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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 will be launching RoadTests for some of these items. Apply for the first one here: Cool Tools 2020: USB Soldering Iron

Attachments:
imageCool Tools Kit Awards 2020.pdf
  • in reply to gecoz

    Nice trick. Probably, I would be buying a bunch of these washers.

     

    -Ankur

  • image

    These tools find the most use on this work bench.image

    These are my favorites

     

    Trent

  • in reply to colporteur

    Ride or Die tools, right?! They're the best ever!

  • I present to you the weirdest toolkit ever.... my own work lab coat!image

     

    Weighing at 2.3kg, this "toolkit" features the following visible items (starting from upper right, btw items are organized according to what pocket they are placed in):

    1) *** pocket: test screwdriver, USB, small notepad, 4 color pen, marker, pencil (mechanical with eraser), highlighter, needles (not shown here, they make excellent test pins, they come with their own covers!... also for picking out things like O rings off of wall medical gas outlets), adafruit SMD Ruler and Mastech MS8910 SMD clamp meter (mine are not shown here because they are being cold sterilized with Ethylene Oxide gas... hazards of working at a hospital - they are featured below though)

    2) Left side pocket: phone (used to take pics and upload this post image), ROD multipurpose pocket pliers swiss-knife style (see below why it is called ROD), hex pocket screwdriver, and 3M Termaflex electrical tape

    3) Right side pocket: pocket flashlight, pocket meter, and keys which have a portable double-sided screw driver (Philips head and flat head)

     

    Missing items shown below:

    image

    image

    image

     

    Now for the piece du resistance.... ROD: my #RideOrDie (a.k.a. ROD) toolpiece is my pocket multipurpose foldable plier, the swissknife of toolkits!!

     

    image

     

    If this tool could speak... well, it would need a shrink really xD

    It was given to me as a gift at my 20th birthday by my brother-in-law (still my favorite gift of all time). Over the course of 13 years, this tool has never left my side (yep stays by my bedside next to my phone, is in my purse when I go out, I even take it to weddings!), well except when I shower or when it is being sterilized. It has been with me through thick and thin, and has been the ever so loyal and trusty companion. In short, I love the damn thing like a child of mine image

     

    Here's a shoutout to all the #biomeds here especially the #bada$$Chikas !!

  • Back in the days, I used to perform wood crafting and custom metalworks on my Horizontal baby Lathe, though it was quite loud for it's size still looks perfect after some overhauling efforts,

    image

    currently, it has been replaced with desktop 4axis CNC machine, which happens to be my cool tool(automated) for my present routines of PCB milling, engraving, turning, and cutting 4mm aluminium chassis.

    Though, my dream Cool Tool/machine would be a desktop waterjet cutting machine(WAZER) or EX6(image) .

    imageimage

  • well I have soldering iron and multitester

    and nothing else so fancy

    just plain simple tool

    to make any DIYprojects

    just for me to discover new

    and experience new things

    thats it all tools/equipment is my favorite

    it is jusT I can to have them.

  • Old trusty and stuck on an island. Has to be my Simpson 260. It takes some techinal knowledge to use. And except for the battery for ohm checks there is no other power source. It has never let me down.

  • What tools would I want in my tool kit? I have only five tools I truly need. The first are my hands. With out them I would not be able to use the tools I would need. They are very important on a deserted island, how else would I feel myself going insane. Plus I need them to carry my tool kit. The second tool I would need, are my feet. I need them to carry my tool kit. Plus they are great to run around in circles on the beach, half crazed from being so alone. Next are my eyes. I need to see where my tools to complete my projects. And how else would I be able see there is no one else on the island. Forth are my ears. These are very import, they let me hear my wife when she tells me I have been working late. Of course on a deserted island, how else are going to be able to hear yourself go crazy. Last would be my brain. It is my oldest friend. I have always carried it every where I have gone, for every project I have never finished. With out it, would be pointless to have any tool kit. Plus it would help confirm that I am either on a island by myself or locked in an isolation chamber. Those are my five tools. Again, my hands, my feet, my eyes, my ears and my brain.

  • I've got the entire Arduino kit from the very first board to the newest every single Arduino kit you can buy available in store and the neo pixel codable led strip lights I also have a flex sensors and soldering tools over 1000 resistors every screwdriver you can imagine from nano to regular ever size breadboard possible two Bluetooth DSo tech modules from my Arduinos . I have a stockpile of multiple batterys fresh to go two drones and every Arduino wire possible with different size grips and wire cutters along with a voltmeter for measuring electricity I have a roll of electromagnetic copper coil an electromagnetic copper coil generator powered by a rotating extra extra large magnet to send invisible frequency's fro my coil to pick up and send into electricity I have NFC ring and wireless transmitters and receivers also some 732 multi purpose sealant etc

  • Of course like all favorites questions there isn't really an answer to this one so I'll give two:

     

    My first is my LeCroy oscilloscope (WaveRunner 610zi) - I really know this one is important to me because it died recently after 6 years of faithful service from new - it's sitting sadly on the floor awaiting the end of COVID uncertainty which is making me stall sending it back to be fixed, and stumping up the necessary £2k. In its absence I've been using several different scopes but they aren't really in the same league: for example the LeCroy can offset the input by +/- 1.6V on the 1mV/div range, and by +/- 80V on the 200mV range - none of the others can manage 10% of this.

     

    The second tool is at the opposite extreme - my fine point tweezers - I've had this pair for nearly 20 years - I think I use the tweezers more often than even the scope !

     

    Can't do pictures - I left the camera at home but I've come into the works today !

     

    MK