[00:00:00] Eric Goranson: It's around the house. We're going to talk about house flipping gone bad and my top 10 tools you should have in your garage storage or toolbox. Some of these won't fit in the toolbox, but you can get where I'm going with. First of all, I wanted to talk about house flipping gone bad. And this is an interesting story here because this came out here this last week.

[00:00:23] Eric Goranson: I didn't have a time to talk about it, but it's something that I've heard on radio ads across the country, and it's something that they finally cracked down the federal trade commission here in the United States. Sends more than 12 million in refunds to consumers harmed by the Zurich's real estate investment coaching scheme.

[00:00:42] Eric Goranson: Every other multi tool you use, the vibrations really gets you. If you're using it for a lot of big projects, they have this vibration dampener that just gives you a pleasant working condition by using it. It is so it does not transfer. When it comes to remodeling and renovating your home, there is a lot to [00:01:00] we've got you covered.

[00:01:02] Eric Goranson: This is around the house. Welcome to the round the house show the next generation of home improvement. I'm Eric G Thanks for joining me today for the second hour of the show. I appreciate you turning in we've got a Couple great topics we're going to tackle today in the show. This is gonna be a lot of fun We're going to talk about house flipping gone bad and my top 10 tools You should have in your garage Storage or toolbox.

[00:01:26] Eric Goranson: Some of these won't fit in the toolbox, but you get where I'm going with. First of all, I wanted to talk about how's flipping gone bad. And this is an interesting story here because this came out here this last week. I didn't have a time to talk about it, but it's something that I've heard on radio ads across the country.

[00:01:40] Eric Goranson: And it's something that they finally cracked down on the federal trade commission here in the United States. Sends more than 12 million in refunds to consumers harmed by the Zurich's real estate investment coaching scheme. Now this is taken from the ftc. gov website. So this isn't just a regular news story.

[00:01:59] Eric Goranson: This is [00:02:00] their press release. Federal trade commission is sending more than 12 million in refunds to consumers who paid Zurich's LLC. For a real estate investment training program that allegedly made empty promises about earning big profits by flipping houses. So the FTC and the Utah Department of Commerce Division of Consumer Protection sued Xerox and its owners, Christopher Cannon, James Carlson and Jeffrey Spangler in September 2019.

[00:02:26] Eric Goranson: The complaint that was later amended alleged the defendants operated a real estate investment coaching scheme that sold live seminars and telephone coaching using false earning claims that convinced consumers to pay them thousands or tens of thousands of dollars in a relatively short amount of time by flipping or wholesaling real estate using Xerox's system.

[00:02:48] Eric Goranson: Now the defendants boasted Bolstered those sales by partnering with home improvement and flipping television personalities. So they basically worked into a settlement and they've been paying people out right now. [00:03:00] So they sent checks to 25, 563 people. So I do like that they went after him and really figured out that these people.

[00:03:10] Eric Goranson: Had gotten scammed. And so I'm super cool about that. But what's interesting is the names that were involved in this. And there was a lot of HGTV stars that were included on this. It was Tarik and Christina from Flipper Flop and other celebrities that were house flippers with this. And so that's one of those things that really got interesting with the different names and stuff that were here.

[00:03:38] Eric Goranson: And it got to be such a big deal that HDTV and Scripps Network and all those guys turned around and said, Hey, we got nothing to do with this. And so it's one of those things that there's really a lot of, you got to be careful with these type of deals because I tell you what, there have been a lot of these.

[00:03:58] Eric Goranson: Seminars that are getting [00:04:00] nailed the Armando Mona. Monolongo had the same kind of deal on a flip this house thing that was going along. And just there's, I think he was getting after 14 or 15 million in damages. There was a lot of stuff that he was getting hit on. So guys be careful out there with the schemes, these get rich, rich, quick house flipping things with our economy right now in the interest rates.

[00:04:26] Eric Goranson: Just from a guy that works in construction has seen many of house flippers and knowing house flippers, and I've done a few myself that weren't really official flips. It was just a buy, fix it up, sell in a couple of years kind of thing. I tell you what, these kind of projects are very high risk unless you really know what you're doing.

