Tool in Action High school graduation is just around the corner and many students are proudly announcing the university and college programs they are entering this fall. It’s an exciting time for high schoolers, but students entering the skilled trades can feel left out. Enter Stanley Black & Decker’s “Trade Proud” initiative – a campaign designed to give students an opportunity to feel proud about their non-college plans and draw attention to the importance of the skilled trade profession. Tomorrow, May 1, 2024, is also National Skilled Trades Day, and what better way for incoming skilled ..read more

Tool in Action Mother’s Day is less than two weeks away! Don’t be scrambling at the last minute to find the perfect gift for the most important women in your life. Here’s a list of great Mother’s Day gift ideas for mom at a variety of price points, covering a range of interests, and includes a few viral items that she’s likely been eye-balling. Best yet, all of these Mother’s Day gifts can be shipped to her home via Amazon or picked up at your local The Home Depot. Alright, time to find the perfect Mother’s Day gift! “Mom Mugs” & Drinkware Coffee lover, wine-o, or just a water enthusiast ..read more

Tool in Action We are continuing our coverage of the lineup of 2024 Hilti Nuron power tools and equipment. Today we review the Hilti Nuron Concrete Vibrator. This is a premier concrete vibrator for the commercial construction industry, designed to release air bubbles and excess moisture from poured concrete. Hilti is also a leader in the concrete industry. These two things make me very excited about this new tool in terms of quality and performance. Let’s dive in and see what this Hilti Nuron Concrete Vibrator offers the professional construction industry. Hilti NCV 4-22 Concrete Vibrator Hi ..read more

Tool in Action Most people may associate leaf blowers with fall cleanup, but blowers are great OPE tools that can help with yard maintenance all year round. Because blowers are so multipurpose it makes sense to invest in a quality one. We compared five blowers from five popular outdoor power equipment (OPE) brands to help you find the best one for you. OPE Brands Black & Decker Husqvarna DeWALT TORO Milwaukee Best Blower What Makes a Great Leaf Blower? In order to find the best leaf blower we have to consider what we find most important. For us, we thought overall power level or CFM and ..read more

Tool in Action Spring is here and so are the spring projects…along with the leftover paint and project scraps that go along with them. Before you just toss these items in the trash, pause and think about how to dispose of paint and other building materials safely. You may not think tossing these project scraps in the trash can be harmful, but the more you DIY the more your impact adds up. Plus, you can be hit with fines for improper disposal. Let’s avoid the safety issues and fines, and instead learn how to dispose of paint and other construction materials. Plus, Earth Day is April 22; let thi ..read more

Tool in Action Well the spring snow storms are finally ending here in the Midwest. The sun is out, buds are blooming, we are finally ready to step outside…to the busted branches, misshapen shrubs, and the tree you promised is coming down this year. Good news, four new SKIL OPE tools designed for shearing, pruning, and cutting have arrived to help you make your yard ready for all the spring and summer parties. Today we’re sharing with you the four new SKIL OPE’s, their features, prices, and where to buy them. Let’s get to it. New SKIL OPE 20V Shear/Shrubber 20V Pruning Saw 20V Telescopic Pruni ..read more

Tool in Action It’s National Pet Day and what better way to celebrate your favorite four-legged family member than with pet-safe products for your home, garden and more? Okay, yes, we added a few treats and toys too. But here are some of our favorite pet-safe products to keep your pet happy and healthy. Pet-Safe Home & Garden Products Check out our favorite pet-safe products to use across your whole home and yard and for each season. Turf Nurture Natural Base Lawn Fertilizer Pet owners can have nice lawns too. In fact, this Turf Nurture Fertilizer claims to restore your lawn in as little ..read more

Tool in Action Did you go to buy an OPE power head recently and were overwhelmed by the options? We’ve been there. Picking an outdoor power equipment (OPE) brand to commit to is just as serious as picking a power tool brand, especially with the rise in OPE battery technology. So, for the month of April we are digging into the most popular OPE brands product-by-product. Today we are on a quest to find which brand has the best power head and power head attachments. This week we are looking at power heads and power head attachments from Greenworks, EGO, Makita, RYOBI, ECHO, and Stihl. Each week w ..read more

Tool in Action Over the month of March we have been featuring various women in skilled trade professions and craft or artisan fields. For our last feature, we are highlighting the female DIY’ers who have taken over social media and the hashtag #WomenWhoBuild for showing off their impressive projects. However, it’s not what these women can do that makes them inspiring, it’s that they are teaching other women that they can do it too. Let’s meet our female DIY’ers! Female DIY’ers Katie Scott | Camille Kurtz | Michelle McRae | Tay Nakamoto | Chelsea Smith | Stephanie Bloom | Shayna Alnwick | Emily ..read more

Tool in Action Hey readers, I just want to take a moment and thank you for supporting Tools in Action. Everyone at Tools in Action has been working hard to provide you with great content. However, it’s Spring Break and we have all been taking some much-needed time off. We have one more article this week to round out our March features on women in the skilled trade and artisan professions. We will be back from Spring Break at the start of April and return to our regularly scheduled content and will highlight all the best tools and outdoor power equipment (OPE) coming out this spring. This week ..read more