Hand Tool Reviews

I am actually partial to a wooden handle and was never to fond of the whole metal handle in a hammer. But on the job one day I borrowed one of these from a buddy and never looked back. Now don't get me wrong most days I will still pick up a good wooden handled hammer, but when I know I am going to be driving a 50 Lb box of 16's because no air for a nail gun available, I will grab this 28 oz Estwing and never miss a beat. The weight and balance is superb. So grab a handful of steel and swingaway.

Working solo hanging drywall can be a chore, and you can rent the heavy lift from Home Depot for the $30 a day, or you can try these. I've done both while working on my sister's house.

My background: Rough carpenter (framer) and some experience with basic remodeling.

Pros:
+ Lightweight. You can carry these in your toolbox. The lift weighs about 60#.
+ Cheap. You can buy a set of these for less than a 1 day rental cost of the lift.
+ Simple. Doesn't take a genius to screw then into the joists/studs.
+ Room to maneuver: You won't trip over the base, bang your head, or bump into these in a small room (like you might with a lift).

Cons:
- You still have to lift the drywall sheet yourself. That can be tiring if you have a lot of sheets to go up, but good for small jobs.
- One of the screws broke the third time I used it. Not a real problem, screws are cheap, just use another. Or, if you aren't in a rush, drill the pilot hole first :)
- I would prefer that they be made a little thicker, for sturdiness' sake. Or machined out of aluminum blocks. I guess I could just buy another set and use them if I wanted more strength. I bought a set that came with just two, not three.

Overall, these are great for the small jobs. One room, two rooms, regular 8' ceilings, that's fine. If I was doing a whole house, I would rent the lift and save myself the effort.

I originally saw these featured on [...] which was a great find in and of itself

Recently on the New Yankee Workshop with Norm Abrams I saw the show called, "French Side Table" In it Norm makes a Table out of Black Walnut. The interesting thing is that he glued up the table top without the use of biscuits this time, because the area of the biscuit would shrink over time creating a divot. The nature of biscuits is that they are fitted into a slot made by the biscuit joiner, and the biscuit is rather a loose fit. Even with the expansion of the biscuit from the glue it still doesn't fill the entire void. Furthermore the glue shrinks again when it fully cures. So that leads me to these dowels.
I had bought the Dowelmax complete jig system, who also sells these Expansible Dowel Pins. The Dowelmax creates a perfect fitting dowel. The precision of the tool, and the perfect fit that is created by these dowels, results in a fit so snug that the surfaces of the wood are in perfect alignment with one another. As I state in my review for the Dowelmax, the surfaces are so perfectly flush on every plane that you think you are running your hands over one piece of wood.
These dowels are compressed. What that means is that they take a slightly oversized piece of wood and compress it. When glue is applied and the joint is put together, the dowel gradually absorbs the glue and expands. This creates an incredibly tight joint.
OMS Tool Company should send some of these to the New Yankee Workshop. It ideally solves the problem that Norm is experiencing with the biscuits on table tops. Since the Dowelmax has included with the kit, a perfect registration system, and guide pins that enable you to create as many dowels as you want, over as great an area as you would like, all in perfect registration to one another.
So the advantage to this system for table tops is twofold. One there isn't any voids like with a biscuit that could later result in a divot in the top. Secondly, the fit of the dowel and its hole are so exact that it helps you to get the various boards used in the glue up, all aligned with one another. You know the problem is misalignment of glued up boards and unless you have a large and expensive production sander, you have to hand sand the seams resulting in an uneven top.
I like the glue up joint bit sold by leading router bit manufacturers to solve that problem, but the Dowelmax takes it a step further with added joinery strength.
Overall I highly recommended these expansible dowel pins, and the complete Dowelmax system.

This item is an excellent product that will last a long time. And the price is a fraction of the 49.95 suggested retail value! I bought 3 units while they last at this price.

I used the 3RD hand to put up crown molding and it was a great experience. It worked really well and it was like having a helper that you did not have to listen to or pay at the end of the day. It held the molding where I wanted it and made the job a lot easier.

In the past, I have purchased Waterpik hand-held showerheads and was reasonably satisfied, though the reliability of them kept diminishing with each subsequent purchase (the first one lasted over a dozen years, and the last about 2.5 years). When the bracket on the most recent one cracked, I decided to try another manufacturer.

I didn't know what I was missing! The Speakman is vastly superior in coverage (though it doesn't have a "pulsating" setting as the Waterpik did), the bracket is more adjustable for height, and the hose is made out of a better-quality material. Most imporant, it seems to maximize water pressure (almost equal to a fixed showerhead, in fact) in a way that the Waterpik never did.

Since this is a new purchase, its longevity is unknown; but so far, it is a definite improvement and highly recommended.

Another typically well made tool by Marshalltown. Stainless steel and will not rust. Durably made with screw on hardwood handle. You can buy a couple of cheap imitations each year or buy one of these and have it last FOR years!

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These blades convert your "duh" utility knife into a real tool that can cut precisely what you want it to cut. I used mine (after I felt like I got taken for a ride by the guy from the big box company) to trim crown molding! With ease you cut cross grain pine and trim it up to look professional. Also, the tile guys had left the cement backer board a bit long, so I used one blade to cut this horrendous stuff - trashed the blade - but actually created a crisp cut. This is no ripoff, even though I felt taken when I bought mine. You buy this type of blade and you will be astonished. A true investment. These things last and last and give you no effort cutting power. My apprentice carpenter just got converted too. He did not buy my story, so I told him "just amuse me and put one of these blades in your knife", it got very quiet and only hours later, he asked me "so what brand is this blade you wanted me to try?" NO BS.... try it and you will believe it too.

Anyone who knows of Klein tools knows how good they are. These are a must have for anyone who needs nut-drivers. If you use them all day you will quickly notice how helpful the cushion grips on these nut-drivers are. I was an electrician for serveral years and began using Klein tools. After using screwdrivers and nutdrivers all day every day it became apartent that the cushion grip was a neccesity. Klien makes superior tools and I would recomend them to anyone. I've had my Klein nut-driver set for years and have used them over and over and have never had any problems with them.

If you need nut-drivers, buy these.