[00:04:46] Eric Goranson: The risk via reward, especially with the price of money right now, is really hard to do that because if you go out and get a loan, let's say you're doing 10 percent on that and you're paying that on a monthly basis, that cost of money makes it [00:05:00] almost impossible. To be a house flipper out there. Unless you are taking some severe shortcuts and the liability of opening up a can of worms and realizing that you're upside down in it, unless you've got big pockets, this can be pretty dangerous.

[00:05:15] Eric Goranson: So be real careful with house flipping right now. It's one thing when it's a 3 percent interest rate, it's one thing with a 10 percent interest rate. Because you're not going to get your first time host buyer kind of seven and a half percent that you're seeing out there for some people. You're going to pay more because it's going to be a business deal and that can get really expensive.

[00:05:33] Eric Goranson: So with the price materials, the price of labor and everything else out there, unless you're experienced right now is not the time to be jumping into house flipping. And if you notice, you still have those shows out there that have prevalent on it. But it is very difficult. And if you've noticed a lot of people have been going away from house flipping and going into consulting and designing with people so they can do their own house [00:06:00] for television shows, because it is very tough to do it out there.

[00:06:04] Eric Goranson: You have to be in a perfect market, a perfect situation, and to have a really good insight on finding the perfect project that's not completely beat down where it's going to cost you too much to repair it. So that is just one of those things I wanted to touch base on kind of a buyer beware on how's flipping gone bad.

[00:06:22] Eric Goranson: And of course, all of these people out there that I've been doing these seminars, the companies that were running those seminars, Are starting to pay the price right now as the federal trade commission and others have been going after them. So that can be pretty expensive. Today. I wanted to talk about the top 10 tools you should have in your toolbox.

[00:06:41] Eric Goranson: And this is something for that active DIY, or this is that person that has been out there and it's going to be, maybe you've got some big projects starting ahead, that is one of those things that you can look at and go, okay, I got a bit, some big projects. What are the tools that I should have, or [00:07:00] maybe you're just starting out some of these, I'm going to be showing you the better tools and they're of course cheaper ones on it, but I'm going to show you right now, the best of the best out there.

[00:07:12] Eric Goranson: And the first one to me. Is one of my favorites. And that is the multi tool that is that multi tool that you can flush cut things. You can do so many cutting and sanding with that multi tool. And so the originator of that multi tool is fine. F E I N. These guys have really got stuff dialed in and they are that original multi tool inventor.

[00:07:42] Eric Goranson: And I tell you what, they have really got things dialed in when it comes to that. And, and I'll be just a hundred percent honest with you guys. I'm not going to pull punches on brands here. I've had a Milwaukee multi tool forever, and it's one of those things that's been really, really [00:08:00] cool. Uh, And then, what happened, I got the fine one, and my brother's borrowing my Milwaukee one because it just sat there.

[00:08:08] Eric Goranson: And was basically sitting there in my just never getting used. It was sitting there just never getting used. So that oscillating multi tools a great one. The one that I've gotten, here's what I think is really cool about these. And so I've got the AMM 700, which is a great multi tool. So what's cool with this is you have so many different, and I guess the best way to explain this tool, and this is why I'm so happy with it.

[00:08:36] Eric Goranson: Okay. Every other multi tool you use, the vibrations really gets you. If you're using it for a lot of big projects, they have this vibration dampener that just gives you a pleasant working condition by using it. It is so it does not transfer. And shake your arms and your shoulders and your jaw to death on it.

[00:08:54] Eric Goranson: And then they have the Starlock max tool mounting. So you can really click [00:09:00] and go back and forth with the tool. So I can click on click off real quick. There's no loosening of bolts or anything to click that on. So I can change the blade. Or tool and under three seconds, no tools needed. Bam, bam. It's cool.

[00:09:16] Eric Goranson: And they've got about 180 accessories too in the star lock star lock plus and star lock max performance categories And it is cool and it's got the 18 18 volts power drive motor What's cool is if you're a bosch person, they use the same batteries as the bosch power tools around the house. We'll be right back With more of my top 10 tools you should have in your toolbox.

