It’s dangerous to leave a man to his own devices - especially if he is surrounded by tools and has a mind dead set on speed and fear. Dowie found himself in such a position and just had to be concerned about what might happen. It was warranted…

For reasons unknown to any rational person I know, Skil decided to send us a set of their latest 18v Lithium-Ion power tools for review. A risky move on their part primarily because I’m known in the industry for not pulling any punches and because cordless power tools, by nature, are so easy to be critical of. Sure they are portable and handy and all of that, but often they lack the power and the endurance to stand up to the rigors of a guy that REALLY uses them.

So a few nights ago, my trusty cordless drill gave up its life. My little 20-volt cordless was a work horse for almost ten years, but my latest chandelier install was just too much for it to handle. And now I find myself in the market for a new cordless drill… What do you guys suggest? Let’s assume a budget of under $200.

Okay, so the article isn’t really vintage but seeing as it’s New Year’s Eve, we’re sitting here wondering where the time has gone. It’s hard to believe that 1998 was ten years ago. Almost eleven. Anyway, member adpostel started a thread the other day about a hand-me-down air compressor he received. We actually came across this Popular Mechanics article the next day about air compressors and thought we’d add it to the mix just for fun. We always enjoy the ‘vintage’ articles from Popular Mechanics and like passing them on to you.

Have a safe and happy New Year!

So today we’re going with the wireless and cordless items.  Our first gift may or may not be ideal for everyone, but hey, we’re running out of ideas!  A wireless keyboard garage door opener.  We did a search on the web and this is a long list of different models that popped up.  This sort of thing may work for you if you have kids coming and going before and after school and you can’t be home.  Or maybe for a detached garage or shop.  Who knows?  These are just ideas people, and they’re free!  (The ideas that is…)

Our second gift is better, a cordless drill.  We actually came across this article in This Old House about choosing a cordless drill.  If anything, it’s an informative read.