Gear Patrol

The cordless drill is the most useful tool in any man’s bag. Untethered power and portability combined with the ability to go from drill to drive in mere seconds make it the go-to grab for most projects around the house. While the 18V and 20V bit-twisters of the world have homes on the belts of contractors and semi-pro weekend warriors alike, breaking out the big guns just to hang a picture or tighten some screws is well, overkill — plus every now and then things can get a little tight. Whether you’re just beginning your collection or adding to the fleet, the torque and twist-time offered by today’s 12V versions rivals many of their corded counterparts, minus the heft; that can often be the difference between completing a job and cursing til the cows come home.

For those of you preparing to go away to college, let us give you a little heads up. When arriving on campus you will have but one goal: get your parents out as soon as possible. Unfortunately, they will have already put in place a preemptive defense. Along with the bed and bath, they’ve also…

Kitchen gadgetry is, of course, something we’re suckers for. Unfortunately, establishing a hefty collection of thingamajigs often leads to crowded counters. Thanks to Black & Decker’s SpaceSaver Thermal Coffeemaker, you can now make room for more whatsits by mounting a full-fledged drip coffee maker under your cabinets. While, at some angles, it definitely looks like…

There’s comes a time in just about every man’s life when he need to use a socket wrench. At that moment, he delves into the tool box to find both the wrench and box of sockets organized by size (if he’s lucky). From there, he engages in the timeless tradition of switching back and forth…

Now You Know… And Knowing Is Half The Battle Being the savvy, well-educated Gear Patrol technophile that you are, you’ve certainly noticed that one of the most consistent wallet wasting trends of recent months has been the steady increase in energy costs across virtually all geographies and power utilities. Whereas this lowly commentator prefers to…