Tools in Gear

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

Latest news · Tools

LifeZette3m ago
Progressives Are Studying ‘Property Redistribution’ for ‘Immigrant Inclusion in Rural America’ [WATCH]
New York Post1h ago
Drill into DeWalt’s October Prime Day deals, up to 40% off batteries, tool sets, more
WND19h ago
New documents: Jack Smith tracked Susie Wiles’ phone, email communications
Canada Free Press · Opinion6d ago
Taking Back Our Minds: How AI and Schools Killed Logic--and How to Take Back America

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20265 min

Lifetime gear only pays off in four categories

Steel, leather, cast iron and wood will outlive you. Foam, batteries and membranes won't, no matter what the marketing says.

Buy-it-for-life should mean repairable, not expensive

A four-question test for whether a thing will actually last, plus the categories where the cheap one is the correct answer.

GuideWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Build Your Toolkit One Job at a Time

Skip the 200-piece set. Buy the tool the job demands, learn what it does, and end up with a box that's all useful.

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

Ask it

GuideWes Dunbar22 Sept 20265 min

Buy the cheap pry bar. Never buy the cheap ladder.

A working rule for which tools you can buy off the bottom shelf, and which ones cost far more than the money you saved.

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

PartnerNames.com

6 min read

The Pocket Knife You'll Still Be Carrying In Ten Years

Steel gets all the attention. Weight, pocket manners and whether you can take it apart are what decide if a knife survives a decade.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideDean Shaw22 Sept 20266 min

The truck kit that handles almost every roadside problem

Four failures cause most breakdowns. Build for those, spend where it matters, and leave the rest on the shelf.

GuideDean Shaw17 Sept 20262 min

Where "buy cheap, buy twice" is true — and where it's nonsense

Some tools genuinely justify the money. Plenty don't, and the difference is usually how often you use it.

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

PartnerGermProof.com

The Ten Minutes Before You Start a Chainsaw After a Storm

Chaps, chain tension, a clean air filter and fresh fuel. The checks that keep a cleanup Saturday from ending in the emergency room.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

GuideAutosDean Shaw3 Oct 20267 min

The spark plug job is easy until the last quarter turn

Gapping, torque and the hand-start habit that keep a simple plug change from ending with a stripped aluminum head and a tow truck.

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

The first ten minutes after something hits your eye

Flush it, shield it, or drive. Knowing which one applies to a metal chip, a chemical splash or a wire bristle is the whole game.

Ask BRO

Rewrite my CV so it actually gets read

Ask it

GuideGadgetsDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Gadgets Worth Owning That Nobody Writes About

The stud finder that actually finds studs, the battery tester that ends the drawer of maybes, and seven more tools that never make the roundups.

Ivermectin.com — Tracked USPS delivery, no clinic visit

PartnerIvermectin.com

GuideGroomingTobias Reed23 Sept 20265 min

Buy The Metal, Skip The Story

Three grooming upgrades that pay for themselves within a year, three that are just a nicer box, and the test that tells them apart.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideAutosDean Shaw23 Sept 20265 min

Start With a Weekend Project, Not a Barn Find

Most project cars die in the disassembly phase. Pick the job that fits the two days you actually have, and the car stays a car.

GuideTools & OrganizingDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Weekend Projects That Actually Pay You Back

Five jobs you can finish between Friday night and Sunday dinner, with materials lists, real costs, what goes wrong, and the one to hand a pro.

PartnerWhackAWoke.com

GuideWoodworkingDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

The workbench your grandkids will still be flattening

Mass, real joinery and a top you can plane flat again. Skip the screws and the polyurethane and this bench outlives everyone who uses it.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

Style6 min

Sneakers that work with real clothes

Grooming6 min

Wet It, Aim It, Set It, And Thick Hair Behaves

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

Ask it

GuideWoodworkingWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Your fingers go white in the cold and that's the tool talking

Vibration white finger creeps up on weekend builders too, and by the time you notice it, most of the damage is already permanent.

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

PartnerShirts.com

Tools & Organizing5 min read

Shed Kit or Build From Scratch, and What Each Costs

The foundation isn't in the box, the door is always too small, and one of these two routes will cost you a month of Saturdays.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

Older articles

Tools in Gear

Latest news · Tools

Lifetime gear only pays off in four categories

Size the generator for the fridge, not the whole house

The axe you need and the hatchet you probably don't

The cheap earplugs beat the expensive muffs you didn't wear

You're not buying a drill, you're buying a battery mount

Buy the cheap drill. Never buy the cheap jack stands.

Buy-it-for-life should mean repairable, not expensive

Build Your Toolkit One Job at a Time

Buy the cheap pry bar. Never buy the cheap ladder.

The Pocket Knife You'll Still Be Carrying In Ten Years

The truck kit that handles almost every roadside problem

Where "buy cheap, buy twice" is true — and where it's nonsense

The Ten Minutes Before You Start a Chainsaw After a Storm

The spark plug job is easy until the last quarter turn

The first ten minutes after something hits your eye

Gadgets Worth Owning That Nobody Writes About

Buy The Metal, Skip The Story

Start With a Weekend Project, Not a Barn Find

Weekend Projects That Actually Pay You Back

The workbench your grandkids will still be flattening

Sneakers that work with real clothes

Wet It, Aim It, Set It, And Thick Hair Behaves

Your fingers go white in the cold and that's the tool talking

Shed Kit or Build From Scratch, and What Each Costs