Hand Tool Reviews

This is a beautiful example of great workmanship. Made right here in Midwest USA. VERY affordable too! -Brian from Omaha, Nebraska.

I recently discovered the Cooper WoodChuck. It had a nice 'heft' for a small rasp, looked tough and capable, and I liked the integrated chisel tip. I purchased the 1/2" to try on a decoy I am making. Although smaller and shorter than a normal rasp, it is extremely rugged -- the end of the handle is capped with a metal striking surface for use with a mallet when used as a chisel. The rasp is less aggressive than other rasps, but for more delicate wood removal when modeling or carving, it is ideal. The WoodChuck is an innovative design, very well made and reasonably priced -- I was so impressed I purchased the entire set! I highly recommend the WoodChuck.

I've had a set of these for years and they work great. The wood handles flex nicely but don't break. Easily cuts through a 1 inch limb and slightly larger. Larger than that get a pruning saw. Also should you break the handles, replacements are easy to attach, two bolts and you are done.

I've used this for 2 years cutting heavy brush (multiflora rose) that i needed to clear to put up fences and plant trees. It has nicely finshed metal, very sharp, cuts powerfully- far easier than the discount store models. I was worried the wood handle would be too fragile but it cuts so well that it has been not an issue. When you hit a piece of stock too thick to cut through, the wood handles flex and warn you before you reach a breaking point. And it is MADE IN USA!

The 14 foot reach is a great asset when it is needed. However, at full length it does increase the effective weight significantly when leverage is factored in. Should be easily handled by those with average strength; but it is a bit more work for this old man reviewer. The telescoping pole reduces this concern when the extra length is not needed.

The Crain Cutter 245HA Deluxe Carpet Trimmer is a solid product. The four position adjustible throat and the ratchet-mounted handle makes trimming carpet under toe spaces so muck easier than using a utility knife. And the results look a lot more professional. This tool is well worth it's weight in gold.

Out here in the boonies, eating utensils are danged hard to come by. So it's either use your fingers, or adopt the Uncle Hiram method of eating with your face in the plate (which is pretty effective, but awful sloppy). By golly, Cousin Buford brought this nifty wrench set to our most recent Sunday hoedown--to work on the '57 Edsel flatbed, mind you--but it weren't long before all these shiny tools were plucked away to help family and kin enjoy all the steaming vittles on the plywood table.

Can't go wrong with a 7-piece set ranging in size from 8mm to 18mm: why, now we have access to every tasty dish on the menu, from 'possum porridge to skunk scallops. And with the handy push button reversing, we could use these little jewels for both stirring and carving. The wrenches are made of chrome steel, which means Granny can drop them in the washbucket and they come out even prettier than Aunt Twyla's bridge work.

These tools got such a fancy name: CRESCENT FRRM7 METRIC RATCHETING BOX-END WRENCH SET. Ain't none of us know what "Metric" means, although we suspect it has something to do with one of them German philosophers who used to wear a helmet with horns on it. As for "ratcheting," heck, Uncle Hiram yells at us all the time to stop all the ratchet. And we quiet down, by golly. . .you don't want to have Uncle Hiram and his coon dogs mad at you.

My husband raves about this stuff. He has just asked me to order more, because it works better than anything else on the market. It takes off pine sap and all the other mess from cutting trees better than the orange stuff.

Forget about the other things you have around the house, this is the best darn handcleaner I have ever run across in my 57 years. It is water soluable....but it works on oils too. I mean gets that nasty stuff you get on your hands after working on your truck...greases, you name it, this stuff gets it off and is is relatively inexpensive. If you think you like ORANGE, try a tube of this and you won't regret it. I don't own stock in it but if I could I would.

In the world of insurance restoration we need to find how far water has traveled in a house after a flood. This tool is perfect to penetrate through drywall and into wood studs to detect moisture. ( use with the long pins provided). It shows the customer ( to their amazment) how wet things really are. We can then mitigate the loss before mold starts growing.