There are numerous methods for stripping paint such as shaving, scraping, applying Dr. Pepper, and heating, but if you don’t want to spend lot of time and sweat equity, paint strippers are usually the way to go. They have their disadvantages: traditional strippers can use nasty chemicals you don’t want to inhale or get anywhere near your skin, not to mention they’re messy to clean up and they bring possible disposal issues.

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You always hear about repairs made with Baling wire, but sheesh, try and find the stuff these days. The reason it was used for repairs, besides the fact that soft ductile wire is ideal for binding stuff to other stuff, is that it was a common waste item down on the farm. Since hay bales are no longer tied with wire, what are you going to do? There are still companies that distribute baling wire, but what if you just want to pick up a small amount? It seems that rebar tie wire is an acceptable substitute, and you can get a 3 lb. coil of generic “tie wire” pretty cheaply. I have several small coils of wire I’ve picked up at yard and estate sales and it comes in handy!

So what do you guys think, Hot or Not? — especially in light of its seeming unavailability and alternative materials such as duct tape?

Street Pricing [Google Products]

A while back we mentioned the Billy Pedal Foot Switch sold by MCLS. I was going to post a Dealmonger about it as it’s on sale, but I got to thinking — is this thing really safe? While the hands-free convenience of switching your router or other tool on and off is Hot, we can see situations where you forget that the tool is still powered because when your foot is off the switch, the tool seems off. Leaving a tool in that condition could be frightening should you accidentally actuate the switch as it lays on the floor. The only way to safe the tool is to either unplug the switch from the wall or the tool from the switch. This seems to be a definite Not.  

So what do you think? Let us know in comments.

Deadman Style Pedal Foot Switch [MLCS]

Since it’s the middle of August, watering is on our minds. Looking at garden hose quick connectors such as those sold by Gilmour Mfg., we wonder whether they are a product with a need or just another way to add complexity to the seemingly simple task of using a hose.

On one hand it can be a pain to screw an old hose threaded coupler onto a faucet if you have limited hand mobility. The couplers have auto shutoff so you can couple and uncouple without turning the faucet on and off. There’s also the risk of losing the rubber washer inside the hose coupling when removing the coupling from the faucet.

On the other hand is it really all that hard to couple and uncouple hoses? Most of the starter kits sold at the hardware store only have connectors for two or three ends, which can’t be that great an addition. If you only have one or two hoses, is the time/effort savings that great? With the quick connects there are more parts to wear out as well over time. Finally, there are a bunch of different systems, all of which don’t seem to interchange with each other — which could lead to problems when purchasing additional components.

Hot or Not? Let us know in comments.

Frankly, I was going to post about the Alpha JackClamp a while ago, but when I went to their website to gather information, it was hacked, so I forgot about the clamp. As of late, I keep running into ads and reviews for the product and figured it was time to give it a fair shake.

The first thing you notice about the Alpha JackClamp it that it has this extra bar where other bar clamps just have a jaw pad. This extra bar gives the JackClamp some interesting abilities. As a bar clamp, it has a 13″ deep throat for clamping around obstructions. Flipping the handle around the extra bar gives the JackClamp a 33″ spreading span.

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TM has discussed 12V portable compressors before (Black & Decker’s Air Station and Master Flow’s Tsunami, for example), but the ContiComfortKit adds a feature for sealing typical tire punctures. The $79 kit weighs 5.5 lbs, is 9.5″W × 7″H × 3.75″D, has a 12-V air compressor with an integral illuminated pressure gauge, a low-intensity LED worklight, and adds a latex liquid tire sealant. The ContiComfortKit will work on most sizes of car, minivan, and crossover vehicle tires. If the sealant is not activated, the kit can be used as a stand-alone compressor.

I suppose using the ContiComfortKit is easier than jacking up the car and putting on the spare or calling AAA and waiting, but does the ease justify the price? Let us know in comments.

ContiComfortKit [Continental Tire]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

I like tactical knives. They have a nice clean look and are handy to have around. However, depending on what level of state, federal, or general media outcry you’re looking at, the idea has come up more than once to try to limit or ban the use or sale of tactical knives here in the states. I began to ponder the subject in some depth.

To get a bit smarter about the situation at hand, I first wanted to know what the exact definition of a tactical knife actually is. Herein lies the first issue — there isn’t a hard and fast rule on what makes a TAC knife. One group seemed to think the blade shape was the determining factor; others thought size and handle material was the ticket and one very confused group seemed to state that anything black or camo-colored was lumped in the tactical group as well. This is a small problem.

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Link promotes their Lock-Solid feature and patented design as preventing “accidental disconnects and dropped sockets.” I have not found this to be a major problem when I’m working with my trusty old Sears sockets and drivers, but maybe I’ve been lucky. (By the way, Pete Roberts, the Link inventor, also designed the Sears quick-release ratchet.) Rather than connecting via a ball bearing, all Link tools have a case-hardened steel pin with a spring-loaded collar. They claim the connections can lift a 20-lb. weight without pulling apart.

A 41-piece 3/8″ tool set in a custom-molded case will set you back $160, but you can also get smaller upgrade kits that will work with your existing tools (”all the quality brands of detent sockets”). Their catalog, for example, lists a seven-piece 3/8″ upgrade kit ($120) and a two-piece 3/8″ “trial” kit ($29).

Do you suffer from frequent socket dropping? If so, are Link tools the cure or is this just not that big of an issue? Let us know in comments.

