Cool Tools, lesser known tools that can improve your life

Felco makes a nice hand pruner. It is unique in that it is battery powered to give you two tons of cutting force with just a pull of your finger lobbing off 2" diameter brush. Holster, back pack battery, a charge that lasts 8 hours...

It is not for the frugal minded, but if a person needs to cut a lot of brush for Rocket Stoves, or needs to prune an orchard with a lot of cuts that require force, this little known tool might be the way to go.

Well about time to mention another cool tool, or two related ones.

The Yankee Drill and Driver

I grew up with my mother having a Yankee Handyman drill, and was a bit upset when I became an adult and found they no longer made them. Stanley had bought the Yankee drill/driver name and stopped producing them because of the popularity of power drills, especially cordless ones. For them there just wasn't a market for these cool tools. A few years ago they allowed Garret Wade to have these start being made again under the Yankee name.

So thankfully new made all metal Yankee drills and bits are being made again to keep these great tools alive and out there.

Here is a collection of various Yankee drill types, the bottom right is 2 of the Handyman variety.


These make great drills for hanging pictures, or pilot holes, or many small drill tasks. Simple to use, and have storage for the bits in the handle.

Here is a video of the New made Garret and Wade Yankee drills.


You can find them and bits for sale here http://www.garrettwade.com/garrett-wade-yankee-push-drill-gp.html You can also find older versions on ebay for sale. Though quality bits can be pricey, I actually bought several drills that came with bits because they were cheaper than buying bits alone.

Also there are Yankee drivers,

Here is a few different sized versions.


Here is a video discussing and showing the restoration of some older ones.


There is a modern made hex bit insert to let you use hex bits like mentioned in the video, which you can find here http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=57809&cat= and you can get new made bits http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=66021&cat=1,43411,43417


Garret Wade does make a modern new make in what they call an "Improved" version that only accepts hex heads http://www.garrettwade.com/improved-yankee-style-screwdrivers-gp.html?green=1B0A2093-834F-58B3-A4E0-B15B476B675D

There are also a few other modern hex only bit versions you can find on Amazon from lesser known companies that don't have the Yankee name. They seem sort of forgotten in the modern Ratchet Screwdriver world, but typical modern ratcheting drivers don't include the push mechanism to power the bit they just give a ratchet option.

Otherwise I think you are left with buying old used ones, as I don't thing there is any modern manufacture of the drivers that actually use the old proprietary bit style.

Anyways, hope folks enjoy this addition to Cool Tools thread. I absolutely love these drills and drivers. They are handy to have and really are great additions to anyone's home tool set.

Someone's going to roll their eyes, but I gotta add these with their special uses.

1. A large flat head screwdriver. Not an attachment: the old wrist-powered type. It opens paint, stirs paint and cement/ plaster, prys up other stuff, opens bags, can help with tuck-pointing, spacing tile, cleaning out old caulk, and best of all, can be stabbed in the ground for pea planting or sometimes general small seedling planting. Poke it in the ground, swivel it around, you've got a hole! Oh, it also unscrews flat head screws. And, it is sturdy enough to not bend even in hard Earth!

2. A hammer. The back end is a small hoe and an excellent weeder. Grab the root like a rogue nail and pull it out. Excellent for harvesting dandelions for roasted root tea. Mmm! You can dig with that back end too, not excellent, but if you lost your shovel or need to break into tough ground, it works. The other end gets nails and stakes where you want them. It can also grind up things like nuts for food or rocks for paint.  It can bang in a wedge to split wood, though not the ideal tool. I've also managed to keep the same hammer for 20 years despite regular use, but when I tried to use trowels I broke 1/month.

Travis Johnson wrote:Felco makes a nice hand pruner. It is unique in that it is battery powered to give you two tons of cutting force with just a pull of your finger lobbing off 2" diameter brush. Holster, back pack battery, a charge that lasts 8 hours...

It is not for the frugal minded, but if a person needs to cut a lot of brush for Rocket Stoves, or needs to prune an orchard with a lot of cuts that require force, this little known tool might be the way to go.

This tool is freaky expensive, but I think that I could justify buying it. I often take on big hedges which require hundreds of cuts in the 1 to 2 inch size range. These cuts are currently made with my small Makita chainsaw. It appears that this would be faster, and would allow me to reach out further. It would also be very handy, when trying to process Twisted branches, so that they pack into the vehicle better. If I were to charge a premium of $20 per hour more, when using this tool, it would be paid off in approximately 130 hours. Seems like a lot, but it could actually make sense for me.

