{"id":45764,"date":"2026-03-23T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=45764"},"modified":"2026-03-19T15:12:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T22:12:17","slug":"power-gear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/power-gear\/","title":{"rendered":"Power Gear"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Simultaneously power up multiple tools<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Craftsman Auto Switch<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like most people I don\u2019t have a dedicated workshop, meaning my power tools share the garage with lots of things that aren\u2019t happy about sawdust wafting over them like the morning dew. The solution is a Shopvac, but it can be a real hassle remembering to turn it on\/off as I turn on\/off my table saw, hand sander, Ridgid Oscillating Belt & Spindle Sander, etc. I\u2019ve been woodworking at home for perhaps 18 years, and the best solution I\u2019ve found is one of these little outlet boxes, which powers up multiple tools automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You simply plug your main tool into the top outlets, then plug your vacuum or work light into one of the other two accessory outlets. Whenever you turn your tool on, it will automatically turn the other outlets on. When you turn your tool off, it waits a few seconds before turning the accessory outlets off, which is useful for clearing the line of dust, etc. I have two in my shop \u2014 one for each Shop-Vac so I never have to reconnect power cords or vacuum hoses!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been using these switches for four years. They definitely save time. On a given woodworking project, I generally turn machines on and off every few minutes and move from machine to machine. Without this switch, you would spend an extra 3 seconds and 2 steps turning it on and another 3 seconds and 2 steps turning it off. Doesn\u2019t sound like much, but in reality those seconds and steps really start to add up, so you\u2019d just end up leaving the vacuum on or using some other less effective dust collection (for example, an on-tool dust collection bag).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had a discussion with someone about 9 or 10 years ago about how you could build one \u2013 and I actually found schematics for a load sensing relay that you could make one with. But for $20, this switch certainly beats trying to round up the components and DIY. \u2014 Yitah Wu<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Electrical usage meter<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kill-A-Watt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My electric bills are killing me, and now I can finally figure out exactly why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kill-A-Watt plugs into a wall outlet and will measure the actual electricity usage of any appliance. I\u2019ve been wanting one of these things for years, to the point of seriously considering manufacturing one myself. I\u2019m glad someone has finally done it for me. It looks like my computer costs me something like $216 a year to run. Trouble is, I have five of them. Something\u2019s gotta go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Street price for this device is about $30. I should save that much in the first month. \u2014 Curt Nelson<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Outlet w\/individually-powered switches<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ultra Surge Protector<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the old days, I plugged all my computer equipment into a power commander, a large pizza-box device that sat underneath my monitor. It had have many outlets with individual power switches and a master switch on the front, allowing me to regulate which devices were draining power. I haven\u2019t been able to find those power commanders anymore, but after more searching than I expected, I finally found this surge protector that has per-outlet power switches. For the last year, I\u2019ve used two of them as cheap insurance for power regulation in my RV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Power in an RV can be at a premium, especially if it\u2019s coming from a generator or inverter (batteries\/solar). A lot of the equipment in my RV is rarely used nowadays, but drains power if plugged in (vampire appliances!). Disconnecting specific devices is an easy solution \u2014 flipping a switch for each outlet is even easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I use one for the TV, DVD player, satellite, etc., and one for my computer, monitor, phone charger, external hard drive, etc. I\u2019m now able to turn my computer on and off with the master switch, and turn rarely-used devices on and off only if needed (TV\/DVD especially).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve yet to analyze the electric bill \u2014 I\u2019d need the previously-reviewed Kill-A-Watt (coincidentally on order) to know exactly how much power I\u2019m saving. But this definitely helps me prevent using more than I expect. A great device for a cabin, RV or anywhere power use might be at a premium. \u2014 Mike Polo<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wall wart solution<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yellow-Jacket 5 Outlet Adapter<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This indoor\/outdoor 5-outlet adapter is the best I\u2019ve found for dealing with multiple wall-warts. The outlets are spaced just far enough apart to allow virtually any size wall wart to fit, and you can chain together the adapters (each outlet has five outlets, so every additional one in the chain gives you four more outlets). It\u2019s cheaper than specialty adapters like the PowerSquid, and it\u2019s inherently more organized. If you chain a couple PowerSquids together, you\u2019ve got a mess of extra cords on account of that model\u2019s \u2018tentacle\u2019 design. If you daisy chain two Yellow-Jackets together, you\u2019ve got a tidier package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Yellow-Jackets also feature cable restraints or \u2018cord locks\u2019 you can run the cables through. Personally, I cut them off to make the outlets more compact, but if you had five people working outside — each using a power tool and each pulling the adapter in a different direction \u2014 these restraints make it so that you\u2019d have to pull a lot harder to cause an accidental unplugging. \u2014 Stephen Malinowski<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Better than a power strip<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

PowerSquid<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lets you connect multiple devices, even with big power converters, to a single outlet. \u2014 Zimran Ahmed<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Easy 120 to 220 volt converter<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Quick 220<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I moved into my apartment I found it had a through-the-wall air conditioner sleeve. I ignored it and installed my window air conditioner. When that old AC died about 3 years ago, I was told by the co-op board that the rules had changed and I had to use the sleeve. I guess I should pay more attention to coop board announcements. My problem was that next to the sleeve was a 110V outlet but every AC that fit the sleeve required 220V.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After being quoted over $1000 to run 220V to the sleeve I was desperate to find another solution. Luckily, I found the Quick 220 Power Converter. All it took was the 110V outlet near the sleeve and an extension cord from another 110V outlet on a different circuit. Instantly, I had two 220V outlets. And at $160.00 I was very happy with the price. They also throw in an outlet tester because both 110V outlets must be wired correctly (not something you can assume in an old apartment) for the Quick 220 to work. \u2014 Donnie B<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Once a week we\u2019ll send out a page from Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities. The tools might be outdated or obsolete, and the links to them may or may not work. We present these vintage recommendations as is because\u00a0the possibilities they inspire are new.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to get Tools for Possibilities a week early in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tools for Possibilities: issue no. 182<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13684,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[2387],"tags":[2388],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45764"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13684"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45764"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45764\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45771,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45764\/revisions\/45771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}