D
igital devices can
be cranky and frail,
and it’s right to won-
der whether adding
digital features
to hand tools is ill-
advised. But we’ll admit,
this trio has won us over.
Consider the (24) Empire
em105.9 ($70). Its back-
lit screen reads level with
a horizontal line, and
arrows tell you which
end of the level to move
and in which direc-
tion. It expresses slope
as degrees, tenths of a
degree, percentage of
slope, or a ratio such as
a quarter of an inch of rise
per horizontal foot (or
r u n , a s i t ’s k n o w n). T h a t ’s
a lot of capability in a
tool that is only 9 inches
long and about 2 inches
wide. And it has three
powerful magnets that
help it cling to pipe, con-
duit, or metal strut.
Then there’s this angle-
reading orange cube, the
(25)Klein 935DAG ($30).
It’s small enough to tuck
into a tool bag or a pocket,
and we found it useful
for measuring the slope
of our mower test areas.
That tiny size (about
2.25-inches long and wide
and 1 inch thick) makes it
easy to use in tight spots. A
zeroing function finds the
angle from one surface to
another, while a Hold but-
ton locks the reading.
The (26) Flir C3 ($700)
is a power tool in its own
diagnostic way. We use
it here during our test-
ing of everything from
appliances to workwear.
Why? Taking a thermal
image can reveal poten-
tially useful info about
the mechanical or electri-
cal health of a machine or
show you whether a gar-
ment leaks heat. If the
Flir’s screen indicates a
particularly hot or cold
spot where it doesn’t
belong, take that as a sign
that something could be
amiss and check it out.
BEST
TORPEDO
LEVEL
BEST
ANGLE
READER
BEST THERMAL
CAMERA
24
26
25
March/April 2020 65
