Shown above is one of my favorite cordless drill/drivers, the Dewalt DCD791, which I ranked as the best 18V compact cordless drill, of 2016.
Jerry wrote in recently:
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Hello, love the site. I have been using it since late 2015 early 2016 and I was wondering – have the guides just stopped? I don’t see a 2017 drop down or really no updates to it all. I was hoping you will start expanding on these.
If you look at our tool buying guides category, or the items in our drop-down top menu, there hasn’t been a lot of new stuff in recent years.
My quick response:
Thanks! I’m working on it! It’ll take some time, though. Did you have a particular category or type of tool you would like to see updated or added sooner?
Some of our long-time readers might have noticed changes in ToolGuyd content in recent years. I had avoided talking about things, knowing there would be a time and place. I suppose now’s a good time.
Back in 2014, we had our first child. Before he was born, I had debated about what to do – find a job at a lab or research facility with in-house childcare, or stay home myself. At the time, I had rarely looked at job postings, let alone applied to them, but it was something I considered.
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We were also looking for a house, and I at times considered whether we should look near areas I potentially wanted to work.
Since I was already working from home, I figured I could easily care for my son. Daycare? It could wait.
Things were pretty easy at first, but got really hectic towards the end of the first winter holiday season, and I sought help. That’s when Ben joined. You can see his posts here, and also sprinkled throughout the past 3 years of ToolGuyd.
Not a lot changed after my son was born. I lost time during the day, but had plenty of time to work when my son napped, and also in the evenings, nights, and often early mornings. Weekends too.
Then we bought a house. My son was around 20 months old. There was more to do, he was more active, and my wife was pregnant with baby number two. I lost evenings and weekends, since my wife couldn’t easily lift or keep up with our son.
My son started daycare (nursery school?) after my daughter was born. That relaxed my schedule a little bit, but things got even more complex, and I never quite adjusted to the timing difference.
There was no way to accommodate everything I needed or wanted to do. Not on ToolGuyd, not in the house, not with personal projects.
My son was doing great at the daycare and loved it.
I calculated that things changed around 18-20 months. That’s when my son needed more than I could realistically provide. More attention, more activities, and more social interactions than can be provided at his once a week kiddie gym class.
Younger than 18 months, and my daughter would have been placed in the baby class. More than not liking the idea of that, I would have missed out on too much.
And so I had determined that I would stay home with her until she was at least a year and a half old. She just started daycare/nursery school.
I had continued to test tools, and worked on smaller projects or larger projects over a much longer period of time.
But full-photo reviews? It became a lot harder to do these than I had anticipated. I had all the testing done, impressions formed, and experience ready to base recommendations and conclusions off of, and so I decided on quicker reviews, in order to keep things moving forward.
Writing up tool guides is also very time consuming to do.
Longer format posts kept getting pushed further and further down my to-do list.
Meanwhile, my email response time skyrocketed. There are many emails that I read and intended to respond to or act upon, but I just couldn’t.
There’s something awfully depressing about only having the ability to do part of what needs to be done. There was just no way to catch up, despite my best efforts and intentions.
It’s like having 1 hour to do a 4 hour job. Or 1 hour and having to choose which of several 1 hour jobs you tackle and which you don’t.
Ben was and continues to be awesome. He has definitely made things easier on me, in many ways. But I couldn’t scrape my entire plate of work onto his or anyone else’s plate.
I plodded on with two things in mind. First, I knew that eventually my daughter would be in nursery school and that I would regain working days. Second, I had believed that I was only compromising on behind the scenes things, such as emails. That was probably just me lying to myself.
I have given myself until the end of February to get myself ready.
No, things will never quite be the same as they were. Having kids and owning a house means there’s a lot more I need to do and want to do. Back in 2013, I could work 12-16 hours a day. Now? Nope.
But I’m more mature now, and I think that with better structuring, planning, and organizational skills, I can make things better.
I have always had a vision for what I wanted ToolGuyd to be, and what I wanted to do, and despite having more responsibilities and obligations, I have never been in a better position to work towards that vision.
As mentioned, I am still working on “stuff” right now. I’m getting the house into the shape I want it, I’m shaping my workspaces into productive environments, and I’m planning things out for optimal execution.
I’m working on more tool guides, and have testing completed for several of them. I’m working on new full-photo reviews, and I’m planning out a project schedule.
