Back in the days of Home Ec, our high school owned one pair of scuzzy electric scissors that chewed on fabric like a toothless dog. And not only were those scissors dull and underpowered, but if you held them up to the light you could see the entire football field between the closed blades. Not a precision instrument.
Black and Decker recently developed heavy-duty cordless Power Scissors for home and garden use. They're sharp as stink and easily cut through leather, canvas, tarpaulin, cork, vinyl flooring, cardboard and...smile if you hated Home Ec...fabric. This is not the wimpy slipshod scissor of yore, this is a robust cutter with the heart of a piranha.
You get about an hour of continuous runtime out of the unit before you need to recharge. You don't need to use any force whatsoever to carve stuff up. If you have any problems with repetitive strain injuries or arthritis, the comfort grip and powerful little motor will be a huge relief in all your cutting endeavors.
Includes charger and 2-year warranty.
Retail info:Black & Decker(r) Power Scissors (SZ360)
Now that Black and Decker has nailed the design of Power Scissors I hope they will turn their attention to manufacturing Power Tin Snips. Because many of us are dramatically separated from a possible future in metalwork when we first try to use tin snips and conclude that nothing is worth that much irritation.
The guys over at ToolMonger.com give this Smart Strap stowable tow rope a great review. The spring-loaded strap releases symmetrically to prevent snapping and be-fouling. I've used my old nylon tow rope a bunch of times over the years to haul friends' vehicles out of drifted-in, impassable driveways (usually my own, because it's more fun to tow than shovel). My rope has a history of crocheting itself into a snarl of resentment between uses. For reducing chaos, the Smart Strap is nominated for the ToolGirl Tidy Trunks award.
