TechShop once again brings you the winners of our Top 5 Tools award. This award is voted on by the people who use the tools and equipment every day — you, our readers.

Throughout the year, you submit to us what tools and pieces of equipment help you do your job more efficiently and productively. At the end of the year, we tally these submissions and award the companies that are mentioned most with our Top 5 Tool award. This is truly an award judged by our readers.

Because we know how busy you are, and that it takes a little time and effort to write to us, we’ve rewarded those who’ve sent their responses complete with a photo and tool descriptions with a $25 gift card. We’ll continue this throughout 2012 as well.

This year’s winners are:

Bosch

Chicago Pneumatic

Craftsman

GearWrench

Ingersoll Rand

Launch Tech

Mac Tools

Matco Tools

Milwaukee

Mitchell 1

Power Probe

Snap-on Tools

SPX 

Streamlight

First-time winning companies include Chicago Pneumatic and Launch Tech. Among the tools you recommended were CP’s 3/8” Butterfly Style Air Driver and CP714 Air Hammer; as well as Launch Tech’s X-431 Scan Tools. Other big hits with readers in 2011 were the Power Probe III and the Snap-on SOLUS Pro Scanner.

Since the award’s inception, the following companies have won this recognition each year: Ingersoll Rand, Mac Tools, Matco Tools, Power Probe, Snap-on Tools and SPX Corporation.

Your entries help other readers pick the best tools for the job and they also help tell nominated companies what they’re doing right.

Now it’s time to nominate the Top 5 Favorite Tool companies for 2012. Just click here. Don’t you want that $25 gift card?