The 2012 automotive tool shows have already taken the TechShop team from our offices in Akron, OH, to Nashville to Las Vegas, home and then back to Vegas. Whew! And it doesn’t stop there. Next we’re heading to St. Louis, Palm Springs, Baltimore and Orlando — all to bring you the latest and greatest in tools and equipment.
Mac Tools held its Tool Fair, Matco Tools its Tool Expo and Cornwell Quality Tools its Tool Rally in the first quarter of this year. This issue is filled with new tools we saw at these shows. There was tons of great stuff to talk to your tool truck guys/gals about!
Some of the stand-outs include: Lisle’s Speedy Brake Pad Spreader, which compresses brake pistons with just a squeeze of the handle; Legacy’s re-engineered fittings to custom-make or repair hose; and Makita’s LCT212W combo kit was a huge hit at the Cornwell Tools Rally. A hot stop at the Matco Tools Expo was Associated Equipment’s booth, where they displayed the company’s Intellamatic Smart Chargers, which are designed to handle AGM or gel-cell batteries. Those batteries don’t tolerate overcharging, and these chargers feature a fully automatic micro-processor controller to prevent that.
When I asked about the Mac Tools pink toolbox that drew so much attention last year, Tom Jech, a 33-year Mac Tools employee, said that sales of pink toolboxes allowed Mac to donate $20,000 to breast cancer research.
Speaking of toolboxes, we’ve got a new contest we’ve started in association with Mechanic’s Time Savers. They are offering a $1,000 reward (paid in organizational tools) for the messiest toolbox! Entering the contest is simple, just send me an e-mail with a photo of your messy toolbox, and a short description of why you should be the winner. Click here for more information on the contest.
So many new products were introduced at the shows. This is an exciting time to talk to your tool distributor.
