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May 17, 2012 Wanna Save $40 on Impact Driver? If you do, you've got four days to do it! Here's the deal: If you're a Handyman Club of America member (if you're not, you&...

May 16, 2012 Prime Project: Paint Kitchen Cabs Joe Provey has been doing DIY projects for decades. Painting kitchen cabinets is a big project, and there are no shortcuts to a glassy-smoo...

May 14, 2012 Gripping Video About Dried Glue! A video about dried glue? Is this a joke? Not to woodworkers, because that dried glue is on — and then off — the bristles. This glue brush...

May 10, 2012 Giveaway: $250 Lowe's Gift Card We tend to think of Mother's Day as a given, something that's as old as motherhood itself. Nope. The first attempts to get Mother's Day go...

May 09, 2012 How Soft Do You Like Your Water? That's a personal question that affects most people; about 85 percent of us have a hard time with hard water. Some folks like laundry and shower w...

May 07, 2012 16' Extension Ladder Fits in Car An extension ladder can be an unwieldy back-breaker that you have to hoist on top of your truck or van. Well, we found a 16-footer that'll fit in ...

May 03, 2012 Tip: How to Sharpen Yard Tools Still can't part with that rusty old shovel you've had since 1970? Or how about that hand-me-down garden trowel that's more like a workout...

May 02, 2012 Cool Corner Plates for Drab Decks Eight screws! That's all it takes to turn a "wall flower" of a deck into a real looker. Dressing up a deck is so easy, thanks to Latitud...

April 30, 2012 Best Fix for a Fuddy-Duddy Door Cruise through almost any neighborhood, and it's plain to see that many homeowners are involved in an open-and-shut case of door neglect. They ign...

April 26, 2012 Project Plans: 3 Easy Birdhouses Looking for a simple, change-of-pace, springtime project? Build a birdhouse. It's so dang fun to design and construct one, and it's hugely rew...

April 25, 2012 How to Cool a Hot Garden Party Mother's Day (May 13) often means celebrating with a garden party. Normally, outdoor events in May are cool-to-perfectly-pleasant affairs, but wit...

April 23, 2012 Tool Testers Win Free Vegas Trip Wow! We had more than 660 entries in HANDY's third annual Top Tool Tester Contest. Each submission included photos of the entrant's primo proj...

April 19, 2012 How to Work Alone—9 Simple Tips Mike Conner is a Minneapolis-based contractor who writes for HANDY TOOLBOX. Many DIYers like to work alone. You head for your garage or sho...

April 18, 2012 Tested: DIY Garage-Floor Coat Kit Coating a garage floor can be a hit-or-miss adventure, depending on the coating's quality. So it's impressive that the RockSolid Polyurea Grey...

April 16, 2012 Mix and Use Concrete Out of Pouch Concrete repairs can be such a production, and when the project is done, you often have a huge cow pie of mud left over. Hey, you always mix up more t...

April 12, 2012 Project: Small Engine Tune-up Nod if this spring ritual is familiar: You’re stoked to start your lawn mower or garden tiller — or any piece of equipment with a small en...

April 11, 2012 Good Lookin' Landscape Lighting This landscape lighting makes a home look almost as pretty as a soft summer night. The i-lighting LED Landscape Lighting System adds beauty, safety an...

April 09, 2012 Video: Pressure Washer/Garden Hose All in One It's easy to become a bit trigger happy when you're holding a Briggs & Stratton Amplifi (a 2012 HANDY Innovation Award nominee). What can&...

April 05, 2012 Giveaway: Craftsman 22-In. Mower The beauty of today's giveaway is this: You'll fully understand the value of this sweepstakes prize, summed up in just four words: Craftsman m...

April 04, 2012 Tip: How to Make Wood Plugs Adding those all-important finishing touches to your woodworking projects often means hiding ugly screw heads under wood plugs. You can purchase plugs...

April 02, 2012 Trench Drain=No-Threshold Shower Have you ever considered re-designing your bathroom to a more modern style and for improved accessibility? Here's an easy way to get your feet wet...

March 28, 2012 How to Hide a Body on Your Deck No, we are not suggesting a life of crime (it never pays). We are suggesting — admittedly with a bit of hyperbole — this "hidden"...

March 26, 2012 Casement Cable=Kid-Safe Windows There are few nightmares worse than the vision of a child falling from an open window. Since spring is prime time for such things, parents and grandpa...

March 22, 2012 Project Plans: Dog Feeder Station Wanna pay back your pooch for all those times she/he has gotten your butt out of that Lazy Boy and taken you to the park? We've got just the pet p...

March 21, 2012 Debris Bag Saves Time and Steps This is one of those "no-big-deal-but-why-didn't-I-think-of-that?" lawn-and-garden products. This debris bag holds the weeds ...

March 19, 2012 Clean Brick in a Washing Machine? OK, you know it's a bad idea to toss a brick into a washing machine spinning full-tilt. But it's good video, and it raises the question: What ...

March 15, 2012 Tip: 4 Cardinal Rules of DIY Here's good advice from Joe Provey, a DIY pro: The biggest DIY project I ever tackled was reroofing my house — all 3,000 sq. ft. ...

