Gear Patrol

“Animal” carries some classic connotations: The hairy drummer and all-around bad ass member of The Muppets, one half of the Legion of Doom, the most dominating tag team in wrestling history, and of course, the preeminent party movie of any generation, Animal House. There’s a new brother in this fraternity of beasts… and it’s a…

Gun control is a perennial issue that raises passions on both sides of the aisle. One thing everyone can agree on, though, is that secure storage is key to preventing tragedy. There are two essentials in home firearm storage: security and access control. The GunVault MiniVault Biometric ($208) handgun safe unequivocally gives you both. Using…

Even the best chefs and butchers cut themselves from time to time, and given the odds, your index finger is probably prime target for your next chop session. Protect your mitts with a pair of BladeX5 Cut & Slash Resistant Gloves ($14) for practicing your knife skills with confidence. Their cut-resistant fiber blend technology is…

Sledge hammer, hoe, crow bar, hook, wire cutter, nail puller. They sound like the members of a punkrock metal band, but sorry, this isn’t an album review. Those tools make up the individual components of a prototype tool that could save your life. A strictly utilitarian tool of survival, it has the makings of a…

We all wish we had a perfectly ordered tool box. Unfortunately, the average tool shed or work table looks more like a horror movie set than a usable work space. You may not be motivated to clean up your pile o’tools (good name for a pub in Murray Hill, btw), but the Craftsman Figure Eight…

We’re not sure where the carnage started. Perhaps it was the electronic pencil sharpener or the overhead projector. All we know is the latest analog school supply victim — the padlock — has fallen victim to Moore’s Law. Master Lock’s dialSpeed Electronic Combination Lock ($25) marks the end of the classic combination padlock as we…

Robots and raw fish are Japanese mainstays, but the SmartXcissors 4-in-1 Multi-Purpose Cutting Tool ($40) basically amounts to artificial intelligence for the cutting world (*Note* legally we in no way advocate self aware blades, for the sake of humanity’s survival). These super scissors combine a wire cutter, box opener, serrated edge and flat blade to…

Buck has been making knives since 1902. You’ve been making knives since, uh, never. That shouldn’t stop you from combining your extensive talent with Buck’s 100 years of experience to create a unique blade via their new Buck Custom Knife Builder ($62+). Using the online tool, buyers can choose between two knife models (the 500…

If you’re going to wear an apron, it better be the manliest, most rugged, heavy-duty friggin’ apron the world has ever seen. We suggest Filson’s Tin Cloth Utility Apron ($95). Don’t put this thing on when you’re in the kitchen burning toast or poking some weenies around on the grill, though. This sucker is built…

A beer on the back of a riding mower sounds great, but sipping on one in our hammock? Now we’re talking. Evidently, the good folks at John Deere agree, which is why (we assume) they’ve created the Tango E5 autonomous mower. This battery-powered unit operates within an area up to 1,800 square meters, established by…

Power up and rip through concrete, metal, asphalt, masonry, stone or ductile iron with the Stihl TS 500i Cutquik cut-off machine. With the industry’s first electronically controlled fuel-injection system, the portable rotary fires up with ease and maintains optimum engine power and torque no matter what material it’s dissevering — all with greater fuel-efficiency and…

While city populations grow every year, living space doesn’t. Given the ever-increasing premium for square footage, creative design concepts like The Corner Ladder are becoming increasingly useful. This unique shape shifter is made of beech wood (yes, you remember that from the old Budweiser ads), brass hinges, and a cord at the base, and can…

Anyone who has ever dabbled with woodworking knows that a strap clamp can be the extra set of hands you need, when you don’t want anybody else’s hands on your work. The only problem is, unless you’re crafting something bigger than a breadbox, the excess strap length can make your workbench a mess of nylon…

When we were just youngsters, it was always fun “helping out” the old man in the garage or lawn…which probably explains our gear addiction. Now that we’ve got some square footage of our own, carrying on the generational tradition of a perfectly manicured lawn and well appointed garage is one of life’s chief delights. While…

The signs of spring are usually cause for celebration — that is until you uncover your patio furniture to reveal an unidentifiable landscape of last year’s 4th of July cookout. Craftsman, whose wares have graced the drawers of your family’s toolbox for generations, offers the perfect solution with their new 1700 PSI / 1.3 GPM…

