Kristie Pryor

I have used a wood-burning fireplace for the past eight winters, and I have tested more than a dozen tool sets in that time. The truth is, most budget sets fail within a single season. The tongs bend, the brush sheds bristles, and the base tips over the moment you grab the poker. After losing … Read more

Last winter, our family room fireplace became the heart of our home. We burned through three cords of oak, hosted a dozen game nights, and learned the hard way that cheap fireplace tools can turn a cozy evening into a frustrating chore. After our second flimsy tongs snapped mid-fire, I ordered the best fireplace tool … Read more

When I first started building my outdoor kit, I underestimated how much difference a quality fixed blade knife makes. After spending a weekend trying to baton firewood with a flimsy folder, I picked up my first full-tang fixed blade, and I’ve never looked back. A fixed blade knife is a non-folding blade that’s permanently attached … Read more

I spent three months grinding roughly 50 pounds of beans through eight different flat burr grinders on my kitchen counter. My mornings started with shot-pulls, my afternoons ran pour-overs, and my evenings ended with French press experiments. The flat burr coffee grinder category has exploded since I started reviewing them, and choosing between a $160 … Read more

When the power goes out during a summer thunderstorm, your sump pump stops working and your basement can fill with water in under an hour. I learned this the hard way when a 2024 nor’easter knocked out our grid for nine hours. After wading through three inches of waterlogged carpet, I started researching the best … Read more

I have been on a months-long hunt for the best hydrogen water generator machines because I got tired of buying bottled alkaline water that tasted like chemicals and cost a small fortune. After testing eight machines at home, in my gym bag, and at my desk, I learned something important: not every hydrogen water generator … Read more

When a car comes into your shop with a fresh paint job, primer, or body filler, waiting hours for air-drying kills your throughput. I spent six weeks testing heat lamps in our two-bay collision repair facility, running each unit through spot repair cycles, full panel cures, and high-volume primer flashes. After burning through 47 cure … Read more

I still remember the Saturday morning a 60-foot oak came down across my driveway after a summer storm. My electric saw died halfway through the first cut, and I spent three hours wrestling it before caving and driving to the rental yard. That afternoon cost me $89, a tank of gas, and most of my … Read more

Looking for the best gas chainsaws for firewood to handle your woodpile this season? After testing dozens of saws in our workshop and consulting our firewood-cutting friends, we narrowed down the top 8 models that actually deliver clean cuts without draining your wallet. Whether you’re stacking wood for a wood stove, prepping for a cold … Read more

I still remember the first time I tried to swap a radiator hose with a pair of regular needle-nose pliers. The spring clamp snapped back, my knuckles hit the fan shroud, and I spent the next hour cussing in my driveway. That single afternoon taught me that hose clamp tool kits are not optional. After … Read more