March 14, 2012 Lighting for When the Power's Out When the power went down, the thumbs went up on this product. That is, the Home Power Outage Lighting System ($99) was recommended by 98 percent of ou...

March 12, 2012 A $6,400 Toilet? A Bit Cheeky It's not that we don't like the Numi, Kohler's "most advanced toilet" (see video). Just the opposite. This stylish little throne...

March 08, 2012 Project: Replace a Bathroom Faucet Drip ... drip ... drip. At first, you said the small leak in the bathroom faucet didn't bother you. And it only bugged a little bit tho...

March 07, 2012 "The Porta John" & More DIY Music We gotta give it up for Biscuit Joint who performs songs about the jobsite. BJ sings at trade shows (such as the International Builders Show) and has ...

March 05, 2012 You Want to Find a Stud? Simple Definition of typical stud finder: A device you throw at the wall after it sorta finds a stud in the wall — maybe. Maddening! Yes, th...

March 01, 2012 Giveaway: New Delta Scroll Saw We love it when we scoop the market with our giveaway prizes. Get this: The Delta 20-in. Variable Speed Scroll Saw, Model 40-695, is so new (it's ...

February 29, 2012 Save 40,000 Gal. in Your Bathroom Really? Save that much water yearly in the bathroom? We're pretty sure our 21 product testers were suspicious about the Stealth System ($325). But...

February 27, 2012 3 Tips on Marriage and Remodeling One of the toughest aspects of many remodeling projects is imagining the results. Although some people can examine a space and easily envision what it...

February 23, 2012 Your Next Easy Project: Wall Niche Why a wall niche? Well, a wall niche transforms an empty stud cavity into a useful storage space or an eye-catching display area. We built a niche in ...

February 22, 2012 Super-Silent Garage Door Opener "Is that the garage door opening?" With most garage door openers, is that even a question? They're too noisy! Not this Genie ...

February 20, 2012 Wanted in Vegas: 4 Tool Testers! "Had a ball and enjoyed meeting and working with everyone! Still can't believe it happened to me! What a great experience!" —Susan...

February 16, 2012 3 Paint Rollers, 0 Roller Trays Look, Ma! No tray! That's the idea with paint rollers that deliver paint from can to wall; they're skipping the dipping. They have ...

February 15, 2012 Go Bonkers Over This Saw Blade We sent these saw blades to 500 of our product testers. They all loved the Bosch 7-1/4-in. Daredevil Framing Blade ($9.99), giving it a 100-percent ap...

February 13, 2012 Test Tools in Vegas, Free (Maybe) This is our contest's third year, so you can say we're on a roll! It's HANDY's annual Top Tool Tester Contest. Enter now and you could...

February 09, 2012 Build a Mobile Workbench Yes, you can get by on makeshift workbenches at a job site, but no real shop is complete without a good workbench. Here's one you can easily build...

February 08, 2012 3 Must-Haves for Aging DIYers Aging happens ... if you're lucky. DIYers, embrace your years because experience and well-earned wisdom come in handy with projects. Still, take i...

February 06, 2012 A New Screw ... Who Knew? Who knew? Well, now you do. From the moment we screwed around with this new screw, it was considered by our editorial crew to be a shoo-in for an awar...

February 02, 2012 Sick of Winter? Sink Into This It's a no-brainer that there's such a hubbub about home-and-garden shows this time of year. People have had it with the dormancy, darkness and dreary ...

February 01, 2012 Never Talk Dirty Again—We Swear! When we work on projects, everything around us takes a beating: our tools, clothes, hands and even our cell phones. Replacing a phone can be painfully...

January 30, 2012 Move Appliances — But Save Your Back and Floors On dreary winter days you sometimes need a lift. Well, this is your lucky day because we found a tool that helps you lift and move heavy things withou...

January 26, 2012 Giveaway: A Big-Screen HDTV It's appropriate to end our historic HANDY TOOLBOX Super Sweeps Week (a TWO-giveaway week!) with the prize in today's Big-Screen Sweepstakes. After al...

January 25, 2012 Project: Install a Backsplash Whether you're a DIY newbie or an old hand, this project is sure to make a big splash in your house. Installing a backsplash is a great first-timer pr...

January 23, 2012 Bad Ass Built Into Sledge Hammer Look at the "guns" on the guy in the image above! When you wield a sledge hammer, you don't necessarily need those kinds of biceps &mdas...

January 19, 2012 2 Videos: Tool Rap & Toilet Trauma We applaud home improvement manufacturers when they hit us with some edgy humor in their promotional videos. Two examples: DeStorm is "...

January 18, 2012 A Toilet Gasket That Forgives When you're on your hands and knees in the bathroom, you deserve some forgiveness, right? Well, testers found that the Sani-Seal Toilet Gasket is incr...

January 16, 2012 DIY Tip: How to Avoid Disasters Here's good advice from Joe Provey, a DIY pro: I hate to admit it, but almost every DIY project I tackle turns into an epic struggle &m...

January 12, 2012 Project Plans: Wall Mount a TV Your new big-screen TV brings sports and entertainment stars — in all their HD, prime-time glory — into your home. Well, with these DIY pr...

