Toolgasm » Uncategorized http://www.toolgasm.com Tools For Life Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:38:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 Western Mountaineering Highlite http://www.toolgasm.com/2008/03/20/western-mountaineering-highlite/ http://www.toolgasm.com/2008/03/20/western-mountaineering-highlite/#comments Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:14:11 +0000 admin http://www.toolgasm.com/2008/03/20/western-mountaineering-highlite/ My girlfriend and I like to backpack, but my gear wasn’t really up to snuff. Especially my Craigslist acquired sleeping bag. I paid less than 20$ for it, but it had to weigh 10lbs, and took up 2/3rds of my backpack. All that extra weight resulted in one of the nastiest heel blisters you have ever seen. So when my birthday rolled around, I made sure that I upgraded in that department. After a good bit of research I found one bag that repeatedly turned up on almost every lightweight hikers list. It was the Western Mountaineering Highlite. Coming in and exactly one pound, and packing down to the size of a loaf of bread, it has single handedly made it possible to drop down to a smaller pack and drop 8 to 10 lbs off my backpack’s weight. It is rated to 35 degrees, but from what I have read is capable of keeping you warm to lower than that, especially when used with a good pad (I got one of those too). I say “from everything I’ve read” because I haven’t actually used it yet, but we have a trip planned in early April so I will chime back in with an update when I return.

[tags]backpacking,hiking,camping,sleeping bag[/tags]

]]> http://www.toolgasm.com/2008/03/20/western-mountaineering-highlite/feed/ 0 Fiskars Powergear Hedge Shears http://www.toolgasm.com/2008/03/20/fiskars-powergear-hedge-shears/ http://www.toolgasm.com/2008/03/20/fiskars-powergear-hedge-shears/#comments Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:42:19 +0000 admin http://www.toolgasm.com/2008/03/20/fiskars-powergear-hedge-shears/ In an earlier post I raved about the Gerber Back Paxe which is made by Fiskars. So when time came for a new pair of hedge shears I jumped on these. They have a 3x toothed gear on them to make cutting branches much easier. They were even awarded the Arthritis Foundation® Ease-of-Use Commendation. The shears claim to be corrosion resistant, and I can vouch for it. After leaving them outside in the latest thunderstorm and subsequent sunshine, they appear to have very, very little sign of rust. They also have fiberglass handles making them very strong, which comes in handy when trying to cut things much larger than was probably intended when they were designed. I went through some fairly large branches with these things, and I will admit I chipped the “Hardened” blades a bit. Not to say that the blades aren’t strong, just that I have a knack for pushing tools passed their limits.

These were a little more expensive than your ordinary hedge shears, but I have come to learn that paying a little more for tools far outweighs having to replace crappy ones. A normal pair of shears would have been toast after a thunderstorm like the one I left these out in. Its almost spring, and those hedges are going to start going crazy. Getting a pair of these will be a good way to get some exercise, and take care of those sprouting branches that are growing in front of your windows.

[tags]shears,hedges,trimming[/tags]

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