Gas-guzzling leaf blowers are old hat, not to mention the exhaust they spew and the mess of having to formulate two-stroke mixtures. With improvements to lithium-ion batteries, the Worx WG540.5 Leaf Blower is competitive with their gas-powered peers: 120 mph blower speed; exceptionally lightweight at less than 5 pounds; charges in about 30 minutes.

Some reviews we’ve seen are reporting exceptional battery life of six-hours plus and happy neighbors who aren’t complaining about the noise.

Buy for $130 from Amazon

It’s got an extended 15-inch air hose with a locking Schraeder head, an analog gauge on its back side, two LED lights on the front so you can what you’re doing on that dark road, a cordless rechargeable batter pack with wall charger and comes with a 12-volt DC power pack.

Buy for $70 from Amazon

The Bosch PS30-2A handles like a big drill, just a lot smaller and lighter. At 12-volts, it’s being compared by many to beefier 18-volt drills, which is a major accomplishment and compliment.

It’s got a 3/8-inch single sleeve chuck which is perfect for all those small and medium drill jobs. It will run down small finishing screws into cabinetry flush every time with it’s adjustment clutch. It comes with a 20-position clutch, an LED light, and comes with two Litheon batteries as well as a true 30 minute charger.

Standout: It’s torque. Bosch swears the PS30-2A has “2.2 times more torque than the competition,” and it appears they’re right. WIRED magazine says in their tests it had the “second-best torque of the group (of four) at 220 inch pounds,” which helps them to have named it their ‘Editor’s Pick’ versus Ridgid, Craftsman and Hitachi models.

It’s got good heft and balance despite it being lightweight and compact. It fits the hand nicely and provides a secure grip. Will it replace your higher-volt power drills? No, but it will do 90 percent of all the jobs around the house and come back begging for more.

Buy for $129 from Amazon

Then again, what do you expect for 12 bucks?

But seeing as that’s as much as many jewelers charge for resizing a watch band or replacing a battery, if you can get a couple uses out of it you’re already coming out ahead. Of the dozen or so watches I own, this kit was all I needed for all but one of my watches.

And don’t forget to pick up some cheap batteries from BatteriesAndButter.com. They sell the same Energizer cells you can buy anywhere else, but at near-wholesale prices (especially if you’re buying 1,000 at a time!).

Buy Watch Tool Kit for $12 via Amazon

If you want to carry your beer in the coolest way possible, Timbuk2′s new Dolores messenger bag has you covered.

Its sharp looks will catch eyes, but not many will suspect that you’re hiding a dozen beers in what otherwise appears to be a standard messenger bag.

Bonus: a red anodized bottle opener is attached to the side of the bag.

Buy for $110 from Timbuk2

Enough said.

Buy for $269.95 from NewEgg with free shipping or
Buy for $308.94 from Amazon with free shipping

Everyone else takes a “whatever” approach, buys traditional disposable batteries, and is pleased with their low cost and plentiful power.

Seeking to bridge that divide is a new generation of rechargeable battery with super-low discharge (SLD) technology, like the Sanyo Eneloop batteries.

Traditional rechargeable batteries only hold their charge for a short period of time, meaning when you need the battery most it probably doesn’t have the charge you’re looking for.

But batteries with SLD only lose about 10 percent of their charge every 6-12 months, meaning you can store them away and not worry that they’ll be dead when you need them.

Sanyo Eneloop AAA 4-pack for less than $10

Sanyo Eneloop AA 2-pack with USB Charger for $15

Sanyo Eneloop AA 4-pack for $13

or if you want a charger than can switch-hit and more, pick up the La Crosse BC700 for around $25, which can charge AA and AAA sizes at the same time and gives you real-time charge info, too.

So for 6 years I’ve been rocking a smaller vertical bi-fold wallet, which is more minimalist but can still hold a half dozen cards and some cash.

But even that wallet plays Arnold to the Slimmy’s DeVito (that’s a Twins reference, kids).

Designed to hold a few cards, bills, and business cards in a super skinny package, the Slimmy bills itself as “The Slimmest Front Pocket Wallet on Earth.”

Which only makes me wonder if there are even skinnier back pocket wallets out there (otherwise, why not just leave it as “the slimmest wallet”?).

While I figure that out, pick up your Slimmy for $32.07 from Koyono (via Amazon), including shipping.

Albeit, usually an expensive one for what you get.

But Amazon is running a killer deal at the moment on a number of different knives, like the Ranger Pocket Knife for $19.99 (retail: $55), Midnite Minichamp for $19.99 (retail: $57), Camper Pocket Knife with AA LED Flashlight for $19.99 (retail: $73), and Tinker for $15.21 with Free Classic Knife (retail: $41.50)

Or upgrade to the legendary Champion Plus for just $29.25 (retail: $78).

The knives true geeks would like aren’t discounted quite as much, but are still a good buy, like the Altimeter Multi-Tool for $53.49 that will also give you the temperature, and the Cybertool 34 for $49.41 pictured to the right (retail: $105), which features a number of screwdrivers and tools for electronics.

For a limited time, Amazon is offering $10 off when you buy more than $50 worth of knives… making these some sharp stocking stuffers.

Got a room in your house that’s always warmer than the others in summer, and always colder than the rest in the winter?

Yeah, so do I.

You need this register vent booster. I just ordered mine, and can’t wait to install it.