January 11, 2012 Pole Saw With 144-in. Extension Don't like ladder work? You may not because you insist that you do your best work with two feet firmly planted on terra firma and not on a tipsy l...

January 09, 2012 When Snow and Ice Are Good Snow and ice are pretty (for a while) but they can get to be pretty rough on winter machinery and tools. Well, we found a $5.99 can that can help. It'...

January 05, 2012 Giveaway: It Throws Snow 35 Ft. We have one wish with our first sweepstakes of the new year: that the sky doesn't dump a dozen inches of snow on the winner before he or she receives ...

January 04, 2012 Quick-Connect Pullout Faucet This kitchen faucet looks good — and, as a bonus, it makes you look good as a DIYer. The Hydrolock installation system of Moen's new Benton Pullout Ki...

January 03, 2012 3 Books for the Handy Person a These are good books for bad weather. Yes, when the weather outside is frightful, take the opportunity to delve into...

December 29, 2011 Raising the Bar on a Sharp Tool When we tried the Work Sharp WS3000 a few years back, we instantly liked this versatile sharpening system. Nevertheless, it fell short of its full pot...

December 28, 2011 Right On: Rugged Steel Truck Box Ten of our toughest product testers took on this truck box — and lost. They tried to find flaws but couldn't; thus, the UWS ProGrade Steel Truck Box (...

December 27, 2011 Paint When Pink Turns White Normally, sealants don't do much to excite us. They seal; big deal. But Red Devil's ColorCure Pink2White multipurpose sealant is not your typical seal...

December 22, 2011 Best Version of "Deck the Halls" We tried mightily to come up with a HANDY TOOLBOX holiday greeting that wasn't hokey, yet true to the DIY world and the season. But frankly, visions o...

December 21, 2011 Project Plans: Build a Clamp Cart The maxim, "You can't have too many clamps" is true because the little devils are just too valuable and versatile in the shop. However, you can have t...

December 19, 2011 Auto-Retractable Utility Knife Is a Cut Above We like our fingers — very much. And we like this new utility knife, which also likes our fingers very much. It's the Wiss Auto-Retracting Utility Kni...

December 15, 2011 Money-Saving Weekend Project Installing a new toilet is an afternoon DIY project that has as much impact on your bottom line as any. If your toilet was installed before 1996, then...

December 14, 2011 This Pump Made Quite the Splash How pumped up can you get about a new pump? Plenty, according to our 39 product testers who gave the Wayne Auto On/Off Utility Pump ($169) a 100 perce...

December 12, 2011 Dunked Cordless Drill Still Works In the world of Web videos, an almost-12-minute video is two things: Unspeakably long Unwatched ...

December 08, 2011 Giveaway: DeWalt 4-Tool Combo Kit Our special holiday giveaway will ensure that one of you lucky TOOLBOX readers will have a very "MAXy" Christmas. We're talkin' 20V MAX because the pr...

December 07, 2011 Clean It Like You Mean It You could define DIY as "making big messes in order to improve your home, auto and equipment." You learn to live with project messes, but then the pai...

December 05, 2011 Garage Door Opener Beats Caffeine We argue that this garage door opener is a better pick-me-up than caffeine, and we do so for three reasons: The Chamber...

December 01, 2011 Build a Drawer Box One of the easiest methods of building a drawer box is to use rabbet-and-dado joints for the front, back and sides. This joint may not be as impressiv...

November 30, 2011 Can a Hole Saw Make You Happy? Can a hole saw make you happy? You already know how it can make you unhappy when it jams and you can't dig out the dang plug. Well, the bimetal Lenox ...

November 28, 2011 1-Eyed Monster Frees Your Hands We admit that wearing a headlamp may look a little goofy (or make you look like a Cyclops), but it's often the best lighting solution when conditions ...

November 23, 2011 Drywalling With Tim the Toolman If you've ever drywalled, you'll get a kick out of this challenge between Tim the Toolman Taylor and his sidekick, Al. Tim feels smug as he opens the ...

November 21, 2011 How to Gussy up Your Grab Bars Grab bars (AKA support bars) make a bathroom safer — and uglier. That is, they might look fine in a hospital but not in your bathroom, right? ...

November 17, 2011 Giveaway: 6 Award-Winning Prizes The 2011 HANDY Innovation Award winners are tickled pink about the honor. It's become a big deal in the DIY industry, so they want to brag it up a bit...

November 16, 2011 Chain Saw: Quiet, Cordless and 40V This is a chain saw that'll get high marks — from your neighbors. The Oregon PowerNow 40V MAX Cordless Chainsaw is quiet, not to mention lightweight a...

November 14, 2011 Handy Tool for Gutter Cleaning Gutter cleaning from a ladder gets high marks for being a high-anxiety, low-fun-factor task. So we're pretty excited to have found a tool that makes t...

November 10, 2011 Project: Replace Your Kitchen Sink A case could be made that replacing the kitchen sink is one of the most gratifying DIY projects of all. It saves a bundle of money to do it yourself, ...

