As a kid, when I watched TV shows and all the strong adult male husband characters talked about getting new power tools for their workshops, I never understood it.
….I get it now.
Here are a few of my favorite tools right now.
Little knife
Having a cutting tool always on me is so important, I need one all the time. I got a small Exacto knife that fits well in my pocket, but the problem was that it was too small and I hated fishing for it in the bottomless depths of my pocket. So, luckily for me, I happened to have about 2-3 inch thick elastic laying around. Of course, I sewed some of that up and then put it on my belt so that the knife was always one small movement away to access or put away.
This thing comes in handy so much. Plus it has a universal blade mount which is also great if they catch me with it at airports or concerts. Then I can just take the blade out, throw that away, and put a new one on later.
Highly recommended, you can get one here
Notion
Notion is a phenomenal not-taking program! It’s how I keep notes and ideas organized for my life, business, and other endeavors. This tool is so vital to my existence and I highly recommend it, the feature set is amazing and their API is releasing soon which will 10x the program over time.
The features include trello style boards, calendars, tables, and so much more. It’s extremely versatile, I love it. Maybe love is a strong word, but I deeply appreciate the people who made this software.
I also love how customizable it is. I’ve made it super organized and easy to use simply by adding my own custom icons. It’s an amazing piece of software, use it!
Check it out! www.notion.com
Table saw
This is a newer tool for me to own, not use, but own. And I must say, having one is so amazing, I’m pretty anal about square cuts, which are hard to make by hand. So anything that helps me do that better I’m all about!
Mine also came with a cross-cut sled which ups my game even more. I will however have to add a new fence because the standard one kind of blows. I was really hoping it would be kick-ass, but it’s not… at all.
Laser cutter
Next up! The laser Cutter, yup, just like an evil villain in a James Bond movie. This machine is so remarkable, Learning how to use this has been such a lucky twist of fate. If you know how to use adobe illustrator, then you can use this machine. I happen to have been very proficient with that program, thus, I can now cut with a laser.
This tool allows you to produce endless amounts of ideas at various scales and be extremely precise.
Talk about being lucky. I had the opportunity to help my friend Todd build his magical world Avalon. A Dungeons and dragons live action role play, with shops, side quests, and an escape room. Of which I helped build… yup, using the laser cutter. So under pressure, I can now use that thing at a production level. How’s that for job security?
Level
So along with appreciating things being square, I also appreciate when they are level, my metal level with double water bubbles for 90 degrees horizontal, 90 degrees vertical, and 45 degree is definitely one of my favorites. The best part is that I got it for $5 bucks, of which I haggled down from $10, at a garage sale.
This thing helped me so much when hanging my new coat hooks, or installing my custom floating table. I know for sure my holes are in line, and that the studs are level.
What a simple but smart tool, just a square piece of metal and a bubble in water with two lines. Props to whoever invented that one!
Ryobi Glue gun
Last, but surely not least, my Ryobi Glue Gun. Now, it does run out of battery pretty fast because it takes like 4-5 minutes to warm up. However, once you’re using it and not having to be constricted by a cord, then it’s amazing. You can reach otherwise unreachable areas and, it’s remarkable for larger projects especially when you circle around an item very frequently, with no cords to wrap yourself up in.
The best upgrade I made was getting the longer glue sticks. Small glue sticks suck but don’t get me wrong, still have their purpose.
At the end of the day, get yourself one of these. It also stands up without falling over every time, I mean come one, that alone makes it better than most of the others.