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  • Author Author: e14mindi
  • Date Created: 10 Mar 2020 5:51 PM Date Created
  • Last Updated Last Updated: 6 Oct 2021 10:18 PM
  • Views 11498 views
  • Likes 20 likes
  • Comments 164 comments
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Cool Tools Kit Awards 2020

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Hello Community, and happy March to all of you!

 

Some of you might be thinking to yourselves - what is Cool Tools? Isn't that a bit familiar? And indeed it is. We ran a fun campaign nearly two years ago to talk about awesome tools as a sneaky way to get you all to show us your work benches (check out the original post here: Cool Tools Bench Awards 2018.) We originally thought about doing this annually, but last year we got caught up in an endless winter here in the Chicago offices that left us wanting anything but to think about the cold. However, now that we have experienced our first actual spring day, we have de-thawed, and we're excited to bring you the Cool Tools Kit Awards 2020!

 

What is the Kit Awards?

 

Previously, we asked the Community to share their work benches but now we're curious - if you could only have one kit for the rest of your life - let's call it your desert island kit - what would be in it? Is there a particular tool that has outlasted all others? Is there some indispensable piece of equipment that, if you were to lose it, would be cause for tearing out your hair (as if sorrow would be made less by baldness?)

 

In the comments below, we want you to tell us about your desert island kit - show us in pictures or video, go into as much detail as you want to tell us what would be in it and why. If you don't want to talk about an entire kit, pick out one of your Cool Tools and describe it under categories such as:

 

  • Oldest Friend (tool that you've had the longest)
  • The Most Reliable (the tool you use most often)
  • Weapons Rack (the tool that you'd proudly put on display if you had to)
  • Dream Tool (a tool that either you don't believe exists, or for whatever reason you've never purchased)
  • Or, make up your own category to talk about a tool that you think everyone should have in their kit!

 

What's in it for me?

 

We're giving everyone on the Community through the end of March to leave comments on this post for a chance to win some great tools from our revamped Multicomp Pro line (like the ones below) as well as from others by some of our great partners like Flir, Fluke, Knipex, Klein and others.

 

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Buy Now

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Buy Now

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Buy Now

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Buy Now

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Buy Now

 

 

Then, every Friday in April we'll be picking some winners from the comments below to win prizes. All you need to do is tell us about your desert island kit or one of your favorite tools. To make it even more fun, our Multicomp Pro team has agreed to put together a great prize pack to whoever comes up with what they think is the coolest of the Cool Tools Desert Island Kits! So have some fun with this and leave your comments below. You have all of March to get in your comments, so no need to beware the Ides.

 

We're so excited to see what you all come up with!

 

Want another way to get your hands on some of these Cool Tools? Check out out the RoadTests & Reviews space where rscasny will be launching RoadTests for some of these items. Apply for the first one here: Cool Tools 2020: USB Soldering Iron

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Top Comments

  • dougw
    dougw over 6 years ago +17
    It is surprisingly hard to pick a favorite tool, but it is a lot of fun recalling all the great tools and trying to compare them. I am first going to narrow it down to just 3 candidates and even that was…
  • genebren
    genebren over 6 years ago +13
    Tool Kit Over the past two years, I have built well over 250 boards from within my Office/shop. The vast majority of these boards were built for clients, but a fair number have been for my own projects…
  • colporteur
    colporteur over 6 years ago +12
    On reading the post, I looked over at my tool box and immediately thought, I can't live without my Romex Wire Stripper. That is what it was called some 30 years ago when I bought it. An Google search returns…
Parents
  • dillon40
    dillon40 over 6 years ago

    Well this is my first post and I have finally figured out how to post photos, hope you enjoy them. So my shop is 30’x30’

    image

    First work station is a 7x16 lathe sitting on top of a Husky 46” cabinet.

    image

    My second station is my welding table 30”x48” 2 ton capable.

    image

    I have a Everlast PowerTIG255EXT with a water cooled torch.

    image

    60 gallon 6.5hp compressor with air lines ran throughout shop.

    image

    Third station is a Harbor Freight mini mill heavily modified and continuing to modify with large base and table. In the process of mounting stepper motors to all three axis and extending the Z axis.

    image

    image

    image

    image

    I have a grinding station and two separate benches and two Craftsman boxes full of tools. Plus a 30” flat screen and stereo to stay informed. My Craftsman 15” 1hp drill press I move around as needed. I’m also currently building a 30” shop press and accessories. I enjoy building and working on just about anything from computers to cars and even building my own tools. My granddaughter and I enjoy working on the Raspberry Pi and even built a Pi laptop for her.

    The one tool I would like to add is a CNC Plasma cutter. My one tool I couldn’t live without would probably be my TIG welder but I have to honestly say I would miss any of them! I really use everything I have from my soldering station with wire strippers and meters to all my hand and power tools.

    My oldest tool or tools is a set of Craftsman sockets and ratchets that I inherited from my Dad.

    After the shop press and mill are complete we are going to build a 3D Printer and a refractory furnace to make aluminum casting.

    image

    image

    We recently purchased some more chicks for the wife and the one thing every shop needs is a shop dog name Buddy!

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  • ankur608
    ankur608 over 6 years ago in reply to dillon40

    Nice pictures, though the machineshop needs a bit of 'Maleficent-touch'. 8')

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  • ankur608
    ankur608 over 6 years ago in reply to dillon40

    Nice pictures, though the machineshop needs a bit of 'Maleficent-touch'. 8')

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Children
  • dillon40
    dillon40 over 6 years ago in reply to ankur608

    Lol yes my wife tells me all the time that a clean bench is the sign of a sick mind and how she doesn’t have to worry about me image! I guess I have that ADD that everyone talks about with usually 4 or more projects going at any one time.

    That article on the chickens was very interesting. I would imagine with large flocks it would make sense to have multi spectrum led would make sense plus keeping them as comfortable as possible to keep them producing. We started last year with 8 chickens, 6 ducks and 2 white Chinese Geese. We lost 3 chickens, 2 ducks and 1 goose. I bought my wife 16 chickens for her anniversary present last week since we can’t go any where. They are fun to watch!

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