November 09, 2011 Have Heater, Will Travel Sure, you can dress to stay warm on the job site or in your unheated garage workshop this winter. With the right workwear, it's OK. But doesn't it fee...

November 08, 2011 Split Wood in Half the Time The problem with most conventional log splitters is they are s-l-o-w. Yep, you position the log on the splitter, pull the lever to activate the ax-lik...

November 03, 2011 Just the Idea of Blowing Snow ... "Say it ain't so, Joe ... snow?" Yep, it's that time again. Snow's coming (or already here), so select a snow thrower and ...

November 02, 2011 Reasonably Priced Router—100% Yes Routers are wonderful tools and pert' near indispensible — but they can be downright pricey. Well, the Skil 1830 Combo Router Kit (at $110) carries su...

October 31, 2011 Our 5 Funniest DIY T-Shirts Handy people have a huge sense of humor that can't be measured (get it?), and some of us wear our DIY funny bone on our T-shirts. We've taken the libe...

October 27, 2011 Updating Tired Kitchen Cabinets This project excites most homeowners because it can be rewarding financially, and it's not too difficult. Dressing up dull, dreary kitchen cabinets wi...

October 26, 2011 Wall Scanner Superman Would Love You don't need Superman's X-ray vision to hang pictures and cabinets, install shelving or to do electrical upgrades. A stud finder helps, but traditio...

October 24, 2011 Keep Your Backyard Birds Safe Building a birdhouse is a "two-fer" because you get two joys for the price of one. The first is in using your tools and moxie to pull off the construc...

October 20, 2011 Giveaway: Blower-Shredder-Vacuum Think twice before entering this giveaway. Don't bother if you want to take your sweet time raking and bagging leaves because you love soaking in the ...

October 19, 2011 Crouch Without Singing Soprano When we first heard about the Duluth Trading Company's Flex Ballroom Jeans, we thought the work-apparel company was going soft. Whoever heard of weari...

October 17, 2011 Don't Let Wind Destroy Your Deck Furniture Don't you just hate it when the autumn wind blows and bangs your deck furniture into the railings or your siding? Or when it really roars and carries ...

October 13, 2011 Save Cash: Re-Do Your Entry Door Our 80-year-old door made us snore and sneer. Not only was it a boring brown (to match the house trim), it was also beat up. Its paint was peeling, an...

October 12, 2011 One Tool Blows and Shreds Leaves It's not surprising that our product-testing team gave this handheld shredder/vacuum a 100 percent approval rating. After all, it blows yard debris an...

October 10, 2011 Backyard Greenhouse? 12 Questions When the garden winds down at summer's end, you may wish that the veggies and flowers could persevere throughout the winter. What about building a bac...

October 06, 2011 Vote for HANDY Innovation Award Each year, HANDY Magazine editors do the DIY world a good deed by presenting the HANDY Innovation Awards. The editors earmark new tools and products t...

October 05, 2011 A New Toilet That Won't Overflow It's an all-too-familiar scene: Your toilet overflows ("Yikes!!!"), and you're tip-toeing through the rising tide of sludge. Well, we have good news! ...

October 03, 2011 If Jimmy Fallon Wore Workpants ... Jimmy Fallon wears suit pants, which work for his line of work. Fallon's guest for his late-night TV show (seen in this hilariously awkward video) is ...

September 29, 2011 Build This Woodworker's Bench What is it about a woodworker's bench? After one project, the bench isn't just a work surface anymore; it's a friend and a tool — maybe the hardest-wo...

September 28, 2011 95/100 = Yes for Oscillating Tool Bosch has been deliberate in making its way to the oscillating tool party, but our product testers' response to the new MX25EK-33 Multi-X Oscillating ...

September 26, 2011 Do a Dust Barrier in 5 Minutes Usually in remodeling, you gotta bash before you can build. Truth is, demo-ing walls is a blast, but if the dust is not contained, it makes a mighty m...

September 22, 2011 Giveaway: Two Go-To Bosch Tools There are tools that you have, and then there are tools that you use. The ones you use are your go-to tools; you grab them when you're off to a job an...

September 21, 2011 Manual Scraping? That's History It's like manual sanding versus power sanders, right? Once you flip the switch and enjoy the sander's ride to smooth surfaces, it's tough going back t...

September 19, 2011 $9.95 Handles for Hauling Leaves We don't go hog-wild about leaf-hauling/loading devices that are often way overpriced. We watch our pennies and for our lawn, a rake and an old sheet ...

September 15, 2011 Auto Hammer Has Some Chutzpah We like a tool with an attitude — one that can handle fussy fasteners in need of a little friendly persuasion. Well, Craftsman NEXTEC 12.0 Volt G2 Ham...

September 14, 2011 This Project Was a Huge Hit: Kitchen Stool Wanna get a woodworker's attention? Offer a project that's: • Attractive • Useful • Easy-to-build ...

September 12, 2011 This Light Bulb Turns Us On We hate it when light bulbs are sleepier than we are in the morning. While we like the green side of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL), we drum ou...

September 08, 2011 You (We) Love This Portable Bench DIYers, put this on your bucket list. Not only did the Handy Bucket Builder wow our product testers with a 92 percent approval rating, it also got a t...