[00:09:38] Eric Goranson: Don't change that dial.[00:10:00]

[00:10:09] Eric Goranson: What's up? This is Dixit in you and Satchel from Steel Panther. And you are listening to Around the House with Eric G. Yeah, we love Eric G and you should too.

[00:10:30] Eric Goranson: To the Around the House show, the next generation of home improvement. Thanks for joining me. If you're on the radio show, thanks for tuning in. You can find out more about us. And around the house online. com. And of course we got a number in the studio that you can call to get more information on a project you're tackling.

[00:10:46] Eric Goranson: If you're stuck, that number is 8 That number again is 8 3 3 2 3 9. For one for we're talking about here, how's flipping gone bad that we talked about last [00:11:00] segment and now we're into the top 10 tools you should have in your toolbox. Now there are so many great tools out there and right now I really want to make sure and help you with some new tools out there and I think that it should be important.

[00:11:13] Eric Goranson: So maybe you should add these if you're tackling a project, it could really So, the last one we were just talking about here was the fine multi tool, that oscillating tool. And of course, the next one is a good demolition claw hammer. Now, a lot of people have one hammer to do a lot of stuff with, and I like a good demo claw hammer because it is great for when you're tearing stuff out, you don't have to worry about hurting your, your good hammer.

[00:11:43] Eric Goranson: And especially if you're using something nice, I think it's just one of those things that when you look at it, that it is a tool that is meant for that. And, and I'm not talking about like a demolition hammer, like a demo tool. I'm talking about just a [00:12:00] regular. Hammer that you can go through that you can go through and just use for tearing stuff apart.

[00:12:07] Eric Goranson: Something you can swing hard, something you don't have to worry about. The one that I use a lot and it's really cool. It's cheap and it's, I think that's what's great about it. Is it a good, cheap price? So Dewalt tough series, it's all metal. They've got a 22 ounce milled face demo hammer with a steel hammer with a steel handle.

[00:12:32] Eric Goranson: This thing is made for demo. It's got a gripper. So you can go through and actually rip on studs built into the handle. It has got all the different things you need for demo day. So you could literally put it around the end of a stud, twist it out. It is great for busting up drywall. Great for pulling nails.

[00:12:51] Eric Goranson: I think what's cool about it is that it's great for hammering on the back of a pry bar or something like that. It's really meant for demo. So you're not taking your really good [00:13:00] finish hammer and beating it up. And I just like having a special hammer for demo, especially when you're tearing down a wall or doing demo tearing something down, it's really great.

[00:13:10] Eric Goranson: For Terran stuff ops, that's a 22 hammer. It's fairly inexpensive. It's great to have in the toolbox for that. You don't have to worry about it hitting the dirt, hitting anything else. When you're putting stakes in anything else, it's just a great all around demo hammer. So take a look at that. And by the way, guys, none of these things are sponsored.

[00:13:26] Eric Goranson: These companies don't even know that I'm talking about this stuff today. So these are just my favorite stuff. I'm not getting a pay to dime for this. These are just, this isn't some sponsored content thing here that you see on a lot of other shows. This here is just my pure list. What I think is really good for you to have around the house.

[00:13:44] Eric Goranson: So the next one here is a really important one. It is a good circular saw. And I'm the believer now that if you're going to get a circular saw and you're going to invest in one, take a look at one in the battery system that you're using for your power tools. [00:14:00] Now, if you're don't have one, now's the time to do your research and jump into whatever brand you want to do, whether it's, Ryobi or Dewalt or Milwaukee or Bosch or just go down the list.

[00:14:10] Eric Goranson: Makita, whatever brand you want to do, Craftsman, head down that list, head down and do what you want to do with it. But take a look at their professional seven and a quarter circular saw, because that is great for cutting two by fours plywood. That is a must have. Now I have the Milwaukee one. I'm I also have a corded rigid that I've just never used in the last probably four years.

[00:14:37] Eric Goranson: So it's one of those things that take a look at the saw you want. And the thing here is when it comes to saws, this really has to be what fits your hand. And what fits your budget and style. So that is where it comes down to it. Some people like a, a more of a worm drive style where it's like the old skill [00:15:00] saw, and those are cool.

