Garage Tools & Toys

Garage Area - Garage Tools & Toys

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I ran across these two rides from different sources.  They are VERY different vehicles and are aimed at two very different markets.  The only thing they share in common is that they are seriously cool.

The big challenge will come in seeing them actually get onto the road in any sort of significant numbers.

Garage Area - Garage Tools & Toys

Listening to the mainstream media, you wouldn’t know that there are at least 10 cars from American car makers that you can wander into the dealership and buy RIGHT NOW that are kicking the butts out from under anything coming out of Japan, Germany, Korea… or anywhere else.

Here is a sample:

Garage Area - Garage Tools & Toys

Keeping the theme from yesterday regarding improvements and their return on investment, I thought I might mention a few upgrades/improvements that can be done on a budget AND that will add value to your home.

Garage Area - Garage Tools & Toys

No garage is complete without the right gear...  Tools, toys and conveniences...

There are hundreds of cool sites with gear that car people like for their garages.  Here are a few of them, as well as a few that highlight the best guy gear they find.

Stores (online and offline) that you need to check out:

• Northern Tool.  They are always a favorite of mine.  From welding to lawncare, they have a wide selection of cool stuff.  I can hardly ever escape the store without finding a few things that I just figured out I couldn't live without.
• Car Guy Garage.  How could I possibly not like this online store?  They are quite heavy on storage solutions... tool chests and storage systems.  But they also have furniture and decor... and epoxy.
• Garage Fridge.  The coolest thing about this one is that it looks like a tool chest, plenty of room to keep a cold beverage or a snack close at hand in the garage.  Prevents kitchen messes, too... no messy mechanics wandering in to the kitchen for a cold Coke.
• Harbor Freight.  Such a wide variety of stuff...  I'll admit that some of the tools aren't Snap-On quality, but there are some great options for those that don't use their tools every day.
• Craftsman Tools.  Who doesn't have a Craftsman Tool Set?  They are close, reasonbly priced and high quality.  And they have a wide variety of tools, from woodworking to auto maintenance.  And lots of specialty tools, too.

And there are a few places that I visit to check for cool new stuff:

• Uber Apparatus.  Guy stuff... aside from tools and gadgets, there are also girls and cars...  From wireless video systems, to a Ferrari F40 kids ride... and a Beer shooting super soaker, they have a wide variety of stuff.
• Jalopnik.  Everything automotive, from racing to interesting lists of cool cars.  There are reviews... and I just saw a few really cool articles when I went to grab the link.  .
• Gizmodo and LifeHacker.  Kind of geeky, and certainly not garage centric, but the technology is cool and you never know what might show up.
• UnCrate.  Another "Gear for Guys" place... in fact, one of the best.  They have some really cool tools that show up on the grid, as well as cool tech stuff...

Keeping track of a few places helps keep track of the new and cool stuff for our garages.