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.
Ridgid has some good professional and consumer response to their SeeSnake microDrain and microReel Inspection Systems. Now the company has announced a new addition to their microDrain line in the form of a 65′ microDrain w/sonde. Inspired by the feedback from professional tool users (pool service, plumbers, chimney inspection, etc.) to lengthen the microDrain, the company developed the D65S.
While it is not everyday that we need to install tongue and groove flooring, we recently had an opportunity to put down about 2000 square feet of 6†wide cypress. The cypress is a lot softer then say oak or bamboo but the process is the same for all kinds of both pre-finished and post-finished nail-down flooring. To do this project we probably should have used a pneumatic floor nailer, but since we fell into a really good deal on a pair of Bostitch MFN-201 Manual Flooring Cleat Nailer Kits, we went this route.
The new Duo-Fast FloorMaster 250BN Flooring Nailer is a lightweight 16-gauge angled finish nailer designed for blind nailing tongue and groove flooring. This nailer has a 45-degree angled no-mar tip that makes for precise and quick toe nailing. The kit includes some other goodies like swappable bump and sequential triggers and a standard flat tip so that you can be use this nailer as a regular 16-gauge finish nailer.
With joist hangers, hurricane ties, straps and other and other pieces of perforated metal connectors requiring 1-1/2″ nails in wide use across the country, Paslode has updated their Positive Placement Nailer. The new Paslode PF150S-PP Positive Placement Metal Connector Nailer is designed specifically for 1-1/2″ nails and is much more compact and lightweight than its predecessors. This nailer was designed for the job site, so you can be sure that you will get the durability you need to handle everyday use and, thanks to its many updated features, it should help boost your productivity.
The 12 Volt MAX Compact Lithium 3/8″ Drill/Driver (PCL120DDC-2) features a single sleeve check with spindle lock, variable speed trigger, two-speed gearbox, and a reported 1,200 rotations per minute. Add to that an included belt clip that can be relocated on either side of the tool, a magnetic bit holder, an LED worklight, and two included batteries, a 30-minute charger, and a soft-sided case and the $90 price tag looks pretty reasonable. Pair it with the forthcoming Impact Driver (PCL120IDC-2) for a considerable savings.
Rafter squares may not seem like a tool that needs much innovation, but Empire Level Mfg. Corp., maker of the True Blue series of levels as well as the DLX10 DeWalt Series Level, tweaked theirs to offer the most productive features they could come up with. Their new e2992 Hi-Vis Rafter Square is designed to offer added visibility, safety, durability and convenience. To do this, they went to the drawing board, literally, and came up with a design that would make sense to roofing and engineering professionals who use this type of tool nearly every day.
Imagine being able to accurately measure distances anywhere from two inches up to 130 ft away with a tool that is not much bigger than a cell phone. With the new Bosch DLR130K Laser Distance Measurer you get pin-point accuracy down to 1/16″ of an inch with just the click of a button. Real estate appraisers, contractors and interior decorators will appreciate the easy to use functions and how much this laser distance measurer will speed up calculating areas and estimating materials for their projects.
Whether it’s hanging a door or setting drywall into place overhead, there are a number of instances where it would simply be nice to have a friend to help out… or maybe just have a more versatile clamping system – one that doesn’t take coffee breaks and never drops stuff. The “new” Rockwell JawStand seems to fit that bill nicely, and it does it in a lean and mean package. We put ‘new’ in quotes because this tool has been out before from a company called Triton (MSA200) and is now appearing under the Rockwell name – something that, if it increases availability and distribution, can only be a good thing for consumers. Rock on, Rockwell.
The Milwaukee 8975-6 11.6 Amp Dual Temperature Heat Gun might look a little like your wife’s hair dryer but it really is a serious hand-held high heat throwing machine. With two temperature settings of 570 and 1,000 degrees F, you can pretty much peel the paint off of almost anything without having to worry about the issues that come with open flames. With a continuous duty rating, you can also plan on being able to work this tool non-stop for as long as you need it.
The Final Cut 10″ Saw Blade is one of those ideas that almost seems too easy. Install some sandpaper on the sides of a saw blade and then you can cut and sand in one pass. When we first heard of about the Final Cut Saw Blade it reminded us of something we might see on a late night infomercial that could have questionable results. The idea seemed simple enough, but we had some questions as to durability and long term use that we wanted to investigate.
