Oh! Gizmo

By Evan Ackerman

At first, it doesn’t seem like adding a digital display to something as quintessentially analog as a ruler is a good idea at all. But, designer Shay Shafranek has managed to add a whole bunch of relevant features not generally available on the old fashioned, wooden variety. The ruler has a conductive sensor along the edge that reads the location of a pencil tip, which means (for example) that you don’t have to measure from the end of the ruler… Wherever you start drawing from becomes zero. And once you have that zero point, you can simply touch other points along the ruler, and it will display distances. You can also do other neat stuff, like measuring continuously by moving the ruler as you draw.

You can’t get one of these yet, but maybe it’s the first glimpse of the next major step in the evolution of school supplies… As the calculator was to the slide rule, so is the digital ruler to the analog ruler. And I bet it’s just as effective and knuckle rapping, too.

[ Electronic Ruler ] VIA [ Gearfuse ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a multi-billion dollar company at my disposal to cook up awesome crime fighting gadgets like Batman (warning! spoiler ahead!) aka Bruce Wayne does. So I have to rely on the tools available at my local Home Depot, which quite frankly, just aren’t as awesome. Take Batman’s grappling hook for example. His version is small, lightweight and easy to carry on his utility belt. But the best solution you’ll find at your local hardware store is the PullzAll from Warn.

It’s no where near as compact and subtle as Batman’s device, but it seems just as capable, if not more so. There are two versions available, an AC powered model and a DC powered model, and I suggest the latter with its rechargeable 24V battery if you’re looking to become a vigilante. At 18lbs you’ll want to make sure you’re wearing a reinforced belt if you intend to carry it that way, but the device is capable of pulling or lifting up to 1,000lbs with its variable speed motor, so you should easily be able to hoist yourself up to the rafters of a warehouse for a dramatic escape.

$479.99 from the Warn website for the DC model, and $279.99 for the AC model.

[ Warn PullzAll ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Socket wrenches and ratchet screwdrivers are a couple of the best tools around. They make your life easier by allowing you to just keep twisting, instead of lifting off of the screw or bolt and reposition every half-turn or so. That’s all good and well until you come across something that uses a hex key (or Allen wrench if you will). Those little suckers are a pain in the ass to use. I used to work at a retail store that sold furniture, and I’d get stuck putting together chairs and such for display, and every stinking one of them required a hex wrench. By the end of the day my fingers would hurt from turning them. Thankfully ratcheting action has come to the hex wrench.

The Ratchet Allen Keys set is an awesome tool. The tool has 9 different sized keys that fold out, much like some other sets I’ve seen. The big difference is in the handle, which has full ratcheting action. This could certainly make just about any job using hex wrenches much easier. You can get these in both Standard and Metric sizes for about $17 each.

[ GarretWade ] VIA [ RedFerret ]

By Evan Ackerman

Looks like we’re beginning to catch up to the futuristic technology of the long time ago and far far away Star Wars galaxy, now that ThinkGeek has started selling the Hydrokinetic Adjustable Wrench, aka hydrospanner. The key feature of the hydrospanner (besides that in Star Wars it’s actually a powered driver, but never mind that) is that it uses hydraulics to fit to all kinds of different nuts and bolts without changing any bits. Inside the wrench is a fluid, which you compress through a valve to tighten the wrench. Close the valve and the wrench is perfectly sized. Opening the valve releases the fluid pressure, and the wrench comes off.

The Hydrokinetic Adjustable Wrench fits 23 different nuts and bolts in both standard and metric, is 7.5″ long, and costs $25. BTW, Han, you’d better be careful. That toolbox looks pretty precarious, and if something were to hit the ship…

[ ThinkGeek ]

By Evan Ackerman

The little magnetic light looks just like an underwater contact mine, except that it’s far less dangerous unless you stuff it full of high explosives, in which case it will only be moderately less dangerous. It’s a pretty neat idea, though: each one of those twelve “spikes” has a neodymium magnet at the tip, and you can use them to stick the light to any metallic surface and orient it just the way you want it. The wide-angle white LED looks like it provides plenty of illumination, and although it’s hard to tell from this picture, the light is tiny, about the size of a golf ball. It takes three watch batteries, but it doesn’t seem to say how long they power the light for or whether or not they are replaceable. My guess is “a while” and “yes,” but I don’t know for sure.

The Striker Magnetic Light Mine costs all of $8 on the Striker website.

[ Striker ] VIA [ Lifehacker ]

By Luke Anderson

I’ll be the first to admit that I suck at soldering. I can usually get the job done, but it never looks pretty, and takes several attempts. Yes, that’s a skill that I should really put some effort into, as it comes in handy when working with electronics. However, it would seem that there is a different solution for the lazy modder, Wire Glue.

There’s not much to tell about this stuff. It’s a paste-like substance that can be used to glue wires together, allowing electricity to flow freely between them. It uses microcarbon technology to pull off this amazing feat. Just $4 gets you a small container of the stuff. Sure, it’s not going to replace soldering in many situations, but it will definitely come in handy.

[ ThinkGeek ] VIA [ RGS ]

By Evan Ackerman

With all of the nuclear power plants in the US pushing 25 years old or more, the obvious solution to keep them from disintegrating into piles of radioactive dust is duct tape. But not just any duct tape: 3M’s Performance Plus Nuclear Grade Duct Tape. It doesn’t appear to be particularly radiation resistant, but it does feature clean removal indoors and outdoors after up to 6 months. It’s waterproof and you can write on it, but most notably it works at temperatures up to 200°F, which was always the achilles heel of duct tape and the reason why it’s so bad at taping ducts.

You can find 3M Nuclear Grade Duct Tape in slate blue or red on Amazon for about $14 a roll.

[ 3M ] VIA [ Toolmonger ]

By Luke Anderson

I think it is almost universally agreed that duct tape is nearly the most useful tool on the planet. At the very least, it is by far the most useful tape out there. However, I’ve discovered another very useful adhesive that will have a permanent place in my toolbox. Yes, I do sound like I’m getting worked up over tape, but you have to admit that Self-Adhesive Magnetic Tape is rather appealing.

The concept is rather simple; just cut off a strip of tape, stick it to the wall, another piece goes on the item you’re hanging. Now just slap the two things together and it stays. This is rather handy for items that you might need to take off the wall and hang back up again. Sure, you could buy velcro strips and get a similar effect, but those wouldn’t be nearly as fun. Not to mention at $16 for a 5-meter roll, this stuff is probably a lot cheaper.

[ Pro-Idee ] VIA [ RedFerret ]

By Luke Anderson

When I’m working on a project that requires measuring, cutting, drilling and hammering, I tend to be very precise about what I do. My grandfather always drilled  the phrase “measure twice, cut once” into my head, and it’s good advice. One annoying thing about tape measures is that it’s not always easy to mark in the exact spot that you want. The line on the tape measure itself is usually a good quarter-inch above the object you need to mark, which can leave your measurements off, albeit only slightly. Not to mention that you don’t always have a free hand to mark with. Well here’s a tape measure that will do the marking for you.

The Irwin Straight-Line Tape Measure looks just like any other. However, at the point where the tape exits the roll, there is a handy marker on the underside. Just set it down (you might need to rub it on the object a little) and you’re all set. This $14 gadget could very well save you a lot of hassle in the future.

[ Amazon ] VIA [ Book of Joe ]