September 07, 2011 Set Your Butt Down on This That's the thing about gardening, right? We love it but it's a pain in the butt, back and knees as we're forced to sit, squat, stoop and kneel just to...

September 06, 2011 Red Green, Women and Handymen Red Green can come off as a crazy ol' coot, but he's crazy like a fox. He says and does the darnedest things, and yet in the midst of it he'll drop in...

September 01, 2011 Juiced: Boost Battery in 3 Minutes We're calling this the "Save Your Butt" battery charger. You've been there: You're this close to finishing your epic project (and then go fishing with...

August 31, 2011 Impact Driver Improves Sleep! DeWalt doesn't dwell on it, but it's true: You sleep better with this impact driver under your pillow. OK, not under your ...

August 29, 2011 The Garage-Door Windows? Not Real Even though those garage-door windows pictured aren't really real, we really like them because they increase curb appeal — without the hassle of repla...

August 25, 2011 Giveaway! 3 DIY-Tailgating Prizes A typical DIYer day: Projects Projects Projects (Who says DIYers can't have fun?) ...

August 24, 2011 Make Garden Art and Cedar Frame! Here are two head-turning projects that'll draw gawkers to your yard. Frankly, we don't know which project they'll be "oohing" about more, the steel a...

August 22, 2011 Trailer Morphs Into Storage Unit You want to be a hero in your house? Find storage. Indeed, your stock will be higher than any action figure in green tights if you can somehow find or...

August 18, 2011 Easily Installed Deck Lighting Got a drill/driver, a 7/16-in. bit and a hammer? Then you can install the I-Lighting Outdoor Lighting System. The kit — ra...

August 17, 2011 Socks That Can Help a Hangover Doesn't happen often, but there are "mornings after" when getting outta bed and dressing can be a real chore. Well, we've found some socks that can he...

August 15, 2011 21-Gallon Garden Water Bag—Wow! Watering is wonderful for your plants but (groan) it takes time, especially if you have a flower bed or community garden plot that's too far from a wa...

August 11, 2011 Disarm Your Killer Garden Hose We hate it when this happens: With all this heat, we're watering, watering, watering, which means we're moving the hose. A lot. Unfortunately, it also...

August 10, 2011 Design a Shop — You Deserve It! This project is a bit different, but nevertheless, it is the parent of all projects. Because once you design a workshop that's efficient and comfortab...

August 08, 2011 Prisoners Pray for This Hacksaw! For two reasons: They want to escape (video). Invariably, however, these plots flop; either the law is one step ahead o...

August 04, 2011 Giveaway: JawSaw, Trimmer, Blower Think of your yard as a lion that needs weekly taming. Most of us are going about the task armed only with a chair (the mower), but to really whip tha...

August 03, 2011 120 Testers Like This Light—Lots We thought our product testers would yawn about this emergency light. After all, there are lots of these lights on the market. Nope. Our 120 testers b...

August 01, 2011 The Toolman's Gut-Buster Video! When we hear the word "guarantee," we back off and check our wallets. And we are even more dubious when we hear that a video is a guaranteed gut-buste...

July 28, 2011 Build This Deck Storage Bench We like this project because it decks out our deck with a beauty — and it provides comfortable seating and ample storage. This solid-cedar bench can a...

July 27, 2011 Giveaway: 105 Acres of Pure Fun! Many of us are farmers or grew up farming and find tractor pulls — with all that raw power and diesel smoke of competing pullers — to be thrilling. Wh...

July 25, 2011 One Can Can Impress All Painters DIYers tend to take the word "finish" literally. After working long and hard to build the project, it's time to finish with a coat of paint or polyure...

July 21, 2011 Whack Weeds With Stand-Up Tool Any time we can whack weeds without throwing the back outta whack with stoop labor, we're happy. So we're halfway to heaven when holding this stand-up...

July 20, 2011 Key-Fob Convenience at Your Door Television without remote control? Inconceivable! Car doors that open only with a key? Thoroughly un-modern! Yes, we do lo...

July 18, 2011 Really Safe Chain Saw With Jaws We'll cut to the quick: Chain saws are dangerous, and that's bound to make you justifiably apprehensive. But we recently discovered a new kind of chai...

July 15, 2011 Giveaway: Festool Drill/Driver! Actually, we shouldn't beat around the bush — just send you directly to the Sweepstakes entry page. Because, really, nothing needs to be said when the...

July 14, 2011 Build This Outdoor Dining Table Simple yet very smart, that's what this outdoor dining table is. Simple in that you make it from standard dimensional lumber, and construction require...

July 13, 2011 Stain and Waterproofer in One Our product testers were defanged with this test. C'mon, a name brand, work-saving wood stain and waterproofer all in one? What's not to like? ...

July 11, 2011 Work, Hearing Protection, Music Quiz question: If you don't wear hearing protection when you're young and working on the job or in the shop, do you know which word you'll use most of...

July 07, 2011 Unload Your Pickup in 30 Seconds We try to avoid things that get us cranky, but not in this case. No siree Bob! This crank device helps us — or, more accurately, we help it — unload o...

