There is nothing worse then walking onto a jobsite early in the morning only to find that your tools are not where you left them. It is sad that things like this happen, but with the economy the way it is, theft is on the rise. We don't like to leave our tools on the jobsite overnight, but it is often not possible to take everything home every night; so we lock up what we can.

Imagine how cool it would be if we could put a GPS tracker on all of our tools, so that we could catch the person behind the theft. This dream is not yet possible for the average man, but we are getting closer thanks to the Garmin GTU 10. While the GTU 10 is not really intended for use on tools, the thumb drive sized GPS locator is small enough to be hidden inside of a gang box or even some larger tools. Inside of the GTU 10 is a small wireless radio that connects to AT&T's wireless network and sends its GPS location over the internet to a website for online tracking. The unit can even be set up to alert you via TXT if it is moved outside of a user defined safe zone. This is not the perfect solution to tracking stolen tools, but for now this is the best we have. Hopefully as time goes by these will get smaller and be cheaper to make.

The GTU 10 is available for preorder for $199.99 and includes one year of tracking service; after that service will cost $49.99 per year.

Garmin GTU 10 via engadget

I don't spend a lot of time on Twitter, but I do like to check in throughout the day to respond to my followers, and to see what might be new in the world of tools. A couple of days ago a tweet from @RocklerDave pointed to some new products that Rockler.com will be carrying. As a lover of tools, it was my duty to click on the link to see what was new.

Congrats to twitter user @jeff_williams. He was the lucky winner of the Johnson Laser Measure.

We are back in giveaway mode thanks to Johnson Level. For this months giveaway Johnson Level is providing one of their new #40-6001 Laser Distance Measures. If you love tool tech. or just like the idea of using tools that make your job easier, an LDM is a must have tool. We covered their #40-6001 Laser Distance Measure back in August, but for those in a hurry, we have a taste of the Lasers features below.

40-6001

• Accuracy of ±1/16" (±2mm) at 165' (50M)
• Designed for indoor and outdoor applications
• Measure vertically or horizontally in almost any light conditions
• Large LCD screen with bright backlight & illuminated vial
• Sound activated measuring mode for awkward positions
• Compact size fits easily in tool belt or pocket
• Stores 10 individual measurements sequentially
• Integrated vial quickly levels LDM for assured measurement accuracy

Includes: Laser distance measure, soft-sided pouch, safety strap, rubberized LDM protection cover, 9V battery, instruction manual

Entering the giveaway is simple and we give you three options, here is how.

• Leave a comment anywhere on the Tool-Rank Blog. Any comment will do, but if you want to say thanks to the sponsor, that would be nice. Or let us know how you would use your new toy.
• Facebook users can enter by leaving a comment on the ToolRank Facebook page.
• Twitter users may also enter by following ToolRank and tweeting the following message (as shown):

• You may enter this specific giveaway up to three times (once per method). Additional entries will not be counted.
• Contest is open to anyone in the 48 Contiguous United States (including the District of Columbia), 18 years of age or older.
• One (1) Winner will be chosen randomly. Winner will receive one (1) of the prizes listed above.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified by email (Use a valid email address), or PM via Facebook or Twitter.
• Prizes may look different then those pictured above.
• Entries can be submitted until Monday January 31 2011, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
• Complete giveaway rules can be found here.

Thanks again to Johnson laser levels, spirit levels, construction measuring and marking tools.

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If not for the creation of sites like Youtube, we would probably never get to see how creative people can be when sharing a music video about a Shop Vac. Not only is the song very catchy, but the kinetic typography styled animation is also very impressive. It only took 500 to 1000 hours to complete the animation, and I am sure the music was no walk in the park either. I should probably point out that this is not an official Shop Vac song or video. Enjoy.