The wet noodle is definitely a winner. To save some money on this and other things --

Take a magnet to the hardware store and investigate bead chain. I have three different sizes of bead chain that I can nab with a magnet. Get something to put on the end of the chain to make it harder to drop the chain into the hole.

Goop. The all-purpose glue.

Take a small bar magnet and Goop it onto the end of a length of the aluminum ground wire that comes with some DSS installation kits. Voila -- Wet Noodle Retriever, although uninsulated.

The Grabbit is $64.95 for an 8 ft one. At Home Despot, in the lighting department, there is a yellow three-piece pole that extends to 12 ft for about $16. Its end is threaded a la paint roller handle. You can make an end for it with T-bar hanging wire. Total cost around $18.

As for the Hook-zit and Grab-zit, I find the T-bar wire is better, because the T-bar wire will bend when I am trying to push or pull too hard. The Zit ends are made of a somewhat brittle steel and the ones I had just broke. Bent is better than broke.

Stanley makes a hand hole-saw handle that sells for around $9. It comes with a piece of trash blade; it nmight be good for trimming your balsa wood. However, EVERY Saw-zall blade will fit into it. I often find blades on sites that have become too dull for the Saw-zall's rapid motorized action, and have gone on to cut holes for at least ten pairs of rectangular inwalls. These blades are not cheap, so it is nice that slightly dull blades work well when wielded by hand. I apparently use this handle carefully: I bought two of them for new installers, who broke them by the end of the first day. Mine is a year old.

Believe it or not, if you're going to be doing a lot of retro-fit, my favs are: coat hanger, labor saving devices creepzit(fish rods), a 3" x 5" mirror, a mini mag lite, and a leatherman multi tool.

Ernie,

Thanks for the $$$ savers.

Well, Brent, you're welcome. I'm good but I'm cheap. Wait, I mean I don't spend a lot of money. Let nobody say I don't charge a lot of money.

My theories have been, ever since I worked at a place where the machine shop was a Craftsman drill press:

Do not let the intended use for a device stand in your way.
Always let everybody's safety stand in your way instead.
Take a design with parts list to the hardware/parts/whatever store. When they do not have the crucial part, stand there in the aisle and redesign it.

I use the inner fibre glass rod of optical fibre cable as a draw wire. Now if you see anyone at the side of the road splicing Fibre cable ask them for a scrap piece and strip it down, cheaper than those pull rods you buy, and there great for going up walls too.
They genrally have a centre Glass fibre rod and a PVC coating on this the larger the fibre count the larger the centre core eg a 312F cable the center core is about 1/4" dia, buy just keep an eye out.
Be warned though if you get the fibre given to you take care in removing the glass fibres as they can break easy and get absorbed into the skin and dispose of it safely, also if it is covered in Gel do it on a cold day because you do noy want to get sweaty doing it.

tony,
now why spark the flames on this board? but, gerber is better because of the flick to open, impresses the chicks.

all great answers......try this one....www.partsexpress.com..request free catalog...lots of goodies

DeWalt rules!! My 12V DeWalt (the top of the line one with the rubber gribs) walked out of the shop and was never heard from again (Bastards). So my friend told me to get a Makita 14.4 cause it was smaller and lighter and just as good. What a crock of crap. I took it back in less than a week and got a 14.4 DeWalt. My garage is slowly getting yellower and yellower!! Also, the number system is how most industrial wiring is done. I spent several years working in various TV studios and production vans and every single wire is labeled with a #. Can't get by without a tracer set either, I have a fox & hound, but there's other ones out there that are better.

Does anyone sell Labor $aving tools at a better price than MCM Electronics does?
Thanks!
=Tom

Check out Parts Express

I ahve alot of the tools mentioned above, i.e. glowrods, chains, toners, etc. and even a grabzit ( which I've only used a few times but well worth the investment ). The one thing I did not have for the longest was a simple mirror, as mentioned above. During installations I'd often think " I need a mirror " but would never remember to get one when I was out. When I finally did I think it's a great time saver and I use it more now than ever expected. Great for looking behind gear or up walls. Be sure to get a telescopic one. Found mine at the local automotive store.
As for DeWalt, don't buy the 18v hammer drill. I've gone through 4 in the past 9 months. The gears strip. From what I've seen and heard, the 14xr is the way to go.

If I may respond, the newer DeWalts, with the 3-speed transmissions, have all-metal geartrains. My own DeWalt hammer-drill is the 24-volt model (as are my reciprocating and 6.5" circular saws, all of which use the same battery.) For real concrete work, I have a Bosch SDS-Max rotary hammer.

To give an example of the difference between a hammer-drill and a rotary hammer, a friend who owns a car repair shop recently bought a new car lift. It took him an entire day and three bits to drill two 3/4" holes in the floor for concrete anchors. It took me less than 5 minutes to drill the other six!

Larry
www.fineelectricco.com

Larry,
I have the new 18v. with the 3 speed transmission, in fact this is the second one I've owned. It being the 4th 18v in all. Sounds like abuse? Negative, I'm very careful with my tools mechanically and cosmetically. I can't stand junky looking tools or anything else for that matter. In fact I still have a 12v from 2 years ago that works great. My conclusion is there is some type of defect with the integration of the hammer drill into this model. The reason I still have it is because each time Home Depot exchanges it for me and won't let me swap it for a different model. And I believe now the 18xr only comes with hammer drill.
That's my 2 cents.

Just came across this thread. I love my 14.4v Dewalts. One of the reasons I picked them was the fact that I can use the same batteries for my hammer drill and my right angle drill. All the other cordless right angle drills were less power 12 or 9v, or jumped up to the Milwaukee 24v. It's hard enough to hang off a 40 ft. ladder with a 14.4 drill to hang a dish, I would not want to try it with the monster Milwaukee!

www.jensentools.com