It will take me some time to catch up on my backlog, but I am also pushing forward, rather than adding to the backlog any further.
I will be incredibly busy these next couple of months, and I love it. Being busy is good. It was always being rushed and short on time that stressed me, and it probably would have broken me too, if I had not constantly reminded myself about the light at the end of the tunnel.
I would not change anything about the past few years. Well, maybe I would have started my son at nursery school a few months sooner (he started when he was 2). But then again, I really enjoyed that time with him.
Maybe I could or should have reduced my posting schedule to 3 per week, instead of 1-2 per day. But there was so much to say, and so much I wasn’t able to budget time for, that I might not have been happy with that, either.
The denial probably hurt, where I kept convincing myself that I was keeping the public-facing side of ToolGuyd intact, despite what was happening behind the scenes.
But I would absolutely have still stayed home with my kids. I have zero regrets there. It was amazing, and the joy irreplaceable. Someone had told me early on that my kids will be young once. So how could I have given up the opportunity to so closely watch and help them grow from newborns to toddlers?
I knew it would be hard, but only in hindsight do I see how truly hard it was on me.
In other words, I have good reasons for why certain reviews lack photos and why I haven’t updated older guides or created new ones.
I have so many ambitions for these next few months, and so many things I really look forward to working on.
More guides? You got it! I have more than a few in the works and am open to requests and suggestions!
Thank you Jerry, for the support, great question, and for providing a good opportunity for me to get all this off my chest!
Thank you everyone, for your support and helping to keep me motivated, especially these past few years. Your comments, emails, kinds words, continued support, and overall awesomeness helped keep me on track.
While juggling kids, a new home, life, and ToolGuyd has been a great challenge, and it wasn’t always fun, there’s not much of any of it that I would or could change. You guys helped me push through it.
Both of my kids have been to local “show and tell” meetings and events. I’ve changed diapers and gave bottles while on the phone, I’ve written up posts with a teething kid sleeping on my shoulder. My son recognized Home Depot before he could actually say it in 2 words. “Hammer” is one of my daughter’s first 2-syllable words.
My passion for ToolGuyd and its audience has never been stronger. Although I miss many aspects of scientific research, and I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t started ToolGuyd, I can’t imagine not having ToolGuyd in my life and a part of my day, every day.
Thank you for being a part of this, your support means so much to me, and makes everything possible.
I look forward to a very productive 2018, and hope that you’ll love what I have in store for you.
P.S. Did you know that I intended for ToolGuyd to be pronounced as ToolGuide? There WILL be more tool guides. =)
Hilton
I love what you do so just keep doing it. Appreciate all the hard work you put into this site.
Tom Woolley
You’ll never ever regret the little ones… pretty soon they’ll ask for the car keys… trust me!
Steve Galvan
Stuart, please keep doing what you do. I for one gain a lot of insight. I know this is a lot of work and consider myself fortunate to have found this website. Take it from and old guy with grand kids in college, the time you have spent with your children at these formative years, will be something you and they cherish forever
Lyman Green
You’re doing a fantastic job! Toolguyd is the one email I ALWAYS read and never delete without at least looking at it. I retired 4 years ago at age 73. I find that I just don’t have the energy to do all the things that I had anticipated doing and I’ll never use many of the tools that I have (500 or 600 drill bits, for example.) I still love reading about them, however, and have purchased a number of tools you have showcased, and lusted after many others. You provide a service not available anywhere else and it is invaluable.
I applaud you for dedicating time to your kids. When we first bought our house, 48 years ago, it was a fixer-upper. I spent all my spare time working on it until one day I realized I was missing my two boys’ childhood. I stopped working on the house and dedicated the time to my kids. I have never regretted it. The house is still a fixer-upper, but my boys had a great childhood and turned out well, so it was all worth it. You have done the right thing.
Keep doing what you have been doing and I will look forward to your tool guides of tools I will never buy or use, but love to read about.
IJK
Pretty sure every house is a fixer upper. Major or minor, something always needs doing or you’ll want to change something.
Kids and family though, you can’t replace the time you miss, nor can anything substitute for the time spent. Wish more people had the same awakening you did.
