Start of each new quarter usually brings new manufacturers promotions, but I’m thrilled to announce that Felo and Wiha are unchanged from quarter 4, 2016. Sometimes when you have a winning selection you just stick with it, ya know? Wera has announced a new promotional grouping including the always popular “James Bond” driver and the “Tool-Check Plus” system.
Seems like Christmas (or preparation for Christmas) gets earlier and earlier each year. My wife and I went to pick out Christmas trees at Lowe’s last night. I am very much a Scrooge, but she adores the Christmas season. She was asking me before Halloween if we could hang Christmas lights. At the time I resisted, saying; “We have to wait for after Thanksgiving”. My reasoning to her is that each season needs its proper time and respect. That was a lie, I was just trying to delay the inevitable. She wore me down over the last two weeks. Finally, after the Chiefs late win over the Panthers, I was feeling especially buoyant (and vulnerable). I gave in. We bought a tree. We did compromise on the size of tree though (moral victory). She was looking for a gigantic 12’ artificial tree. I was hoping for a small fern. Instead, we got a 3’ tall Norfolk Island Pine which is probably around 6 months old. I have read they can grow to over 200 ft tall…which could be a huge problem. I will have to keep it pruned up to keep it inside. The name implies it is a pine tree but it isn’t, it is a weird Araucariaceae from the sub-tropical island of Norfolk which is way the hell out near Australia. I was disappointed to find that it is going to have to stay in the house in a large pot because it doesn’t like cold weather. Oh well…would have looked perfect in the backyard. Minor drawback. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep it alive for several Christmas seasons. It should be almost perfect: it isn’t going to be too big, isn’t going to shed needles, and I can care for it after the season. I have a green thumb in addition to being a German Hand Tool aficionado. Cross your fingers that I made a good move…
Are impact bits right for you? A lot has been written about them since they came out a few years back. There is a constant debate surrounding, “When do I use an impact or a standard bit?”. Impact bits are “new and shiny” (comparatively) which consumers (myself included) gravitate to. Standard bits are cheap and plentiful. There is definitely a market for both standard and impact bits. So which kind do I choose? The answer isn’t complicated. If you spent a sizable sum on purchasing a very cool impact driver isn’t it time that you arm it with the correct bit? Think about this. A Ferrari is a very cool automobile but you wouldn’t want to handicap its performance or even potentially damaging it by putting crummy low octane (or ethanol fuel) in it would you? Same sort of mentality applies to impact drivers and standard bits. Standard bits might be okay for general around the house applications but to best utilize the impact driver in the way it was designed requires impact bits. Some of the best impact bits we carry and I recommend are produced in Germany by Felo. Even though impact bits weigh in at roughly 3 times the cost of standard bits, Felo impact bits deliver higher end torque and repeated impact invulnerability than standard bits could ever hope to match. Tip damage and metal fatigue is minimized by Felo’s custom absorption cascade used to diffuse pressure. The precision machined tips grip the fastener securely preventing cam-out failures which can also cause tip damage. If you are doing work that requires an impact driver, please consider impact bits as a vital accessory. Your impact driver will thank us.
Despite our focus on German tools, our namesake is based on the wonderful city which we call home: Kansas City. Autumn in KC is marked by the change in fall foliage, cool crisp air, and the world famous American Royal. Postseason baseball can now be added to that list as the Kansas City Royals make their second consecutive appearance in the World Series. Despite a heartbreaking Game 7 bottom of the 9th loss in 2014, the Boys in Blue were resilient over the course of the 2015 regular season securing their spot in The Fall Classic.
Up until last year there had been a 29 year drought in Royals postseason baseball. Instead of Netflix vs. Hulu it was VHS vs. Betamax. The original Nintendo system was introduced in the United States in October 1985. We are glad to see our ball club back in the spotlight.
As for Fall events relating to tools … Felo has some great sets on sale through the end of the year. First up is the …
German Tools | Knipex Tools | Wera Tools | Wiha Tools | Gedore Tools | Felo Tools | KC Tool 