# Techie Gadgets



## Foxinabox10 (Apr 9, 2006)

So recently I got Mega Combo Wrench from BMI Supply which is a wrench that works all the bolts on a traditional C-clamp. It was only five or six dollars and after it came in and I used it on a show, I wondered why I hadn't ordered one sooner. It's really nice not having to mess with and adjustable wrench or several fixed wrenches.

Like this, there are many other gadgets out there that are relatively cheap and make life so much easier. Has anyone else run across something similar, in that it simplifies your work dramatically or something else that makes you wonder why you didn't come up with it?


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## soundlight (Apr 9, 2006)

The flip screwdriver. The ones that have the handle with the tube that has two double-ended bits in it.

On one end, there is a double-ended phillips bit in one end, and when you take it out of the handle and put that end in to the handle, there is a double-ended phillips bit out.

One of the scout leaders in my troop is a big bargainer at Lowe's. He always checks the clearance sections at all of the Lowe's Stores in our area, because he does construction work. He recently went to one Lowe's, where they had the very nice, twenty dollar, wooden-handled version of these screwdrivers on sale for fifteen dollars. There were about eighteen or twenty of them there. He walked over to the manager and said "I'll give you twenty bucks for all of them," and he got them. Twenty bucks for twenty screwdrivers, each worth twenty bucks individually. I was lucky enough to get one of those for free, which is a welcome addition to my toolbox.


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## Footer (Apr 9, 2006)

etc was giving out engraved combos at USITT.... as far as wrenches goes i have used a craftsman clench wrench for about the last 8 years and love it.... they have discontinued them sadley... also a set of stagepin testers goes with me everywhere....


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## Teck (Apr 9, 2006)

I think my Gerber muiti-tool is the thing I use most, its so handy to have because you can do alot with it, plus it comes with a pouch to hook to your waist, and its the only tool I've seen with one-handed opening.


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## sound_nerd (Apr 9, 2006)

Hmm...lightspeed wrench is very useful, especially on truss and "theatre style" c-clamps. The combo wrenches are good, got mine free from Wegner at this years CITT trade show. Obviously a good multi tool is handy. 
I got a lens removal tool from Sapsis (i think) and it has proven handy more than once.


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## saxman0317 (Apr 9, 2006)

Teck said:


> I think my Gerber muiti-tool is the thing I use most, its so handy to have because you can do alot with it, plus it comes with a pouch to hook to your waist, and its the only tool I've seen with one-handed opening.



sorry man, but my leatherman never leaves my side. Ive gone through 4 gerbers in the time of my one leatherman, and thats useing it climbing and backing and stuff to. And if your good with it and keep it good condition, leathermans are compleatly one handed to. Waves are great cause the blades and files are eaiser to get to, and its easy to get to the pliers one handed as well.

Also, my mini mag with a dark blue gel, a good highlighter, and a peice of plywood about 1.5*2.5 feet with great and oiled casters is great for when u need to understage cable runs during a show. But the mag light never leaves my side during a show or rehersal, and i also gelled up my backpacking headlamp and that works real well to


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## bdesmond (Apr 12, 2006)

Got my MiniMag and Fluke Voltage probe that are in the little holders in my cell phone pouch. If I need anything else I usually drag my whole go bag with all my tools in it along usually. They made it mostly airplane safe in December so its not such a PITA in that I can put it in my roll-a-board.


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## len (Apr 13, 2006)

I tend to use these the most http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...vertical=TOOL&pid=00944030000&subcat=Wrenches and I've given up buying anything except that which has a lifetime guarantee. I have three that I use a lot for conventionals, that fit all the different clamps and par bars I am constantly putting together and taking apart. I tried one of these http://roadietools.com/clampstik.html but I didn't like it, although I do use this version http://www.wingnutspanner.co.uk/pageone.htm


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## avkid (Apr 16, 2006)

sound_nerd said:


> I got a lens removal tool from Sapsis (i think) and it has proven handy more than once.



As in the Rigging Company?

The tools they sell are here:
http://www.sapsis-rigging.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SRI&Category_Code=700

I don't see anything with that description, i'm curious now.


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## sound_nerd (Apr 17, 2006)

avkid said:


> As in the Rigging Company?
> 
> The tools they sell are here:
> http://www.sapsis-rigging.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SRI&Category_Code=700
> ...



Sorry man, it was in the clearance tool section about 6 months ago. Yah, Sapsis Rigging was where it's from, I bought it when I bought my lightspeed wrench.