The Sven Folding Saw eliminates the cumbersome builds of traditional cutters, while still retaining the strength to conquer any task. Both 15” and 21” models are available, featuring a USA made frame and a serrated blade formed in Denmark from Swedish steel. Its unique folding design protects the blade when not in use, and collapses…

If we’re being honest (would we lie to you?), choosing favorites as a youngster was tough. Some of life’s seemingly most important questions were which toy to play with. LEGO’s? G.I. Joe? Terrorize Whiskers with a NERF gun (still struggle with this one)? That’s why when we received word about The Free Universal Construction Kit…

The “ultimate workshop” is one of those rooms that frequently crop up in a man’s dream home ramblings, right between mentions of the Holodeck and a putting green. Even for those who’ve never lifted a tool in their life, the allure of escaping to an oasis of tinkering, away from the rest of the house…

Your standard $3 snowbrush can’t seem to bear much load, making it tough to clean off your car without snapping it into plasticky bits. So when time (and avoidance of “snow elbow”) are of the essence, you just might want to give the Innovation Factory Snowmover 2.0 ($24) a go at the white stuff. Made…

The latest addition to Stanley’s FuBar line of demolition tools features an overhauled design that combines the prying power of a typical crowbar with the cutting skills of a chisel. One end of the 14-inch steel-and-carbon bar sports a prying hook and nail puller we all know and love. The bottom half, however, replaces the…

Twine looks like the aftermath of a booze-fueled sleepover in Vegas between a pack of Post-its and a bar of soap. Its inanimate and rather blunt form-factor, though, hides the Twine’s ambitious purpose. The device was devised by two MIT Media Lab grads, who wanted to create an easy way to bring various household objects…

Kobalt’s new Double-Drive Screwdriver ($20) features a unique all-metal gear system that channels both clockwise and counterclockwise ratcheting motions toward turning the screw. This increased motion harnessing efficiency makes the screwdriver twice as fast as the traditional ratcheting variety (or so Kobalt claims). To engage the double drive, users must grip the front blue collar…

There are sledge hammers, then there are sledge hammers backed with a guarantee to pay you a cool grand if you can muster up the muscle to break one. Yes, that’d be the Wilton Bad Ass Sledge Hammer ($38) we’re referring to. B.A.S.H. for short. Why so much confidence? Well if you’ve done a fair…

You scrimped and saved to buy that perfect kayak and the exact rack to mount it on your ride’s roof. You planned your first paddle with it for months and had the time of your life once you finally got out on the water. In fact, the trip was so epic that you couldn’t stop…

The Thor ice scraper ($20) is another clever idea to emerge from the creative product think tank Qwirky. It’s purposeful double-blade design allows users to scrape both backwards and forwards. Rubber-coated front and rear grips provide plenty of points for leverage, so there’s no need for excessive force either. The handle is also extendable up…

The Craftsman Clench Wrench ($30) is a hybrid tool that combines the convenient folding design of a pocket knife with the torque-applying benefits of your typical spanner. Besides putting a nail in the coffin of the “is that a wrench in your pocket…” joke, the spring-loaded adjustable jaw easily fits a wide range of fastener…

Does your hate for shoveling snow equal your disdain for poor fuel economy? Then Honda’s first-ever Hybrid Snow Blower ($8,000) was designed for you. It’s gas-powered four-stroke iGX390 engine provides enough spinning auger and blower power to discharge 83 tons per hour at distances of up to 62 feet (bombs away!). The fossil fuel burner…

Find yourself habitually reaching for the kitchen shears whenever it’s time for an odd job or chore? Leave the comestible-cutter alone and grab yourself a Fiskars ShopBoss ($30). A veritable Swiss Army Snipper, the ShopBoss offers the best of heavy-duty cutting and a multi-function tool. Titanium coated heavy-duty blades with spring action, wire cutter and…

If we had to guess what famed Apple hardware and software engineers Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers would do after leading the team responsible for the first 18 generations of the iPod, and the first three generations of the iPhone — revolutionizing the thermostat wouldn’t immediately spring to mind. Now, after launching the Nest Learning…

Thanks to the physics of leverage and well-placed angles the Steel and Walnut Hand Wood Splitter ($280) not only makes for sharp striking fireside wall accoutrement, but backs it up with mighty cutting prowess. With an ability to apply 2.4 tons of splitting force using nothing but one’s bare hands (just add growl) the splitter’s…