Gadget Guru
BARRY DAVERIDGE, HULL
Guru handles a selection of not-at-all-creepy questions this month, with tips on stalking, how to buy the right ‘tools’ for the job, and ways to shave human hair. Hmm…
AIt’s well known at Guru Towers that if you need a DIY job doing, you come straight to GaGu because Guru’s phone has the number for the local handyman! All jokes aside, Guru will now reveal the sum of his secret DIY knowledge, on the proviso that you don’t tell Mrs Guru that your gadget master has been near a power tool.
Taking the absolute essentials first, you need to get yourself a combi drill, something equally suitable for driving screws or hammering through concrete, and preferably one that boasts a hefty amount of torque and a decent rechargeable battery. The Metabo SB18LTX (£290) tops out at a rather silly 110Nm of torque and can hammer at 32,300 impacts per minute. Yes it leans towards the top end of the average home driller’s price range, but it’s pretty damn cool.
You’ll also need a decent hammer. The Craftsman Autohammer with Articulating Head and Nextec Quickboost (£190) drives in nails at 0, 45 and 90 degrees without so much as a swing of the wrist, although rare is the occasion that it will be more useful in a corner than a manual claw hammer. Remember: the longer the hammer, the kinder it’ll be to your wrist.
Rounding out the burrowing, hitting and cutting triumvirate is a good saw. Look for a reciprocating saw that can do a stack of different jobs. Makita’s 18V battery-powered DJR185Z should do the trick. It retails at a slightly walletstraining £144, but you’ll find it for less if you spend some time looking online.
Don’t forget to then stock up on all manner of manual tools, drill bits, saw blades, nails and screws of every conceivable size, and stuff the lot into a badass toolbox. The Vaunt 12013 Aluminium Tool Case (£30) will handle the job nicely for you. Once your bits are safe inside, cover the case with stickers and find somewhere to hide it.
And hey, Guru is not responsible for the loss of any digits, particularly at the hands of one’s spouse!
“Guru will now reveal his DIY knowledg e, but don’t tell Mrs Guru th at this gadg et mast er has been near a tool”