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Keep it on the level with this waterproof torpedo digital level

If you’re hanging pictures or building furniture, you need to keep things on the straight and level.  You probably have one of those spirit bubble levels, but those can be hard to judge when you have to eyeball the placement of the bubble while you’re trying to hold everything together.  With this tool from The Grommet, you won’t be guessing when you’re level, because this Digi-Pas torpedo digital level beeps to let you know when things are level.

Features include:

  • Measuring range from 0° to 90° (use for any angle—360°)
  • Resolution of 0.05° (1.0 millimeter/meter); Accuracy of ± 0.05° at 0° & 90°; ± 0.2° at 1° to 89°
  • Digital display of angle in degrees, slope (%), millimeter/meter, and inches/feet
  • Built-in magnet at the V-groove aluminum base
  • Wide operating temperature range: -4°F to +140°F
  • IP67 certified—water, shock, dust, and freeze-proof
  • Inverted digital display feature uses bright LED display
  • Easy to recalibrate without special fixtures required
  • Dimensions: 9″ x 2″ x 1″
  • Weight: 0.73 lb.

The sturdy aluminum body has rubber end-caps, and it uses the same technology found in models used from NASA to Boeing for accuracy.  The Digi-Pas Waterproof Torpedo Digital Level is $79.99 at The Grommet.

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Keep it on the level with this waterproof torpedo digital level originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 2, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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Go Forth Goods Leather Charging Cable Tool Roll review

Leather products attract my attention, but it takes a really well-made leather product using high-quality materials to maintain my interest and entice me to purchase it. Recently, I received the Go Forth Goods Leather Charging Cable Tool Roll to review. Is it a high-quality leather product? Indeed, it is! But I’m not sure it will appeal to many people because the product itself is a sizeable and hefty travel organizer when empty and even more substantial when carrying your cables and chargers.

What is it?

The Leather Charging Cable Tool Roll is a leather travel organizer for your device cables, chargers, earbuds, etc. It comes in Mocha, Saddle, and Black colors.

What’s in the box?

Leather Charging Cable Tool Roll
Business card from Nathan Martin, the Founder/CEO of Go Forth Goods
Card stating who crafted my leather tool roll
Thank you card

Design and features

I received the Saddle colored Go Forth Goods Leather Charging Cable Tool Roll. It is made from 6 oz. (2.4 mm) full grain leather (the hides are sourced and tanned in the United States). The tool roll measures 3″ high x 7″ wide x 3″ diameter when rolled and weighs 11 oz. (311 g) when empty.It has five pockets: one larger 5″ x 7″ pocket for chargers, portable batteries, laptop cables, etc. and four 3″ x 3″ pockets for storing smaller cables or items like earbuds, etc. You’ll notice in the above photo that the four small pockets are made from one piece of leather with seams sewn in to divide the pockets.

According to their website, Go Forth Goods believes that fewer seams means fewer stress points and thus a stronger more durable product. They also use polyester thread, back stitch at least four stitches, and burnish the ends of the thread to prevent unraveling.

The back of the tool roll shows the Go Forth Goods embossing near the solid brass button stud end. The strap is attached to the roll with a solid brass rivet and the strap wraps around the tool roll and fastens onto the button stud.The length of the tool roll when unrolled is about 19.5″ long x 7″ wide.

The strap used to keep the tool roll closed is about 14″ long x 0.75″ wide (from the rivet to the end of the strap). There is no lining in this leather tool roll. I like it.
As I mentioned earlier, the tool roll is made from 6 oz. leather which is about 2.4 mm thick.

Use


These are all of the items I inserted into the roll: my RAVPower Savior 9000 mAh External Battery Pack, my Essential PH-1 charger, a micro-USB charging cable, my USB type C charging cable for my Essential PH-1, my MPOW Swift Bluetooth 4.0 Headphones, and a Lightning cable.All of my items fit very nicely into the roll. The smaller pockets are really only good for cables or rather small items. Most of my device chargers were not able to fit into those pockets …

… with the exception of a small Apple 5 W USB power adapter which is one cubic inch in size and fits snugly as shown above.

Since this tool roll is made using very supple full grain leather, it is prone to scratches. A few of those are actually very shallow cuts into the uppermost layer of the leather as shown above. When rolled up, the tool roll is about 6″ wide x 7″ long.

And as you can see by comparing the size of the tool roll to my hand, this is a rather large travel organizer. It weighs about 1lb. 8oz
It’s also rather thick – about 2.25″.This is the view from the “open” end.

This leather tool roll is simple, well-made using high-quality materials and craftsmanship, and organizes my basic device accessories well. I also like how easy it is to roll it up (because the leather is supple and not stiff), its rugged good looks, and its smell – ahhh, yes, the wonderful smell of leather. However, it is large and heavy when full and it is prone to scratches but then all full grain leather products are.

What I like

  • Made using 6 0z. (2.4 mm) full grain American leather, polyester thread, solid brass rivet and solid brass button stud
  • Backstitched at least four stitches and burnished thread ends to prevent unraveling
  • Carries and organizes my device accessory needs
  • Lifetime warranty

What needs to be improved

  • Nothing (it is thick, but leather needs to be thick enough to be durable)

Final Thoughts

I really liked the Go Forth Goods Leather Charging Cable Tool Roll. It is really well made using soft supple 6 oz. (2.4 mm) full grain leather sourced and tanned in the U.S., polyester thread, with a solid brass rivet and a solid brass button stud. It organizes my basic accessories well, is easy to roll up, and smells good too. Everything about this simple tool roll indicates a high-quality product. However, this is a substantial travel organizer in size and weight and if you are only using it to organize your cables and chargers, then it might suit you; but if you are using it to travel, it will definitely take up a lot of space.