The idea is so simple, I can’t believe I haven’t seen it somewhere else. Basically, it creates more air flow from your normal air ducts, so that those rooms get more cold or hot air, as needed, than they would normally. And the price tag is a lot less than having an HVAC company come out and “balance” your ducts in your attic or under your house.

They cost $70 normally, but happen to be on sale right now for $60. Pick on up at ATrendyHome.com.

A knife is one of the most practical tools you can carry on you at all times, but you seldom need anything as extreme as Leatherman’s Skeletool CX when you’re in the office or just around the house.

That’s why we like Gerber’s Trendy Folding Clip Knife with Pear Wood Onlay.

This pint-size fine edge blade measures just 2.5-inches long when closed and is barely noticeable in your pocket. A built-in clip can secure some loose bills, or make sure that the knife stays clipped to your pocket and doesn’t fall out.

Pick one up from Amazon for around $23, it normally sells for closer to $30.

Sure, they make shoes and rings with built-in bottle openers these days, but only this one won’t gross people out when you rub your hands or feet all over their brew.

It’s a bit spendy and hard to find, but you can get it for $22.70 shipped from Unbeatable Sale.

Until x-ray goggles become a reality, the SeeSnake Micro is the closest thing you’ll get to being able to see inside your pipes.

And while it’s really made for plumbers and those in construction, we can think of some other great uses, too, like peeking around a corner. Even if it’s a really expensive peek at $182.84 shipped from Amazon (save 25%).

It also comes with mirror, hook, and magnet attachments, just a couple short of the superhero minimum!

I have a few naked drives with some data on them that I need to access once a year or so.  I hate having to put them into an external case to access that data.

Do you have a few naked drives yourself?

If so, look no further than the USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter from NewerTech. It’s a complete solution that allows any 2.5″, 3.5″, or 5.25″ hard drive or optical drive (you know you have some old 5.25″ drives around) with any standard IDE/ATA/ATAPI 40 pin or SATA interface to be connected via USB with ease.

Works with Maxtor, Seagate, IBM, Hitachi, Samsung, Western Digital, Iomega Zip, etc… As they put it: The “Swiss Army Knife” of Disk Connectivity.

Buy from Other World Computing for $30.

Presenting the Connect-a-Desk:

And while the Connect-a-Desk promo video is pretty horrible, we have to believe that the product could actually be pretty useful in the right circumstances.

Like, if you want to look like a complete dork, you definitely need one.

And you can buy it from Amazon… can you believe that? Yes, for $40 or so, this thing can be yours.

Man I love innovation.

The Duracell DPP-600HD is totally the thing you need in your trunk, or, if you’re like me, you need it plugged into your cigarette lighter to power your laptop and portable DVD players for the kids when you’re on a long road trip.

It will also come in very handy if you make a quick trip up into the mountains, get lost, and get buried by an avalanche, and need a power supply for a few days while they send the rescue helicopters out to look for you. Remember, the bottom of a MacBook Pro can get pretty hot if you use it a lot. With this baby all you need is your MacBook and a copy of Photoshop and some wicked PS Actions to heat you up when you get cold… and the radio will keep your mind off the ice forming on the insides of the windows, I’m sure.

Price: $99.99 from Amazon.com

It’s also priced in line with most moderate wine openers, at around $27 shipped from myGearStore (via Amazon).

Each cartridge is good for roughly 80-100 bottles of wine and run around $5 each.

Why would want something that could easily be confused for just another key on? “To get a knife passed airport security” is a valid answer, but it’s really much simpler: because it looks cool.

Here’s what the Utili-Key gets you (or just look at the photo to the right):

• #1 flat screwdriver
• #1 Phillips screwdriver
• bottle opener
• serrated and straight knife blade
• micro eyeglass screwdriver

Retail price is around $11, or $13 in a gift box. But Yugster has the Utili-Key for $5.95 plus $3 shipping today. Each additional one you buy costs just another dollar to ship.

The feature list is as near-perfect as you could get:

• advanced Litheon battery
• delivers 60% more torque than an 18-volt drill/driver (800 in/lbs)
• 1,800 RPM and 3,000 BPM for lighting fast fastening
  
• 3 LED ring
• instantly change from drill bits to driving bits
• just 2.2 pounds, and perfectly balanced

Simply put, if drills were hand guns, the PS40-2 would be a Desert Eagle, except an ultralight versions of it.

Retail price is an astounding $357, but you can pick it up new from Amazon for $148.48.

Or if you want to save a bit of money, Amazon also sells a factory-recondition unit for $122.17 (it carries the same one-year warranty).

Make sure you pick up a good set of bits too, like the Bosch CC2130 Clic-Change 27 piece kit for $32.93.

We like knives. They’re compact and useful. Typically, the more compact, the more useful they end up being, since the small ones you can have in your pocket all the time.

The 4.5-inch, 7-ounce Leatherman k502x and k503x knives fits the bill perfectly with some clever features:

• sweet blade (straight on the k502x, straight/serrated on the k503x)
• interchangeable bit driver
• 3 double-sided bits can be stored in the handle
• Phillips #1 and #2; 1/4″, 3/8″, and 1/4″ flathead; #15 torx included (more can be purchased)
• can opener
• combination carabiner/bottle opener
• pocket clip

Granted, you don’t get a saw, magnifying glass, or corkscrew like you might with a similarly-sized Swiss Army Knife, but how often would you use those things, anyway?

Grab the k503x for $67.19 from Amazon, or spring for the k502x for $70.98. Both prices represent solid savings compared to the $90 suggested price.