high carbon steel head that’s powder coated in black. 

When it comes to picking one up for your very own, you have a few options. You can choose from three handle lengths: 30”, 35”, and 40”. In addition, you can select from two head weights: 6-1/2 pounds and 8-1/2 pounds. (The model with the 30” handle only comes with the 6-1/2 pound head, though.) You also have the option of ordering the handle in yellow or black. Pricing? Right around $180 for pretty much all the various sizes. So just get the biggest one, right?

T-N-T Tools [Corporate Site]
Street Prices [Google Products]

And by “fix” we mean “reduce to a smoking hole and a puddle of molten metal.” Thermite is a mixture of powdered aluminum and a metallic oxide like iron oxide (rust) or copper oxide. Igniting the powder at about 1,400 degrees F triggers an aluminothermic reaction in which the oxygen that’s bound to the iron oxidizes the aluminum dust. The result: pure iron, aluminum oxide, and a ridiculous amount of heat, topping out around 4,500 degrees F.

There’s very little thermite won’t melt or burn through. And while there are productive industrial uses of the reaction like welding train rails, let’s face it: this is Break S#!$ Week! We’re more interested in applications like melting through an engine block or burning under water. It’s a pyromaniac’s dream substance.

Not that we recommend you doing so — we don’t — but you can buy Thermate from places like Amazingrust.com or UnitedNuclear.com for about $40/kilo. Why not buy it? Besides the fact you’ll probably burn your house down or accidentally kill yourself, you’ll likely end up on every government watch list there is.

Amazing Rust [Corporate Site]
United Nuclear [Corporate Site]

Ever wonder how firefighters bust through interior walls so quickly to save kids hiding in the closet? Watch and learn: at Maker Faire Austin last weekend we held a competition to see who could get through three interior walls first armed with nothing but Stanley’s on-shelves-in-January FuBar III.

Our competitors: Megan Miller (of PopSci Future Girl fame) and her PopSci cohort Nick Mann.

The rules: tear through the three identical interior walls as quickly as possible with nothing but the FuBar III. Remove all studs. To stop the clock and claim victory, smash and shatter a pumpkin frozen in liquid nitrogen by Theo Gray, PopSci’s resident Mr. Wizard and author of their monthly Gray Matter column.

The victor? Watch the video to find out!

Anyone who’s seen The Terminator knows that robots are out to get us. Need further proof that Skynet is nigh? The Swedish company Brokk offers a line of compact demo-bots for all sorts of dangerous demolition jobs. They’re popular in the nuclear power industry where radioactive contamination is an, um, issue. These particular models are remotely operated via a wired or wireless control box – to limit the operator’s exposure to dangerous environments and to prevent fatigue from vibration — but it’s just a short step to sending them out to do your demo work all by themselves.

You can add caterpillar tracks and hydraulic outriggers to any model in the line to keep them stable, too. Brokk’s smallest machine — the “Brokk 50″ — is only two feet wide, so it can pass through standard doors and can even climb stairs. Their biggest model is the “Brokk 330,”‘ which weighs 9,700 pounds and is more suitable for breaking up bank vaults or cleaning out blast furnace slag that’s still hot enough to melt lead.

You can also add a series of tools to each model’s three segmented arm. The most common tool is a hydraulic breaker, but concrete crushers, buckets, and hand-like grapples are available as well. And an electro-hydraulic drive system means that they can work all day without exhaust building up from an internal combustion engine.

Just remember: when the robots come for you, don’t say i didn’t warn you.

Brokk [Official Site]

Ingersoll-Rand’s workhorse rock drill is mean. It can drill a 2″ wide hole up to 18” deep into solid rock — perfect for when the s#!$ you need to break is made of stone. And just think how cool you’ll look weilding it!