Bill
There is a certain connotation that the term “fixer upper” gives. That’s why the term exists. If you take it literally, then yes, i’m sure every house need some sort of “fixing up”…. but a brand new 3 million dollar house is definitely not a “fixer upper” regardless of what needs to be fixed.
MT_Noob
Sounds like you got your priorities just right. Thanks for all the great content.
Paul
If your one of daughter’s first words is “hammer”, you are doing something right.
PS. My 2 year old daughter refers to Home Depot (and Lowes) as “Daddy’s Store”.
firefly
^^
Kevin Davis
You will never regret the time spent with your kids when they are young. My biggest regret was not spending more time with them. My oldest new 75-80% of the tool names on sight, he even advocated getting me a MIG welder for my birthday when he was two. My middle child would cry when I was working on a project until I woyld give him a wrench so he could feel like he was helping. Even my little girl has a love for tools and my other hobbies. As the kids get older they are becoming more involved in my projects, and it really does makes life better.
Stuart
One of my goals is to get the garage clear enough so that I can build a small workbench for my son to work or “work” near me. And in 2 years my daughter will get one too.
ktash
You should write about that project!
Stuart
Haven’t even designed it yet. We have a small IKEA workbench that he likes, I figured I would try to copy that design, and then expand on it.
teicher
Just gonna let you know right now they won’t use it, they’ll instead drag their stuff over to yours and bang along right beside you on the “daddy workbench”. Trust me 😉
firefly
cuz daddy got the better bench!
Tim B.
Stuart, you’re doing a killer job, and don’t need to change a thing; I for one am happy for everything to do!
In fact… I’ve been reading your articles and posts since you (and Ben, for that matter!) were writing for Toolmonger! How’s that for a blast from the past? =)
Here’s to many more years!
RCWARD
Great job with this site as always, no worries there, man can you talk ?
Joseph
It’s funny that you mention the pronunciation of your site. I read it as tool guy dee for months.
One day I was talking about your site with my wife and she said, why do you say it like that, it’s obviously a play on words, its pronounced toolguide.
Anyways keep up the good work. I appreciate the obscure tools and kits you post about because a lot of tool sites are just the big 3 posted over and over.
Stuart
A lot of people do, and so it doesn’t surprise me anymore. Some people add an apostrophe – ToolGuy’D. But I can never see that. What would the D be for, then?
It’s blown a few people’s minds to realize that the logo hammer is backwards. Why is it backwards? *shrug*
Joe
Best read around. Props to spending time with the kids. Remember it’s not the quantity of time spent but the quality of time spent with them. I have 3 daughters ( very feminine,prissy) but the can swing a hammer better then most guys I hire new and know and can use all power tools. I’d bring them to the job on weekends with me…
So keep on keeping on, great work,informative and love the commentary….best of luck!
Chris Gutierrez
Figured I would throw my support your way as well. I know what you are feeling exactly as my two boys are 8 and 30 months, and there is never enough time to get done what needs to be done much less what I want to get done.
My older son runs around the house with ear/eye protection on and toy hammers whenever he can. Says “daddy, fix it with screwdriver” regardless of what it is or why its not working as he expects it to
ToolGuyd is a daily read for me, keep up the good work.
KM
Thanks for the great site. It’s been so useful to peruse and I appreciate the emails. Our kids are about the same timeline and I’m in the same boat right now. There’s not enough time in the day, but having the ability to watch your kids change before your eyes is something never regretted. Thanks again!
Paul
Enjoy your children and appologize to no one for the time you spend with them. They will soon grow up and new tools and tool technology will still be there to review….
skfarmer
don’t apologise for doing things like taking care of family.
my wife had a great job opportunity before our youngest son went to school but was hesitant because of it. i told her we would figure it out and we did. we have fond memories of naps in the tractor, picnics out fixing fence, trips to the cattle, auction hauling grain on cold winter days and 1000 other jobs around the farm we did together. your next couple of decades will be busy and go by fast. he is a senior now and sometimes i wish we could relive some of those times but am thankful we had them the first time around.
Nathan
I’m 2 weeks away from having kid number 2 also – so I fully understand what you mean. I wish you luck balancing it all .
If you would like help on some reviews I’d be happy to try to help out.
OhioHead
Stuart – love all the content the team produces, as an early reader of excellent tool & accessories blogs toolmonger & toolsnob, I don’t know how you all find the time between family 1st, jobs 2nd and hobbies 3rd.
