Tool Reviews by Tool

You can access our tool reviews in many different ways. Here, we organize tool reviews by tool type. This includes power tool reviews and hand tool reviews as well as reviews of air tools and pneumatics. We also cover hardware, outdoor, and industry-specific products. All are organized by specific tool type. Sorting Tool Reviews by Tool You can also check out our tool reviews by the tool brands or manufacturer, but if you’re looking for a circular saw, hammer drill, or other particular tool by tool type, then this section will get you to everything you need. Use the dropdown in the menu above to further refine your selection. With that you can get to a listing of exactly the right tools you’re interested in. Pro Tool Reviews covers and/or reviews over 400 tools each year, making this your one-stop shop for everything tool-related. If you want to know what the best tool in a particular category is, you’re in the right place.

Mac Tools Cordless 3.6V LED Worklight TL98268 Preview

Mac Tools Cordless 3.6V LED Worklight TL98268 Preview

We cover a lot from Stanley Black & Decker, but one of its other family companies, Mac Tools, just came out with something pretty cool this week. Mac Tools introduced a Cordless Rubberized LED Worklight (model TL98268). The TL98268 is designed to be both versatile and durable – two features that are pretty important in a workshop or garage environment. It features a polycarbonate casing with TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) textured coating finish. This outer coating is a sort of rubberized coating that gives the flashlight good grip as well as protection from falls. Of course, while that’s impressive, Mac Tools also made the new LED Work Light water resistant – the switch is 100% sealed from water, dirt and dust. Mac Tools, of course, backs all this up with an IP54 rating.

Max-Lok Carbide SDS-Max Bit Extension System

Milwaukee Max-Lok Carbide SDS-Max Bit Extension System

So Milwaukee is into innovation – everyone who is even remotely familiar with the company and its product lines can attest to that. But what’s always surprising (to me, at least) is the diversity of areas that innovation touches. Take their new Max-Lok Carbide Extension System, for example. This falls smack dab in the lap of serious concrete professionals who use SDS-Max bits day in and day out. The Max-Lok system is designed to extend SDS-Max rotary hammer bits up to 82.5″. That means you can take your existing SDS-Max bits and bore deeper and into more places than ever before. And you’re not buying expensive and dedicated extended length bits to do it.

Kobalt 27-Piece Xtreme Access Socket Set Review

Kobalt 27-Piece Xtreme Access Socket Set Review

The new trend in sockets, which Kobalt has fully embraced with its 27-pc Xtreme Access Socket Set, is the universal SAE/Metric spline drive that fits 6 & 12 pt, spline, star, square and even most rounded sockets. But Kobalt also utilized a new 4-in-1 solution that has the ratchet surrounding the socket, leaving the center open. Why is that important? With the center open , your bolt can pass right through, letting you use the same socket for both shallow and deep applications. Combined with the specialized drive system, this 27-piece socket set covers nearly all the bases for most general socket use.

Duo-Fast DF175-CN Cap Nailer Review

Duo-Fast DF175-CN Cap Nailer Review

We typically avoid roofing whenever we can. There, we said it. It’s a grueling job that, in Florida, takes everything out of you. Of course, in the home renovation world, the more we “avoid” it, the more we end up doing it anyway. Roofing in the South is a job best left to those who don’t mind charging a fair wage to live and work out under the hot sun, bent over a black felt-papered roof driving thousands of nails until you feel as if there’s no conceivable way that much water could have possibly poured out of your body without rendering you into a living, breathing piece of beef jerky. Yes, that last sentence was long – just like every roofing job we’ve ever done. If I want to take every opportunity to shorten the time up on a roof, then certainly the guys who only do roofing need a tool like the Duo-Fast DF175-CN Cap Nailer. Why? Because, like all great tools it saves you time and energy. If you can shave an hour or more off that hot roofing job, in Florida, in June, you’re going to want to do that. You’re REALLY going to want to do that.

Stinger CN100 Cap Nailer fastening

Stinger CN100B Cap Nailer Review

When we got to check out a preview of National Nail Corp’s Stinger CN100 Cap Nailer at the 2011 International Builders’ Show, we were impressed – and that was before their product manager, Rocky Stroud, sent us one for a proper review. When you live in Florida, roofing is something you have to deal with on a regular basis – but it’s not exactly the most enjoyable form of employment – at least not in the summer. When the humidity is at 98% and the sun is beating down on you in June, anything you can do to get off that roof more quickly is going to be music to your ears. The Stinger CN100 Cap Nailer is the brainchild of National Nail Corp which is in the business of manufacturing high quality fasteners for the commercial and residential construction markets. The Stinger CN100 is their latest product, and it positions itself as a way to speed up the job of fastening underlayment, felt paper or Tyvek-style housewrap while still adhering to most local building codes that may not yet accept staples.