When Pro Tool Reviews does hardware and fastener reviews, we cover a lot of products. To us, hardware and fasteners include all types of screws, nails, deck clips, deck fastening clips, and other devices you may find in the hardware aisle of your local retailer or supplier. We’ve covered the new Senco Mantis deck clip system, the RemoveRite reusable screws for construction, Makita Impact Gold bits, and more. Hardware and Fastener Reviews in the Field We have even delved into more technical considerations of fasteners. Case in point is our article Are Impact-rated Bits Worth the Money? and Should I Use Square, Philips or Torx Drive Deck Screws? We even discuss the best nails for pressure treated lumber and fastener drive types. Finally, without the right fastener, your decking, framing, or carpentry project can fall apart…literally. Fasteners make the project, and knowing which can hold up is important. This is another reason to also check out the Pro Tool Innovation Awards. They highlight the most innovative fasteners in the industry that help solve a problem or change the way we employ fastening in projects.
Rockler always has cool hardware and this week they debuted a kit for building your own rolling utility ladder. This is the kind of ladder you see in the coolest libraries where they climb up and slide from left to right—except that the Rockler Rolling Utility Ladder Hardware System is meant for the large storage […]
The Makita Impact GOLD bits include bit holders, nut setters, socket adapters, and more. We even checked out their handy case. Unlike many competing products, it gives you easy access to the bits without having to literally rip them out of the housing. The 21-piece kit includes a magnetic two-piece holder. Makita Impact GOLD Ultra Design […]
When I was working on the premier issue of Pro Tool Reviews magazine back in March, my team drove over 7500 screws in order to test the best impact drivers. That’s a lot of screws. During the course of that article, we found that one manufacturer’s impact-rated bits didn’t seem to last much longer than […]
Woodworker’s Supply released some new Woodtek 163-703 bench casters today that are made for lifting and moving wooden benches, storage cabinets or other similar items. The swivel caster wheels are 2-1/2” in diameter and are designed to roll smoothly over hard surfaces. When you engage the steel step down levers, the mechanism will lift the […]
Sometimes it seems as if Rockler releases new products every week – not a bad thing if you’re Rockler and your products are successful. This week, the company announced its Rockler Sawhorse Clips for Bench Cookie Plus Work Grippers. These match a new accessory with their well-known Bench Cookies (item 46902, sold separately). The accessory […]
The bolt has been around a long time. You don’t expect the design to change… I mean, it’s a bolt, right? Well, the Lock’n Bolt folks in Japan don’t seem to agree and Kenji Hasegawa, who runs Japanese automotive parts supply company Lock’n Bolt Corporation, is responsible for this invention, billing it as a one-piece bolt that […]
Mergers and acquisitions are in the air it seems. Not too long ago we reported about Stanley Black & Decker buying Infastech. Now, Senco Brands has just acquired Expandet A/S, a family-run manufacturing company that specializes in fasteners. Expandet fasteners target both professional and do-it-yourself building applications throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The exact terms […]
We’re not easily impressed with hidden decking systems. While they offer a really excellent finished product, many of the systems require clips and extra work that causes the job to take longer, involve more training and generally increase your costs to deliver the finished product. With the CAMO Hidden Deck Fastening System, however, our concept of what was possible with hidden deck fastening systems was redefined. The CAMO system, which uses a Marksman or Marksman Pro installation tool, eliminates the need for clips and routing or cutting the edges of the board, and simplifies the method of deck board installation. In a nutshell, they devised a method to fasten the boards by driving screws at an angle along the board’s edge – directly into the joist. In this way, the boards are secured and the entire process is simplified. In short – it’s fast, and it’s impressive.
We ran into Kirk Conville of Prest-on while walking around the International Builders Show. As soon as I saw their booth, where they were demoing (live) their Insta-back Drywall Fastener products, I was captured. Little did Kirk know that I had a project that perfectly matched his solution. You see, I had just installed a television mount overtop a fireplace – and I had done it incorrectly. As a result, I needed to make a drywall patch – and one that I had been dreading for some time. Looking at the Prest-on project, I was feeling a lot more confident, and downright excited to get started.
We love building decks. With Tiger Claw’s new Hidden Fastener Installation Gun, you can build an entire deck with no surface screws or nails. This makes for a much more beautiful and clean finished look to any decking project and really ramps up the “pro” factor of any job. It also takes away one of the primary access points for water infiltration and deck rot. Tiger Claw makes the claim that their Installation Gun not only makes for a nice, finished job, but it also reduces the installation time for any job involving their TC-G hidden deck fasteners. We set out to see how well that claim held up under real-world use.
