If you have someone on your list who likes to get their hands dirty in the yard with building and landscaping projects, you might be wondering what they would want for Christmas that they might not splurge on themselves: Here’s some of my favorite tools for weekend warriors from beginners to master-level.

Battery-powered lawn tools

For those who want to enter the battery-powered lawn equipment age, there are a few tool sets that can be very useful.

• The Ryobi Trimmer 3 tool kit comes with a trimmer/edger, hedge trimmer, leaf blower, two 18 volt batteries, and a charger. This kit can tackle trimming tasks with ease and the blower can help you clean up. The two batteries make it more functional because you can charge one while you’re using the other. These batteries are also compatible with other tools in the Ryobi One system, making them a great gift for someone who already has some compatible tools.

• A mower and maintenance kit from Greenworks comes with a 20-inch mower, a string trimmer, a hedge trimmer, a leaf blower, a 10-inch chainsaw, two regular 24-volt batteries, one rapid-charging 24-volt battery, and two chargers with room for all three batteries. This is the ultimate lawn care package, and it’s a deal at $699.99. The drawback to this battery system is that it isn’t compatible with other types of tools you might want for shop use, so if you’re building a dual collection, this might not work out.

• For more precise cuts and sculpting shrubs, the Makita grass shearing and hedge trimming tool makes a great gift. It’s compact and more affordable than the big kits at $89.99.

Hand-operated landscaping tools

Some DIY landscapers tend to be more traditional in their approach—they might want hand-operated tools for trimming and planting. Here are some of the coolest tools you can gift that don’t need a power source.

• The Fiskars Billhook/Machete saw is a versatile trimming tool that will help you get through any job from a battling thicket down to a small pruning job. Its curved design allows for trimming without as much splintering, and the tool’s double edge with one serrated side will adapt for multiple cutting projects. Anyone who loves to prune or is just a saw enthusiast in general will want this tool.

• Grandpa’s Garden Hook is a versatile tool that can be used for weeding, planting, edging, and all kinds of small digging you might need to do. The shape of the handle gives you extra leverage and can save your wrists when doing garden chores.

• For fencing, your favorite weekend warrior might already have a post hole digger, but do they have a post level? Irwin makes a level that you can read on two sides. It’s magnetic and it will tell you if your fence posts or any other post you want to put in, are straight up and down.

Tools for weeding

Making weeding easier is a gift that’s sure to be appreciated:

• The Zimchado sickle and hollow hoe kit comes with a pair of heavy-duty gloves as well. These sharp weeding tools will cut through some pretty serious weeds quickly and efficiently.

• To get stubborn weeds out of crevices, any gardener who likes a neat pathway will be glad to have a crevice weed cutting tool from Grebstk. This tool has a right-angle shape with a smooth blade on the inside edge and a serrated blade on the outer edge for larger, tougher weeds.

• For weeding and edging between garden beds and grass, this long-handled edging tool can save you time and effort. The long handle allows you to stand up while you work and apply more leverage to the blade, and the shape of the cutting edge makes it good for shaping grass borders.

Safety gear

Safety gear in for outdoor projects is just as important as it is for shop projects, so if you buy your favorite outdoors craftsperson some new tools for the holidays, you can include some safety gear as stocking stuffers

• For using chainsaws and other tools that can fling material at you at high velocity, you need to protect your eyes, ears, and face. The face protection equipment kit from Forester has you covered.

• A good, heavy duty pair of cut-resistant gloves is a must for battling brush and wielding bladed tools. These chainsaw work gloves from VGO are designed to help minimize the damage from blade strikes—even from a chainsaw.

• If you’re doing any major brush clearing where debris from trimmers will be flung toward your legs, you should have some protection at shin height. Brush Gaiters from Forester will protect you from thorns and debris, all while helping to keep clippings out of your boots.

Source: LifeHacker – The Best Tool Gifts for Landscaping and Garden Enthusiasts

Whether you want to handle your own home renovation, or maybe just spruce up a room with a new coat of paint, you’ve probably heard that any project should be approached with a “safety first” mindset, but do you really know how to avoid the leading causes of serious injuries DIYers experience while they’re working on projects?

Here’s a breakdown of the most common ways people hurt themselves while conducting home maintenance or carrying out their own renovations—and how to prevent them.

Good safety practices, explained

In Occupational Safety and Health Administration workplace safety (training known as OSHA 10-30), it’s taught that “hazard elimination” is the best rule of thumb for avoid injury. That is to say, anything dangerous that doesn’t need to be there should be removed, and any potentially dangerous steps you don’t need to take should be avoided.

