Awesome Tools

Get your daily dose of engineering porn with this video from Uwe Krumm GmbH. The company makes precision tooling for manufacturing, including the press brake tools shown here. It’s a hypnotic and satisfying 6-minute sequence of sheet metal being bent into complex shapes through the simple application of force.

This palm-sized aluminum flashlight from Fenix cranks out an impressive 260 lumens on its brightest setting. In addition to its four-mode white LED, it has an auxiliary red LED that can be used as a warning or emergency light. It supports USB-C recharging and is IP66-rated waterproof.

With this 112-bit driver kit from iFixit, you’ll never be caught without the proper tool for opening gadgets. It comes with 1/4″ and 4mm bit driver handles with magnetic bit sockets, knurled grips, and swivel tops, and high-quality bits made from S2 and 6150 steel. And if anything ever breaks, it’s covered by iFixit’s lifetime warranty.

Leatherman’s take on the Swiss Army knife packs 12 functions, including a 420HC steel blade, scissors, screwdrivers, file, bottle opener, and a slide-out set of tweezers. The tools open smoothly, can be flicked open one hand, and lock firmly with magnets.

This substantial storage bin is a big upgrade from plastic crates. It’s made from 22-gauge steel and rolls on heavy-duty casters. It’s great for tools, art supplies, or valuables you want out of sight. It has a large main compartment and a removable tray. It measures 20″w x 20″h x 15″d and comes in matte black and classic red.

The Q typically spends his time building things that aren’t particularly useful. But this time out, he came up with a design for a saw that can cut through tree limbs twice as fast as usual. The saw uses a pair of blades and a spring to clamp down against the wood to double cutting speed.

The tiny Microblade Pill Knife will soon arrive in a titanium variant. Small enough to carry on your keychain, the Pill Ti is perfect for opening packages, cutting paper, or removing stickers. Each one is CNC-machined from solid titanium and comes with a protective cap, a quick-release carabiner, and a cap holder.

Steelman’s folding screwdriver is small enough to stash in your pocket, but its fold-out shaft provides much more leverage than other pocket tools. Its magnetic holder accepts standard 1/4″ hex bits, and the set includes eight bits that store inside its handle, which can also open bottles.

From the makers of the Bosun’s Edge knife comes another beautiful, nautically-inspired tool. The Kraken Blade packages a sharp and replaceable utility blade into an elegant solid brass handle. It deploys with a quick snap action, then holds closed with a magnetic catch. An optional bow shackle can be used for attaching the knife.

We always enjoy watching rusty old things made to look like new. In this video from KILO Restoration, they take the process to the extreme, scrubbing off caked-on rust from a mid-20th-century socket wrench, then painstakingly polishing it back to an amazing mirror chrome finish.

This dual-port USB charger doubles as an emergency tool. In case of an accident, yank it from your car’s DC outlet. Its hidden blade can cut through a seatbelt, while its tungsten tip can smash a window. Get 25% off with code LIMITLESS25 for a limited time in The Awesomer Shop.

This bargain pocket tool features a similar blade setup to a Swiss Army knife but comes packaged in a rectangular handle. Its functions include a pocket knife, spring-action scissors, can opener, bottle opener, nail file, Phillips and flat screwdrivers, and a SIM card tool. It also has a loop so you can hang it from your keychain.

This compact screwdriver set is perfect for working on electronics and other items with small screws. Its handle has a 30-tooth ratchet mechanism, and its magnetic tip accepts 1/4″ hex bits. The set comes with 20 precision bits, including slotted, Phillips, hex, and star. Available for a limited time from Touch of Modern.

Tacray’s tiny utility knife is the perfect addition to any keychain and makes quick work of opening boxes, cutting paper and twine, and other everyday tasks. Its body is made from titanium in a blue-tint finish, while its replaceable knife blade is made from 440C stainless steel. Spare blades are available in a 10-pack.

Black Diamond’s compact lantern is perfect for backpacking. Its top packs warm white LEDs beneath a diffuser for up to 150 lumens of smooth area light and a single LED on its other end for a directional flashlight beam. It runs on four AAA batteries and has a collapsible hook built-in for hanging.

This wall-mounted pegboard rack makes it easy to keep all your hand tools organized and ready to use. It includes 4 feet of powder-coated steel pegboard, along with a variety of pegs, hooks, bins, shelves, and drill bit boxes to keep everything tidy. It even includes a wrench organizer and a paper towel holder.

Belarus-based leather shop Egor Store makes these handsome and functional rolls for storing pocket knives or other small tools. They come in various sizes, ranging from 6 pockets all the way up to 24 pockets, which we imagine would be quite heavy once full. Available in black, dark brown, or caramel.

ThruNite’s palm-sized flashlight kicks out up to 693 lumens in its top setting and looks great in its army green aluminum alloy case. It offers five brightness modes and a strobe mode, and runs on a rechargeable 16340 battery. It also has a two-way clip, and a magnetic tail cap so you can stick it to steel surfaces.

5.11’s stainless steel pocket tool might be small, but it’s quite useful, incorporating a nail puller/pry bar, hex wrench, flat head screwdrivers, bottle opener, wire stripper, and metric and imperial rulers. It clips easily onto your bag, belt loop, or keychain, and comes with a tiny Kydex sheath.

This folding steel multitool features a pair of sturdy locking pliers, a pin vice, wire cutters, a wire stripper, a file, ruler, serrated knife, a hex-bit driver, various screwdrivers, and a bottle opener. It also comes with Leatherman’s legendary quality and a 25 year warranty.

This unique cutting tool is made from incredibly hard tungsten carbide, typically used for industrial machining. The skinny CIZOR can be gripped like a pen and offers a razor-sharp cutting edge and a pointy rear that can break glass. They come in two sizes with a silicone cap on paracord, with an optional aluminum desk stand.

While he could have just bought a cheap jigsaw, Hassan Abu-Izmero enjoys a challenge, so he got to building himself a fully-functional jigsaw that’s driven by the rotating action of a power drill. It took a simple yet clever bit of engineering to convert the drill’s circular motion into the saw’s longitudinal motion.

This compact bike tool from Bristol, UK outfit Temple Cycles features an array of useful bits, wrapped up in a handsome bamboo wood handle. It includes a variety of metric Allen wrenches up to 8mm, as well as flat, Phillips, and Torx T25 drivers.

Shortly before last year came to an end, the editorial staff at Everyday Carry picked out a handful of items they hoped to get in their stockings for the holidays, and there’s some pretty sweet gear on the list. We’re particularly fond of the heat-tinged Kaweco Liliput Fireblue fountain pen.

This soft-sided tool bag is made from durable 1000D PVC, which resists tears, punctures, water, and UV damage. Inside, you’ll find a large main compartment and eight small tool pouches, along with two pockets on front. Its high-visibility orange design is easy to spot, and has reflective stripes on its shoulder strap.

This versatile measuring gadget is great for anyone who needs to cut wood or other stock. It combines a square and protractor and has templates for dovetail joints, circular holes, parallel lines, drill positioning, and a variety of common miter angle markings. It’s made from aluminum alloy and has easy-to-read markings.