If you want to read articles and reviews that are trade-specific, try our Tool Reviews by Trade section. This organizes our site into topics suited particularly for a specific trade such as plumbing, electrical, framing, roofing & siding, concrete/masonry, and carpentry.
Tool Reviews by Trade Craft
Roofing and siding pros will find pneumatic roofing nailers as well as tools like cap staplers and hammer tackers. Tile & Flooring Pros will gain easy access to our tile saws, flooring staplers, and floor scrapers. As a painting professional, reviews of airless sprayers and cordless sprayers may interest you the most.
You can count on one thing: whatever your craft, you need good tools. Our tool reviews by trade will help you drill down to quickly find the information you need. If you want to avoid anything that sits outside of your trade, this way helps you do it. If you can’t find a tool here, let us know.
Porter-Cable is addressing the problem of needing the power of a cordless impact drivers, but for extended-use applications. They launched the 1/4-inch Hex 4.3-Amp PCE201 specifically to give tradesmen an option in the workplace. This impact driver is designed for deck builders, steel roofing installers and other tradesmen who complete numerous fastening applications in challenging workplaces (but who have easy access to power).
I was challenged by a recent project that involved re-roofing a jewelry store. Now, I can’t say specifically what was […]
At first glance, the DeWalt DWS780 miter saw looks impressive—like it means business. It also looks very similar to the […]
Bosch released a new tool this summer – one that wasn’t merely an improvement on an old idea or a tweak to some existing designs. It was revolutionary and it grabbed our attention. The GSL 2 Surface Laser is a new type of laser leveling device that uses dual angled self-leveling lasers to mark both peaks and valleys on floors, be they concrete or any other material. No, for concrete guys this is going to be a no-brainer purchase. We’ve used it and the tool is clearly going to appeal to anyone who has to deal with this common issue on a regular basis. In a sense I’m giving away our conclusion up front, but let’s explore the tool and see how it works and what exactly it does. By the end, whether you lay wood flooring, vinyl, tile or are a concrete guy, this a product you’ll want to pick up in order to save time and money.
Makita formally announced its newest 18V hammer drill this week, the LXT-powered LXPH03 1/2″ Hammer Driver-Drill. The new LXPH03 puts out 750 in.lbs. of (max) torque, but it’s more compact and lightweight than the previous model. The new LXPH03 is also engineered for increased resistance to water and dust, though we don’t see an IP certification on the tool as of yet. On this new hammer drill, Makita used a proprietary 4-pole motor to up the torque and speed. The new driver/drill puts out up to 30,000 BPM and 2,000 RPM. The new all-metal planetary gear system is more efficient so the LXPH03 ends up being more compact as well. In fact, it measures just 8-7/8†long and weighs 5.1 lbs. with the battery.
Having both refinished and laid my share of flooring, going from a manual nailer to a pneumatic is a bit of a jump – but a welcome one. As anyone who has done flooring knows, the two tools work in basically the same way, but with one exception. With a manual flooring nailer, the very act of beating on the rubber ram cap drives the ratcheting mechanism which sends the cleat into the wood until it’s all the way in. With most decent floor nailers, the ratchet will then reset when the nail is at the correct depth. Porta-Nails’ 470A Flooring Nailer is a pneumatic model which uses 89-90 PSI of air pressure to drive the nail into the flooring with a single, less-aggressive strike.
The National Electrical Code (NEC) requires Arc fault circuit breakers or interrupters (AFCIs) in many areas of the home. This includes […]
GearWrench, a brand of Apex Tool Group, which has been in the news lately, announced the launch of the brand new 120XP Ratchet – which is the first ratchet we know of to feature 120 positions. That means that for every full rotation, it can turn fasteners with a swing arc of as little as 3 degrees. Talk about getting into tight spaces… the way the GearWrench 120XP does it is through the use of double-stacked pawls which provide an ultra-narrow swing arc. With less of an arc required to “click” the ratchet, you can insert your tool into tighter areas and reach fasteners in severely limited access applications.
It’s rare that I see a tool that catches me off guard and presents something truly “new” or innovative. With the Black & Decker Gyro, innovation is at its core. The question is whether or not the new gyroscopic features are helpful or a hindrance. One thing is for certain, however, you’ll get more “play” time with this tool in terms of its effects as a party favor of attention-grabber than you will from any other powered screwdriver. And you can really use it thanks to some solid and simple thinking on the part of Black & Decker’s engineers.
Delta Power Equipment Corporation introduced two new bench grinders this week. The larger of the two is the 8-inch Model 23-199, which features a patented tool-less quick change nut and tool-less wheel cover so you can swap out or change grinding or polishing wheels quickly and easily. The grinder runs at variable speed and has a front-mounted speed dial to dial the grinder in from 2,000 to 3,400 RPM. The Model 23-199 also features a cast iron base to give it more stability and holding power and which also serves to reduce vibration during use. Four rubber feet are also included to help prevent movement. The full-size clear safety shield utilizes thumb screws for easy adjustment.