The JH40C3 comes with an easily-accessible three-position throttle, reversible pawls, and integral muffler – for whatever that’s worth, considering that you won’t be able to hear the engine over the sound of pulverizing rock. It features a 1″ x 4-1/4” shank, so it’ll accept some heavy duty bits. And it includes a 3/4” NPT air inlet — requiring a whopping 115 CFM of air to do it’s damage. But once you’ve connected it to an air source, you get 2,000 blows per minute.

This thing is not for the faint of heart – or wallet. It’ll run you about a dollar for each of those blows, or around $2,000. Just keep some money back for one hell of an air compressor.

JH40C1, 2, and 3 [Ingersoll Rand]
Street Prices [Google Products]

“Better get the Jaws of Life,” is not a phrase that you want to hear after you wreck your car. But thankfully for you, your local emergency crews have the foresight to own Hurst’s Jaws of Life — which has snatched people from the jaws of death for over three decades. Now Hurst is introducing an improved combination spreader/cutter version: the X-Tractor C.

Lightweight and compact, the X-Tractor C weighs just 40 pounds. But it can produce a massive cutting force of 81,381 pounds to sever car roof supports. With jaws that open 14.1″ wide, it can also generate a spreading force of 24,279 pounds — enough to separate a door from the car – locked, jammed or otherwise. Attaching a chain to the jaws, you can even generate a pulling force of 10,554 pounds.The X-Tractor C draws its power from a separate hydraulic pump which Hurst also sells.

I don’t really care what the Jaws of Life cost. All I want to know is that my local emergency crews have one on hand to save my sorry ass.

X-Tractor C [Manufacturer]

The ultimate way to break s$#! is to blow it up, and the folks over at Gerber offer a multi-tool designed especially for the trained demolition techicians whose job we all covet. The Gerber Multi-Plier 600 Demolition Explosive Technician Tool is the only multi-tool certified for explosive ordinance disposal units and follows U.S. miltary specifications.

The tool includes a non-reflective black coating, a blasting cap crimper, and a universal saw coupler with remGritT saw. You also get a standard cross point screwdriver, large, meduim, and small flat- blade screwdrivers, a file, a bottle opener, a lanyard, and a nice ballistic nylon sheath.

And right now you can pick one up from Snapberry for just $79.05 with $8 shipping.

G7400 DET Tool [Gerber Tools]
Gerber G7400 DET [Snapberry]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

Got pics of your latest demo job? Post ‘em to the Toolmonger photo pool and you could win some sweet demolition gloves. We’ve still got lots of gloves to give away, so your chances of winning are, well, quite high. We’ll pick a couple each day to feature — and send ‘em gloves for their trouble.

Toolmonger’s Photo Pool [Flickr]

After watching this week’s FuBar III demolition demonstration, one reader commented that he’s surprised none of us was injured. Guess what? I was. You can’t see it in the video when it happens, but at one point I put the FuBar completely through the wall and caught my thumb on the wall itself. (I was wearing light gloves, ’cause I forgot my demo gloves.) The result: what you see above.

It actually doesn’t hurt anywhere near as bad as it looks. Really.

Regardless of what other demo tools you own, you definitely need a big-ass metal bar. The Guster Demo-Bar Series II looks like a good candidate: it takes the place of a demo hammer, pry bar, scraper, and nail puller, allowing you to quickly swap from task to task — causing controlled havoc and mayhem — without stopping to grab another tool.

It’s a four-foot all steel bar that weighs just under 10 pounds. The chisel-edged forks on the end slip under flooring, roofing shingles, and siding, while the angled lifter plate lifts ‘em up for quick removal. The forked head looks perfect for twisting out rafters, studs, and joists.

It features two built-in sets of nail pullers, too: one multi-nail set between the forks is raised to take out nails that pulled through lumber while two more are at the back of the head’s bars grab nail heads that are still set flush. The handle is covered a textured foam to improve grip, reduce vibration, and (most importantly) keep you from getting nasty blisters.

The best news, though, is that you can score one of these bringers of architectural pain for about $80.

