Tools are a big deal here at the Gearhead Underground Test Bunker and Sausage Factory. … When we write “tools” we mean, not just software tools but real tools, because when it comes to moving equipment or data centers, having the right tools is the difference between getting a really nice result and getting something that looks like it was mangled by a herd of wild buffalo.
Tools are a big deal here at the Gearhead Underground Test Bunker and Sausage Factory – our motto (stolen from Otto von Bismarck): “Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made.”
When we write “tools” we mean, not just software tools but real tools, because when it comes to moving equipment or data centers, having the right tools is the difference between getting a really nice result and getting something that looks like it was mangled by a herd of wild buffalo.
A tool we received a sample of some time ago and have grown to love is the Bionic Wrench from Loggerhead Tools. This is a wrench with a difference: It is infinitely adjustable, like your regular adjustable wrench – but far more effective.
When you squeeze the grips a clever arrangement of cams extends six jaws to grip a nut or bolt head. Because the bolt head is completely surrounded, as long as you hold the grips firmly you can’t remove the edges of the bolt you’re struggling with. You also stand a lot less chance of stripping the skin from your knuckles, as often happens when a regular adjustable wrench loses its grip.
The six-inch version can grip ¼- to 9/16-inch SAE bolts and also 7mm to 11mm metric bolts, the 8-inch version handles from 7/16- to ¾-inch and 11mm to 20mm bolts, and the 10-inch version accommodates ¾- to 1-1/4-inch and 19mm to 30mm bolts.
The only limitation of the Bionic Wrench is that the clearance around the bolt you’re working on can be no smaller than 2 inches for the 6-inch model and 3 or 4 inches for the other models.
Priced at $28.95, $32.95 and $36.95 for the 6-, 8- and 10-inch models respectively, the Bionic Wrench is guaranteed forever or until the heat death of the universe, whichever comes first.
The company also recently produced an open-ended version of the Bionic Wrench called the Bionic Grip.
Another cool real tool that landed on our bench was the Dremel Stylus. The Dremel Rotary Tool is one of those tools you just have to have, and the Stylus is its cool brother. Unlike the regular Dremel, the Stylus is cordless.
Powered by a lithium-ion battery, the Stylus has a pistol design, which makes it more maneuverable and gives more precise control. You select the rotational speed using a dial on one end of the Stylus; on and off are controlled by a latching switch at the front end.
We really like this tool. We had an aluminum 2U, rack-mounted server enclosure that we needed to modify so we could route some cables more elegantly. The Stylus was the easiest tool with which to drill and deburr the holes. The Dremel Stylus comes with a docking and recharging station, a selection of bits, and a two-year warranty for around $67 to $70.
Our final real tool is another Dremel product: The Dremel Work Station Model 220. If you own a Dremel Rotary Tool 275, 285, 295, 300, 395, 398, 400, 780 or 800, the Work Station converts it into a drill press, a tool holder for polishing and grinding, or, if you use a flex shaft, a hanger for the tool.
As a drill press the Work Station lets you drill perpendicular as well as angled holes in 15-degree increments up to 90 degrees horizontal with a maximum drill depth of 2 inches.
When we built our networked irrigation system back in ’04, it would have been much easier to use our Dremel 400 in the Work Station than our drill press, which was too large. Since we’ve had the Work Station we’ve found all sorts of uses, from drilling holes in printed circuit boards (a timer for a smoke machine – what every home needs on Halloween) to grinding pieces in an old Crane valve stem dating from the 1940s. (No, it didn’t work – those old fittings get really fragile.)
So, what cool real tools are you using? Empty your tool box on Gibbsblog or at gearhead@gibbs.com.