[00:15:02] Eric Goranson: I have got basically just what is their M 18 fuel, 18 volt. Just their standard lithium ion brushless cordless seven and a quarter circular saw. So it's a 250 saw. It is great. That thing works great. Tons of power. You've got a lot of different blade guards or magnesium without the bat, without the battery.

[00:15:24] Eric Goranson: It's about 12 pounds. So it's pretty light, but it's higher PM at 5, 800 RPM. It is just really good for doing stuff around there. Now, if you want to dive into something a little bit heavier duty, like you want to get into. One of the worm drive ones, that's where it starts to get pretty cool. Cause you can literally get in there with some of those and dive in.

[00:15:46] Eric Goranson: They've got the rear handle style with that, and that can be really good too. So it's really coming down to the style that you want. You're going to pay a little more for those rear handle styles, but they are good. And the key here with these is that you want to get the bigger [00:16:00] battery on these. So don't get like the regular five amp power.

[00:16:04] Eric Goranson: If you can get up into a eight or a 10 or a 12, it's going to work a lot better because it has more battery to pull from. So that battery is like your horsepower. So if you buy the cheap small battery, it's not going to have the horsepower that if you had the big one. So take a look at that. And what's cool is that these, if you go with like that M18 red lithium high output HD 12 battery, for instance, in the Milwaukee, they run 50 percent cooler and gives you 50 percent more power.

[00:16:36] Eric Goranson: So literally, you've got more power than the plug in models. And so it's really cool for a maintenance free, ready to rock saw. And there is a ton that you can do with these things, and they are a little bit heavier sometimes. So But I think it's a great way to go now if you have to go with a quarter one awesome Go used on the quarter ones because a lot of guys are getting rid of the battery stuff So do your [00:17:00] shopping online like on book marketplace that kind of stuff?

[00:17:03] Eric Goranson: I bet you can get it for next to nothing for a quarter one I mean, I just had my buddy William here was selling a lot of his milwaukee stuff for 10 bucks a piece because it was corded And was selling it off because he's having to move and it was too expensive to move it across country and he didn't need it because he had batteries.

[00:17:18] Eric Goranson: So those are the kinds of deals you want to see when you're out running around. So great circular saw like that is a key to have for any of these projects. Now coming up here is another one here that I think is super important. That is great. And it's one of those tools that I think for having a battery is smart versus corded.

[00:17:37] Eric Goranson: Now you can go quartered like I said and save some money not have to deal with batteries if you're just that old school courted And that's all you want. It's not a bad way to go But the one that I want to talk about here is a saw that reciprocating saw that is good for tearing down walls Cutting down cutting open something But what's cool is it's also good for emergency [00:18:00] landscaping.

[00:18:00] Eric Goranson: Let's say you've got a tree branch down across the road. You want to get the giant chainsaw out. You can do so much with that for cutting roots out of the ground to everything else. That is a great all around tool to have is going to be your sawzall type saw. Sawzall is the trade name, of course. That Milwaukee has, but any of those reciprocating saws like that, you can do anything to cutting a limb to cast iron that's in that plumbing makes it really easy to work with.

[00:18:26] Eric Goranson: So take a look at that. That's a great one to go with. And again, look for that in the brand that you already have. And if you don't maybe do some research. See what's good out there. Get some heavy duty stuff. We've got more tools for your toolbox that I think should be in your top 10. We'll do that just as soon as around the house returns.[00:19:00]

[00:19:00] Eric Goranson: Hey, this is Ron Kiel, the metal cowboy from Kiel, the Ron Kiel band and Steeler, we are rocking around the house with Eric G. Welcome back to the round, the house show, the next generation of home improvement. Thanks for joining me today on the radio show. And of course, all you out there. That are streaming this on the, uh, radio network.

[00:19:23] Eric Goranson: Or all of you on the podcast. And of course, all the other ways you can stream this show online all week long. So thanks for joining us here. We've been talking about my top 10 tools you should have in your toolbox here in this latter part of the show. Now, if you want to find out more about us, head over to around the house online.

