Saturday, September 19, 2009
The Week in Tools: Toolmonger Top 5
Toolmonger: "It’s been a busy week here at Toolmonger. If you’ve been spending time in the shop — you should! — and you haven’t had a chance to keep up with Toolmonger this week, we suggest you start with these posts, which our readers helped to select"
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10 comments:
The "smart bungee" system strikes me as a solution in search of a problem. The $20 set gives you the ability to hook bungees together, construct a 3-ended one, or several other possibilities, but last I checked you could do exactly the same with regular bungee cords just by connecting the hooks on the ends together, if you are worried about the hooks coming loose a piece of tape will ensure that they stay connected for a lot less than $20.
I have to agree with Tom about the "smart bungee" system. It just feels like a $20 invitation for a whole bunch of issues that you really don't need out of bungee cord. Also, I thought what made bungee cords so great was that well, they stretched so within reason, you had some flexibility when it came to their application and usage. The really confusing one for me though, is the Pick Adz. I can't think of a time where having a walking stick that doubled as an ice pick was a good or for that matter safe idea. Maybe is you're the type that's into the hardcore winter hiking, this is just what you need, but I don't see how something like this is really all the useful since I'd assume the extra length makes is hard to use as a pick axe, and the odd top could prove to be a safety or gripping hazard for when it's used as a walking stick.
The bungee system looks pretty cool, but my only concern would be the plastic fittings, instead of metal. Overall its a great concept but it could be improved upon quite a bit more. The UV Paint is cool too, but that has been around for some time now. I was first introduced to the wildfire line a few years ago. Nylocks are something that gets used quite often and it seems they are still the same thing.
So I've never heard of nylocks so, to me, they're really cool. It seems like they solve a lot of problems. I like that they are reusable and you don't have to worry about damaging the threads, meaning you don't have to throw them out which is very green. Also, I think the UV spray paint is awesome. I saw this show in Israel where all the actors were in these UV costumes and some would be blacked out and then they'd turn around to reveal the paint and it seemed as though they just magically appeared. Anyway, it seems like spray paint would make some of the painting go faster if you had to paint a whole show like that.
The Smart Bungee System and Clearneon Paint sound fun to use. Bungee cords that could not be used anymore can be fixed by this system which can be very useful. I like any type of paint so that would be fun to use and experiment with. The Hex Nuts really do not interest me at all and as for the Pick Adz it seems as if one would accidentally poke themselves with it. I have to say though, I am a little disappointed with this weeks tools. I want to see something completely new and never heard of next week. Hopefully that will happen.
They have a new bungee system here every few weeks, and I've yet to find a problem with plain and simple bungee cords. It seems like just another way to sell injection molded plastic - I've got plenty thanks.
Re: Nylocks, though. I'd always been taught that they aren't reusable, as the idea is that the nylon insert is cut into by the threads of the bolt, and that un- and re- bolting weakens its grip. THere seems to be some debate on the internet and on TM's comments about this. I'm curious what the manufacturer would say.
I started reading the article about smart bungee cords and it looked like it was going to be a solution for the pile of bungee cords. However, all I can see is that it is going to add to the pile. Why would I buy something to replace something that I already have. I almost feel like buying a bunch of caribeners would be a better use of my money.
Never really been a fan of bungee cords in general due to their limited ability to actually hold anything with considerable force or of considerable load, but this does seem like a fairly well thought out system. I'd be worried I'd loose all the little parts and ends. In fact, the thing I tend to find frustrating out bungees is they are never the right length for what I need, hence, the use of ratchet straps. Although, I do realize using ratchet straps to tie down my backpack on the back of my bike would be a little ridiculous. Nice concept, don't think it will catch on.
I like the UV paint. I have used the stuff twice, 4 years a part, and I have found that the improvements they have made to it are fantastic. I was able to paint flats with traditional paints for one look, and then for a nightmare sequence, I painted the same flats with uv reactive paints. The only draw back is that uv flood lights have a long warm up time. The paint is meant to work while that stage is lit with visible spectrum light, so the overlap while the uv floods were warming up didn't look too pretty, but it was pretty un-noticable. Overall, I would say they are very cool, and if uv floods could be improved, they would be fantastic.
I love both the smart bungee and the UV-reactive paints. I feel like the UV reactive paints could make for interesting theatre applications.
I hosted a german exchange student for a while, and at her high school in germany, they only performed "blacklight theatre" where everything was black and under backlight. so they only used lighter colors and whites to highlight certain things. I feel like the UV paints could be used for that kind of effect.
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