Smart Scan - Car error code reader

Dread fills most drivers when the check engine light turns on. You don’t know what the problem is, how bad it is, or how to find out without a trip to the auto service center. Instead try this Black & Decker Smart Scan tool. Just plug it into the diagnostic port under your dash, and it displays the error codes that made the light come on. Then use your car manual or go online to figure out the actual problem yourself. Plus you can erase the error codes and turn off the light once the problem is fixed. And for about $80 you can check all the vehicles you need to for the price of one check at most auto shops.

Home car care diagnostic scanner. $80 | blackanddecker.com

Dremel Multi-Max

Dremel’s new multi-max tool puts the power of oscillating tools in the hands of price conscious DIYers. The speed, power, and accessories of this
affordable little tool actually equal the category leader. It also delivers all the same functionality to sand, cut, scrape, and grind.

Popular uses for the multi-max include removing vinyl flooring, cutting holes in drywall, and removing grout from a tile shower.

Oscillating multi-tool. $100 | dremel.com

Craftman digital miter gauge

Craftman’s digital miter gauge takes the guesswork out of setting precise miter angles. That’s true even when the angle you need isn’t a whole  number because the gauge reads angles in tenths of a degree.

The gauge can also be used as a blade angle (bevel) gauge thanks to the magnetic clamp that comes with it. Just attach the gauge to the blade, and it will read the bevel angle.

Together, these two great features make this accurate, affordable, multi-purpose angle finder a must-have for table saws and router table work.

Digital miter & bevel gauge. $80 | craftsman.com

plane scraper settings

One of the best features of the large scraper plane shown below is the ability to change the angle of the blade for different tasks. At the factory the blade is set so it angles forward about 15 degrees from the vertical position. This results in a smooth cut with short, paper thin shavings. I use this angle for cleaning up machine marks on straight-grained wood. Tilting the blade forward even more will take a deeper cut. This angle will produce long curls, almost like a low-angle plane. You could use this angle for smoothing an uneven surface, like a glued-up tabletop. Setting the blade to a vertical position decreases the depth of the cut. This will produce fine scrapings, almost like sawdust. I use this setting when smoothing wood with highly figured grain.

Black & Decker Ratcheting Ready Wrench

Who needs a big bulky wrench set when the only thing you need is the Black & Decker Ratcheting Ready Wrench. This two-way ratcheting action tool is a one-size-fits-all tool that offers 16 of the most common standard and metric socket sizes. The color-coded socket sizes make it easy to identify what you’re doing wrong and a lifetime warranty ensures that even the roughest handy-men and women can fix anything for a long time to come.

Black & Decker Ratcheting Ready Wrench. $26 | blackanddecker.com

Cork Encased in Glass

Shimmering cork encased in 100 percent recycled glass, custom-made Lavawood Day and Lavawood Night come in sheets up to 40 square feet or curved with a variety of radii. Used as a stylish surfacing material in everything from restaurants, night clubs, casinos, residential buildings, and retail facilities Livinglass will make a great first impression when remodeling your home or office.
Encased cork. $varies | livinglass.com

GE Profile Refrigerator

At last you’ll have a place to keep the thanksgiving turkey without crushing your favorite pint of Ben & Jerry’s in your drawer style freezer. The GE Profile double-drawer, bottom-freezer refrigerator comes with two full width freezer drawers. The top one is shallower for easy access to every day frozen items and the bottom has about twice as much space for keeping your larger items.

Double-drawer, bottom-freezer refrigerator. $2,250+ | ge.com

Insinkerator Evolution Excel

An innovative breakthrough in kitchen cleanup. Engineered with advanced multigrind technology, the Evolution Excel has a three-stage grinder allowing you to grind almost any food waste there is. From rib bones to celery stalk roots to corn husks. Insinkerator’s patented SoundSeal technology reduces motor sound by up to 60%.

In-sink food waste disposal unit. $300 | insinkerator.com

Sheer cut flooring cutter from Bullet Tools

Designed to perform the same tasks as circular saws but requiring no electricity and generating no hazardous dust, the EZ Shear cuts laminate flooring, wood flooring, and fiber-cement siding. It is made of 90% recycled aluminum and plastic; the remainder of the metal and plastic used is recyclable. The manufacturer, Bullet Tools, says blades last 20 times as long as traditional power saw blades. The heavy-duty version comes in 9- to 40-inch models; the medium-duty version is 13 inches.

EZ Shear, shear cut flooring cutter. $250 – $1,600 | bullettools.com

Space saving toilet/sink combination

When you seriously need to conserve space try the Profile Smart toilet from Caroma, a unique bath fixture that integrates a hand-washing basin and faucet with a dual-flush toilet, may catch some folks off guard, but there’s no denying the unit’s environmental benefits as an on-the-spot water-reuse device. After the toilet is used, the system sends fresh water through the integrated faucet for washing hands; instead of heading straight down the drain, the hand-washing water then flows into the toilet tank, where it is stored to be used for the next flush. The toilet flushes at 0.8 gallons per flush for solids for liquids and 1.28 gpf, resulting in an average flush volume of 0.9 gpf.

Dimensions:
27.75″L x 15″W x 35.875″H  -  12″ rough-in.

Space saving toilet-sink combination.  $800 | caromausa.com