The Gutster Series II [Official Site]
Gutster Retailers [Offical Site]
Via Amazon [What's this?]
Gutster Demo Video [YouTube]

Many companies sell hydraulic pulverizing attachments, but Northerntrack offers what’s far and away the coolest one. Looking like a blue, mechanical Tyrannosaurus Rex, the F18 is the baddest-ass attachment Northerntrack sells — all the better for breaking s#!$.

The F18’s “wrist” type action is engineered to quickly crush and dismantle floors and low walls, while Northertrak incorporates a shear in the rear of the jaws to handle any rebar buried in the concrete. To make it easy to swap the pulverizer among machines, its mount bolt pattern meets standards found on hydraulic excavators.

As you might imagine, this isn’t something you pick up at your local big box. You’ll have to contact Northerntrack to get purchasing information on the F18 hydraulic pulverizer or any of their other cool demolition attachments. Our guess on price: if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.

Of course, given a choice between pulverizers, how could you not choose the one that turns your rig into a ripping, chewing, blue dinosaur?

Hydraulic Pulverizer [Manufacturer]

Firefighters know about speedy demolition — because their lives (and sometimes yours) depend on it. And one of their faves for getting through a structure fast is the Truckmans Axe. Over at firestore.com you can get your own Truckmans axe for just $55 — and just $75 if you get want a fire-retardant belt scabbard, too.

This axe pierces and removes wall and ceiling materials, chips, prys, gouges, tears, acts as a lever, removes trim, windows, door jams, roofing, siding materials, and metal sheeting. It also features dielectric properties of over 100,000 volts for cutting through wire, and acts as a nail puller, pry bar, and gas shut off tool. The head is made from polished forged steel, which is stress-relieved and induction heat-treated then mounted on top of a 19-1/2″ ergonomic fiberglass core handle in a polypropylene jacket that and can withstand 10,000 pounds of force.

If that isn’t enough for you, it’s also center-balanced like a framing hammer and weighs in at under 3 pounds.

Truckmans Personal Axe [Firestore]
Street Pricing [Google Product]
Via Amazon [What's this?]

Stanley was kind enough to join us at Maker Faire last weekend to kick off Break S#!$ Week in style — by building an 8′ x 8′ shed, then tearing it down in four minutes flat with Stanley’s not-yet-on-the-market FuBar III.

Look for a hands-on later this week, but in the meantime we can tell you this about the FuBar III: it’s bigger, meaner, and far badder-ass than the original Fubar, and it’s the tool you want in your hand if you’re trying to open a door SWAT-style, knock a wall down to get out of a burning building, or just demolish a building to make way for new stuff. The original Fubar rocks. The FuBar III rocks harder.

And don’t miss the above video in which me and Sean from Toolmonger and Jimmy Addison from Stanley break s#!$ in style.

The FuBar III [Stanley Tools]

With a name like Shingle Ripper, I’d expect a mean-looking shingle obliterator. Thankfully Dacso Pro doesn’t share my love for destruction. They designed the Shingle Ripper to remove shingles without damaging either the removed piece or any surrounding pieces. The ‘Ripper is tool is 24″ in length and drop forged from high carbon steel to provide many years of service. 

At an average street price of $20, this looks like the E-ticket for removing shingles, though Coastal Tool offers a Shingle Ripper with what looks to be an improved blade, for $17.50 plus shipping. Better check ‘em both out.

Street Pricing [Google Products]
Dasco Pro 640 Shingle Ripper [Coastal Tool]
Via Amazon [What's this?]

The Slashbuster is an attachment that fits onto an articulated arm and turns a normal crane into a monster than can carve a house up like a Thanksgiving turkey. Remember: while destroying things is fun, doing it quickly is the fastest way to get paid if it’s your job.

One look at the Slashbuster leaves no doubt that a one man wrecking crew could take down an entire building in under 30 minutes. The attachment itself is a rotating disc with teeth and a debris guard that protects bystanders and operators from flying bits of building. Think weed eater, only scaled up to house size.

SlashBuster [Official Website]