My Favorite Things- Matt

Well, well, well, Santa must have thought I was a good girl this year because lo and behold here is my brother’s list! I love my little brother and he is the oldest best friend I have ever had, 37 and a half years to be exact. And he is a very talented part-time carpenter/ full time IT guy who I think would be a great full-time carpenter…hint hint. Take it away Bubby.

Crap — I missed your deadline…

My Favorite Things

Not sure if I missed the mark on the topic, but here are a few of my favorite “big boy toys”:

Weber Grills: Genesis (gas) and One-Touch (charcoal): after selling these for years, I finally got my own Genesis grill in 2005 and One-Touch in 2010. If/when these wear out, I’ll likely replace them with the same. It’s more likely that they’ll be handed down to my kid(s) someday

Char-Broil Big Easy Infrared Turkey Fryer: found this gem last year when looking for an alternative way to cook a turkey without the mess of the oil. LOVE IT!

All-Clad Cookware: I got my first piece of All-Clad as a gift several years ago, and have slowly been replacing my Calphalon with All-Clad ever since!

Starrett measuring and marking tools: Sometimes, kind of accurate isn’t good enough. When you need precision down to the 64th of an inch, you want a Starrett.

JET table saws and lathes: I love the balance of quality and value appreciated with two of the most used pieces of power equipment in my shop.

Porter-Cable Routers: these guys wrote the book on routers. I got my first one about 5 years ago and will never own another brand of router again!

Skil worm-drive circular saws: while I have never owned a worm drive, I’ve spent many a job piloting one. If you’re framing, you need a worm drive.

Swanson Speed Square: another vital framing tool. Don’t lose the blue book that accompanies the square – it will be your bible!

Echo power equipment: this Lake Zurich, IL-based company makes the best outdoor power equipment I have had the pleasure of using. I own an Echo trimmer and a leaf blower and understand why you see them on every landscaper’s truck

John Deere Riding mowers: do I really need to explain this one? I mean, if you’re committed to cutting a large parcel of grass, you want to be sitting on the yellow and driving green!

Thanks for the great list, Matt!