Wearing safety glasses with a dust mask can be a bummer. Many times you end up fogging the glasses, so you either choose to risk your eyesight by forgoing the glasses or fill your lungs with crap. There are a few safety glasses with anti-fog coatings on the market, but this set of glasses from Milwaukee goes one step further — they have a channel for ventilation between the lens and the frame that supposedly reduces fogging.

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Mechanix gloves are a popular topic here at Toolmonger. We like their excellent protection, improved grip, and Robocop aesthetic, but there’s an offering coming that’s more up Spiderman’s alley. The spiny knuckle ribbing and web-like hex grid over the heavy fabric of their soon-to-be-released MRT 0.5 M-Pact gloves wouldn’t be out of place on a Marvel villain’s hands, but there are some new tricks beyond looks built into these gloves.

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A worthwhile addition to your vehicle’s emergency kit and safer than incendiary flares, the small (6 oz. with batteries; 4 1/4″L × 3 7/8″W × 1″D) Lite Flare has a clear high-impact polycarbonate housing, two high-intensity red (yellow is available, also) LEDs that flash about 55 times per minute with a claimed visibility range of 1 mile at night, and uses two AA batteries that will operate for “400+ hours (alkaline type).” A 3-pack (the recommended number for “optimum” visibility) costs $33. They also make a Cone Flare version that fits in the top of a traffic cone to make it more visible.

If you don’t like the directionality of the Lite Flare, other manufacturers (e.g., PowerFlare) make LED flares that emit light in all directions.

I’m sure there are even more options out there. What do you prefer for road-side emergencies?

Lite Flare [Manufacturer's Site]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

Move aside, pockets, there’s a new kid in town. That’s how the people at Glove Guard would have it, anyway. Glove Guards are little two-ended clips designed to hold your gloves to a belt or belt loop, which seems silly when those same pants are likely equipped with that age-old innovation — pockets. Still, these would improve comfort — jammed into a fabric envelope and bunched up against one’s hip, gloves never seem to lie comfortably. But, as an added bonus, the clips have a breakaway portion to keep you from getting sucked into the chipper.

$5 a pop is a bit steep for such a low-grade innovation, but I can see these being the new Chip Clip. Maybe the designers had one thing in mind, but the market will probably come up with hundreds of additional uses.

Glove Guards [Glove Guard]
Glove Guards [ABC Safety Glasses]

This bandsaw push block already has one hit against it. Could you face your fellow woodworkers and tell them you recommend using a Joy-Jaw push block and expect to keep any sort of respect? Aside from the bad name, however, it may have some redeeming features.

The large molded handles and wire guards keep your hands away from the blade. While the molded plastic body is rigid, it won’t damage the blade if you accidentally cut into it. The stepped jaws, which are reminiscent of an alligator wrench, will grip many shapes and sizes of small stock.

Woodteck designed and manufacturers this product in the USA. It’ll run you $30 plus shipping.

Joy-Jaw [Woodworker's Supply]

Are you going through enough LP or oxygen that you don’t have enough safe storage space?  With an aluminum gas cylinder cabinet from SECUREALL you can save space in your shop and store gas outside.

SECUREALL constructs their LP and oxygen cylinder cabinets from 12 ga aluminum with expanded metal sides and doors. The top is solid metal and the floor is framed to prevent the cylinders from contacting the ground. All-welded construction makes the cabinets tamper-resistant and the aluminum is both spark resistant and won’t corrode even if left in the elements.

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A trained professional would use the Mighty Probe from T&T Tools to try to find buried lines without ripping up half the yard. After de-energizing the lines, they’d keep sticking the probe into the ground where they thought the line was buried until they hit it, or until they give up and get the shovels.

If a pro ever contacted an energized line, the Mighty Stick provides up to 50,000V protection from shock. That’s because six inches of high-strength reinforced composite insulates the 11″ vinyl-covered solid-steel handle from the probe.

Three different shaft types, 3/8″ round, 3/8″ hex, and 7/16″ hex for the Mighty Probe are available in many different lengths. The shafts and tip are threaded for easy replacement. The tip is special alloy steel which has been heat-treated and has tapered edges for easy penetration and withdrawal.

As stated there are many configurations for the probe, and the retailers are a little sparse on specifics, but it looks like a 48″ Mighty Probe runs about $90. But don’t get any wild ideas — go call the dig line.

Mighty Probe [T&T Tools]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

I can’t say I’m 100% sure on how these rotating gate valve lockouts from Master Lock are intended to be used, but I’m guessing one possible use is to prevent somebody from turning the water — especially if it’s heated to steam — back on when you’re working on a plumbing project across the building. If lock-out tag-out works for electricians, why not for plumbers?

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The 21st century must be here; you can now get carbon fiber in your shoes. Not that anyone will notice, but perhaps later on they’ll start putting them on the outside like carbon fiber car hoods or something.

