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Torque multipliers specifically configured to remove wheel lugs on heavy trucks and equipment have been around for years. This is the same idea consumerized for lighter duty applications. This particular one doesn't look that impressive, but the concept is sound and logical.

Steel becomes non-magnetic when it undergoes a phase change from ferrite (body centered cubic structure) to austenite (face centered cubic). This occurs starting at ~1340°F for plain steels, depending upon the alloy. Getting steel into the austenite phase and then rapidly bringing it back to...

I bought some custom embroidered Berne work coats for my business last year, and I was pleasantly surprised- I'd say they are at LEAST as good as any current Carhartt stuff. Look and feel like quality.

Age catches up with us all. Today's old men were kids when this thread was posted, for example. lol

For chains, they are universal between brands, but different saws can use different sizes (within the same brand or otherwise). The two chain parameters that cannot be changed are pitch and gauge. Pitch is how "long" the links are, with the most common being 3/8" and .325" (the latter generally...

I use a Sure Shot with brake cleaner. For a while, AutoZone's house brand brake cleaner in 5 gallon containers was by far the best buy- I want to say less than 80 bucks as recently as last year. But like everything else it seems brake cleaner has skyrocketed and AZ is showing $115 now. Which is...

I've often wondered why some company that has a strong tool reputation that certain market segments are willing to pay a premium for doesn't develop cordless options that work with existing manufacturer's batteries. It would be so nice to separate the tool from the battery platform and go back...

As some have noted, I think the internet has shifted the mid-level tool consumer purchasing habits quite a bit. Tools tend to stay in circulation a lot more now. Consumers are more educated and savvy, and there are a lot of ways to connect sellers with buyers all around the world vs. just the...

A shame about how Carlyle has been handled, my local store was one that carried a pretty decent stock when the brand came out, and they were kind of my go-to for a while. You would think if anyone could disrupt the traditional tool truck model for professional techs (we bring the tools-...

A couple years ago I bought a trailer that had a pintle hitch, so I needed to take the multi ball hitch out of my receiver and install a pintle hook. It hadn't been in there for THAT long, but for whatever reason the 5/8 pin that holds the ball mount in the receiver was seized like nothing I've...

Head thickness is given as .133 it looks like from that data plate. There is not necessarily a lot of consistency in exactly what the thickness markings on a data plate designate, especially going back almost 40 years. They are not required by ASME or the National Board, so the code doesn't...

Sounds like it's academic now but 1/4 & 3/8 NPT are based on pipe size, so a male thread has .540" or .675" major diameter respectively. A 5/16-24 is a regular straight thread and has .3125" major diameter. So to get a size between them using non-pipe threads you'd be looking at something in...

I honestly love that about McMaster. They have- thus far- been able to resist buying into the "branding" mania that has overtaken our society. No temptation for vendors to sell a name over quality, no promoting their brand as part of your own sales strategy. Simple black and white artwork in...

For traditional manual guns I have changed to McNaught- super quality stuff, made in Australia. As I have some heavy equipment, I needed/wanted a better solution than than a hand killing pistol grip, but don't particularly like the idea of being dependent on a battery for greasing, nor having to...

I have a dedicated 1/4" hex impact driver in my toolbox that I use like most people use cordless ratchets. I have 1/4-3/8-1/2 square drive adapters so I can use it with whatever I need. I'm a pretty strong "impact sockets only on impact wrenches" guy, but this I use with chrome sockets because...

I've got a NOCO that I've used a few times. Can't remember what size it is, but I think not the biggest/not the smallest. Supposed to start car/truck gas engines and small diesels. I have a skid steer that the battery isn't holding enough charge to start it sometimes. It's a relatively small...

Of the sub-$1000-but-not-bargain-basement-generic-China mag drills, my preference is the DeWalt. I pick that over the Hougen in the same price range because it has a 2 speed gearbox and is overall a bit more refined IMO (at the cost of being a Taiwan import and not being from Hougen, which is...

Contrarians? They're just stating facts. Like said multiple times, this isn't for the buyer who thinks about things the way you are. I'm sure Grainger doesn't (and doesn't plan to) sell a ton of these even to their typical large industrial buyer. However, they have them available because on the...

Bummer, say what you will but one of the great things about SK in recent years was that they dedicated themselves to USA manufacturing. Basically they seemed to take the position that "if we can't make it in the USA, then we won't offer it." Which probably hurt them in some ways, such as not...

Menards would seem to have been good fit if Ideal had been interested in pursuing it. They are not afraid to offer higher end USA/European made options when available, they lost their traditional made in USA line of mechanics tools (Allen, then USA Masterforce) when Apex shut down US production...