Although OSHA training is aimed at workplace safety, a lot can be gleaned from this approach, even by the average home improvement DIY enthusiast. The tiered approach progresses as follows:

1. Hazard elimination

2. Hazard mitigation

3. Personal Protective Equipment

The basic line of reasoning is that first and foremost, hazards should be avoided. If they can’t be avoided, they should be mitigated with injury prevention methods. Finally, personal protective equipment should be used at all times, and to serve as a last line of defense. Taken together, these tips constitute the most solid advice anyone considering their own home improvement projects will get about carrying out that work safety. Taking the time to think through possible dangers and plan to eliminate, mitigate, and protect against them will save you from most trips to the emergency room.

Falls

Falls are the second leading cause of accidental death for people in the community, after poisoning and overdoses. While a significant number of these injuries are to adults over the age of 65, of the rest, slippery or obstructed floors are mostly to blame. Keeping your extension cords wrangled and wiping up spills as you go, to avoid creating slippery conditions, can help to prevent many trip and fall injuries in your home shop.

Ladder accidents

An addendum to the earlier item, falls from ladders account for 81% of fall injuries, so ladder safety is of crucial importance. To avoid being injured when using a ladder, the first step is to not get on one unless you absolutely need to. In some cases, using an extension pole or other device might work better than climbing a ladder to complete your task.

If you do need to climb, make a plan to get your tools and materials safely where you need them to be, rather than risking making too many trips up and down the ladder or carrying too much at once; this will reduce your risk of falling immensely. Make sure you’re using a ladder that’s the right size for what you’re doing—i.e., not standing on the top two steps of a ladder, not leaning too far to either side of a ladder, and not setting up an extension ladder with less than a 75 degree angle (or one foot out from the wall for every four feet up your ladder goes). These safety considerations will all help reduce your risk of a fall.

Saws and blades

Injuries from cutting tools like saws and knives result in thousands of emergency room visits every year. Table saws are responsible for a high percentage of these, injuring around 33,000 people annually. Dull knives, dull saws, and unprotected blades are also major contributors to “contact with blade” injuries. If you use a table saw, you might consider investing in a SawStop that, when used correctly, cuts the risk of these injuries to almost zero (yes, I said “cuts). While these machines are pricey, starting at around $3,600, they’re far cheaper than finger reattachment.

As with other causes of injury, good planning and a heavy dose of common sense can also help you mitigate risk of blade injuries. Set up saws on stable work surfaces, use manufacturer provided guards, and sharpen your tools regularly to help reduce your risk of injuring yourself. Also, wearing work gloves and other personal protective equipment while operating tools with blades is a must.

Eye injuries

DIY-related eye injuries are a big cause of visits to the ER. The majority of eye injuries result from falls, so see above regarding ladder and fall safety to avoid them. Other eye injuries connected to DIY projects include getting objects in the eye like splinters, dust, or other debris. This can be mostly avoided by wearing appropriate safety glasses, but sweeping up as you go, using a shop vac to keep dust to a minimum, and choosing tools with guards and bags to mitigate debris are also good ways to reduce your risk.

Burn injuries

While injuries from burns cause only about .4% of hospital visits, that’s still thousands of people a year being treated for mostly preventable injuries. Burns can be caused by accidental fires in the home, and that can include the home shop. Flammable liquids like spray paint, adhesives, and oils should be kept in proper storage containers, and heat sources should always be closely monitored. Also, unexpected chemical reactions like those from oil based stains or cement can cause burns as well. Always dry rags from staining in a well-ventilated area, and never leave them unattended until they’re totally dry. Avoid direct skin contact with uncured cement, using gloves and long sleeves to protect your skin.

Source: LifeHacker – The Most Common DIY Injuries and How to Prevent Them

Awards aren’t everything, true, but keeping an eye on the big film prizes of the year can open our eyes to movies that we might have missed out on—while we’re debating which of the big box office blockbusters actually deserve to win awards. This year’s Gotham Independent Film Awards were held at the end of November, and they’re typically seen as the kick-off to an awards season that ends with the big finale that is the Academy Awards ceremony, to be held on Mar. 10 of 2024.

If you’re the type of movie dork who likes to have seen as many Oscar nominees as possible by the time those ceremonies come around (don’t worry: You’re among friends here), consider this list an early set of predictions. If you’re just looking for reminders of some of the year’s best, or at least most interesting, movies, look no further.

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