July 06, 2011 Green Thumb Plant-Care Sensor Normally, we wouldn't consider a little plastic flower doohickey that plugs into a computer to be an essential gardening tool. But now we're not so su...

July 05, 2011 Spade Aids to Ease Shoveling Pain If you've ever handled a spade, shovel, pitchfork or just about any tool with a long handle, you're really going to dig these two handy, affordable to...

June 30, 2011 Dangerous Dog Jokes for DIYers Many DIYers protect their valuable shop tools with the help of a dog that's always noisy, often big and usually mean-looking enough to make bad guys t...

June 29, 2011 Our Dream Drill Is the Real Deal In our dreams, the fantasy drill/driver is cordless (of course!) and has 18 volts of power — AND it is smaller, lighter and tougher than a 12-volt mod...

June 27, 2011 A Toilet Seat That's a Turn-on In a bathroom filled with fabulous fixtures, attractive tile and a glamorous granite vanity top, isn't it a missed opportunity when your toilet seat i...

June 23, 2011 Build This Luxury Deck Lounger Some projects, well, you really look forward to finishing much more than others. It's not because they're less fun to build; it's just that you can't ...

June 22, 2011 Stay Organized, Keep Dust at Bay Remember R2D2, the super-handy little droid from "Star Wars" that was more versatile than a pocketful of Swiss Army Knives? Festool, long recognized f...

June 20, 2011 Voice Smoke Alarm Beats Beeping When it comes to safety, it's time to give your kids a voice. According to First Alert, recent studies show that in an eme...

June 17, 2011 Giveaway: a John Deere Mower What we like about our June Giveaway is that it really hits home. This John Deer JS46 self-propelled walk-behind mower is the right product at just th...

June 16, 2011 Raised Garden-Greenhouse Combo Helps the back, helps the budget (grow your own) and helps with storage space. What's not to like about this 3-in-1 gardening helper, the new Plant In...

June 15, 2011 Precise Cuts in Drywall, Plywood Simple-and-effective building products make us smile, and this one has us simply beaming. The Mark-n-Cut Transfer Sheets are a godsend to folks instal...

June 13, 2011 Pretty Pot, Ugly Deck Ring—Fixed You've worked your butt off building a beautiful deck, porch or patio, and you want to make it even more beautiful with pots overflowing with colorful...

June 09, 2011 Build This Raised Garden Bed Guaranteed, this is a project that you'll not only love, but you'll build it repeatedly. It's the always attractive raised garden bed. ...

June 08, 2011 More Mower, More Garage Space You've gone cordless with many of your favorite power tools, so maybe it's time to consider a cordless mower. No gas smells or spills. No tendinitis f...

June 06, 2011 Work Light You Can Bend and Fold It can get creepy changing a tire on a dark and stormy night. Same with working in tight crawlspaces full of cobwebs and critters. About the best way ...

June 02, 2011 Shop Humor: Origins of Celibacy During his first three years of marriage, Frank — a big DIYer — tackled several huge home-improvement projects. At first, Frank's wife Pat loved how t...

June 01, 2011 Start-to-Finish Project Updates Besides recording their projects for posterity (ah, vanity), our testers gave this cool Timelapse ProjectCam an impressive 98 percent approval rating....

May 31, 2011 5 Reasons to Join Us on Facebook We love talkin' tools, projects and all things home related. If you've got an insatiable appetite for home improvement and tool talk, then you'll be i...

May 26, 2011 Marvel at This Musical Ramp You're looking at a long holiday weekend and you're good with wood, so watch this video on an awesome wooden musical ramp. It may inspire you to try n...

May 25, 2011 Video: Finally, a Mower That's Fast, Fun and Sized Right Live in the burbs? Is your lawn too big to mow with a walk-behind but not expansive enough to justify an SUV-size tractor? Hop on the WeedEater Smart ...

May 23, 2011 Heavy Equipment Playground: Dig It We would never encourage DIYers to dig themselves into a hole when they go to Las Vegas — until now. We're not talking about the casinos but the new D...

May 20, 2011 Giveaway: Win a Thrill Grill! We're calling this our Thrill Grill for two reasons: Think of the thrill it would be to win our Stok Quattro Grill Swee...

May 19, 2011 Build This Simple Fountain True-false quiz. Fountains are: 1. So pretty 2. So calming 3. So much work to build. ...

May 18, 2011 Double-Hung Gets a "10" We found out that our testers do windows. The testers found out that installing Simonton's Double Hung Replacement Windows was a breeze. They gave a p...

May 16, 2011 Portable, Pumps 200 Gal./Charge Flooded laundry room? Overflowing toilet? Swamped kayak? To bail you out, we found something far better than a bucket or a coffee can. It's called Aqu...

May 12, 2011 Test Tile Saw, Then Do the Strip In Las Vegas, our four Top Tool Testers are too much! You'd think after two tough days of reviewing tools in the Product Test Shop (and tougher nights...

May 11, 2011 Vegas Test--Skil Oscillating Tool In Las Vegas, it was fun to read the faces of the four lucky Top Tool Testers reviewing tools now in the Product Test Shop. Recall that these three gu...

