Gadgeteers, get out your charge card. This is an instrument you absolutely have to own. It reaches down below sofa cushions, inside piggy banks, into fish tanks, and past a gallbladder. Not simultaneously, of course. The slim stainless steel alligator forceps is 11" long OA, with a 2-1/2" angled handle and an 8-1/2" reach. It has small 5/8" long serrated jaws, delicate but tight, at the very tip! Better buy an extra. We guarantee people are going to "borrow" these if they see them.

Sounds like an Olympic figure-skating move, the standing, self-closing reverse tweezer, but it's really a tweezer that's closed until you squeeze it. It also has a frame to hold it up off a work surface, so it doubles as a vice. Ours have wooden grips and measure 6-3/8" long with 2-7/8" serrated jaws and a 2" x 1-1/2" stand.  

When you need to drill itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny little-bitty small holes, break out this 20-piece set of wire-gauge drills in diameters from .012" to .037". No, they won't work in a standard collet, but we'll send a micro-chuck with a 1/8" shank along with the drill set. We think of everything!

Just your standard, stainless steel, (yup...we said stainless) 2-notch utility knife blades in a 10-pack. For all your utility knifing needs.

In translucent polypropylene, these measure 6” long with a bulbous top, 2mm dropper point and 0.5ml markings. The package calls these “Prospector’s Choice” and suggests using them to “collect fine gold particles with ease.” Feel free, but we like them for labs and crafts--anywhere that dropper dispensing occurs. Our each is a package of (50). Great for labs, crafts and hobbies.

Water color made easy. You get a pack of a dozen water-color pencils in light and dark blue, green, black, brown, yellow, peach, orange, red, pink and purple, plus a small paint brush. Draw with the pencils, then dip the brush in water and blend the colors. For the artist in all of us.

A big step up from the basic soldering iron, and much safer, our soldering station features continuously variable power between 5-40W, a 1.5mm pointed tip thin enough to use on surface-mounted components, a 4-foot cord, padded grip, iron holder, built-in cleaning sponge, and a stand-alone controller with a 5-1/2" x 4-1/2" footprint and a power switch. Grip is padded with a 3/16" dia shank. From Stahl Tools" for hobbyists, do-it-yourselfers and students.

Our best and prettiest-ever slices of polished agate, showing concentric rings of natural and dyed colors. The slices range from 3" to 4-1/2" across and from 1/8" to 3/16" thick. We've seen samples from milky white to blue, purple, red, yellow and brown. No two alike, by definition. We'll choose. Think scientific specimens, framed art, coasters, trivets, paperweights, or skipping stones for rich kids who don't want to search the beach for flat stones.

You know how when you try to replace a watch band yourself and that little spring bar flies out and you can never find it in your retro shag carpeting? We’re here to help. First, get rid of that carpeting. Then get this set of multiple standard 1.5mm spring bars. You’ll get between 7 and 10 of each in a dozen sizes (100 pieces altogether) from 8mm to 19mm, plus a double-ended tool to help you swap them out in the first place.

And you can’t lose. Really. Five bucks buys you (4) good quality artists’ paint brushes, 5” to 12” in length, from an extremely assorted collection. You’ll get sable, nylon, ox hair or camel hair, long or short, very fine to very wide, round to flat, in sizes from very fine to very wide, all from Duro Art Industries in Chicago. Gives you something to look forward to.

Jewelers have the best looking tools. This ultra-slim knife is 4-1/2" long OA, with a flat metal handle that comes in assorted colors (our choice). The short, broad blade is honed to fit into the slit in a watch case and pop the back off easily. It doesn't fold into itself, but does come in a protective vinyl sleeve for storage. Very sharp.

Refillable butane torch, with a 1/2" dia x 5-3/4" body and a 1/4" dia. x 2-1/4" long head. Strong enough to melt solder, silver and gold solder, glass tubing and such metals as gold, silver, copper, tin, and aluminum. Equally handy around the hobby shop, jewelry bench, or lab. Refills from standard butane lighter canister.

It's officially a watch-case holder, and indispensable for jewelers and watch collectors, but it's equally useful for holding anything small and squirrely while you work on it. A pair of 1-3/4" long x 15/16" tall brackets have (4) sets of (6) holes that take (4) movable posts. Spring-loaded jaws dial open to a max of 1".

They call it the "Safety Cutter" and it's going to make your life a whole bunch easier. It's a little 2-3/8" long x 3/16" thick teardrop-shaped paper slicer with a teensy rust- and dullness-proof ceramic blade that magically cuts through paper and plastic. Perfect for clipping newsprint, cutting wrapping paper, and opening deviously sealed packaging, including the heavy stuff if you press a bit. Even CD cases. The crazy part? Won't cut your fingers or anything else. You could run it right over your hand, press down and everything, and nothing. Really. We tried it on some expendable employees. You know what this means? You can take it on airplanes, which further means that when you get to the coast you'll actually be able to open all the packages full of the stuff you sent ahead.

Rock hammer with one squared chipping face and one pointy picking face, ideal for prospectors, rock hounds, construction and more. A single piece of forged and polished steel with a molded rubber grip makes this a solid and reliable tool that will last. 10-1/2" long x 6-1/2" across the 20 oz. head, 1-3/4 lbs. total. Well made. Good buy. Good bye!

The secret is ceramics. This 5-1/2" long precision cutter has a ceramic point that's as sharp as an X-actly knife, stays sharp longer, is easier to maneuver in intricate cutting patterns, and is nearly impossible to cut yourself with. Cuts paper and card stock easily. Pencil-style, with a cap. A boon for crafters, and a blessing for junior crafters.

All together now, boys and girls, can you say BARGAIN? A bonanza assortment of (100) 1/8" shank rotary tool attachments: wheels, brushes, stones, sanding wheels, buffing pads, and sundry other stuff. All in a nice wooden box with the latch on upside down-so write "top" on the top. Is that why it's here? That, and the cardboard sleeve that tells us to heed an "importan" warning. Case dimensions are about 8-3/8" x 5-1/2" x 1-3/4".

These stainless steel tailors' shears are sized halfway between "Edward Scissorhands" and "my grandfather was a cutter in the garment district." At 12" long they're perfect for folks who do a lot of heavy duty snipping or are just tired of wimpy little scissors. And yes, please don't run with them.