[00:19:40] Eric Goranson: com. And of course you can message us here at the show there on social media, just look for around the house show. You'll see us on Instagram, YouTube. Facebook. And of course me, Eric G on LinkedIn as well. Find me over there. Love to chat with you. And of course you can give us a call in the studio at [00:20:00] 8 That number again is 8 3 3 2 3 9 4 1 4 4.

[00:20:06] Eric Goranson: Now the next one here on the tools, this is something. That I think is super important and this is a tool that I think you should spend a little bit more on and get something that you can hand down to your kids or the next generation because if you buy one of these, it will last basically last last to a lifetime.

[00:20:25] Eric Goranson: And that's what's cool about this. I love a good seven inch carpenter square. This is something that makes it so easy for laying stuff out for setting a straight line for cutting off stuff. And there is one that is out. It's a little bit more money, but dang, they came out. Stiletto did a seven inch carpenter square with a built in level.

[00:20:48] Eric Goranson: This makes life so easy when you're out there with this, it is dialed in. And it's impressive. This is in their bomber series [00:21:00] of black carpenter squares. And I tell you what, it is just money to use. It's light, it's anodized on the outside. So it's got a basically a lifetime finish on it. And they have gone through and just made so many good things that you can do with this.

[00:21:17] Eric Goranson: It is just one of those super multi use tools. So again, not a sponsored segment. But they really figured this out. So it's got the level on it and it gives you so many additional layout notches. So they have really figured it out. They have this bomber cutout for faster layouts. So it's basically meant for inch and a half, three, four and a half and LVL.

[00:21:39] Eric Goranson: So you can lay stuff out quicker that way. It's got a anti glare hard coat, anodized finish, which works out really well. Super accurate. It's got markings on the heel. Uh, So it's fully machined. It's got scribe notches every eighth inch for doing that. It's got laser etched [00:22:00] markings, common rafter pitches made in USA.

[00:22:04] Eric Goranson: It is just absolutely a piece of art and it is something that is super cool. I think it's super awesome. And something that you should have in your toolbox. I'm a huge fan of these and I know I'd never geek out on these kinds of things, but I tell you what, if you're going to geek out on a square, a good carpenter square is money.

[00:22:24] Eric Goranson: So take a look at that one right there. About a hundred bucks for those little more expensive than some of the other ones, but it has become my go to. Just because there's so many things and it's so accurate and just makes life so much easier. So take a look at that. Now the next one here is a solid pry bar.

[00:22:42] Eric Goranson: Now it depends on what you want to do, right? It all comes down to that. What do you going to do a pry bar with? Are you doing heavy demo? Are you doing just trim work? What are you doing around to need a pry bar? First off, I say, get a more general, uh, [00:23:00] Universal one. And then you can start getting into the specialty stuff, but really for the specialty stuff, going back to stiletto, they have a 12 inch titanium crowbar nail puller with dimple dimpler.

[00:23:12] Eric Goranson: It is just super cool for pulling nails, prying everything else. Now it's 64 bucks. But it is awesome for setting windows, door, modern priming, prying, scraping. It's got a 180 degree side nail puller, super easy to use. That's not a bad way to go. Now, there's another larger pry bar that I absolutely love.

[00:23:35] Eric Goranson: And they, this one's actually made by Crescent. And this is one of those where you look at it and go, Okay, I need a full pry bar for tearing out plywood. I want something that is going to be a serious tool. And so this is where I go, okay, this really makes life easier. And so this one's made again by Crescent tool.[00:24:00]

[00:24:00] Eric Goranson: And oh my gosh, I tell you what, having a good pry bar like this. is really awesome. And what's cool with this is that you can go through and adjust the head on it. And what this is, is this is their 30 inch indexing flat pry bar. So what's cool is that it's got a striking piece in the back for pulling up plywood and the claw kind of pry part of this It's got an indexing so you can actually twist it and index the head over so you can have change the angles of leverage for better access or leverage.

[00:24:34] Eric Goranson: So you can go 180 degrees. You can move that head in 15 positions and so you can strike it in the back of it with a hammer or mallet. It's meant for that for getting in between boards, dual material grip. It is super cool. And that is one of those tools that for demo day has been one of my absolute favorites.