Well done friend!
pete
Meh… tool guides are pointless to me. People are gonna like whatever they’re gonna like. The main reason i come here is for the tool news, some reviews, and tool rule updates like the slica dust and stuff…
Paul K
How about a post on the giveaway winners? You know, so I can stop checking my mailbox for all those Bosch drills I was supposed to win 😉
Otherwise, continue doing what you enjoy with the website.
Luke T.
Stuart I have been checking your site daily for over a year now. The guides are for sure what got me started. Home ownership has sparked a new love interest in “home” tools compared to my “work” tools for auto repair. Keep up what you are doing and it will all fall in line…..
BUT that 20v drill photo with an 18v comment mind need a little assistance. 😀
Stuart
20V Max = 18V.
I sometimes say “18V class,” but “18V” is quicker to write and say.
After this doozy off a post, I gave myself permission to spend the rest of the afternoon hanging a few cabinets.
I’m still on “get house nice” stage. For instance, our dining room isn’t a dining room yet. I need to get a few more things done before I can tackle things like doors, replacing windows, tree and bush maintenance… boy does the to-do list grow quickly.
Paul K
I would love to be on the “get house nice” stage…still on the “stop house from falling down” stage. 100 year old homes are way prettier and better built than anything made today…but still, if all the halfway fixes that the last 5 owners of this place did could stop failing i’d be one happy guy.
IJK
I have a 35 year old home, 3rd owner. 2nd Owner had it for 15 years, updated nothing, and neglected almost everything, especially the landscaping. Had an original, dry stack stone retaining wall collapse last week due to a thunderstorm (in a midwest winter, of all things). I can definitely sympathize. Spent the first week of ownership with the power still off so I could redo a bunch of electrical into useable…
GMA15R
There really isn’t anything I can add to all of the comments so far, except to say I echo them all. Stuart, you are doing a terrific job on the website and I’ll wager in ever other aspect of your life.
Mahalo
Stuart, I truly appreciate your post. Things changed for me when we started having children, too. The sacrifices made have all been worthwhile and rewarding when it comes to the kids. That does not mean that the sacrifices have not been a source of frustration, concern, etc. This is all very natural, and it is good to acknowledge the negative feelings along with the positive ones. It sounds to me like you have a very level head on your shoulders, and are doing a great job managing life. Congratulations on your family and your home!
Your website has been an awesome source of information, and as an Engineer myself, your scientific approach is always appreciated. Well done, sir.
D
Outstanding job on the website, especially if you’re looking after kids!
I haven’t been able to get much done since having our first (now 15 months old). Actually, almost nothing. My wife stays at home and does most of the caring, and she literally has no time for anything else. I try to spend as much time as I can with our daughter but it’s really full on. Not a single night of decent sleep for more than a year.
Thanks for all the hard work. I visit this site daily and really appreciate it.
razl
Just wanted to say thanks and that I appreciate what you are able to do on the site and just as happy to know that when there isn’t as much content as I’d like that you’re doing good things with the time; thoughtfully spending it on your family.
Looking forward to 2018 and beyond, upwards and onwards!
Mike R
Keep up the great work here and at home.
Chris
Tool reviews are something I would really like to start doing. Like you though, I don’t always have a lot of free time. It would be really cool to recieve samples from companies to make a video on.
Corey
Never occurred to me to pronounce it any other way lol what the hell is a tool guy Dee?
Henrik V
You’ve created a quite unique, wellcoming and personal platform, with an very interactive audience ranging from tradesmen to tooloholics (like me) and all the way to Sweden.
chris parker
i have also been awaiting an updated version given all the new stuff, and top dog of many categories just may have changed..i myself am currently looking into a few different tools i would like to switch to such as either a fein , or bosch starlock oscillating tool..i know the 12v would be handy on either platform, and of course it would be a better choice going bosch if just wanting to build off of either 12v, or 18v platform to me, given that i have both already…still, i would not mind having the fein over the bosch regardless of platform just because i like it more..also, need to buy the new 12v fuel milwaukee impact, i am also waiting for bosch to drop a plunge base for the new colt i bought over the holidays..oh, and a dremel/foredom plunge base setup..i was going with lee valley hands down, but now i see a new led lit base that has been released, as well as new company that has the highest end ones i have seen to date..even better than microfence on ebay when you search rotary tool plunge base..it is by luthiers mercantile ..also trying to get the bigger tools like a supermax drum sander…hand tools are always on the rise, and am always on the lookout…well, i am interested in seeing just exactly the things you pick…looking forward to it..thank you much.
chris parker
i meant to say that stew mac has a new led lit rotary tool plunge base that has caught my eye as well.
