Sometimes the most frustrating problems have the simplest solutions. If you’ve ever needed to get out the screwdriver and fix something in the dark, then you know what a pain that can be. Even when you have light, you might not have it in the small area you are working in. That’s where this screwdriver comes in handy, offering a simple solution.

This collar will shed some light on your work, making your job easier. Just simply slip it over the business end of your screwdriver, rotate the ring, and you’ve got three powerful LEDs to see by. Only $14.95

File this one under Strong Enough For A Man But Made For A Woman…We’ve seen the evil that is the Hello Kitty brand on almost everything. Here it is in it’s toughest manly form ever… On a power sander. Um, let me just say that if I hired a construction contractor and he showed up with Hello Kitty tools, my faith in the structural soundness of anything he built would go out the window.

Would such a man even be able to get employees? I don’t know, but I’d be willing to bet that he’s got a pink laptop. In fact, the more I think about it, the more disturbed I am by such a man. Further proof that we aren’t exactly breeding any John Waynes these days.

Hey oldtimer. Whittling is now officially dead. The Craftman CompuCarve brings it into the 21st century, so put away that pocket knife and clean up your mess. This is a fully automatic carving machine, capable of carving most soft materials like woods and plastics. It’s all done with assorted carving bits, which are easy to change with QuickRout technology.

It also has a pretty cool memory card system so you can load your designs. So you won’t need to consult the old garage computer first. Just design a 3-dimensional project, load it onto the memory card and insert it into the machine. It walks you through the rest. It’s a bit pricey, but if you do this sort of work regularly I imagine it’s well worth it at $1,800.

Just when you think everything that could go digital has already done so, another old standby gets a makeover. The tape measure has been the workman’s best friend for ages. It too has now gone digital. It looks like a standard retractable tape measure, but it includes an LCD display on the top that can display and store measurements down to 1/16 of an inch. It includes several different units for measurement and can take into account the length of the casing, when you are measuring in tight places.

When you pull the tape out it will automatically turn on and retracting it will turn it off. That way you don’t forget about it and find the device drained when you really need it. It’s only $25.

Frosty frozen mornings are here and if you commute to work using your own vehicle then you know all about taking extra time to get your windshield and side view windows ice and frost free. One neat concept that seems especially practical for this task is a rechargeable cordless heated ice scraper designed to clear up your vehicle’s view. Available on Amazon.com by Get Organized, you simply charge up the scraper using your car’s power/lighter outlet and then pull it out when you need to get the ice away. With no batteries needed or a power cord to get in the way the scraper heats up fast and can remove up to 4 inches of ice and snow from your windshield lickety split. A charge is good for up to three hours of power and when the windshield is all clear the scraper automatically shuts off. Priced at $16.99 it would make a great stocking stuffer along with a new pair of thermal mitts (or indoor parking.)

Stanley, maker of all kinds of hand tools, has launched an funny, interactive website dedicated to the FatMax Xtreme FuBar utility bar, a mult-purpose tool made primarily for “breaking s#!%“, according to ToolMonger. To show off the tool’s destructive powers the site has some construction workers on hand that will use the FuBar to destroy objects that you select, allowing you to watch with the regular camera angle or through a dizzying helmet cam view.

Stanley FuBar

Chances are that if you are reading a technology/gadget blog like the ‘Brick or any others that your day job isn’t too, shall we say, hands on? Not to be rude to our construction or contractor readers but most of us are office cubical dwellers and any physical labor we do is in our off-hours. This handy device doesn’t care if you need it 80 hours a week or for the odd repair job around your home but it’s worthy of the attention of both groups.

Say hello to the Contractor Space Pen Tool. This handy gadget is ideal for worksites as its makers guarantee that it will be able to write on drywall, wood, metal, glass, plastic and rubber and in extremely chilly environments (up to -50F). The ruler is marked off in centimeters and inches, there are two levels, a plumb and an angle gauge. The only things that the Space Pen doesn’t do is call home for you or act as a stand-in remote control when you lose your main one in the cushions of your couch. Weekend home reno warriors can easily afford this novel invention at a cost of just $24.99.

If there is one gift that you need to open first on Christmas Day morning it has got to be the Zibra OpenIt. This lifesaving tool looks like it should be used for gardening but in fact it was designed specifically as a one-glove-fits-all solution to hard to open packaging like clamshells, tight plastic twist-ties, or the hard plastic coverings on CDs, DVDs and battery containers.

The OpenIt works like a pair of scissors on the hard plastic clamshell cases. In the base of the unit is a retractable boxcutter blade that comes in real handy when it’s a taped-up box that requires your attention. There is even a mini-screwdriver with flathead/crosshead tips that can pop out from the handle of the OpenIt in case you need to remove some screws to get at your newly arrived product.