[00:24:55] Eric Goranson: Now, price wise, these aren't too bad. Crescent is known for being a [00:25:00] more reasonable priced product than like the stiletto. Stiletto is cool, but the, this stuff here is really cool. This is literally a 30 pry bar and for demo day. It is absolutely amazing. And that's about what the price is over at, over at like home depot and those kinds of guys.

[00:25:16] Eric Goranson: So that's check your local tool store for that. But that is my favorite demo pry bar. As far as that goes for tackle on projects, that is super cool. So pry bar, but really get the one that's going to fit your project and what your level of work is going to be. Cause too big sometimes doesn't work and too little that'll handicap you as well on that next project.

[00:25:37] Eric Goranson: So that's a really good way to go. Now, the next one here is super important and it's a good shop style vacuum. That canister vac that goes in your shop. We all know the name shop vac, which is a trade name like Kleenex is for facial tissues. But my favorite one of this is just because it's cheap and you can get them on [00:26:00] sale and it's easy.

[00:26:01] Eric Goranson: And that is the, the rigid ones that you can get from Home Depot. And I like them for a couple reasons. One, they're easy to get stuff for. Cause I actually use, I actually use their bags and that's what's cool to keep things clean and it makes cleanup so much easier. So what I do is I will get the, the.

[00:26:25] Eric Goranson: The shop vac itself. And if you play your game, if you're looking to replace one down the road, take a look at the special buys, they'll sometimes get those out there, but basically anywhere in that 12 to 16 gallon, you can start getting kits of those. Where they've got a lot of the pieces with them, but if you get the right model, it will take a bag.

[00:26:45] Eric Goranson: And what's cool with that is there are so many different things you can do with these. You can clean gutters with them. They have gutter cleaning kits. They have all these different things you could do in the bag makes it, it's going to be super easy to clean out on the inside. So you pull the bag [00:27:00] out, throw it away.

[00:27:01] Eric Goranson: And so when you're doing sheet rock or using it as a dust collector, of course, the bag doesn't work for water, but for anything dry, it is a killer option right there. And it's a really good way to go. So that's one way to go. That's going to be a killer way and cleanup is great. And so, whether you have that accident, you need to pick up glass, or you're, uh, just cleaning up after demo day, have a great vacuum for cleaning out the car, the truck, or anywhere else outside, it is a good thing to have.

[00:27:31] Eric Goranson: And that's one thing I've learned, not to ever take my wife's good vacuum. And take that and clean up drywall dust with it. Cause I've ruined a few that way. And that got real expensive really quick. And not to say that I knew vacuuming around the house, but it was hers. Once I ruined it, it was mine. Once I bought it.

[00:27:49] Eric Goranson: So you need to know what I'm saying right there. We both clean up around the house equally, but it's one of those things that, uh, boy, got to be really careful with that. That's a quick way to ruin an expensive [00:28:00] vacuum is to be trying to clean up your home, prove and stuff for that. They're just not meant to do that.

[00:28:03] Eric Goranson: Okay. But, uh, you can get HEPA filters for them, which I think is really important when you're cleaning up around the house, and that's a great way to go for cleanup. So, take a look at that, and around the holidays and around some of the holidays, like Christmas, Labor Day, those are great holidays for when they sell those things, and that can be a super, uh, Killer buy that can save you some money.

[00:28:23] Eric Goranson: I've bought them for 50 percent off at times. Finding the right deal around the house. Be right back for more information about us head over to around the house online. com. We'll continue to talk about my top 10 tools you should have in your toolbox. It's the end of the show drinking down people. It's time to go.

[00:28:40] Eric Goranson: Welcome back to the round the house show. The next generation of home improvement. Thanks for joining me today. I hope you're having a great summer out there. Or we've had.[00:29:00]

[00:29:18] Eric Goranson: Everything out there from wildfires all over the West to hurricanes and flooding down in the South. It's been a rough week this week with everything going on. I tell you what, I was up visiting last weekend. Visiting where I grew up in the Tri Cities in Eastern Washington. All my friends over there that listened to this show on 610 KLNA.

[00:29:39] Eric Goranson: I was over in that country and it was hot. It was humid, which is uncharacteristically that way. And boy was, were they getting hit with the wildfire smoke? I woke up in my hotel room and went, wow. Okay. I can tell it's gonna be one of those days because it smelled like a campfire in my hotel room when I woke up in the morning.

