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The 2024 Tool of the Year Awards program is the first in what promises to become an annual tradition of celebrating the most notable new tools and home helpers. This package spotlights the handiest products launched in the last 12 months in seven essential home-improvement categories, from power tools to cleaning tools. We’re also recognizing a DIY Game Changer, an honor reserved for the year’s most exciting innovation for projects. See all of the winners here.
For the first Tool of the Year Awards, the team knew that we wanted to highlight the handiest products for tasks ranging from projects to everyday maintenance. We searched high and low recently released tools of high caliber construction that made projects easier, faster, and more efficient.
But there’s effective design, and then there is innovative design.
That’s why we recognize one tool that rethinks typical processes and functions to improve projects—something revolutionary that would change the way DIYers used that type of tool. Our first hand-picked DIY Game Changer emerged from the power tools category: Grizzly’s 21-inch Variable-Speed Scroll Saw.
Keep reading to discover how Grizzly reimagined this saw for woodworkers and ended up making a breakthrough tool in the scroll saw industry.
A New Kind of Scroll Saw
Let’s start with something small. Traditionally, scroll saws feature an On/Off switch on the base or back of the tool, plus a separate speed-control knob located on the upper cutting arm. That means the user starts and stops the machine with only one hand on the material. This placement can be fine for professional woodworkers who have gotten used to it with practice, but it can be challenging for beginning scrollers and those who prefer to keep both hands on the wood board. The Grizzly team recognized the need and moved the control to a pressure-sensitive On/Off foot pedal on the G0969. Now, tapping your toes starts and stops the blade, keeping both hands free to hold the workpiece steady.
Also in the name of controlled cuts, the Grizzly saw made a bigger design change: It effectively reversed the cutting configuration. The G0969 swaps out a tilting table (which is more commonly seen on standard scroll saws) for a tilting saw arm instead. Now, it’s the saw that tilts up to 45 degrees to achieve bevels and other more intricate cuts, leaving the material horizontal and stable on the steel table. After trying it, we can honestly say that this is the best way to cut bevels. Grizzly minimizes any chance of slippage that can damage the workpiece or cause injury.
The end result? Thanks to the enhanced precision and cutting speed range of 400 to 1,550 strokes per minute (SPM), the Grizzly scroll saw cuts easily through soft and hardwoods. Plus, these cut edges were smooth and required minimal sanding.
Long-time scrollers have likely mastered the skills needed to cut intricate patterns on any scroll saw. But for those just getting into the craft—or anyone seeking better control—the Grizzly G0969 is a true game changer.
