Founded in 1959 as a professional tool manufacturer to support Japan’s burgeoning manufacturing industry, Trusco—a combination of the words “Trust” and “Company”—is still manufacturing some of the best toolboxes, today. While their stripped-down design makes them a must-have for many design aficionados, the pressed steel boxes are ridiculously useful for just about anything—tools or not. Still manufactured in Fukui, Japan, Trusco toolboxes now come in more sizes than ever—capable of whatever storage challenges you throw at them. Trusco Toolboxes (Various Sizes – Prices Vary) Features: Steel body, formed for extra strength Versatile sizing for specific storage solutions Double-hinged construction for smooth opening Dividers included Equally useful in the home, office,…

Welcome to our “Ask An Engineer” series, where Dan Slaski addresses questions that have you losing sleep or staring off into space during important meetings. Have a question for Dan? Send it in. Question: Management keeps saying they want us to be the “Apple” of our industry. How can I deliver on that? Dear Massively Mandated, and Iconically Instructed, Doesn’t every company want to have a massive loyal following they can upsell to? But wishing doesn’t equate to reality by any means.”First, I hope you aren’t in the personal computer, smartphone, or watch industries. Most companies I worked for have made the same outlandish decree. And why wouldn’t they? Doesn’t…

Despite advances in the field of helmets and head protection, few safety gear companies give as much attention to another critical part of the body for getting work done: the hands. Sure—your head is the brains of the outfit (literally), but without fully-functional digits, getting manual work done is next to impossible. While many gloves are designed to protect your hands from accidental burns and cuts, Schmitz Mittz gloves protect your hands from threats that aim to cause damage from the get-go; knife slashes, crushing machinery, and even bullets. Their strongest variant, the Ulta-Mittz Water Proof Safety Gloves, are made for industrial workers who seem to enjoy getting into fights…

Get that stretch out of your system with this week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist. It’s fashioned up, ready to make you pull your shoulder blades back and knock out another week of meaningful work while you bob your head to the beat. Whether you’re in the shop milling aluminum, sketching the latest product prototypes or modeling up a 3D storm, consider these tracks as a tool for your process. This week on SolidSmack Radio we’ll get the groove going with the all-new “Gravity” from Clams Casino before diving into fresh tracks from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Pixies, Gorillaz, Bob Dylan, and others before wrapping up with “Yesterday’s Wake”…

When it comes to precision assemblies and repairs, no two screwdrivers are alike. And while you may have an entire tool caddy loaded with precision screwdrivers for whatever job comes at you, you’re still not doing your wrist any favors. WIth a 100+ RPM motor with both forward and reverse controls, the first-of-its-kind General Tools 500 Cordless Power Precision Screwdriver is a must for effortless work sessions—be it assembling your latest prototype or simply swapping out batteries on your favorite device. The quick-change chuck allows for effortless swapping between 1/8-inch slotted, Phillips and Torx bits while an ergonomic handle design provides multiple grip positions to accommodate a variety of working…

What happens when a business leader with the core of a true maker and engineer gets his hands on the resources to build whatever he wants? No, I’m not talking about Elon — I said, “true maker and engineer”. We’re talking about Carl Bass and his wood and metal shops. They’re stocked for projects requiring some serious heavy lifting.  See the video below for the tour of both! Note about the video: apologies for the wonky camera angles. If it looks like a tiny, chimp-like creature was trying and failing at working a giant into a shot, that’s because it was that exactly. Carl is a very big man, and I…