At MyFixitUpLife, we’re lucky to check out cool new products all year long. And 2010 brought some really amazing DIY favorites to our attention.
Here’s our top Must-Haves for 2011:
World’s Best Snow Shovel—Traditional run-out-at-the-last-minute-and-get-a-snow-shovel shovels are, in my mind, terrible. I’ve broken as many as I’ve owned. And they don’t—amazingly to me—work all that well for shoveling snow. So instead of all that fuss, we use a shovel you can buy at any home center for about 30 bucks called a grain scoop or coal shovel, depending on where you live. And they’re great for other things…anything from shoveling bark mulch to picking up leaves. Super durable and ready for the weather.
Ridgid Jobmax—You might have seen all the oscillating tools hitting the market. Ridgid took a different look at this and instead of making one tool, made a system of tools that operates off the same power-base. 12-volts—compact and powerful—the power-base starter kit comes with an oscillating tool head—ideal for sanding wood filler among zillions of other things—and you can buy new heads as you need them…auto-hammer, impact driver, ratchet head. Ideal for around the house and more…everything from tile to trim work.
Ben Color Capture —It is a free app from Benjamin Moore for iPhone and Droid. It lets you color match photos in your phone with Benjamin Moore’s entire color card series. It’s a real time saver to be able to capture inspiration for your DIY projects and instantly know how to recreate the color in your own home.
Eat Constructively— Our 2-year-old Jack just received the perfect DIY-kid gift from our friends Nick and Norah. “With the bulldozer pusher, fork lift, and front loader spoon, your little builder will always be excited to clean his or her plate.” Dishwasher safe.
Bosch Axial Glide Miter Saw—A big challenge for lots of DIYers is both a lack of space and the right tools for the job. Bosch’s Axial Glide Miter saw solves both problems. It’s revolutionary hinge-system is much easier to use in small workshops or projects in the home while it is a feature-rich miter saw that can cut everything from framing and deck boards to chair rail and molding.
LeadCheck—The new lead-safe renovation, repair, and painting work (RRP) practices may seem scary but there is an EPA-recognized inexpensive, DIY-friendly immediate-results lead test kit called LeadCheck that can put you at ease. You just crush the ends of the LeadCheck swab so the chemicals inside mix, and then dab the end of the swab to the material you want to test. If the end of the swab turns pink or red, the surface contains lead. Even though the Consumer Products Safety Commission banned lead in consumer paints in 1978, there still are 78 million homes built before 1978 in the United States, many of which still contain lead paint.
Pink Toolbelt for Girls (+ women)—Our 9-year-old Lexi retains her girly sense of style without sacrificing practicality when she’s helping with DIY projects. And her pink toolbelt is a mini-version of Theresa’s. Made from premium suede leather, it adjusts for hips 24″ – 30″. Includes a 1 1/2″ Polyweb belt
Ford F-150 Eco Boost—DIYers like trucks…no doubt. But with gas prices heading to the moon, the more efficient the engine that powers it, the better. Enter Ford’s new Ecoboost V6. Powerful, light, yet smaller than comparable truck engines it delivers increased mileage. We got an early chance to drive one—awesome—and #s weren’t out from EPA at that time, but this is one promising technology that, unlike say a boss sound-system or GPS, is an upgrade that’ll pay for itself over time.
Hyde 10-in-1 Multi-tool—We have always had a 5-in-1 handy, well, because it always comes in hand with so many jobs, from opening paint cans to scraping up glue to cutting shims to using it as a wedge for various jobs. Now Hyde is offering a 10-in-1 that is even more handy with screwdriver bits. Check out a review from our friend at Tool Snob.
