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Bob Vila, America's favorite home improvement guru, has been making a holiday tool list and checking it twice. Here are Bob's tips on giving affordable tool gifts with advanced features that will help get jobs done right with less time and effort:

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Improve someone's do-it-yourself capabilities with a set of knuckle-saving Craftsman Reversible Ratcheting Wrenches that have built-in gearing on the box end and a forward/reverse lever to change directions. Made in the U.S.A., these full-polish ratcheting wrenches need only a five-degree turning radius to tighten or loosen a fastener. Their lean shafts and thin heads fit into tight spaces around the house or under a car hood. They are available as seven-piece sets ($99.99) in standard or metric sizes.

The versatile Craftsman Hand Saw with Dual-Edged Blade ($19.99) is designed for both ripping and crosscutting. One edge of its 12 1/2-inch blade has eight-point tri-ground teeth for aggressive cutting on both the push and pull strokes. The blade's opposite edge has 15-point teeth for smooth cuts. The compact hand saw fits easily in most toolboxes and has a hole for hanging.

The Craftsman Hobby Vise ($29.99) has a vacuum base that grips most smooth, flat surfaces with the twist of a lever. Its cast-aluminum body features a 360-degree swivel base with locking collar and 180-degree head tilt. V-groove jaws can grasp 1/2-inch dowels or pipes. Slip-on, flat rubber jaw faces are provided for holding delicate pieces.

With the Craftsman Open Door Monitor ($49.99), you can check at a glance whether the garage door is open or closed from inside the house. A transmitter, mounted on the garage door, sends a signal to an indoor receiver that plugs into a standard outlet. If the green light is on, the door is closed. If the red light is flashing, the door is open.

The Craftsman Power Tool Hold-All with 2 1/2-inch Rubber Bottom ($49.99) is one of a special collection of Bob Vila Signature Series tool storage items and accessories available only in this year's Craftsman holiday catalog. The durable, water repellent power tool storage bag zips open and lays flat for easy loading and unloading. Straps hold tools, such as a circular saw and drill, in place. It has multiple tool pockets and a saw blade compartment with Velcroâ„¢ closure. An adjustable shoulder strap with anti-slip grip pad is included.

All of the above Craftsman tools are available at Sears or through the Craftsman holiday catalog.

Sears, Roebuck and Co. is a leading U.S. retailer of apparel, home and automotive products and services, with annual revenue of more than $40 billion. The company serves families in the U.S. through Sears stores nationwide, including approximately 860 full-line stores. Sears also offers a wide variety of merchandise and services through its Web site, .

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SOURCE: Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Contact: Mike Mangan of MKM Communications, +1-847-515-3436,
mkmcomm@mc.net , for Sears, or Willy Medina of Sears, +1-847-286-1624,
wmedina@sears.com

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