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## nez (Apr 18, 2006)

im def goin to have to say my exacto canif cuz it is just like a knife but it isnt and my mini mag as well o yea


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## mbandgeek (Apr 18, 2006)

Multi tools are great for adjusting lights. Enough said


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## propmonkey (Apr 18, 2006)

ill stick with my 8" adjustable wrench and gloves any day...


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## Andy_Leviss (Apr 20, 2006)

mbandgeek said:


> Multi tools are great for adjusting lights. Enough said



Are you using the pliers to adjust the bolts on the unit and the clamp, or are you talking tweaking stuff with screwdrivers? If the former, I'd recommend not doing this and using a wrench. Wrenches hold square to the sides of the bolt and won't strip the bolt; pliers have a tendency to slip and eventually strip the corners of the bolt. This is bad, since if it gets stripped bad enough it will end up stuck, since stripped corners will cause wrenches to slip.

--A


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## Chris15 (Apr 21, 2006)

Andy_Leviss said:


> Are you using the pliers to adjust the bolts on the unit and the clamp, or are you talking tweaking stuff with screwdrivers? If the former, I'd recommend not doing this and using a wrench. Wrenches hold square to the sides of the bolt and won't strip the bolt; pliers have a tendency to slip and eventually strip the corners of the bolt. This is bad, since if it gets stripped bad enough it will end up stuck, since stripped corners will cause wrenches to slip.
> 
> --A



Should you manage to strip a bolt of its corners, I imagine that a pair of multigrips would fix it, and you will have to find a new bolt. Now it will be the middle of the night and the one bolt that you don't have with the show tomorrow, right? I think it is a case of it always being preferable to use the right tool, but in a pinch, use what is available. It tends to be better for what is being adjusted.


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## len (Apr 21, 2006)

You'd think ETC would sell a tool to remove those lenses. Alas, nothing on their site I could find.


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## ScaredOfHeightsLD (May 15, 2006)

Footer4321 said:


> etc was giving out engraved combos at USITT.... as far as wrenches goes i have used a craftsman clench wrench for about the last 8 years and love it.... they have discontinued them sadley... also a set of stagepin testers goes with me everywhere....


I love all the free stuff at USITT, did you see the gel cutters that LEE had?


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## ship (May 16, 2006)

I still have in my wallet a credit card size say 1979 era Rosco gel cutter. Now them’s a find even if not much use. Anyone else have one in the wallet?

So I loaned out my gam check to someone today in him trying to find a ground short amongst fixtures one of which had a ground short. All fixtures on the bar had a good beep for the lamp and showed no ground short. Useless for testing if a lamp is good yet the fixture has a short thus not worth the money. I bought mine while still in the $130.00 range, still it’s not worth the money yet still a necessary tool. I also found it annoying that of two currently in my road box, both in female stage pin socket have loosened up so they are no longer dependable by way of something plugging into them ensured to have a good contact to socket. What’s plugged into the female socket in this case amongst two testers and new plugs plugged into them was by far un-dependable given older testers for what I was relying upon it to test. Gee, only a few $100K worth of show’s custom gear I was making. No reason to depend upon a good contact in the tester for a reliable result in testing. Two Gam Checks, neither in the end were sufficiently dependable once a few years old and the sockets stretched a bit. (I am not amused given this last weeks use of the tool. It’s going back into the lack of use part of my tool box now given it’s lack of dependability to adiqualy rely upon it’s testing ability.


On the other hand,
Come see me if using a Robo Grip or any type of tooth type gripping of the bolt crap. Yep, you sweep the floors for the rest of the day in that bolt in un-damaged condition being more valuable than your service. Granted it’s a good question of what’s going to damage the bolt more a K-Mart auto center C-Wrench with it’s jaws not so parallel, or that of a Robo-Grip, but the Robo grip in my noting it’s use is easier to catch thus not something to be caught using as opposed to complying with the requirement but also crap. 

That’s a nice toy, now have you finished sweeping the prop’s room yet? Take the “tool” home with you and work on your bike’s training wheels with it in stripping out or crapping up that bolt, not cutting thru and distressing the black oxide coated surface of my Leko’s bolts with the laminated gripper jaws and in theory at least distributed pressure along the flat of the bolt while them teeth dig into the surface.


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## kingfisher1 (May 20, 2006)

I'm a personal fan of my headlap. Its makes focusing just more pleasent beign able to see a plot when i gel and focus simultaneously. not to mention its awesome for early morning hikes, etc...


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