Tools & Equipment Review: Editors' Choice AwardsHonoring innovation and leadership in the development of new tools and technology.

Every year, Tools of the Trade magazine's editorial team takes a look back at the hundreds of tools, accessories, equipment, and technological breakthroughs introduced during the past 12 months. Those few that they feel stand out are named Editors' Choice Award winners.

This year's batch of winners includes tools and accessories that will improve jobsite efficiency, safety, and security, along with ultra-modern takes on the old hammer and nail. Read on for products that can help you solve your everyday construction challenges through imagination and innovation.

—By the staff of Tools of the Trade

Makita

Makita. The company has added a three-mode selector switch on its AN923 and AN943 framers (shown), joining its other framing, siding, and roofing coil nailers. Users can choose from bounce-fire, sequential-fire, or lock positions, providing jobsite safety at the touch of a switch, the maker says. Cost: $299 each. 800-462-5482. www.makita.com.

DeWalt

DeWalt. The company aims to put an end to joint-jolting vibrating breakers with its first heavy breaker, the 68-pound D25980. With a three-axis measured vibration value of only 6.6 meters/second2, the company says it has the lowest vibration of any breaker or hammer—of any size. The large hammer unit provides a category-leading 61 foot-pounds of impact energy while the built-in counterbalance and pivoting handles provide extra cushioning. Cost: $1,499. 800-433-9258. www.dewalt.com.

Ridgid

Ridgid. The Fuego 6 1/2-inch circular saw packs enough power into its compact design to tear through cuts—and at faster speeds than a 7 1/4-inch saw, the maker says. The tool's thinner, faster (6,100-rpm) blade improves cutting speed, and the center of its smaller-diameter motor is set closer to the base, providing a vertical cut depth of 2 1/8 inches. Features include depth indicators for six common lumber thicknesses, a super-tough fiber-composite shoe, and lightweight magnesium blade guards. Cost: $139. 800-474-3443. www.ridgid.com.

Bosch

Bosch. Whether they should or not, most contractors don't use blade guards for their table saw, which means a higher risk of injury. The 4100DG-09 10-inch portable table saw tackles this problem. Its Smart Guard system is modular and tool-free, so it's easier to remove and re-install a component. The see-through plastic blade guard's two-part split design allows each side to be raised independently. The saw also includes a digital readout rip fence, which allows for faster setup and greater precision, the company says. Cost: $679 (saw and Gravity Rise stand). 877-267-2499. www.boschtools.com.

Pacific Laser

Pacific Laser. The PLS90E layout tool is a self-leveling device that shoots fan-shaped layout lines at 90 degrees over a working range of 250 feet with a detector. The fan shape broadcasts each line in an arc that simultaneously projects the line out, down, and up—transferring each line onto floor, wall, and ceiling for inside layouts; the tool also can be used outside. It comes with a case, a detector, a universal tripod base, and a floor target. Cost: $495-$695, depending on options. 800-601-4500. www.plslaser.com.

Hitachi

Hitachi. The company's new diamond grit coring bits dig cleanly and quickly through tough-to-drill materials such as tile, marble, granite, slate, or glass. Water smoothes and cools the process, while the bits offer increased speed and control, the firm says. They are available in nine sizes from 3/16- to 1-inch diameters. Cost: $13-$25. 800-829-4752. www.hitachipowertools.com.

Warn Industries

Warn Industries. The electric PullzAll offers an easy option for lifting beams into place and pulling walls into alignment for loads up to 1,000 pounds, the company says. The unit is light, fast, and powerful, with a variable-speed motor, push-button forward/reverse control, and electronic load-limiter, according to the firm. A 110-volt electric model and a 24-volt nicad cordless unit are available. Cost: corded, $282; cordless, $600. 800-543-9276. www.warn.com.

Festool

Festool. The Domino wood-joining system can replace biscuits, dowels, and even traditional mortise-and-tenon joints. According to the maker, it is designed to be quicker and better than other methods and features an oscillating router cutter and solid wood composition. The product's enormous success in Europe kept it out of the U.S. for a year as the company worked to fill first-year domestic orders that were 10 times their predicted volume. Cost: $700. 888-337-8600. www.festoolusa.com.

