How many of these manly tools do you have in your garage?
Doing work has been a part of a man’s life going back to the hunter gatherer days. If Mr. Caveman didn’t catch a fish, build a house, or collect water, he didn’t live very long. Those tasks require the usage and mastery of tools. However, mankind isn’t banging sticks and stones together anymore to aid in the workplace. We’ve evolved… kind of.
Slickster Magazine lists five of the most manly tools out there.
Chainsaw
The chainsaw is one of the most dangerous hand tools available at retail home improvement stores. It is also one of the most useful and necessary tools that a man can wield. When a windstorm or heavy snowfall brings down trees in the street or front lawn, who gets the job done? The guy with a well oiled and sharpened chain saw, that’s who.
A chainsaw is motorized cutting tool that uses a high powered motor to rapidly rotate a chain with sharpened teeth around a bar. There are a few different types of chainsaws, and each one has it’s own unique purpose. For example, a chainsaw used for everyday tree cutting likely isn’t the best chainsaw for use when fighting structure fires.
Because chainsaws have such awesome power, they can also do a tremendous amount of damage and cause fatal injuries to the unprepared user. If you don’t know how to use a chainsaw, its best to get some advice and guidance from a trained, experienced sawyer (chainsaw pro). This combination of raw power and potential for destruction squarely makes the chainsaw in the top five list of most manly tools.
Jack hammer
A jack hammer, sometimes called a demo hammer, also makes the list of the most manly tools. Unless you work a full time job in construction, it’s not likely that you keep a jack hammer laying around your garage, but some guys may have one. These heavy duty smashing tools are used for demolition plain and simple. A common application is breaking apart concrete when rebuilding or remodeling a home.
What makes a jack hammer one of the most manly tools, is the sheer strentgh it takes to operate one of these bad mothers for any length of time. The continuous vibrations, impacts and hammering motion requires a strong upper body and excellent body mechanics.
Axe
Nothing, absolutely no tool, can ever come close to striking and splitting power of an axe. At least no un-powered tool, which is why the axe is one of the ultimate symbols of masculinity. One of the oldest tools, it has simple and elegant design; a metal or stone weighted head attached to a wooden or fiberglass handle. An axe is uncomplicated, and the number of tasks it can achieve are only limited by the user. We’re not saying you should try to install a window with an ax!
By it’s design, an axe is used for cutting. However, cutting can be precise, for example a surgeon uses a scalpel, but an axe also has a bludgeoning aspect to it as well. In other words, it breaks as it cuts. This is an important factor of an axe, because it allows a tremendous amount of force to be applied over a small area. Because of this fact axes have been used in combat as well as exploration.
Welder
No list of manly tools would be complete without some kind of welder. We’re not going to get drawn into the never-ending argument about which kind of welder is the best. There are many commercially available types of welders for all purposes. MIG, TIG, Stick… they each have their own place and value for whichever job you may need it for.
Welding works buy superheating metal with an exposed electrical arc, and isolating the molten pool of metal from oxygen sources. The end result (when done correctly) is two separate pieces of metal fastened together. Not all metals can be welded together. Steel is a common metal used for welding. The process of welding is extremely bright, effective and crucial to manufacture items used in everyday life. It can be dangerous if proper precautions are not followed. Welding can cause fires, throw sparks, and in extreme cases, cause electrocution.
Learning to fuse metal together could be considered a critical skill for anyone who claims to be man. If you think welding is on par with current fashion tips on the “man scale”, you have clearly landed on the wrong website and you should immediately go back and pour yourself a big ol’ glass of soy milk. No man’s workshop is complete without a welder loaded and ready to go when needed.
Hi-lift Jack
We make a lot of jokes about jacking off on Slickster Magazine, but this time we mean it. A hi-lift jack is an essential tool for every man to have. Common applications include moving vehicles, but really anything that needs to be lifted off the ground can be moved by a hi-lift jack. They come into play when a longer “throw” is needed and a shorter jack just can’t get the job done. In this case, size does matter… she’s lying to you when she says it doesn’t!
In addition to automobile and truck applications, hi-lift jacks are often used in construction projects. They can also be found just about anywhere men go to work, including fire trucks, heavy equipment, airports… you name it, and chances are pretty good you’ll find a hi-lift jack stashed somewhere near by.