* Photo: Tom Schierlitz * What it is: CS Unitec Eibenstock Diamond Core Drill
What it's used for: Puncturing steel-reinforced concrete.
A diamond core drill might be the best device for draining a bank vault—second only to, say, a credit default swap. The 16-pound Eibenstock—the lightest machine in its class—can bore up to 50 holes through 18 inches of steel-reinforced concrete with one swappable ablative diamond bit. (The long metal cylinder below is the 3-inch-diameter model.) Who would need such a thing? Contractors setting anchors for heavy equipment and renovators cutting cable conduits through rock-solid walls. To start poking holes, simply adjust the guide bar to the proper depth and hook up the irrigation system, which squirts water through the center of the bit and sucks up the slurry. You get faster perforations and almost no trace.
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