Ridgid

Ridgid. The See Snake micro inspection camera goes inside walls, ceilings, floors, ducts, and drain pipes to send pictures back to the user. Connected to a 3-foot-long cable, the high-resolution camera transmits images to a 2 1/2-inch color LCD screen on the pistol-grip handle. Accessories include LED lights, a 30-foot-long cable extension, and tips to find and grab wayward wires, tools, or other items hidden behind drywall. Cost: $239. 800-474-3443. www.ridgid.com.

Dead On

Dead On. The Ti7 hammer is molded out of carbon graphite with a 6-4 titanium overstrike and grip plate around a cellulose foam core to dampen and dissipate shock and noise yet maintain stiffness. With flex technology adapted from high-tech golf clubs and a relatively light head, the Ti7 is designed to hit with the energy of a much larger hammer. The indestructible head is made of S-7 striking steel with two nail-pulling slots and a magnetized nail-starting bed, says the maker. Cost: $300. 888-797-7855. www.deadontools.com.

DeWalt

DeWalt. The MobileLock GPS Locator and Anti-Theft Alarm is a standalone, wireless locating device that uses GPS technology to track the location of lost or stolen equipment and tools. An alarm can be set to activate when the protected piece of equipment is disturbed; the owner can then use the MobileLock Web site to view maps and satellite imagery to pinpoint the equipment's approximate location and pass that information on to police if necessary. Cost: kits, $499-$599; monitoring, $20/month. 800-433-9258. www.dewalt.com.

Werner Ladder

Werner Ladder. The Electrician's JobStation ladder features slots that hold the most-used electrical tools, along with a measurement scale in 1/8-inch increments and a groove that holds up to 1-inch conduit pipe. Other details include a hacksaw hook, a bungee tool holder, wire spool holder brackets, and fold-out hooks that hold conduit for cutting. A version for pipe fitters and a contractor's model will be available later this year. Cost: $99-$269. 888-229-7727. www.wernerladder.com.

ArborTech

ArborTech. The Australian-born ArborTech AS160 brick and mortar saw is a cross between an angle grinder and a jigsaw. It was developed for masonry repair and re-pointing, and for applications requiring accurate cut-ins into brick and masonry for installations like electrical boxes. It is especially useful for masonry work on historic homes, the company says. Twin carbide-tipped blades cut squarely without overcutting. Cost: $1,065. U.S. fax: 866-515-8104. www.arbortechusa.com.

National Nail

National Nail. The Stinger manually operated cap-applying tool is the latest offering in the company's line of plastic cap fastening devices for installing roofing felt and housewrap. Basically a hammer tacker with a built-in cap dispenser, the tool is quick and easy to use, the maker says, and uses standard 3/8-inch staples. It holds up to 168 caps. Cost: $50. 800-746-5659. www.nationalnail.com.

Bosch

Bosch. Making powerful cordless tools smaller than ever is the focus of the company's 10.8-volt lithium-ion platform. This year, the Impactor adds the punch of impact driving to this size category, packing 800 inch-pounds of torque into a tool that measures only 6 1/2 inches long and 6 3/4 inches tall with its battery and weighs just 2.2 pounds. It provides 45 percent more torque and 60 percent less weight than the company's 18-volt drill/driver, the firm says. Cost: $199. 877-267-2499. www.boschtools.com.

Bostitch

Bostitch. The HurriQuake nail features a 25 percent larger head with increased holding power to resist uplift forces that can cause nails to pull through sheathing during extreme winds, the company says. It also has an aggressive ring geometry on its shank that reduces withdrawal failure. The combined technologies give the nail a rating for hurricane wind conditions and gusts of up to 170 mph; the nails exceed Miami-Dade County code. The nail's design also provides up to 50 percent more resistance to lateral shearing due to earthquake conditions, according to the maker. Cost: $38-$43 per box. 800-556-6696. www.bostitch.com.

Jefferson Tools

Jefferson Tools. The Extractor removes exposed nails and fasteners quickly and easily, the maker says. Resistance encountered in the extracting process is converted into gripping force, and once extraction is initiated, the handles no longer need to be squeezed, which means less user fatigue. The tool's rocking-heel bottom allows long fasteners to be extracted in one motion, according to the firm. Cost: $25. 843-556-0455. www.nailextractor.com.