[00:29:58] Eric Goranson: So that can tell [00:30:00] you, you look like a foggy day outside from all the wildfire smoke. And I know many of you in the West are dealing with that right now. And all of you down in Florida and the South that are dealing with flooding with all that stuff from all the hurricane, tropical storm stuff, tropical depression, all that stuff that we see hit.

[00:30:18] Eric Goranson: Mhm. That is stuff that does a lot of damage when they get parked out there. So my thoughts out to you guys as well, we've been talking about my top 10 tools you should have in your toolbox. And like I said earlier, none of this stuff is sponsored. These are just some of my favorites that get the most use around my house on the projects.

[00:30:35] Eric Goranson: Now there's a lot of things that aren't on this list, but these are some of the best ones that I see out there that I go, okay. This made life a lot easier versus just having hammer nail screwdriver level, that kind of stuff. I'm talking about my favorite stuff that gets used the most. If so, so far, we've been talking about, I had the fine multi tool, your oscillating tool, a good demolition claw hammer.

[00:30:58] Eric Goranson: And I've been talking about a Dewalt one that I [00:31:00] enjoyed that I use a lot. Uh, good circular saw, battery powered as mine, a sawzall or reciprocating saw, depending on the brand you're looking at, a great carpenter square we were just talking about, uh, that stiletto one, a little bit more than a hundred bucks, but I tell you what, you can buy it once and use it for the rest of your life if you take care of it, a good solid pry bar in the course, We were just talking about a great shop vac.

[00:31:25] Eric Goranson: I like the rigid ones just because of the parts availability, and they seem to be very durable and a great buy. So that's our list up till now. Now the next one here is super important. And I think this is the most basic stuff that people start with, and that is going to be a good solid drill and driver combo.

[00:31:47] Eric Goranson: Now, if you were going to start out. I almost say start out with the driver instead of the drill, because now they make drill bits that will fit into that, but it's really depending on what kind of projects you're doing for putting screws and [00:32:00] stuff in. I do the impact driver for that and really, when it comes down to it, I want you to pick out the highest power unit you could afford in the brand that you're using.

[00:32:12] Eric Goranson: If you can get something that's got the digital motor in it. That is more durable, something that's got the most torque. That is what you're looking for right there. The best you can do with the budget you're in, they will last. And there's a lot of great brands out there. So I don't want to just throw a brand at this, but really trying to find one and take a look at your local tool stars.

[00:32:35] Eric Goranson: Lot of times. And you can jump online, especially and brands will give you these fairly inexpensive because they want to get you sucked in. Like I saw a drill that was a Craftsman drill that I saw on Amazon that Craftsman was selling on Amazon for 60 something bucks and drilling a battery cheaper than we go to the home improvement store and buy the battery.

[00:32:57] Eric Goranson: They were basically given our way to get you sucked into that platform. [00:33:00] And he's something that's okay. And a side note here, I spent a lot of time doing four different drills here, testing them out to see what the best buy on Amazon was. For a hundred under a hundred dollar drill set. What can you get for under a hundred bucks?

[00:33:21] Eric Goranson: And you know something, when you started out getting those off brand ones, they were horrible. Now there were some that were really bad. There were some that were decent, but still. That craftsman was the best out of the four hands down. Now it was a little underpowered, but it was still in the same price point is those other knockoff brands.

[00:33:42] Eric Goranson: And you were getting a better unit with a name brand and had a tiny battery on it. So that was of course, kind of the, the crux of that, but it wasn't too bad, felt a little cheap, but for under a hundred dollars, that's what you're going to get. But take a look out there. There's some great [00:34:00] buys, whatever brand you like using, um, I just always recommend stay with the platform that you want to use.

[00:34:05] Eric Goranson: So it's not that big of deal. So stick around with that and get a good drill driver combo. And when in doubt, if you can find a battery charger for multiple batteries that has a quick charge feature. That is always a great way to go to save you time if you're tackling that big project. So next up here is an important one, and this is something that could be really safety conscious for you.

