2026 Tool Awards

The tools our editors keep reaching for.

View in Browser  DIGITAL ISSUES GEAR REVIEWS SUBSCRIBE The Story We Can't Stop Thinking About  We’ll admit that what makes something worthy of our annual Tool Awards can be subjective. Test Editors Bradley Ford and Paul Smith acknowledge as much up front, writing that some tools have innovative problem-solving features and others are just enjoyable to use. The common thread between smart features and user-friendliness? Both make jobs easier, whether you’re climbing a ladder or ripping lumber with a table saw. And so, like Ford and Smith did, you’re likely to find yourself turning to these tools again and again. —Will Egensteiner, Director of Product Reviews Which Tools Deserve a Spot in Your Shop This Year? From drills and drivers to multi-process welders, these new tools stood out among all that we tested this year. Read More The Search for MH370 Isn’t Over—Here’s What We Know Now The search for MH370 had stalled for years, until an unlikely source offered a different way to follow the evidence. Read More Could Nuclear Science Finally Explain Amelia Earhart’s Disappearance? Inside the lab, they searched for faint traces that might connect it to the aviator’s lost Electra. Read More GEAR REPORT This Hammock Chair Turns Any Space Into a Retreat The Best Patio Chair You Can Get is This Hammock Read More Hisense’s New RGB TV Pushes Display Tech Forward RGB Mini-LED screen tech is coming. The Hisense UR9 is among the first to get it. Read More The Organism That Could Connect Every Living Thing Scientists have pushed back LUCA’s origin by hundreds of millions of years. Read More Need Assistance? Contact Us. Follow Us Unsubscribe | Manage Preferences | Privacy Notice | CA Notice at Collection Popular Mechanics is a publication of Hearst Magazines. ©2026 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This email was sent by Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019-3779