We just came back from alligator country and I saw the USN Catcherman on the Spyderco site and had to post it because it reminded me of the gator shapes. The ‘toxic green’ color on the handle with the black blade is a great combination.

I spend a decent amount of my time on job sites and am always interested in the tools the different crews use. So far, the most interesting tools are the spinning laser levels that the carpenters use. Today, a brochure of the Simpson Quik Drive System came into the office. Watch the video and you’ll see how fast this tool hangs panels of all kinds and lays flooring. Looks like fun to me.

Smart thinkers over at WORX. The Jawsaw uses the fixed ‘jaws’ to cradle a limb for the mini chainsaw to cut. Now if they only had one that could cut down whole trees… oh wait they do:

via Uncrate

A brewdriver is a screwdriver and a bottle opener. Peter Atwood makes short runs of pretty inventive small tools.

The Floral Knife from Victorinox is super simple and clean – one blade, one color scales, a little brass detailing. It looks like a better fit for a suit jacket than an apron.

I spend a lot of time at job sites checking up on things. When the super isn’t around, the crews are usually listening to music on a little radio with its knobs busted off and all sorts of things wrong with it. The Bosch Powerbox Advanced is the most high tech job radio I have ever seen. It’s designed to withstand a 10′ drop, has integrated battery chargers, GFI outlets, and plays mp3′s. If I had a mobile shop, I would want this in my truck. Except that it would certainly walk off a job site after a day or two.

The Style by Leatherman is pretty compact and unobtrusive for keychain or even coin-pocket carry. I’m a big fan of the non-obtrusive toolkit, no one wants a pound of metal crowding their pocket. Pink may not be for everyone, so it comes in different colors too. And their tool manual is pretty cool looking too:

Looking like something pulled off a satellite, the WORX Leaf Mulcher is pretty badass looking. Basically an inverted weedwacker with a funnel on top, it reduces yard waste volume by 11:1. I remember having to haul garbage cans full of leaves back into the woods when I was a kid. If I had known these were around back then, I would have tried mulching all sorts of stuff in addition to leaves – bananas, GI Joe’s, water balloons, etc.

Stanley makes these premium woodworking planes. I think the No. 4 Smoothing Bench Plane is the nicest one. They are not cheap, but should last a lifetime.