While not all of these new boots use carbon fiber, composite-toe safety shoes are becoming commonplace, using fiberglass or similar materials. Lighter than and just as strong as steel toes, they help to keep your dogs from barkin’ too loudly at the end of the day, without sacrificing any peace of mind. Most of the larger manufacturers such as Wolverine, Bates, and Hytest, have one or more offerings with composite toes, and they generally retail for a few dollars more than their steel-capped counterparts.

Whether a lighter shoe is worth the extra cash depends on how much value you place on comfort, but given how high the cost of good safety shoes can be, an extra $10 or $20 seems like a good trade.

Wolverine CarbonMAX boots [Wolverine]
Bates Composite-toe Boots [Bates]
Hytest Composite-toe Boots [Hytest]

There are times when I’m very glad I don’t own a gas grill. I’m sure many people use them without issue, but I’ve heard of folks’ houses burning down after faulty shutdowns and any number of other issues after a summer or so of operation. Most of that is hearsay of course, but it seems Fiesta Grills has a real tale of woe with the voluntary recall of around 88,000 of their Blue Ember Gas Grills.

Fiesta has received 161 reports of malfunctions resulting in 9 incidents that produced major burns and one case of temporary hearing loss. The recall states the cause of all this mess is that the gas hose can get too close to the firebox. Once it does, it gets bad.

The recall notice had this to say on what to do if your unit is one of the affected models.

Consumers should immediately stop using the grill and call Fiesta Gas Grills to obtain a free replacement grease pan assembly and instructions for installing the part and the gas tank. The grill should not be used until the new grease pan assembly and the gas tank have been installed correctly. Consumers should also inspect the gas burner hose and regulator, which will be replaced free of charge if there are signs of damage.

Check out the CPSC site for more info on how to identify which grills are included in the recall. And should your grill be one of the guilty parties don’t just ignore the notice and light up anyway. The way this recall reads, it’s only a matter of time.

Recall Information [CPSC.gov]

Toolmongers with feet that would impress a yeti know the pain of trying to find a good pair of work boots. Wide-footed individuals the world over have leaned towards New Balance products for ages, but New Balance doesn’t make work boots, do they?  Well, sort of:  Rockport Works, a work shoe manufacturer, contracts with New Balance to design their foot beds and toe caps, leaving the uppers, tongue, and lace arrangement for themselves, at least according to Moe at Harry’s Army Surplus.

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If you need a portable or temporary ramp but don’t have the room to store it, maybe you should check out the Roll-A-Ramp, a lightweight and portable ramp system made from 6061 Anodized Aluminum that can be used in many applications. When you’re done with it you can just roll it up for easy storage.

Roll-A-Ramps come in 36″, 30″, and 26″ widths or in 12″ wide pairs. Each section or link connects to the next section with two bolts so you can add or subtract links to get the perfect-sized ramp. Depending on the configuration and how the weight is distributed they can support from 1,000 to 2,000 lbs. Special end links are tapered to make it easy to roll on and off the ramp, and all ramps have a built-in safety rail.

The fixed length ramps listed on Amazon and Northern Tool sites run somewhere between $500 and $1,600 depending on the width and length. You can also purchase custom-length ramps from a local dealer.

Roll-A-Ramp [Corporate Site]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

Here’s an interesting concept from Sommerfeld: a featherboard that doubles as a bit guard — or is it a bit guard that doubles as a featherboard? They claim that it works great for large work pieces like plywood or raised panel doors.

As a featherboard, the Featherguard can hold the workpiece with over 50lbs of pressure, and as a bit guard, it completely covers the bit when installed correctly.

There are few disconcerting things about this accessory — you can’t see the bit through the completely opaque plastic and you need to locate the featherboard directly over the bit rather than in front the bit where you’d normally locate it. That said, it could be a time-saver to only have to position one accessory rather than two.

Sommerfeld includes all knobs and hardware needed to attach the Feathergaurd to your router or table saw. It appears that the Feathergaurd is only available on their website for $25 before shipping charges.

Featherguard [Sommerfeld Tools]

While sports-themed, bike-themed, and just plain girly hardhats have been spotted before, they all take second fiddle to Smith and Wesson’s hardhat. It comes with a four-point nylon ratchet suspension, a wide brim for protection against harmful UV rays, and is in compliance with ANSI Z89.1-2003 (Class G electrical-low voltage).

Fashioned after the classic ten-gallon Stetson, this one will hold remarkably less, but after a day or two on site, you probably shouldn’t drink out of it anyway.

The Smith and Wesson hardhat will fit head sizes from 6½ to 8, and will set you back $29, partner.

Street pricing [Google]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]

When a storm is about to hit, the last thing you want to do is waste time screwing plywood over your windows.  PLYLOX window clips let you quickly cover windows with plywood without installing any hardware or modifying your window casings.

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If you don’t own a surge suppressor for your whole house or building, the next best thing might be surge suppressors built right into key outlets around your home or office.  There’s less clutter without the power strips, and you’re protected even if you plug your electronics right into the wall.

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The Addalock adds an extra layer of security to most properly installed inward-swinging doors, even if there’s no lock on the door.  It installs and removes quickly, so you can use it both at home and when you travel.

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