Kristie Pryor

I have been fixing cars in my home garage for over 15 years, and I have watched the tool market shift dramatically. Premium brand prices keep climbing, while quality from mid-tier brands keeps getting better. GearWrench sits right in that sweet spot, and after testing eight different sets across my own vehicles and projects, I … Read more

Last winter I spent three weekends clearing storm damage on my property after a microburst knocked down six oaks, each well over 24 inches in diameter. My electric saw died at the 16-inch mark on the first trunk. That was the day I learned what separates a homeowner-grade tool from the best gas powered chainsaws … Read more

I burned through 11 caps testing budget hat presses before I found one that actually kept designs from peeling off after a wash. That’s the frustrating reality of shopping for the best heat press machines for hats – most machines look identical on paper, but the difference between a $99 disappointment and a professional-grade cap … Read more

I bought my first heat shrink tubing kit about eight years ago when a corroded trailer wire left me stranded on a fishing trip. That cheap 2:1 ratio tubing cracked within a season, and I have spent the years since testing nearly every major kit on the market. Our team has soldered, crimped, and sealed … Read more

A hand crank charger is a portable device that generates electricity through manual cranking, converting mechanical energy into electrical power to keep your phone and small electronics alive when the grid goes dark. After spending three weeks testing eight emergency hand crank chargers during a planned power-off drill at our off-grid cabin, I learned exactly … Read more

When the power goes out and your well pump stops working, you lose running water for drinking, bathing, cooking, and flushing toilets. That’s not a minor inconvenience. For homes on private wells, a reliable backup generator for well pump operation is as essential as the pump itself. I spent six weeks testing ten of the … Read more

I have spent the last decade testing generators on real job sites, from single-family remodels in the Pacific Northwest to large commercial builds across the Southwest. After logging over 400 hours of runtime across more than 30 different models, I can tell you that finding the best generators for construction sites independent contractors can rely … Read more

I spent three months testing portable generators on a 24-foot center console and a 32-foot sailboat to find out which models really earn the title of best generators for boat. Between running air conditioning on a calm afternoon and keeping electronics alive overnight at anchor, I learned that a quiet, fuel-efficient inverter makes the difference … Read more

Last February, a freezing storm knocked out power across our county for nine straight days. My neighbor’s pipes burst, his basement flooded, and his family moved into a hotel. I sat in my living room with lights, heat, and a full fridge because I’d installed a Generac standby generator the fall before. That experience changed … Read more

Your house numbers are the smallest detail on your facade and somehow the loudest. After testing 10 different sets across three months on real homes, our team found that the best decorative house numbers do two jobs at once: they tell guests and emergency services exactly where to go, and they quietly set the tone … Read more