Best of Make: Online 2010 -- Tools

Here are a few of our favorite tools that we covered in 2010. Please tell us what some of yours were, in the Comments below.

#10

Gorillatorch Blade LED Light, $59.95, Maker Shed [From Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Tools for Makers]

#9

James Vreeland’s homemade hammer, inherited from his grandfather. Read the moving story in the Toolbox: Homeliest tool in the shed.

#8

Tim Oelker’s toolbox with hammer handle

#7

A little self-serving, but we love our Make: Electronics Deluxe Toolkit from Maker Shed. We think we did a pretty darn good job of sourcing decent tools for the price and assembled a complement of tools that’s perfect for the beginner-to-intermediate electronics hobbyist.

#6

Dual-reading calipers with Imperial/SI units on same dial

#5

DIY powder coating rig

#4

Extech EX330 multimeter [From the Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Electronics Tools]

#3

Metcal Soldering Iron [From the Holiday Gift Guide 2010: Electronics Tools]

#2

ShopBot Desktop, a smaller, less expensive answer to their bigger CNC machines. The Desktop has a cutting volume of 24″ x 18″ x 2″ and pricing starts at $5290.

And, the #1 most talked about, celebrated, debated, and future-glimpsing tool of 2010 is…

#1

MakerBot Thing-o-Matic [From the Holiday Gift Guide 2010: 3D Fabrication]

3 Responses to Best of Make: Online 2010 — Tools

tgmake on December 28th, 2010 at 2:51 pm said:

A couple of favorites of mine, courtesy of great deals from Harbor Freight. I used to ignore Harbor Freight, but I’ve since learned that there are some awesome deals to be had if you are a careful shopper.

Wireless Inspection Camera with 2.4″ Color LCD Monitor

http://www.harborfreight.com/wireless-inspection-camera-with-24-inch-color-lcd-monitor-66550.html

Better than the higher priced tools at the big box stores because you can remove the monitor and keep it steady while you twist and turn the camera to snake it between walls, down HVAC ducts, etc. Highly recommended.

Multifunction Power Tool
http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/multifunction-tools/multifunction-power-tool-67256.html

This tool has saved the day on at least three projects, and for the price I paid it has more than paid for itself. It’s rugged and well built and great for DIYers.

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Casey Ertz on December 29th, 2010 at 10:58 am said:

Strangely, my comments do not appear. Shall I repost for a third time?

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Casey Ertz on December 29th, 2010 at 12:41 pm said:

This is what I wrote…

Every Winter I face the challenge of hand splitting many cords of wood to heat my home. My favorite tool of 2010 is the Vipukirves Leveraxe (http://www.vipukirves.fi/english/index.htm)–The Vipukirves Leveraxe is a unique tool that utilizes leverage instead of just “brute force and dumb luck” to split logs into firewood. One view of the tool in action on the inventor’s site (and also on YouTube) got me hooked–watch out, it could happen to you!

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