Professional Tool Reviews for Pros

Menu
Breaking
Best Portable Tire Inflator Reviews for 2024 EGO 56V Earth Auger Review EG0800 Festool TS 60 K/TSV 60 K Track Saw Yanmar Electric Construction Equipment DeWalt 20V Max Cordless 2 1/4 HP Plunge Router DCW620

Tool Reviews & Buying Guides by Trade

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.

Duo-Fast DF150-CS Button Cap Stapler Preview
0

Duo-Fast DF150-CS Button Cap Stapler Preview

by Clint DeBoer

If you’ve ever done a roofing job (and most of our readers seem to have some knowledge of this type of work) you’ve laid down button caps to secure felt to a rooftop. That job is made simpler with the addition of pneumatics. We’ve tried several different systems, like the Fasco America SideWinder Windstrips Stapler we reviewed last year. Now, Duo-Fast has a new product, the DF150-CS Button Cap Stapler. This system allows you to shoot staples and plastic button caps at the same time. As you can imagine, it’s perfect for roofing felt applications as well as housewrap. Most jurisdictions not locked to Broward County rules will allow the use of a tool like this on roofing felt and housewrap.

Porter-Cable 1 Gallon Quiet Trim Compressor C1010 Preview
0

Porter-Cable C1010 1 Gallon Quiet Trim Compressor Preview

by Clint DeBoer

Having a full sized 4-gallon compressor for framing and other construction projects is great, but what about the smaller job where you don’t want a larger compressor that takes up lots of space and is bulky to maneuver? For that, Porter-Cable has introduced its new heavy-duty, one-gallon, 135 Max PSI quiet trim compressor (model C1010). This is the kind of tool you want to bring with you to do punch lists and smaller trim work, making it perfect for general contractors, trim carpenters, and remodelers. It’s even suitable for woodworkers, wanting a lightweight tool for furniture assembly.

DeWalt DCD985L2 20V MAX Premium Hammer Drill Review
0

DeWalt DCD985L2 20V MAX Premium Hammer Drill Review

by Thomas Gaige

With almost 500 in-lbs of torque, a three-speed transmission, ratcheting chuck and a new level of ergonomics, the new DeWalt DCD985L2 20V MAX Lithium-ion Premium Hammer Drill kit is a must-have tool. This new five-pound drilling and driving machine can handle just about any fastener, drilling, and hammer drilling application you can think of. With the smart battery technology of the 20V MAX platform and the built-in electronics, you can be assured that your cordless DeWalt tools will last and preform better than the current 18V tools. We suspect that this drill will quickly become the tool of choice for many of the tradesmen and contractors that opt for the new 20V MAX lithium-ion battery platform.

DeWalt DCS391L1 20V MAX Lithium-Ion Circular Saw Review
0

DeWalt DCS391L1 20V MAX Lithium-Ion Circular Saw Review

by Thomas Gaige

Portability, power, weight and depth of cut are all things to look for in a cordless circular saw and the DeWalt DCS391L1 20V MAX Lithium-Ion Circular Saw delivers on all these levels. Equipped with a thin kerf saw blade and a powerful 460 watt motor, this saw is able to power through most cuts much like a corded model. With a 6-1/2″ saw blade, cutting 2x material is not a problem, even when making 45 degree bevel cuts. The new 3.0Ah Lithium-Ion battery provides over 50 percent longer run time than the other DeWalt cordless models on the market, translatesing into less downtime and more productivity.

DeWalt DCD785C2 20V MAX Lithium-Ion Compact Hammer Drill Review
0

DeWalt DCD785C2 20V MAX Lithium-Ion Compact Hammer Drill Review

by Thomas Gaige

The new DeWalt DCD785C2 20V MAX Lithium-Ion Compact Hammer Drill packs a lot into a small package. With plenty of power and speed, it is actually a few pounds lighter than most hammer drills we’ve tested. If you occasionally need to drill into concrete, yet want extreme versatility, then this drill is ideal for you. Since it is so lightweight, you can use it overhead just about all day long and not get tired. Also, thanks to its fast charging lithium-ion battery packs, you probably will never have any down time either. With a 1/2″ ratcheting chuck, variable speed motor and a two-speed transmission, you have the flexibility you to do many different drilling and driving tasks. We are pretty sure that professional contractors, electrical and mechanical tradesmen will quickly make this compact hammer drill one of their go-to tools.

DeWalt DCD780C2 20V MAX Lithium-Ion Compact Drill/Driver Review
0

DeWalt DCD780C2 20V MAX Lithium-Ion Compact Drill/Driver Review

by Thomas Gaige

The DeWalt DCD780C2 20V MAX Lithium-Ion Compact Drill/Driver shows off that bigger is not better by demonstrating that power, speed and features can be combined in a small package. This drill is ideally suited for anyone that has just about any kind of drilling and fastening requirements – within reason, that is. Equipped a 1/2″ ratcheting chuck, variable speed motor and a two speed transmission, you will have the flexibility you need to do many different drilling and driving tasks. Since it weighs in at a very manageable 3.4 pounds, even extended overhead work can be done with less fatigue.

ECHO HC-165 24" Hedge Trimmer Review
0

ECHO HC-165 24″ Hedge Trimmer Review

by Clint DeBoer

ECHO is known for its excellent outdoor equipment that caters to both professionals and consumers. Now, the new HC-165 gas-powered Hedge Trimmer proves itself to be a pro-quality product with features that are the perfect blend of convenient and unobtrusive. With a 5-position rotating handle, the HC-165 Hedge Trimmer is one of the most ergonomic trimmers we’ve used. That translates into more cutting, with less time adjusting your position to angle the blade. Want to make a left-handed vertical cut? No problem. We also found that the blades were quite sharp – and stayed that way. And the i-30 starter cranked the trimmer up after just a few pulls. The HC-165 is also quite portable and easy to carry – plus, it stores over 16 oz of fuel so you spend more time cutting and less re-filling the tank.

Milwaukee 5263-21 5/8" SDS Plus Rotary Hammer Preview
0

Milwaukee 5263-21 5/8″ SDS Plus Rotary Hammer Preview

by Clint DeBoer

It’s the day of rotary hammers, as Milwaukee introduces a new 5/8″ SDS Plus Rotary Hammer in addition to an M18 model we covered previously and a 7/8″ rotary hammer drill that retails for just $199. With regard to the 5263-21 5/8″ model, Milwaukee claims it as the “lightest and most compact” rotary hammer in its class. The tool measures just 10.9″ long and looks like a corded version of the 2605-22 M18 Cordless 5/8″ Rotary Hammer Drill. But get this – it weighs only 4.6 lbs! This is a dream hammer for drilling overhead or when you happen to not have a lot of room to maneuver. Even with its compact form factor, however, this tool has a full 1.5 ft-lbs of impact energy and features an astoundingly fast 0-3700 RPM and 0-4400 bpm. With this kind of performance it’s going to be plenty powerful enough to drill the kind of holes required by professional electrticians, plumbers and other journeymen or professionals.

MENU