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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.
We constantly rely on advancements in product design and technology to streamline tasks, put time back in our day, and accomplish more than we could just yesterday. Whether it’s thanks to cutting-edge technology or genius mechanical design, these gadgets that make a difference have the utility to be considered tools for every day.
The Bob Vila team tests hundreds of home, garden, and DIY products throughout the year to help our readers make smart buying decisions, so we’ve seen a lot of noteworthy product design. Of the gadgets and tech we scouted for Tool of the Year, some of our favorites include a robot mower that knows no bounds, a portable power station, and permanently installed outdoor smart lighting. All products here feature upgrades in communication, design, and control that elevate the user experience and make life easier.
Segway Navimow i110 Robotic Lawn Mower
We first tested the Segway Navimow while updating our guide to the best robotic lawn mowers this summer. To forgo a perimeter wire altogether, it uses cutting-edge satellite guidance with centimeter-level accuracy to stay inside the boundaries, along with an onboard AI-enabled camera that prevents collisions and aids in mapping. The setup only took about 2 hours. Highlights from our test included simple streamlined mobile app control, excellent cut quality, and good mobility on tough slopes. Plus, because it mows in parallel lines, the Navimow i110 can create a pinstriping effect in the lawn similar to a traditional mower, just narrower—the width of the cutting swath is just 7.1 inches.
Get the Navimow i110 at Amazon for $1,299.
SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera 2 + Active Guard
Here’s a use-case of AI we can get behind: The SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera Series 2 pairs an easy-to-install camera system with dual-function monitoring: AI-enabled video recording supported by a professional security monitoring team. The camera records 1080p high-definition video within a 140-degree field of view. Equipped with night vision and 10x digital zoom, the camera provides outstanding visibility. The AI-empowered lens can ignore familiar faces and send true intruder alerts to a phone. When paired with a monitoring plan, the camera sends a feed to agents when an alert triggers. Agents can see and speak to trespassers, shine a spotlight on them, sound a siren, and call the authorities while the owners are away or asleep.
EcoFlow River 3 Portable Power Station
Even off-grid adventures need a little power for recharging phones and other essential devices. What impressed us most about the EcoFlow River 3 was its size-to-power ratio. It weighs just 7.8 pounds and is 30 percent smaller than the industry average, which is great for hauling outdoors or storing at home between uses during power outages. It boasts 245 watt hours of capacity and produces up to 600 watts output from its six access ports, including USB, AC (wall-style), and car outlets. That’s enough power in one charge to keep a bulb lit for 17 hours or run a mini fridge for 3.2 hours in an emergency. I charged the River 3 from 10 percent power to 100 percent in just over an hour plugged into a wall, but it also can recharge via solar panels (not included) or car outlet. The lithium-ion battery has a long lifespan of 3,000+ charge cycles, and the unit has an IP54 weather-resistant rating for a decade of daily use.
Get the EcoFlow River 3 Portable Power Station at Amazon for $159.
Keeper Products KwikFeed Ratchet Tie Down Straps
Sometimes, simple improvements make a world of difference. Ratcheting tie-down straps have been around, virtually unchanged, for decades, before Keeper Products changed the market with an upgraded hook system. We liked KwikFeed’s unique latching hooks because they don’t slip out of tiedown loops like competitors’ open hooks do, but this year they updated the ratchet system to include a quick feeding barrel that makes this version even easier to use. It saves a minute or two with every load, and, in our test, the new version held just as well as the older system.
Get the Keeper KwikFeed Ratchet Straps at The Home Depot for $15.98.
Enbrighten Eternity Permanent Outdoor Lights
Most of us wouldn’t typically think of lighting as a tool, but these Enbrighten Eternity Permanent Outdoor Lights are the time-saving upgrade we didn’t know we needed. Install them once, permanently, and adjust them remotely when needed. The system allows the user to set schedules for lights to turn on at dusk, adjust the color temperature to complement the exterior, select individual lights for accent lighting, and even change color schemes during the holidays for instant festivity. According to writer and product tester Glenda Taylor, “These are one of the best smart technology gadgets I’ve found this year…I can select any color I like from the [mobile] app—easily—and I can create custom colors for different bulbs. These are pretty cool!”
Get the Enbrighten Eternity Outdoor Lights at Amazon for $156.27.
