Tools in Gear

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

Unclog a toilet the right way, plunger first

The first eight seconds decide whether you're clearing a clog or mopping a floor. Then a flange plunger, used properly, handles almost all the rest.

GuidePreparednessWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Rice, Beans and a Mylar Bag That Actually Seals

Two weeks of food first, then the buckets. What really keeps thirty years, what quietly goes rancid, and the five-dollar tool that seals it.

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

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GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

The Five Bushcraft Tools You Actually Need First

Skip the gear rabbit hole. A $20 knife, a folding saw and eight hours of practice will get you further than a truckload of kit.

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

PartnerCoconut.com

Skills6 min read

A Sagging Gate Is Three Problems, Fixed In Order

The post, the hinges, the frame. Diagnose it in ten minutes, fix it in an afternoon, and stop lifting the thing every time you walk through.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideHomeWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Stop the Squeaky Floor and the Door That Won't Shut

Most squeaks are one loose nail and most sticky doors are one loose hinge. Both are an afternoon's work, and both tell you something if they aren't.

GuideYoung MenSam Ortiz23 Sept 20266 min

Sign the lease, stock the freezer, own a wrench

The four things that decide whether your first year on your own goes smoothly, and the exact clauses, groceries and tools that make it work.

Dude.com — 16 advisers who listen, talk and pray with you

PartnerDude.com

GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Sharpen a chainsaw chain by hand, in the right order

If your saw is throwing dust instead of chips, ten minutes with a round file will give you back a saw that pulls itself into the wood.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

GuideHomeWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

The Weekend Vinyl Plank Floor That Still Looks Right in Year Five

Most of this job happens before you click the first plank together. Skip that part and the floor tells on you by August.

Guide100 ThingsSam Ortiz23 Sept 20266 min

100 Things Every Young Man Should Own by Thirty

A 16-ounce hammer, a suit that fits in the shoulders, a will, and 97 other things worth having before the decade turns over.

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

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GuideSkillsDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

An oil change in order, with a checklist you can print

Crack the fill cap before you touch the drain plug, and eleven other things that go in a specific sequence for a reason.

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

PartnerNames.com

GuideHow ToDean Shaw23 Sept 20267 min

How to Change a Car Battery Without Frying Your Electronics

Negative comes off first, goes on last. That one rule prevents most of what goes wrong, and the rest of the job takes twenty minutes.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

Guide100 ThingsDean Shaw23 Sept 20267 min

100 Things Every Driver Should Know and Keep in the Truck

Your spare is probably flat. Work down this list once and you'll never be the guy standing on the shoulder waiting three hours for a wrecker.

GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Sharpen a kitchen knife on a whetstone without guessing

A dull knife slides off an onion and into your thumb. Twenty minutes, one stone, and the burr tells you when you're done.

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

PartnerGermProof.com

GuideSide HustlesWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Sharpening Blades for the Neighborhood Without Ruining Anybody's Knives

Mower blades, kitchen knives and chainsaw chains pay real money on a Saturday, but only if you batch the work and know what to turn away.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

Can You Fix It6 min

Straightening a Leaning Fence Post Without Tearing Out the Fence

Boys & Girls6 min

First Tools for Kids Start With a 10-Ounce Hammer

Ask BRO

Pressure-test my business idea

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GuideSide HustlesRay Okonkwo23 Sept 20266 min

What Renting Out Your Trailer and Tools Actually Pays

The trailer earns. The tools mostly don't. And the insurance call you haven't made is the one that decides whether any of it was worth doing.

Ivermectin.com — Tracked USPS delivery, no clinic visit

PartnerIvermectin.com

Can You Fix It6 min read

What to check when the hot water quits

Start at the breaker or the pilot light, not at the parts counter — a step-by-step diagnosis for gas and electric tanks, and the point where you stop.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

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