The National Hardware Show got its start in New York as a showcase to supply builders during the post-World War II housing boom. Today, the exhibition draws a mix of established brands that would be familiar to most DIYers and smaller manufacturers that cater to contractors and homeowners. Sure, some gadgets can be downright goofy, but others can make life radically easier for DIYers.
Our National Hardware Show Top Picks
Here are our top picks for the newest tools and other clever products we’re looking forward to seeing in person at the show.
Rapid Rafter
The basic rafter square is a must for DIYers and pros alike, and the tool is nearly perfect in its simplicity—except when it comes to marking both sides of a rafter. As intuitive to use as a traditional tool, the Rapid Rafter is essentially a pair of squares hinged together and spaced far enough apart to straddle 2x lumber. Topped with a magnetic torpedo level, you can set the square once, then mark both sides of the board quickly and accurately. You can use the same functionality to mark two sides of a post simultaneously. When you don’t need to mark both sides of a board, the Rapid Rafter folds in on itself, so it won’t hog up space in your toolbox or belt.
$24; Amazon
Gear Hugger Rust Protection
A homeowner’s garage or shed is filled with tools from shovels to saw blades that are prone to rusting. Typical solutions work but can stink or be harmful to the environment. Enter the sprayable Gear Hugger Rust Protection that uses a proprietary blend of vegetable oils—soy, canola, and cacao butter—and additives to keep corrosion at bay with zero VOCs and minimal odor. Spray it onto a rusty surface, let it sit, then scrub the oxidation off with a stiff wire brush before applying another coat for protection. The spray also works as lubrication to free stuck nuts and bolts.
$13 for 11 ounce can; Gear Hugger
EcoFlow Delta Pro Ultra
Portable power stations are large enough now to reliably run vital circuits in an outage, offering homeowners a quieter, always-ready option to a gas-powered generator. The newest—and largest—version from EcoFlow is the 186-pound Delta Pro Ultra. This wheeled bundle of lithium-ion phosphate is capable of providing 6 watt-hours to run kitchen essentials, like a refrigerator, in an outage. But the beauty of this system is how easily it scales up: You can daisy-chain up to 15 of the batteries for 90,000 watt-hours that you can use to run an entire home in an outage. Supply the EcoFlow with juice by tapping into your electrical utility or pair the system with solar panels and go off the grid.
From $5,800; EcoFlow or Amazon
Koda Multi-Directional Shop Light
Lighting needs in a garage are usually an afterthought, which can hamper safety and productivity, especially if the space doubles as a shop. The Koda system solves all that using just a single outlet. Each 45 1/2-inch-long fixture has 8000 lumens of bright, multidirectional LED lighting—and each LED fixture can connect together so you can plug up to six into a typical outlet. Mount the fixtures to the ceiling or a wall, or suspend them from a chain. You can select between lighting modes, including ambient, which casts light above for a softer effect or turns on all the LEDs when you need maximum task lighting.
$100 for a two-pack; Amazon
Solo Stove Cinder
Fire pits continue to be a popular outdoor accessory and while Solo Stove makes an excellent full-size version, the Cinder is scaled down for your tabletop. The 6 x 4 ½-inch concrete cylinder burns a smokeless gel fuel—similar to what caterers use to keep food warm—to provide ambience, heat, and the chance to roast s’mores whether you’re short on outdoor space or just don’t want to go through the hassle of building a large fire. The heat-resistant base protects sensitive surfaces, like stone and wood.
$50; Solo Stove
MicroJig GRR-Ripper 2Go
We’ve been fans of the MicroJig for years, using it to make safe and accurate cuts on a table saw. The GRR-Ripper 2Go is everything we loved about the original, but easier to use. The system relies on a sticker you add to your saw’s tape measure. Once you adjust the fence, the saw’s marker aligns with a color-coded section on the sticker. Match that color to the sticker on the MicroJig and you’re always holding the tool in the proper orientation without using a measuring tape. You can make thin cuts down to 5/16-inch with confidence—and with much greater safety—than the standard push stick that came with your saw.
$35; Amazon