[00:34:31] Eric Goranson: And I want to make sure that we talk about this. It's not going to fit in your toolbox, but it is a high quality ladder. Now I'm talking about just going down and picking up something that's on the local sale rack. But I tell you what, getting a high quality ladder makes all the difference in the world.

[00:34:52] Eric Goranson: And I have one brand that I use a lot of, and I really enjoy it. And it's made by Little Giant Ladder [00:35:00] Systems. These guys are the king of multi use ladder systems. Now, you can have the highest quality ladder, and if you're dumb on it, you can still do something and get hurt. But really they have come up with really smart ladders for just about every situation So I like some of these one of my favorite is a good step ladder Little giant has one that's cool that they call the smart step.

[00:35:27] Eric Goranson: That's a good one. Take a look at there and There are just some that are designed for more painting There are ones that's the, like, they have one called the paint pro, but I tell you what, some of these are so amazing. I've got like the a force is a fiberglass model. They've got them in different sizes.

[00:35:46] Eric Goranson: But some of these are so great at how they lock and how they come apart And how they're used and how they twist around and you can do different things with them And those are things that I just [00:36:00] really really enjoy with some of these now There's all these different what I call multi position ladders and this gets you into The smart stuff.

[00:36:09] Eric Goranson: Now, what I like here is there is one here that I think is probably the smartest one. If you're going to be doing stuff around the house, it'll get you the most flexibility. Take a look at the little giant epic. This is a multi use ladder that does so many crazy, crazy things. It has safety rails, a pop out.

[00:36:32] Eric Goranson: So if you go get up on a roof, it gives you a confident transition to the roof. Yeah. They've got bars that come out that you can work around windows and other obstacles. They've got all these different accessory bundles. One of the cool things that I like about it is that it has these basically hanging hooks, a ladder rack.

[00:36:51] Eric Goranson: It has adjustable legs. So one leg, if you're on a hill, you can adjust it. You can literally put two people up on the ladder, one on each side of this, a [00:37:00] frame style ladder. So if you're working two people up on it, they have a lot of other accessories that go with these things, but I tell you what, this is absolutely killer.

[00:37:11] Eric Goranson: As far as being a safe ladder that can really keep you safe out there. So something that's got all those safety accessories can be really smart for that next project. So take a look at having a great ladder I mean I hurt myself on a ladder this last year just eight weeks ago fell off the ladder It was only three or four feet high knee collapsed ended up breaking fracture in my knee because I landed wrong it happens It happens to the best of us But having something safe is the key to all this and of course following all those safety rules to make sure so that's one there Now the last one here is an important one And there's always a great debate on what is the best tape measure, but have a great tape measure that you like to use.

[00:37:58] Eric Goranson: That is something that's comfortable in your [00:38:00] hand. That doesn't snap back and take your fingers off when you do it. Now, I really love the Crescent Lufkin series. With the black tape that to me is easy to read. I love it when I get out there and it is one of those things that I just absolutely love. So the, they've got a great barrier coating and I like the black tape cause it's just easier to read with the yellow on it.

[00:38:29] Eric Goranson: And so those things are basically rated to 120 foot drop test. They've got a great hook on the end. If you're doing metalwork, you can get them with a, they call this their night eye, but basically. You can get a magnet on the end if you're dealing with steel studs, or you want to be able to attach it to a corner bead, steel corner bead on a house wall that's older.

[00:38:49] Eric Goranson: There's a lot of things you can do with that. So you can get some great sizes on these, but they're great little tape measures. And they're about 28 bucks or so for those. But they're a great way to [00:39:00] go for a tape. Now I want to hear what your favorite tools are. So go ahead and send me a message. If you've got one that you just go, Oh my gosh, this is my favorite one.

[00:39:07] Eric Goranson: Head over to around the house, online. com. Send me a message. I'll respond back to you. I'd love to hear what you guys have out there. If there's something on the list that you think I should have on there. Maybe you'll end up in next week's show. So I'd love to hear that. All right, everybody have a great rest of the week.

[00:39:22] Eric Goranson: Thanks for tuning into around the house. We'll see you next Saturday or Wednesday on the podcast. Thanks for tuning in.