Sears Holdings promised that a full list of the 100-120 closing Sears and Kmart stores would be coming soon, and today they have announced the first 79. The closures are pretty evenly split between Sears and Kmart, however, a good portion of the Sears closings are for Sears Grand/Essentials stores. The Grand and Essentials stores, as well as Kmart, more closely resemble Wal-Mart stores which could be the reason why they are not doing as well. I think my idea of making Sears into tool/appliance stores could do them some good by not having them compete with Wal-Mart.

The PDF below contains the list of 79 closing stores. As of now, no official store closing dates have been announced.

Update 12/30/11: The PDF has been updated to list 80 closing stores.

I think one of the coolest advancements over the last few years is in 3D printing. The process is desirable because it allows architects, designers, inventors, etc, the ability to see their concept in 3D in a matter of hours. One of the most common 3D printing methods involves inkjet printing a binder onto a layer of powder. Each layer is stack printed in place, thus creating a 3D model. If you are watching the current season of This Old House, you have seen the method in action.

Is my prediction of the end of Sears already starting to come true? I made this prediction when it was announced that Craftsman tools would be sold at Ace Hardware stores, then just two weeks ago a Wall St. analysis made the prediction that Sears would disappear in 2012.

Walking onto a commercial jobsite you might find 50 or more extension cords being used throughout the site with many of them looking the same as the others. At the end of the day, when these cords are covered in a layer of dust, it can be tricky figuring out which cords are yours. One solution is to show up to the job with a completely unique cord that has been customized to your specifications.

We first learned about Origin Laser Tools when they introduced the world to their $5000 3-axis self-leveling 360-degree line laser. Not only is it the coolest looking 3-axis laser on the market, but it has an incredible accuracy of ±1/32" @ 100 feet. Origin Laser Tools is at it again, this time with the LaserCube ML-3.

Senco hasn't been on the radar much lately, though they made a pretty big splash with the introduction of their cordless Fusion line of nail guns a while back. However, it looks like Senco has several products they will be introducing in 2012, and they are starting with a couple of metal connector nailers.

One of the reasons I started Tool-Rank was so that everyday average DIY'ers or construction workers would have their voices heard by the manufacturers. This is done through user reviews, user comments, polls, and today, a survey that pays you $$$.

We have discussed in the past how SawStop is pushing to have its blade stopping system become mandatory on all future table saws. Then we learned that the Consumer Product Safety Commission voted to move towards tougher table saw safety standards. Now it is our time to let them know how we feel. You know, the opinions of actual table saw users.

I do not cover many knives here on Tool-Rank, though I used to try and find any excuse to use them as a child in the Scouts, but after seeing the Blackhawk HawkHook on a TV show the other day, I knew I had to share this compact rescue knife/tool with you.

There have been a few small portable table saws on the market over the years, but DeWALT started a whole new table saw class with their DW745 Compact Table Saw. Following shortly after DW, with a saw of their very own, Ridgid came out with the R4516 Compact Table Saw, though it's life was short lived. But now after a few years, it looks like the time for the Ridgid R4516 has come again.