The vehicle-modding commercial festival known as SEMA is taking over Las Vegas this week. As usual, many completely crazy and over-the-top custom car and truck builds were there, showcasing the extremes of craftsmanship and aftermarket technology. But SEMA is also about products, tools, and accessories with real practical value. Here are a few things that popped up on my radar thanks to the show.
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I was not able to make it to Nevada to walk the show floor myself this year, but I’ve been getting a lot of product pitches in my inbox and stalking social media to check out releases and demos from the Las Vegas Convention Center. All that to say—there’s definitely more stuff worth highlighting that I’m missing. So if you know of something, jump into the comments here and help me out!
Meanwhile, here’s a batch of tools and toys you might find innovative and interesting. Not everything here is new-new, but I bet everyone will find at least one thing that hadn’t seen before in this rundown.
Harbor Freight’s G2 Tool Cabinets
Harbor Freight has really upped the quality of its offerings in the last few years, and its tool chests tend to be a particularly strong value. At SEMA 2025, the discount retailer revealed the second generation of its Icon-brand tool storage systems, and they look pretty sweet. Lots of modularity, customizability, and they’re really deep! Check out this quick tour of HF’s SEMA area, which features the G2 cabinets at the 01:30 mark.
Harbor Freight Booth Tour – SEMA 2025
Mothers Exhaust Tip Polish
You might say I’m stuck in the ’70s, but I don’t care, because I absolutely love shiny chrome exhaust tips. In the past, Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish has been my go-to for cleaning that particular car part. This week, the company introduced a new exhaust-tip specific product (simply called Mothers Exhaust Tip Cleaner & Polish) that’s billed as “a 3-in-1 solution to clean, polish, and protect exhaust tips—removing buildup and discoloration for a lasting, showroom-quality shine.” I’ve already arranged to get a sample, and I’m eager to report back on the results. Reps for the company tell me this will be available in December.
Titan 3-in-1 Stepped Adapters
These look really helpful for getting bolts in tight spots. It’s a single adapter that can fit multiple sizes of socket drives. I don’t see it for sale yet, but Titan has an Amazon store you could revisit if you’re interested. I have a razor-blade sticker scraper from this brand that I’m happy with.
Klein Tools MODbox
This won’t be news to those of you who follow tools regularly—versions of Klein’s MODbox tool packout system have been on the market for quite some time. However, I’d never heard about them until flipping through SEMA 2025 content so I figured you might need to have it on your radar, too.
Basically, you’re looking at a really modular and modifiable tool transportation system. They’re rolling boxes that also have forward-opening drawers, so you don’t have to take the box stack apart to get something from the bottom. These look like they’d be great for mobile service techs or anybody who does amateur motorsports. Imagine just being able to pull this out of your trunk and set it up in your pit? Instant shop drawers! You can buy these at Lowe’s and elsewhere.
MODbox™ Two Drawer Rolling Tool Box (54801MB)
OTC Geared Jack Stands
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve lifted a car up on jack stands and then thought, “dang, I wish I’d done this a little higher,” but the jack’s already out of the way.
These stands aren’t meant for or able to lift a vehicle on their own—but they do allow for remote positioning and elevation of the holding arm, reducing the need for a technician to crawl under the vehicle when lifted.
I was a little confused about how they worked initially, but one of OTC’s reps hit me up and gave me the right explanation, which has been updated above.
There are three-ton and six-ton versions on OTC’s site.
Knipex Spring Hose Clamp Pliers
These have already been out and are available on Amazon, but this video that @tooldemos shared on Instagram really illustrates why specialty pliers are way better than regular ones when it comes to messing with hose clamps.
Wera Tools Open-Ended Ratcheting Wrench
“Joker” wrenches from Wera Tools are not new this year, but they were new to me, and man, are they cool! These would be excellent for accessing bolts at awkward side angles. Take a look at the demo below. You’ll find sets of these on Amazon, or you can get an adjustable one for peak versatility.
Fireball Blacksmith Vise
OK, this one is not particularly practical for the casual weekend DIYer, but it is pretty darn cool. Fireball Tool (no relation to the whiskey, I don’t think) is putting this comically colossal vise into production. If you need to weld or cut something that’s really big and heavy, well, here you go!
Bestop Power Soft Top For Broncos
You can now add a power-retractable soft top to your two-door Ford Bronco. It’s not the first mod I’d do personally, but it would be a really nice upgrade if you primarily use your Bronco as a beach buggy. It uses Bosch motors, steel framing, and a nine-layer fabric with triple-layer insulation. Bestop calls it an “eTop” and says it can go from fully enclosed to open in “seconds” at the press of a button. It’s not cheap, though—you can already buy this for a four-door Bronco or Wrangler (two-door Wrangler, too), and it’s about five grand before installation.
Bestop is also doing some cool new colors for its tops, which you can check out at that link above.
Worksport Solar Charging Tonneau Cover for Pickup Trucks
File this under “why didn’t somebody think of this sooner?” Worksport’s Solis tonneau cover folds out over your truck bed like any other tonneau cover, but it’s also covered in solar panels, so it can constantly be charging a big accessory battery. It will be about $2,000 to start, which is a lot of money, but actually not outrageous compared to other high-end tonneaus.
I’ll add more items to this list if and when anything else catches my eye as the show winds down. But don’t forget to drop a comment if you’ve got a suggestion!
Got any tool tips for me? Hit me up at andrew.collins@thedrive.com.