Tool News Nirvana – Irwin Launches Spanish Site, DEWALT Releases a New Stand, PORTER-CABLE’s New Infrared Thermometers, and Prizes from MyFixItUpLife & Us!

Hold onto your hats, ladies and gentlemen! It’s another Tool News Nirvana and we have some great information for you! (It’s also getting colder outside, so those hats are coming in more and more handy this time of year.) In today’s edition, we have news of a new website from Irwin, new offerings from DEWALT and PORTER-CABLE, a free shipping coupon code from Ohio Power Tool and information about how you can win great prizes from My Fix It Up Life and yours truly, HomeFixated.  Let’s get on with it, shall we?

Muy Bien: Irwin Launches a Spanish Website and Customer Support Line
My grandfather (or Pepe as we called him) is Spanish, but unfortunately, my grasp of the language is limited to Speedy Gonzales catchphrases, La Bamba lyrics, and Taco Bell menu items. Yup, I suck. The same cannot be said of the good people at Irwin; they just became the first U.S. tool manufacturer to launch a domestic Spanish-language website and customer support center. It makes sense – recent statistics show that one in every four construction workers in the United States is Hispanic – a stat that industry forecasters expect will keep growing. Catering to the Spanish-speaking market sounds like a smart move for the industry, and one we’ve seen from other brands, too. As we reported earlier this year, Makita has been targeting this demographic through sponsorship of soccer teams and the introduction of the universally-appreciated booth babe, Señorita Makita. ¡Ándele! ¡Ándele! Ugh. Sorry, Pepe.

DEWALT Unveils a New Rolling Miter and Planer Stand
 In a moment of brilliance (see: laziness, stupidity), I once used an ironing board as my work surface to cut a few boards. I won’t go into the details of the story but will skip right to the moral: Don’t do that. Instead, consider the latest from DEWALT: The DWX726 Rolling Miter Saw/Planer Stand. Made of tubular steel and adjustable to three different positions, it’s actually designed for supporting a saw (up to 300 lbs.) and safely performing home renovation and construction tasks – as opposed to what I used, which was made to assist in taking creases out of silk blouses. The DWK726 weighs a manageable 67 pounds, the stand is 98-inches long and 32.5 inches wide when it is unfolded. To save space, the unit folds vertically and measures only 59.5 inches by 17 inches. And one last number for you: It’ll only set your back $199 at Home Depot.

New! PORTER-CABLE® Infrared Thermometers (Not To Be Used Rectally)
With winter now in full swing, you may be more likely to get a cold … a cold house, that is! Drafts and areas with weak insulation are often the culprit – but do you know how to detect those spots in your home? Porter-Cable‘s new Infrared Thermometers can detect air leaks around your house with just the press of a button. The thermometer gun features a unique temperature indicator beam that changes color to show temperature differences as you run the thermometer’s beam along a surface. It also has an easy-to-read LCD display screen with ten memory settings for temperature recording – which is perfect for HVAC and energy specialists doing a large job. But talk is cheap, so let’s see just what this nifty gadget can do, shall we?

There are two styles available; the PCC581B which is compatible with 18V PORTER-CABLE Lithium Ion or NiCd batteries and retails for just under $50, and the PCC582B which uses a standard 9V alkaline battery and goes for $65.

Prize Time: Get Fixed Up By MyFixItUpLife.com
One of our favorite DIY websites is Mark and Theresa’s MyFixItUpLife.com. They’ve taken their passion for fixing, renovating and decorating their own home to great heights, including attending tool industry conferences, participating on Extreme Makeover, and hosting Podcasts with fellow handy skill nuts and DIY personalities (including HomeFixated’s own Marc Lyman!). And here’s one more great reason to love their site: they’re giving away a huge prize pack! From now until January 13, 2012, you can enter into a draw for a Rockwell Jawhorse, a Rockwell Cordless Drill/Rotary Hammer and a Worx Chainsaw! You can see all these tools in action in this video where they’re used to create a very cool and rustic wooden reindeer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwGSEuhguEI

Tres neato. Both Americans and Canadians are eligible for this prize, so have at ‘er!

HomeFixated’s Giveaway: A SKIL Prize Pack!

My Fix It Up Life isn’t the only DIY website that’s in a giving mood! This month’s prize on HomeFixated is compliments of our sponsor, SKIL. All you need to do is leave a non-spammy comment (preferably one with a dash of clever or insight!) on any HomeFixated blog post or sign up for our newsletter this month and you’ll be automatically entered to win. And what’s up for grabs? Not one, not two, but three awesome SKIL tools: a  Skil iLevel Laser, a Skil 2.0 Amp Oscillating Multi-Tasker, and a  Skil Lithium Ion Power Cutter. Those are some mad SKILs, yo!

Free Shipping with Ohio Power Tool
We mentioned this in our last Tool News Nirvana, but want to remind you all that the FREE SHIPPING (eee!) promo is still on with Ohio Power Tool. When you purchase from their Bosch Tools and / or Milwaukee Tools offerings, the shipping is on them. Use the coupon code “HOLIDAYS” when shopping online or mention it when you call 800-242-4424. Free UPS Ground service is limited to 75 lbs or less items, minimum of $99 orders and only within the 48 states.