Price: $75.00
Where to buy: Go Forth Goods
Source: The product used in this review was provided by Go Forth Goods.

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Go Forth Goods Leather Charging Cable Tool Roll review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 26, 2018 at 12:00 pm.

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By Odin’s beard, this toolkit is for only the worthiest handyman

This version of Mjolnir might not be able to level mountains, but you’ll be able to build a level table with it.  The Marvel Thor Hammer Tool Set is contained in a molded case that’s a replica of Marvel’s version of Thor’s hammer.  The kit weighs 5.5 pounds, and it measures 15″ tall x 9″ wide x 6″ deep when closed.  Open it up to access the 44 included tools.

The kit includes:

  • 6″ pliers
  • 10′ tape measure (metric and imperial) with stopper, belt clip, and lanyard
  • 24 1/4″ sockets
    • Metric: 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
    • Imperial: 5/32, 3/16, 7/32, 1/4, 9/32, 5/16, 11/32, 3/8, 7/16, 1/2
  • 2″ extension bar for sockets
  • 2-in-1 stubby ratchet screwdriver with 6 bits
    • 30mm double-ended bits: PZ2 x H5, PZ3 x H6, PZ1 x H4, PH1 x SL4, PH2 x SL5, PH3 x SL6
  • 3 1/4″ extension bar for bits
  • 6″ wrench
  • 40Cr quick-release ratchet wrench
  • 13 oz. claw hammer
  • Level
  • 4″ folded knife (with 5 replacement blades)
  • 4 drive brake caliper tool bits
    • Cross slot bits: PH3, PH3
    • Slot bits: SL5, SL6

You may not be able to see in the photo, but the handle of the claw hammer serves as Mjolnir’s handle.  The kit is officially-licensed Marvel’s Avengers merchandise that was designed by and is exclusive to ThinkGeek.  The Marvel Thor Hammer Tool Set is $99.99.  No matter how worthy you are, you are limited to a maximum purchase of 5 kits. Learn more and purchase the toolkit at ThinkGeek.

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By Odin’s beard, this toolkit is for only the worthiest handyman originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 22, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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Nothing’s out of reach with the ODii grabbing tool

When I had double total-knee replacements a couple of years ago, one of my favorite tools was a grabber that let me reach things without stressing my knees too much.  To tell the truth, I still use it because I’m vertically challenged.  It’s great for grabbing that Yeti mug on the upper shelf in my kitchen or getting that shoe that got knocked a bit too far under the bed, but it doesn’t always work as well for small things.  And of course, I leave it at home because it’s too big and clunky to take with me.  Luckily, there’s the ODii grabbing tool that’s designed to fit in your car, your bag, a desk drawer, or wherever you might drop something and need some help reaching it.  In fact, the designer got the idea when he dropped his money in his car while he and his daughter were going through a fast-food drive-thru.

The ODii is made of plastic and steel, and it’s flexible enough that you can bend it to fit in cramped places.  It has a telescopic grabber claw, detachable LED flashlight to help you see your dropped object, and extendable magnet arm that can hold on to up to 2 pounds.  The gripper trigger lets you control grip strength;  it’s capable of picking up 5-10 pounds. The gripping arm can be swapped out for the magnetic arm when needed.

There are two versions of the ODii grabbing tool.  The 19″ smaller size is on sale for $19.96 (a 20% discount) right now, while the 36″ longer one is $29.95 at The Grommet.

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Nothing’s out of reach with the ODii grabbing tool originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 8, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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WOWSTICK 1fs Electric Screwdriver review

Now here’s a clever tool for the handyperson in your life: An electric screwdriver but for teeny tiny things. Meet the WOWSTICK 1fs electric screwdriver.

  • Wowstick 1FS Screwdriver Set 18pcs Bits
  • Powered by 2 x AAA batteries (NOT included)
  • LED Light
  • Speed: 150r/min (non-adjustable)
  • Material: Aluminum
  • Dimension: 170 x 16 x 16mm
  • 1 x WOWSTICK 1fs Electric Screwdriver
  • 18 x Bits
  • 1 x Carry Case

By itself without batteries, the screwdriver body weighs just under 2 ounces.

Here’s a closeup of the specs from the paper insert.

A size comparison next to a pen and a large marker.

The screwdriver accepts two AAA batteries (not included). The rear end of the handle unscrews.

You also get three tubes worth of 4mm bits.  I couldn’t identify them all visually (some are really tiny).

Fortunately, the Brando web page listing shows all of the included bits, spelled out.

It wasn’t obvious at first, but once you squeeze the black trigger to turn the bits in either direction (it looks like one long black button, but it’s actually a forward/reverse depending on where you press it), an LED light illuminates your work area.

The big question is: How well does it work?  I found that under moderate torque, the screwdriver seems to struggle a little bit and the LED light dims considerably.  Then again, the inclusion of all the extremely tiny bits tells me this was really intended for very, very small screws where torque may not be as much as found in this fairly ordinary light switch test.

Another interesting design choice: You must remove the bit from the screwdriver if you plan to use the included carrying case. It simply will not fit.

If you do normal handyman things around the house, you may want to reach for a slightly meatier electric screwdriver with more power. For lighter-duty tasks, the WOWSTICK 1fs could be a handy featherweight tool for very small screws if you’re doing a lot of repetitive work.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Brando. Please visit for more info.

 

Product Information

Price: $62
Manufacturer: WOWSTICK
Retailer: Brando
Requirements:
  • Two AAA batteries (not included). Works with 4mm bits (included).
Pros:
  • Lightweight, comes with many tiny bits
Cons:
  • Not designed for tougher screws (not a lot of torque.) LED light seems to dim at the slightest hint of resistance. No variable speed.

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WOWSTICK 1fs Electric Screwdriver review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 6, 2017 at 9:00 am.

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