I would definitely use it to process all of my rocket fuel. It would probably work to chop corn stalks and to harvest salal, for flower arrangements. Also the perfect tool for most infestations of Scotch broom and English ivy. I currently use hand loppers, and that same small chainsaw, when processing these. The chainsaw would still be needed, but this thing cuts branches better than my large Fiskars loppers do.

I sometimes free climb, through fruit trees and large hedging. This would allow me to keep both hands active, while climbing from place to place.

I'm sure that these are meant for people with big Orchards and Vineyards , so it is bound to be super durable. The video made it look very promising.

A couple years ago, I spent $2,000 on Stihl cordless long reach chainsaw and hedge cutter. They were paid off with one good week of cutting. This tool could be used in conjunction with that stuff. The hedge cutter struggles with anything over three-quarter inch.

It would be absolutely awesome, when I'm maintaining trails on the farm.

Just imagine the self defense applications. I'd be more dangerous than Edward Scissorhands.

These are not the brand I have mine are unbranded, but they are excellent, cut up to 1.5 inches without any strength being needed, the only downside is if you're trying to reach in somewhere crowded, they do need a bit of space to operate.

The cone. Without the cone it would be impossible for me to harvest logs.



The cone at work. The logs don't catch, are cleaner and consequently much nicer to sawmill blades.



When I first used this trench digger I fell down to my knees and cried. I use it to break new ground, remove small stumps, cutting roots, unearthing rocks, etc.
Before digger = hell
After digger = pleasant workout

So it has been awhile since I added anything to this thread, but i just recently got some new cool tools that I wish to share with folks.

The Worx Areocart

This is a great multi function tool. While usually multi function tends to mean something does not do as good a job in specific tasks, this is one multi function tool that doesn't sacrifice much for being able to change tasks. While yes it does have some sacrifices for not being 100% dedicated to one task, it isn't that great in sacrifices. In fact these folks actually solve a lot of problems and make some great improvements that make up for the few issues that might seem like sacrifices.



Short Worx video


the Worx rather long video about this


This tool can be expanded further by adding additional accessories. Like a snow plow attachment, a wagon attachment, firewood carrier attachment, etc..

A video of the accessories



Can be found at https://www.worx.com/aerocart-wheelbarrow-yard-cart-wg050.html or https://www.amazon.com/Aerocart-Multifunction-2-Wheeled-Dolly-Wheelbarrow/dp/B00KCIZ5SM or https://www.homedepot.com/p/Worx-4-cu-ft-AeroCart-WG050/205310994


The Superwinch Winch2go

A winch can be a handy item to have on the homestead. But you might not always want it just mounted in one place on your vehicle. Superwinch has a great portable winch here that can be moved and used various ways. It can be transferred from one vehicle to another or used independent of a vehicle, as long as you have a 12v battery to power it. This means you can use it for a lot of different tasks, for getting a vehicle unstuck to moving objects around a work site on your property.





There is a wire rope or synthetic rope version. Both have plus and minuses, if your not familiar do your research to figure out which is the right option for you.

Can be found at https://superwinch.com/products/winch2go or https://www.amazon.com/Superwinch-1140232-Portable-Synthetic-D-Shackles/dp/B0166H2WFG?th=1 or https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200676483_200676483

Next the DR Field and Brush Mower which I actually picked up used via craiglist and immediately was thankful for the investment. If you have woodbrush that needs chopping down, this is a huge time and energy saver. I have a 1/4 mile easement road that I needed to brush the sides of to keep it clear, using a weedeater, lopers, and pruning saws it took me weeks to do the entire 1/4. But in 30 min, withe the brush mower I was able to do that entire thing. I was then able to continue to use this tool to do other brushing around my property clearing woody brush and maintaining the trails I have put into the property, as well as clearing the area I am planning to build my house at so I could get a better idea of the site.







Like the Areocart one of the things that is nice about the DR Brush mower is they have attachments that can add function to this already useful tool. A lawn mower, snow plow/grader, snow thrower, and wood chipper. I picked mine up with the snow thrower attachment, and hope to pick up the wood chipper attachment sometime this year so I can chip up a lot of the dead branches I have all over my property and start covering the pathways and trails with wood chips.



A video about the attachments


Can be found at https://www.drpower.com/power-equipment/field-brush-mowers/ or a local DR dealer, most places you can find chainsaws and lawn tractors you will find these cool tools. And like I did, you might find a used option you can pick up for a good deal.