Copyright New York Times Company Apr 2, 2009
MAG RUFFMAN talks about tools the way some women talk about designer shoes. Her collection of hammers, in fact, is of Imelda Marcos-like proportions (she owns 44). Ms. Ruffman, a television actress in Ontario, is also a home-repair expert. In the 1990s, she ran a contracting business with her husband and, more recently, she hosted two Canadian fix-it shows ("A Repair to Remember" and "Anything I Can Do").
Now she runs a blog whose name -- toolgirl.com -- makes her sound more like a glamorous superhero for the hardware set than a source of advice about things like duct tape and nails. Her goal, she said, is to motivate people to tackle projects themselves, even if it leads to mishaps along the way. "Problems are an inevitable part of home repair," she said.
Of course, the wall can't be spackled or a picture hung without the proper tools. So she often gets starter kits for friends and relatives. On a recent trip to Manhattan, Ms. Ruffman, 52, shopped for a nephew who had just moved into a Brooklyn apartment. At Home Depot in Chelsea, she perused the hand tools and chose Irwin 10-inch Vise Grip pliers with a push-button mechanism to slide the jaws. "This is definitely the hottest-looking thing I've seen in tongue-and-groove," she said. She also liked a Stanley 16-ounce Jacketed Graphite hammer because it had a curved claw that wouldn't leave surface marks when pulling nails.
At Gracious Home on the Upper West Side, she zeroed in on two stud finders by Zircon. One, for $19.99, finds wood and metal studs, but doesn't differentiate. The other, at $69.99, can distinguish them, and detects metal pipes and live electrical wiring. Her assessment: "If you're accident prone, pay the 70 bucks."
At Nuthouse Hardware, a 24-hour store near Gramercy Park, she felt so at home she didn't want to leave. The manager, Fred Covell, seemed entranced to be talking tools with her, and the two of them began a debate about cordless power drills. She chose a Milwaukee 14.4-volt cordless compact drill, which she deemed "well balanced and very durable."
She also liked an 11-piece Mintcraft screwdriver set, which had a "great bit selection," and a 16-foot Komelon tape measure. Then she grabbed a scrap board, set it on a table and showed the powers of an Irwin double-edged pull saw. "Try it," she said to an observer. "It'll beef up your deltoids."
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| Tools of the Trade: Mag Ruffman Was Like a Kid in a Candy Shop at Gracious Home. (Photograph by Librado Romero/the New York Times); Komelon 16-Foot Tape Measure; $13.99 at Nuthouse Hardware, (212) 545-1447.; Hang & Level Picture-Hanging Tool; $19.99 at Under the Roof Decorating, (866) 428-4264, Utrdecorating.Com.; Polder Stepladder; $49.99 at Gracious Home, (800) 338-7809, Gracioushome.Com. Zircon Multiscanner Stud Finder (for Wood or Metal); $69.99 at Gracious Home.; Stanley 16-Ounce Graphite Hammer; $15.49 at Home Depot.; Mintcraft 11-Piece Ratchet Screwdriver Set with Individual Bits; $10.99 at Nuthouse Hardware.; Irwin Double-Edged Pull Saw; $23.99 at Nuthouse Hardware.; Irwin 10-Inch Vise Grip Pliers; $14.97 at Home Depot, (800) 553-3199, Homedepot.Com.; Milwaukee 14.4-Volt Cordless Compact Drill; $189.99 at Nuthouse Hardware. |
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