HARDWARE

This 300 Lumen LED light is a mighty mite. Just under 4-1/2" long x 1" dia, you slide the sleeve and the beam zooms from a flood to a don't-stare-into-this focused spot. In black or gun metal anodized aluminum, it's weatherproof and shockproof with a latching button switch and a pocket clip. Depress the button halfway when it's on and it goes into a rapid-flash mode for emergency signaling. Visible for 275 meters. Five hour life with the included 1-"AA" battery and a 110K+ hour bulb life.

You know what you need to lock up better than we do, so when you finish building that cabinet, secure it with this cabinet lock. 11/16" cylinder diameter, depth is 1-1/4”, and it has a 1-1/2” lock arm. Comes with (2) keys because you know how you lose things (we do too). Locking nut is included and key removes in both positions.

Since the corner of a door has only so much real estate to hang stuff on, we all need to expand at some point. We do it with these durable, stylish, chrome-looking over-door hooks. No screws or drills needed. Just slip them over the top of any door up to 1-5/8”—bathroom, bedroom, entry, craft room, workshop, garage—and watch how much stuff ends up hanging from them instead of piled in a heap. They hang down 9” and stick out about 7” from the door, with a nice round ball on the end, and require a mere 1/16” clearance at the top for the door to close. That’s not a problem for most doors. Our each is a (3)-pack.

Our each is a set of (4) removable sink strainers with stainless steel mesh wells and flat rims. The set includes (1) 4-1/2" dia for 2-1/4" drains, (1) 2-3/4" dia for 1-1/8" drains, and (2) 2" dia for 3/4" drains.

Walking sticks have moved into the space age! This walker's/hiker's friend has futuristic features and the look of an inter-galactic weapon. The high-quality collapsible aluminum stick extends from a packable 27" to a full 43", and has a carbide tip with a rubber cover, a removable 2" dia disk to keep the stick from sinking into soft ground, and an internal shock absorber that can be turned on or off. At the top, a 5-LED flashlight with a 90° pivot is embedded in a molded-plastic cane-style handle to light your way. For mountain trekking, lengthen the stick, slip the adjustable canvas wrist strap over your hand, and clutch the stick by the padded foam section below the cane handle. Directions, diagrams, and 1100mm to 1350mm gradations are marked clearly on the 3-draw pole. We'll pick a black or anodized red, blue, or silver version for you.

Our 200-lumen COB LED work light lets you get your projects done at any wee hour of the morning or night. It’s 6.5" long x 2-1/2”, sort of wand-shaped, like a light stick with a black plastic body and an integrated rear magnet. Everybody loves a hands-free light. Has (3) modes: 100%, 50% and strobing, and requires (3) AAA batteries, not included. But look at that price, you know?

Hang it all with this set of (10) magnetic hooks. The 1-3/16" long x 9/64" hooks screw into 1-3/8" dia magnetic bases with an approx 8-lb pull, which is heavier than most jackets and keys. Good for horizontal or vertical mounts, and dandy for adding hooks to gym or school lockers.

Stop wrapping duct tape around your vise, and protect delicate material the right way with this pair of hard-rubber, ribbed pads made to cover the jaws. The pads have (2) rare earth magnets embedded inside the rubber. Made for a 4" vise, they measure 4" long x 1-1/8" high x 3/8" thick with a lip along one long side. The rubber is 3/32" thick.

Cut your own. Our each is 16 feet of black flexible wire coated with 3/16" dia soft rubber, ready for you to snip off for your heavy-duty, padded twist-tie needs. Very nice stuff. Reusable. We're thinking cable bundling, sports equipments, tools, hoses, like that.

Our smallest vise, and arguably our handiest around the house: call it the Jaws of Aluminum. Clamp this small table vise onto a surface up to 3/4" thick and let it be your third hand. The jaws are 1-1/2" wide and open to a maximum of 1-1/4".

The package says these are “zipper pulls” and it could be right, but we know them as 1” dia steel split rings with 1” long spring clips that open to approx 3/16”. Our each is a pack of (18). Go pull a zipper, or make a bunch of key rings.

Neither do we, but we don’t have awnings. You’ll find something else to use these nylon hook-and-loop awning straps for--like keeping your extension cords and small garden hose nice and tidy when you’re not using them. You could also use a strap or two to achieve some sense of order with your computer and entertainment center cables. Measure 24” long x 1” wide with 3/8” steel D-rings at one end, and they’re reusable. You’ll get (6), (1) each in red, white, black, yellow, blue and green. (Can you say color-coded cables?)

This is the warranty-violator special, or just a MacGyvering guys toolbox. The black, 8” x 6” x 1-1/2” zipper pouch holds a rechargeable battery power pack with a USB output, which will power the little, quite gusty fan, the 5-LED flashlight, and the reversible torquey screwdriver with tiny Phillips, flathead, hex and square bits, each with a 4mm shank diameter. Battery will also charge cellphones and other devices.

Then better check your bore. This tiny bore light, made for looking into barrels or other tight spots, measures 3-1/4" long x approx 5/8” dia with a single white LED. Includes a slide on right-angle fiber-optic head and a pocket clip. Take off the head and it’s a nice mini flashlight. You add (1) “AAA” battery.

For bundling and identifying cables. Our each is a 10-pack of 7" long hook-and-loop tape, (2) each in red, green, black, blue, and yellow. For the superorganized, each strap has a small violet, scarlet, lime, gray, or orange loop tab on the end for attaching the bundle to something and further color-coding it.

The boys in the back room called this IZoom Pro™ flashlight ludicrously bright, and they’re usually right. Rated at 300, 1200, and 2500 lumens with a strobe setting, light is through a reticular COB LED element with an adjustable focus lens. Takes (6) “AA” batteries, and they’re included. Measures 7” long x 1-1/2” dia in black aluminum alloy body. Has up to a 4-hour life, depending on the beam strength you use.

No large ones, but (101) amazingly assorted small extension and compression  springs -- most, but not all, 1" to 2" long. You might even find a stray torsion spring! Assorted lengths, assorted widths, assorted finishes, a sorta handy bag of replacement parts to have around the house.

Get off the grid and forget the batteries with this nice little dynamo flashlight with wrist strap. Measures a scant 3” x 1-7/8” x 1-1/4” with a folding crank. Has (3) white LEDs with single, triple and flashing modes. One minute of cranking translates to one hour of single-LED light or a half-hour of triple LED brightness. Toss it into the emergency drawer and forget about it. Almost makes buying batteries seem silly.