May 09, 2011 The Vegas Test: Impact Wrench Tool manufacturers gotta be pretty confident in their new tools to put them up for micro-analysis by our four Top Tool Testers. Recall that the fearso...

May 05, 2011 Project Plan: Outdoor Easy Chair Not all four-letter words are naughty. Take easy, for example. Woodworkers like easy when it describes projects that turn out as beautiful and functio...

May 04, 2011 100% Raves for Multipurpose Saw Right on, RotoZip! You've managed to do what few tool manufacturers have done — please 100 percent of our very picky TOOLBOX Testers! Your versa...

May 02, 2011 Free Deck-Designing Software It's almost a DIYer's rite of passage — to build a deck in springtime. A new deck is a dandy way to: Celebrate great weather Connect with famil...

April 29, 2011 Wanted: 3 Winners for 1 Giveaway For the merry month of May, we've gone away from the standard "winner takes all" giveaway that we — along with Handy Hal (pictured) an...

April 28, 2011 Build This--Be the King of Swing Apologies to our women woodworkers, but "King of Swing" has an irresistible ring. We hope you'll forgive us when you finish this build-in-a-...

April 27, 2011 14 Hot Painting Tasks, 1 Cool Tool We always try to paint in the shade, but inevitably we end up working in the heat on exterior jobs. Well, our tool testers found that hot painting get...

April 25, 2011 Generator Runs on Most Any Fuel DIYers often work at remote job sites and need "juice" to power corded tools. If we're not doing projects (it happens), we need power when we camp, fi...

April 21, 2011 Yes, Personalized Garage Signs! You're the go-to guy or gal for all things handy. If you're not lending tools to friends, you're toiling at your table saw in the garage, wrenching on...

April 20, 2011 Take a Dim View With This Product All winter, we whine about not enough light. Skylights and solar tube products help brighten a room and our spirits, but sometimes they help too much ...

April 18, 2011 Most Mesmerizing Chainsaw Video We can't tell you why, exactly, but we found ourselves locked into this video. There's not a man or women in sight, so the human-interest angle is not...

April 15, 2011 Shop Humor: What's So Funny About Taxes? Let's try to stay positive as we approach paying taxes on Monday. For a distraction this weekend, find a project, fix something, repair, remodel, do y...

April 14, 2011 Product Test: THIS Is a Utility Knife! You might say that with our handy testers, this utility knife made the cut — big time! To the point, the Clauss SpeedPak Utility Knife received a 99 p...

April 11, 2011 Quiz Question: What Won't This Saw Cut? This question must be a multiple choice, with one of the answers being, "None of the above." Because the Ridgid TwinBlade Saw R3250 is sort of the "ut...

April 07, 2011 You Can Easily Build This Beauty This lightweight yet sturdy bench was designed for outdoor use, but your backside will find it just as comfortable as an entry bench or even at the fo...

April 06, 2011 Prudence & Patience, Dear Pruner Winter whacks the best of us, especially our trees. We notice the damage during spring, and we're typically pumped to prune away the problems PDQ. Pro...

April 04, 2011 Power — the Strong, Silent Type Storm season looms, so it's prudent to become pals with a portable generator. It doesn't need to be a loud, overweight, fume-spewing beast. Indeed, we...

March 31, 2011 Too Cold to Compost? Nope Composting is almost synonymous to smugness. Seriously, don't you just feel so dang "eco" — and prudent when you consider the cost of compost — as you...

March 30, 2011 Do You Like Your Peephole? Probably not. In fact, most of us have peephole problems that we're rather peeved about. Why? A typical door peephole c...

March 28, 2011 Do Chainsaw Champs Do Diamonds? Spring is springing, which means springing to action with our outdoor cleanup jobs. We're up to the task of trimming trees damaged by seasonal storms,...

March 24, 2011 Sewer-Line Fix: Can You Dig It? Sooner or later, your sewer line will command attention — and you're not going to dig it. (This is good news.) Clarificati...

March 23, 2011 What Happens in Vegas ... Gets Published! The TOOLBOX and the Handyman Club of America have selected four Top Tool Testers to try out the latest tools and offer feedback from the Product Test ...

March 21, 2011 Extreme Birdhouse! 38 Rooms Come spring, many woodworkers — after being cooped up for the winter — are bustin' to build a birdhouse. It can beautify the backyard, att...

March 18, 2011 Today's Giveaway: Pressure Washer (Think Spring) Thousands of you voted on Facebook for the Northern Tool prize that you'd like to win in this special March Madness TOOLBOX giveaway, presented by the...

March 17, 2011 A St. Patrick's Day Pick-Me-Up With a bit o' luck, you may shut down the shop a wee bit early to celebrate St. Patty's Day. We'll join in, but we're skipping the green-beer-inspired...

March 16, 2011 Impact Driver Had a Big Impact It's DIY embarrassing but unavoidable, really — going to a hardware store and drooling all over the new power tools. But at least our tool testers don...

March 14, 2011 Free Home-Design Software Are you painfully paired with piles of paper and a pencil when making project drawings? You're not alone. Many who try computer-assisted design softwa...