OBDave
Nothing to add because it’s all been said – but I still want to echo everyone else here. Good on you for committing to the family, the bonds you build with your kids now are the ones that’ll keep you loving and bonding with them when they hit 11-12 and their vocabulary condenses to only include the phrase “I know, Dad!” These are the beautiful times.
– father of a 14 y/o girl
michaelhammer
You say you can’t imagine not having Toolguyd in your life, nor can I. It’s my favorite place to escape and unwind. Your writing is smart and inciteful and largely unbiased. Well done and much appreciated. Another very big reason this site is so special is your followers. I’m pretty sure Chris bleeds yellow, diplomatic immunity seems to put everything to music, and fred, fred is my hero with his multiple houses, fancy watches and deep knowledge of the industry. BTW I haven’t seen fred on here in a while. Fred come back!
SteveT
When I left college for a great job and a great soon to be wife, my professor told me “life gets in the way”. Since then, I have had my share of ups and downs, and I sure haven’t ended up where I had planned, but it’s been fun. Keep up the good work!
Jim Felt
Love your character analysis! And where is fred anyway?
Stuart
Somewhere warm? =)
*Jealous*
Brian Miller
You do a great job. This is my “go to” place for reviews and notices on deals. There another tool site that I go to right after this to check out the forum, but I won’t mention the name. I might get a slap fight started between you two.
Donny
Spend all the time you can with the kids. Tool guides can wait.
JoeM
Why are you apologizing for not doing anything wrong? I hate it when people do that. It drives me nuts.
You’re a Dad. That’s a Job unto itself. I’m an Uncle, and recently lost my Dad right around this time last year… I know from observing what Dads do in life that this is not something to half-ass your way through. You take good care of your children, and that’s worth more to the ToolGuyd audience than any review you or Ben post. Because many of us are Dads, Moms, Uncles, Aunts, and distantly related to those who are major family types. You did this part of your life right, and you shouldn’t apologize for doing it.
At worst, you can post the simple answer “Life comes first.” Because we all understand that concept. It’s not rude, and as you go along that parenting route, you’ve been providing pictures of your children that add both humour, and general levity to many major issues we’re facing. Those children of yours are an integral part of this site, just as much as You and Ben are. They deserve their Father, and we have no reason or right to take your life away from you.
So you did nothing wrong. You have done nothing wrong in your choices. There are so many ways to say it, but they all mean the same thing. Don’t apologize for doing the right thing. You put pride into this site for being honest and as unbiased as possible, and yet you still apologize when you did nothing wrong. That’s an unfair bias that favours the audience, and hurts you. Don’t do that to yourself. It’s not your place to make us happy, or placate us. You’re offering your expertise on a subject, without a fee. You’re allowed to have a life and no one can tell you otherwise. So just do that. Live your life. Raise your children. Maybe, in 10 years or so, we’ll get some write ups from THEM? About child safety, design, packaging, durability, who knows? All we can say for certain is ToolGuyd is still functional, and you are doing a great job.
Why spoil that with self-doubt over the Audience’s experience with the site? “Life Comes First” is a good enough answer for any of these inquiries. Let that free you up for all the rest you do in your life!
Mark C
Been a long time reader. Great job on your web site and family?
shatch
I echo everyone’s sentiments, but had to post. I’ve been a reader since Toolmonger, but never posted. I should have after the “risk of failure” post struck deep or when you commented Craftsman Pro screwdrivers are just kinda blah, so I realized it wasn’t just me. Balancing kids with productivity will drive you mad, my five year old many a time emptied my tool chests with a barrage of “what’s this” and that was all the project time for that weekend. It’s what we do as Dad’s and as everyone has said, you are doing it great!
Chris
Looking forward to toolguyd 2018. Stuart you do a really great job and this is a unique website that doesn’t exist anywhere else. Keep up the great work!