Awesome Tools

If you’re ever in a car accident and can’t open your door, smashing the window may be the only way to escape. This emergency tool can easily shatter a window and cut through seat belt webbing. It also packs a white LED flashlight, a red SOS light, and a 2200 mAh battery pack. Save an extra 15% through 1.19.2022 with code JAN15.

Based on David Rydbom’s “Bill the Butcher” custom knife, Spyderco’s Stovepipe has a hefty 2.78″ cleaver blade made from 20CV steel. Its handle is made from two pieces of durable, lightweight titanium in a rugged stonewashed finish. A large fingerhole in the blade makes for easy deployment.

Getting lug nuts off of a wheel can be hard work. This ingenious gadget makes easy work of the job using a crank and gearing that amplify your input by a 15:1 ratio to turn stubborn lug nuts without power tools. Just be careful not to overtighten them going the other direction. The set includes 17mm, 19mm, and 21 mm sockets.

Everyday Carry looks back at the past year for the ten most popular tools, knives, flashlights, and gadgets, based on reader interest. Among them are the Leatherman FREE T4 multitool, the CRK Pilar knife, and the Nitecore TIP SE flashlight, all of which would make great additions to any pocket tool collection.

For those of us who dabble in building and repairing things, our workbenches of often relegated to a corner of the basement or a garage. And then there’s Doug, a Houston-based commercial contractor whose workshop is better equipped than a Home Depot store. Bauforum24 visited from Germany to tour this amazing workshop.

Need to tighten or loosen screws in a tight space? MulWark’s 4″ long ratcheting wrench is just 20mm (~.79″) thick with its bits in place, so it can fit into tricky areas where you can’t use a long driver. Its 1/4″ drive socket magnetically holds bits, which are made from durable CRV6150 steel, and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Let’s face it. You never want to get stuck in the face with an arrow. Blacksmith Alec Steele replicated the Bradmore Extraction Tool, a medieval device that was used to remove an arrow from 16-year-old Prince Henry’s skull back in the 15th century. As awful as it sounds, it saved the future King Henry V’s life.

This elongated version of Gerber’s Prybrid tool has a longer pry bar, providing added leverage for pulling nails and separating items. In addition to its retractable utility blade, it functions as a wire stripper, screwdriver, and bottle opener, and comes with a short length of paracord.

Quit driving tent stakes with rocks, and do it the right way with MSR’s modern stake hammer. It has a durable stainless steel head and lightweight aluminum handle and weighs just 11 oz. As a bonus, it has a built-in bottle opener so you can celebrate setting up your campsite. While you’re at it, grab some MSR Groundhog stakes.

RAEgearUSA makes these three pocket-sized bronze and steel alloy tools. Each one packs a variety of drivers, wrenches, a nail pry, chisel/scraper, and more. The Derringer 1 has 18 functions, while the Derringer 2 has 24, and the Derringer 3 packs 27, including a level and bit storage slots.

Maker Laura Kampf is always coming up with creative ideas for her workshop. This time she built something she can take with her – a battery-powered soldering station that looks like something cobbled together in the wasteland of a Fallout game. It has a removable storage bin, work surface, lighting, and a magnetic alligator clip.

The highlight of this compact titanium multitool is its adjustable wrench which grips more than 20 different sizes of nuts and bolts. It also has a flip-out utility knife with replaceable No.11 surgical blades, a pry bar, a 1/4″ hex driver, and a bottle opener. It also includes a handmade leather holster.

Inspired by the original Leatherman PST, the Rebar includes 17 tools, all of which lock firmly into place. The stainless steel multitool includes knives, pliers, screwdrivers, wire cutters, an electrical crimper, a wire stripper, bottle and can openers, a file, a saw, an awl, and a ruler. It’s also comes in a knifeless edition.

It might be too late to buy Christmas presents, but these gifts for gearhounds will be appreciated even if they show up in January. Everyday Carry shares 10 great gadgets, tools, lights, and even an energy drink that make great gifts year-round.

This powerful spotlight blasts out 18,000 lumens in turbo mode, with a maximum beam distance of 1130 meters (~3707 feet). Its six SST70 LEDs are powered by a 12,000 mAh rechargeable battery with USB-C fast charging. An intelligent distance sensor decreases brightness as you get closer to objects to prevent fires.

ACLIM8’s camping axe and hammer has a unique design that allows its head to pivot inward, protecting its sharp stainless steel blade edge when not in use. Its glass-reinforced nylon handle can be upgraded with optional modules including a drop-point knife and a folding saw. They also make an expensive titanium version.

This palm-sized, waterproof tool uses a ferrocerium rod and striker tool to produce plentiful sparks and get your fire started in seconds. CNC-machined from 6061 anodized aluminum, its 1/4″ rod will last up to 3000 strikes. Available in gunmetal and black finishes.

This durable pocket tool is made from titanium alloy. It’s big enough to get the job done, but small enough to carry on your keychain. It packs in a pry bar, bottle opener, hex driver, wrenches, and a seatbelt cutter, and is sized for a confident grip. Choose from silver or blue finishes.

The guys from How Ridiculous add a new weapon to their arsenal of destructive toys with the largest working hammer on the planet. They worked with DSM Consulting Engineers to build the 22-foot tool that can reset to its upright position using a hydraulic ram. Its 3-ton hammerhead brings the pain to anything in its way.

It’s not too late to put some more gifts for gearheads under the tree. Our pals at Everyday Carry selected 25 of their favorite gift items from tools for outdoor living to lifesaving survival items to gifts for gadget lovers. Among our favorites are the iFixit Moray tool kit and the Manhattan Portage Atlas Sling V2.

This portable tool kit is great for quick assembly and disassembly tasks. It comes with a brass hex bit driver with a knurled grip, a ball-bearing spinner, and a magnetic hex socket. Packed inside its leather tool roll are 13 bits, including Torx, Phillips, and flat blade drivers. The driver is available by itself for about $20.

NexTool’s perfectly sized, value-priced flashlight kicks out up to 2,000 lumens of brightness, visible from up to 380 meters (~1246 feet) away. It’s got an IPX7 waterproof aluminum body and a 5000mAh rechargeable battery that’s charged via a USB-C port.

Be ready for every kind of adventure with this versatile 13-function pocket knife from Victorinox. It’s ideal for hunting expeditions with its locking main blade, gutting tool, wood saw, screwdrivers, can opener, bottle opener, punch/awl, and more. Its two-component scales are durable and offer a reassuring grip.