This surprising tool saved my PC build and my sanity — now it’s on sale for $16

October 9

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This weekend, I was working on a PC build, putting my old CPU and motherboard into a new case to give away to a friend. And then it happened . . . actually, it always happens. I dropped a screw into the case: a black metal screw into a black metal case.

If you’ve done your share of PC building, you know that, no matter how many spare screws you have, you can’t leave any rolling around in the case. If a piece of stray metal contacts your motherboard, you could end up with a short and some burnt out parts. I once had an off-brand motherboard where the manual said “do not drop screw in case or motherboard will on vacation permanent.”

Not only is dropping screws a problem, so is locating screw holes and headers. Even in a brightly-lit room, finding the tiny hole for the bracket that’s buried beneath five wires is tough to locate. And it’s a challenge lining up the ATX and PCIe power connectors with their receptacles or an internal USB connector with a header on the motherboard.

To solve these problems, I traditionally turn to a flashlight or the flashlight function on my phone, but that requires me giving up a hand I could really use to hold a screw in place or lift a fan while I tighten its screws. I find myself getting really frustrated as I try to either screw in a tiny screw with one hand or do so with two hands but limited visibility.

Fortunately, this weekend, I found another option: a wearable neck light that has two different flash lights. My wife has one she uses for knitting, but don’t be fooled: it belongs in every PC builder’s tool box.

Amazon has many neck lights available in different colors and styles, some with one light and some with two. However, the one I have here and can vouch for is the EastPin neck light. It normally goes for $19 but today is just $16 because of Prime Day October.

The EastPin light has two lights: a wider light on the right and a narrower one on the left. Each has its own button you can use to turn it on or off or, in the case of the wide light, you can change the color temperature from yellowish to white. I found the wider light more useful for seeing inside the PC.

The plastic on it is flexible and easy to bend but it also stays put once you bend it. That made it easy for me to position the lights so that I could see exactly the screw hole or header I was working on. The light has a 2,000 mAh battery and it charges over micro USB. I found that it lasts a long time on a charge.

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