Festool has a lot of great tools, and most if not all of them make use of a Systainer (Festool's tool boxes). The problem for some fans is that Festool does not make a Systainer compatible radio. Fans want a radio with built in support for MP3 players, additional outlets, etc; they basically want what the latest Bosch 360 radio has to offer but in a Systainer format.

What Festool hasn't built, one Festool fan named FestFan has. He has taken an empty Systainer III, and turned it into a customized radio. The basics behind it are simple: power, an inverter to convert his 220V down to 12 volts DC, a car radio, and a couple 40 watt speakers. A pretty good start if you ask me, but that wasn't enough for this users; he also built in a LED work light and added a couple power sockets.

Systainers come in a number of sizes, so if you want to rock the jobsite with a couple 10” speakers, it is probably doable, just stay away from me.

via FestoolOwnersGroup

I am talking about the Lock Jaw Self Adjusting Clamps and Pliers. When I first saw the Lock Jaw clamps in a magazine a few years ago, I knew I had to pick up a pair. Half of my job involves using clamps, so the faster they are to use, the better. The hard part I had was trying to find a place that sold them. After a bit of searching I was able to find some online, but after only a few months they could no longer be found.

Lock Jaw was a small company with an amazing looking product that was going up against a giant know as Vise-Grip, things must have been hard. Now it looks like they have the backing of another big name in tools, C.H. Hanson. Not only has C.H. Hanson been able to bring the tools back, but it looks like they have also added to the line. More sizes and options are now available for both the clamps and the pliers, and many of the Lock Jaw tools can be found in online stores. To say I am happy is an understatement.

C.H. Hanson - Lock Jaw - [:cicn:] Amazon

When ChannelLock said they wanted to send me their new Model #412 6.5” V-Jaw Tongue and Groove Pliers, I was a bit hesitant. My job is in installing commercial cabinets and millwork, how effectively could I test a tool that is designed for nuts, bolts, etc. After a bit of use, my concerns were quickly put to rest.

First let me explain the difference between ChannelsLock's regular tongue and groove pliers and their V-Jaw sibling. While the regular T&G plier has two parallel flat contact surfaces with teeth at a right angle, the V-Jaw version has a V shaped contact surface with right angle teeth on each separate surface. This means that you have a total of four contact points over the two you would find on the regular model. Because of the V-Jaw you not only have better gripping on hex shaped objects, but you also have a huge advantage on round things like pipes and tubing.

During a recent job I decided to put the 412 V-Jaw in my pocket and see what they could do for me throughout the day. At first I put them to use pulling out some small brad nails and they did a great job. They worked better then I expected, so much so, that they have pretty much replaced my ChannelLock End Cutters as my nail puller of choice. I don't think ChannelLock would mind me replacing one of their tools with another.

Because they are small enough to fit in my pocket and are light in weight, I ended up keeping them in my pocket for the length of the entire job, which was two weeks, and found all kinds of uses for them. They came in handy when I needed to install some brackets for a plexiglass panel wall, and were a life saver when I had to remove some stripped screws. I was even able to use them on a bolt or two. They turned out to be quite useful and I found myself reaching for them more then I thought I would. My co-workers also loved them, and kept bugging me to use them when they ran into a problem.

All in all the 412 6.5” V-Jaw Plier is a great tool, and will be my plier of choice in the future. At only around $13 for a quality tool that is made in the USA, it would be hard to pass these up.

[:cicn:] ChannelLock

The latest Husqvarna Automower Model 260ACX is a technology lovers dream mover. Not only will it mow your entire lawn automatically, but if it runs in to a bit of trouble along the way, it will let you know about it via SMS. It seems as though the text message is the king of communication these days; everyone is using it for everything, so why should your lawn mower be left out?

The Automower is very similar in function to the automatic vacuums that are becoming more and more popular. The Automower does its job all on its own, but it uses a low voltage wire to keep it contained to your yard instead of the walls your vac would use. The 260 ACX uses a NiMH battery that allows a typical mow time of 1 hour on a single charge, and the charge time is about 40 minutes. When it is time for a recharge, your Automower will head on over to its charging station so it can get ready for another run.