Link Tools [Manufacturer's Site]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

At what point do you throw in the towel with your car? As a card-carrying stubborn gearhead, I haven’t found the line yet. A few months ago I refreshed the top end of my 1990 Oldsmobile — a terrible old slushbucket — to fix a coolant leak from the cylinder head. The transmission no longer moves the car, even though it shifts, and this is after I did two wheel bearings and replaced a broken climate-control computer. Considering that the car has about 240,000 miles on it (I’m not sure because I replaced the cluster to fix a broken speedometer a while back), and has a Kelly Blue Book retail value of less than $700, why exactly did I bother? Because as long as I’m around, it’s not dead yet.

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Festool’s MFT/3 basic multifunction table looks like a piece of thick pegboard with some legs from a card table. It’s more than that, we think. It also comes with rails and a lot of options and accessories; however the $475 sticker shock that comes with it is a lot to take.

The folks at Festool call it “The Evolution Of The Workbench,” but the next generation workbench weighs 54 pounds. That doesn’t seem very “Next” to us. It does feature a 43 3/8″ × 28 1/4″ work surface, a 35 7/16″ working height, and can be folded up to 7 3/32″ thick for stowage, which is cool.

Our question is: what does this have over the Vika Twofold that doubles as a scaffold and runs about $130, or maybe a hollow-core door across two saw horses? What do you think — are we missing something, or is this a little on the steep side for what it delivers? Let us know in comments.

Festool [Manufacturer's Site]
Vika Twofold [Manufacturer's Site]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

I haven’t seen an infomercial for the Little Giant BigTrex™ yet, so I assume it has at least a half-bazillion setups and uses. The price ($158 @ Amazon) seems a bit steep, but it does have those 6.5″ extra wide rungs, that No-Pinch Handle, the Airdeck Tool Tray, and it weighs a svelte 22 pounds.

So is this really better than that old clunky wooden step ladder you have in the garage (you remember, the last time you used it you slipped and hurt your Achilles)? Let us know in comments.

Little Giant BigTrex [Corporate Site]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

I’m sorting through my excess handtools and found both a Sidewinder ratchet wrench and a Squeeze ratchet wrench that I clearly have never used. We covered the Squeeze wrench back in 2007 and reactions were mixed.

While I like the idea of these tools, the reality is that I never remember I have them when they might be useful, and I certainly can do well enough without them using standard ratchet wrenches and extensions. So the question is, are these gimmicky wrenches worth it or just another hunk of steel taking up space in your stuffed toolbox? Hot or Not?

Bonus question: Are there any other specialty ratchet wrenches that are invaluable to you?

A mechanic I know at a nearby full-service shop just purchased a pretty monstrous tool chest. It’s 53” wide, has sixteen drawers, and cost around $1900. Pretty standard fare, until you get to the part where it has a built-in refrigerator and a stereo compatible with an MP3 player. The asking price isn’t bad, but this blurs the line between tool box and lifestyle statement in this writer’s mind.

Call me old-fashioned, but I have trouble seeing the point of all this. My idea of a high-tech tool storage innovation is foam-lined drawers; speakers and a fridge make this box seem like some kind of social center rather than a storage system, but maybe that’s exactly the point. So, the question is, hot or not? Let us know in comments.

The Gilmour Traveling Sprinkler is a cast iron, green-and-yellow model of the classic John Deere tractor. It follows the path you lay out with the water hose, covering up to 13,500 sq. ft. of lawn, and the manufacturer says its adjustable spray arms water at a diameter ranging from 15 to 55 ft. Gilmour also says the 2-speed traveler will follow up to 200 feet of hose before the sprinkler’s shutoff ramp automatically stops it and turns off the water.

User reviews at Amazon and at DrillSpot are a toss-up between one-star (hate it) and five-star (love it). Some folks say the sprinkler works especially well for odd-shaped yards and that kids get a kick out of it. Others complain that the gears strip themselves and the plastic internal parts fall apart right away. Are the Deere design and the cool factor of a self-propelling sprinkler enough to part with $70 – 100? Let us know in comments.

Traveling Sprinkler [Gilmour]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Street Pricing [Google]

The industry standard for knockout punches, Greenlee screw- or hydraulic-actuated two-piece piloted dies are designed to make holes in sheet metal for conduit and instruments. But what about for the weekend warrior or the guy starting out in the trade? Harbor Freight has a set of four for only $15.99, about a tenth of the price of a set of Greenlee punches. You can of course find used Greenlee brand punches for much less, if you’re lucky.

The real question is whether the Harbor Freight set works well enough, actually makes clean holes, and can survive more than one or two uses. So we ask, Hot or Not?

The Drill Doctor has become an often-seen sharpening tool in many home workshops and commercial garages since its public release in 1997. The manufacturer claims the Drill Doctor can sharpen most bit sizes depending on the model of machine you are using, so the woodworking professional can save money by turning those rusted and dull bits into usable tools time and time again. Their website has this to say about the tool:

Since its introduction in 1997, the Drill Doctor® line has sold more than two million units. All major U.S. hardware retailers, as well as distributors in some 25 nations abroad, carry the Drill Doctor® brand.

Some of the retailers who carry the Drill Doctor® today are Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, TrueValue, Ace Hardware, Do It Best, Orchard Supply Hardware, Menard’s, and Amazon.com. They are also carried extensively by auto after market and industrial tool suppliers.