March 10, 2011 Kick-Butt Weather Protection We think it's a good fit for a company that makes waterproof boots to also make a stylish, kick-butt rain jacket. The company, Magnum Boots, is known ...

March 09, 2011 Birdfeeder Humiliates Squirrels Squirrels humiliate us, openly. Day after day, these twitchy little twerps get the better of us. Even in winter, when there aren't many live plants to...

March 03, 2011 Tip: Fix Ice Dams with Pantyhose Talk about the winter of our discontent! With record snowfalls and frigid temperatures all over the country, this is it! And that big snow can lead to...

March 02, 2011 Giveaway Lineup—Need Your Vote! You can tell that the "G" Team (aka the Giveaway Team at the TOOLBOX and the Handyman Club of America) is into sports. Because the March tool giveaway...

February 24, 2011 Today's Giveaway: Drill/Driver/Impact Driver Kit Thousands of you voted on Facebook — twice because of a tie — for the DeWalt tool you'd like to win in this TOOLBOX giveaway, presented by...

February 23, 2011 New Acrylic-Block Operable Window Our handy testers almost never give 100 percent approval to a product; they're real fussy. When they do — like now — it's big. The product: Hy-Lite's ...

February 17, 2011 The Shocking Truth About DIY Electrical Testing Can you handle the truth? Fair enough, here it is: You may think electrical testing of outlets, lights and appliances arou...

February 16, 2011 Surefire Way to Please the Spouse How? Install a backsplash. It never fails to spruce up your kitchen or bathroom, add color and please your spouse. And here's a product that'll please...

February 14, 2011 DIY Valentine: 2 Adirondacks on a Beach Never call us DIYers unromantic! Not only can we create this sort of dream scene on the beach (or at least in the garage), we also are the only romant...

February 10, 2011 Giveaway: Compound Miter Saw You've voted on Facebook for which Skil tool you'd like to win in this TOOLBOX giveaway, presented by the Handyman Club of America. Now it's time to b...

February 09, 2011 This Project Was a Huge Hit: Floating Vanity Abracadabra! This suspended vanity will add modern style to any bathroom, and it's not difficult to build or to install. M...

February 07, 2011 How Did That Nail Get There? Good question. There's no hole in the wood "finger" on the far left; and the space between each finger is too small to insert the nail through holes i...

February 03, 2011 Great Party Needs a Great Grill Here's a little secret about DIYers: Behind that measured, methodical, nothing-musters-me façade of folks who fix up their homes, there lurks a party ...

February 02, 2011 A Slice of Americana Break out the bean dip, the big football/tailgating extravaganza this Sunday is upon us! And what better way to celebrate this only-in-America extrava...

January 31, 2011 Giveaway Line-up—Need Your Vote! We've got the G Team working hard. The G is for giveaway; the Team is the TOOLBOX and the Handyman Club of America. Tomorrow is the start of another m...

January 27, 2011 Giveaway: Drill/Driver, Recip Saw You've voted on Facebook for which Ridgid tool you'd like to win in this TOOLBOX giveaway, presented by the Handyman Club of America. Now it's time to...

January 26, 2011 Dull Blades? Not With This Utility Knife DIYers and home-improvement geeks always look for better ways to accomplish a project — and we want the perfect tool for any job. Trades profess...

January 24, 2011 Juggling Chainsaws ... or Not Don't know whether it's authentic, but this Discovery Channel video hooks you right off the bat with the following claim: ...

January 20, 2011 The Biggest Tool-Storage Roll Cab This is a big, honkin' tool chest — the largest tool storage unit on the market. It's got almost 67,000 cubic inches of storage space, can hold ...

January 19, 2011 Go All In: Build This Game Table Whether you dream of reaching the final table at the World Series of Poker or your game is Monopoly, this game table is sure to provide many nights of...

January 17, 2011 Pause to Consider the Paws Put yourself in your pet's position .... The sidewalk and ground are covered in snow and/or ice. You have to go outside f...

January 13, 2011 Today's Giveaway: Compressor Kit We've teamed up with the Handyman Club of America for our first January giveaway — and we listened to your vote. That is, we presented four Craf...

January 12, 2011 Light Without Wires: Brilliant! Every now and then we stumble across products that fall under the Brilliant Idea category, such as the wireless LED lighting options from Mr. Beams. S...

January 10, 2011 Taking a Limp Duck to the Vet A man took his limp duck to the vet, who listened for the bird's pulse with her stethoscope. "Sorry, your bird's dead." "Y...

January 06, 2011 Vegas, Free for 4 Tool Testers! The TOOLBOX is teaming up with the Handyman Club of America in selecting four tool buffs — our Fantastic Foursome — to join us at the 2011 National Ha...

January 05, 2011 This Project Was a Huge Hit! Baby, it's cold outside — and we can only dream about sipping iced tea on the patio. Dream and plan, that is. Now's the pe...

January 03, 2011 Giveaway Lineup—Need Your Vote! What a holiday hoot to start the tool giveaways in December! It felt good to call the winners, who were thrilled. In the interest of not killing the t...