Tools in Cars

Only Tools: the latest headlines first, then BRO’s own Tools stories and video. All of Cars →

Your Dishwasher Won't Drain. Do This Before You Call Anyone

Four inches of gray water in the tub is almost never a dead machine. Work the blockage points in order and most of these fix themselves in an hour.

GuideBRO for HerNina CastellanSep 23, 20265 min

Self-defense that holds up when you're frightened

The strikes worth learning, the tools that don't work, and how to tell a real class from a confidence exercise.

Ask BRO

Plan a cook for eight people

Ask it

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Why Your Car Won't Start, Worked Out In Order

Listen to the sound it makes, check one number on the battery, and you'll know whether this is a ten-minute fix or a tow.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

PartnerNames.com

Can You Fix It6 min read

Fix a Dryer That Runs But Never Gets Hot

Three parts cause almost every no-heat dryer, and one of them costs twelve bucks. Diagnose in the right order and you'll be dry by dinner.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideFoodDean ShawSep 22, 20266 min

The knife, the pan and the board you actually need

Most kitchen gear is dead weight. Three tools, chosen properly and looked after, will cook nearly everything you'll ever cook at home.

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Tile Your Own Backsplash Without Redoing It Twice

The whole job in the order it's actually done, from killing the breaker to caulking the counter joint, plus the layout mistake that ruins first attempts.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

PartnerCancerDefying.com

GuideCan You Fix ItWes DunbarSep 23, 20265 min

A Dead Outlet, Diagnosed in the Right Order

Before you buy a receptacle or call anybody, work the circuit from the cheapest cause to the most expensive. Most dead outlets die from three things.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next two weeks.

GuideHomeWes DunbarSep 22, 20266 min

How to hang heavy things so they never come down

Studs, toggles, cleats and the four mistakes that put a mirror on the floor at two in the morning.

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Splitting a cord by hand without wrecking your back

The block height, the swing, the rounds that will never split, and how to stack so the bottom row isn't rotten by spring.

Ask BRO

Build me a 30-day training plan around two sessions a week

Ask it

GuideCan You Fix ItWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

A Dripping Faucet Tells You Which Part Failed

Where the water shows up decides whether you need a 50-cent washer, a $6 seat kit or a $28 cartridge. Diagnose before you buy anything.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

PartnerShirts.com

GuideHomeWes DunbarSep 22, 20266 min

The paint job that still looks right in three years

Most rooms don't fail because of the paint. They fail at the caulk line, the patch you didn't prime, and the coat you called good enough.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

The tape hook is supposed to wiggle

Sixteenths, crow's feet, kerf, and the ten-second test that tells you whether your level has been lying to you.

GuideCan You Fix ItWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Patching Drywall Without Making It Worse

Nail pops, doorknob holes and the four-foot disaster behind the couch, fixed in the order a working guy actually does them.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

PartnerGermProof.com

GuideHomeWes DunbarSep 22, 20266 min

Five house repairs you should stop paying someone else to do

A running toilet, a blocked sink, a hole in the wall, a dead switch, failing caulk — all of them are an evening's work with tools you already own.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

Skills6 min

Why patios sink, and how to build one that doesn't

Food6 min

Sharpening a kitchen knife without wrecking it

Ask BRO

Rewrite my CV so it actually gets read

Ask it

GuideDatingMarcus ValeSep 22, 20266 min

Ninety days on the app, then off it

Treat a dating app like a tool with a job and a deadline, and it stops being the thing that quietly eats your twenties.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

Skills6 min read

Sharpen a knife, an axe and a mower blade the same way

Three tools, three angles, one test. Do them in this order and you'll stop guessing whether the edge is actually finished.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

Older articles