TOOLBOX
Gadgets and gear for makers
DJI
DJI Inspire 1
$2,900: dji.com
The DJI Inspire 1 is quite a step up from the company’s ubiquitous Phantom quadcopter — most notably in its physical design, with an ominous white fuselage mounted to an articulating carbon-fiber frame. The motor booms are angled down as landing gear during takeoff and landing, but automatically pull upward into a V-shape during flight to move them out of view and lower the rig’s center of gravity.
The Inspire 1 sports large 13" props coupled to powerful brushless motors. Its pop-in-place battery carries 22 volts of juice — more than most cordless power tools. Downward-facing sensors optically track the terrain to help the craft stay in a fixed position during flight (especially useful indoors when GPS signals drop out) and help with soft, automatic landing and takeoff. And a bottom-mounted camera and gimbal rig allows for 4k video and 12 megapixel stills, capable of unobstructed views from any angle during flight. With its built-in Lightbridge wireless transmission capability, the footage is instantly viewable in high-definition on your radio-mounted tablet. It’s not cheap, but its flight and video capabilities make this a must-have drone for any professional aerial videographer.
— Mike Senese
BOSCH GLM 15 LASER MEASURE
When we moved to our new Make: office, we needed to figure out the configuration of all of the editorial desks. Wanting to be helpful, I said, “No worries, I’ll bring my tape measure in, and we’ll figure out how much space everyone gets.” I was practically laughed out of the office when I showed up with my 6’ tape.
Laugh no more, as I recently discovered the Bosch GLM 15 laser measure. With one hand I can measure up to 50’, at up to ⅛" accuracy. I have a bunch of projects that require me to measure wall space, and with its design, I don’t need another person to hold the other end (perfect for the single maker!). Other benefits are the continuous measurement mode, which allows you to walk off measurements from the wall and other surfaces, and its compact, square design that allows you to lay it on a flat surface to get accurate distances.
Throw it in your purse (or pocket), as I do, because you never know when you may need to measure how tall the street lights are (28’ 6") or how much room the lame driver in the parking space next to you left you to squeeze into your car when you leave that nasty note. (13", jerk.)
— Cindy Lum
[Bonus Tip: The GLM 15 is also great for sizing up rooms when house-hunting. It fits in your pocket and can be used a lot more discreetly than a tape measure. — SD]
FACOM CANTILEVER TOOLBOX
When filling up a large toolbox, you probably dump all your tools straight inside, right? This can make it a hassle to find and retrieve smaller hand tools from the rest of the jumble.
The solution: A multilevel, cantilever-style toolbox. I own a couple of cantilever toolboxes, and found Facom’s to be the best. It’s sturdy, well-made, opens easily, and provides a couple of options for internal organization. Facom’s metal cantilever toolboxes come in several sizes, but the largest, 22"-long version is probably the most useful. Each has two foldout levels per side, and fold-down handles that help with opening and closing. You get the best of both worlds — easier organization of smaller items, and a larger compartment for bulkier tools.
— Stuart Deutsch
STANLEY STUBBY RATCHETING MULTIBIT SCREWDRIVER
If you’re looking for a small but capable ratcheting screwdriver kit to start out with, you could do worse than the Stubby Ratcheting Multibit Screwdriver by Stanley.
For less than $10, you get a driver with a wide grip that will fit in a small tool-box. While a multitool might include screwdrivers, most hold the bit off-center, and will wear out your wrist quickly. This driver’s ratcheting feature lets you twist it like a motorcycle grip, which is more comfortable and helps to drive in those long screws quicker.
The handle has room to store six bits, plus one in the business end. An assortment of Phillips and flatheads are included in the set, but I’d swap out some of them for torx bits.
In short, the Stubby Ratcheting Multibit Screwdriver is compact, capable, a great starter addition to a toolkit, and a great value to boot. Mine’s been going strong for years.
— Sam Freeman
DREMEL 3000 SERIES ROTARY TOOL
I have been using Dremel rotary tools for around 20 years for model making and general fabrication, and have always found them to be useful and dependable. The Dremel 3000 is no exception — I recently used it to remove support material from some 3D prints, and it performed as well as I’ve come to expect from Dremel tools. It even has some of the same design features as my first Dremel, including a positive locking collet assembly, a handy thumb button for operating it, and a variable speed switch to dial it in just right. Updates include a pleasing ergonomic shape, a collet wrench that is attached to the tool, and a router base-like cutter attachment with depth gauge.
The Dremel 3000 also comes with an assortment of accessories, including grinding stones, drum sanders, polishing tips and compound, and a few others in a handy case. Just for fun, I used the included cut-off wheel to cut some steel rod, and it made quick work of it. The manual offers useful information, such as maintenance tips and recommended RPM settings for various jobs.
I still have my first Dremel, and it works fine, although I have replaced the bushes a few times. This is easy to do with two easy-to open brush caps on either side of the tool (another smart design feature that has been retained). I would recommend the Dremel 3000 to makers, who’ll find it useful for model making, fabrication, prototyping, and electronics tasks.
— Marty Marfin
3DCONNEXION SPACEMOUSE WIRELESS
The SpaceMouse Wireless from 3Dconnexion is an exceptional tool for anyone who regularly works with 3D files. While it may not be worth the price for new CAD users — for those willing to shell out the cash, it is influential in speeding up the overall design process. The tactile buttons on each side of the mouse can be mapped to common commands in the program of your choice (of which the software supports many).
As its name suggests, the mouse is wireless, and the rechargeable battery lasts longer than I’ve had mine (weeks). My only gripe is that there aren’t more buttons, as that would allow me to spend even more time away from the keyboard. For that, you’ll have to spend more on one of 3Dconnexion’s Pro models.
I can imagine myself using this mouse for years to come, and recommend it — or any of its more expensive siblings — to any 3D designer looking to take their speed to the next level.
— Eric Weinhoffer
3Dconnexion