Hand Tool Reviews

These ARE the best pair of shears I have ever used! I'm not a gardener or handyman type; what I am is a 15 year paramedic/firefighter who has gone through three pairs of Fiskars. (I have never had a pair destroyed, I have merely lost them). While most of my co-workers continue to use the inadequate "EMT" scissors out on the market, I have committed myself to the Fiskars. Everytime I loan them to someone, I get a rave review of it's performance. I have used them to cut off everything from wood to leather, clothing, shoes,seatbelt webbing, rope, etc without a problem. If you want THE best pair of shears, you will not go wrong buying this pair of Fiskars!

The Fiskars rotary blade is excellent for cutting all types of papers. The blade is very sharp and makes precise cuts. A great buy!

This gift package is wonderful for anyone with a green thumb. The Fiskars tools work so well, and they last for such a long time, you won't be disapointed. Also, the packaging is already cute enough that you don't have to do anything to make it ready to give as a gift. I recommend getting one for your friend, and one for yourself.

I love this pruner !! I have used this pair for several yrs and would replace them immediately if something happened to them. They are exremely light weight and have awesome cutting power because of the way they are made. They are wonderful for someone who has decreased strength in their hands from arthritis or other problem. My other favorite is the Fiskar pruning snips (may be called floral snips). lilymadonna- Bremerton, WA

Pruning is a snap with these pruners by Fiskar. I lost a lot of my gripping power in my pruning hand due to an injury and I have no trouble using these pruners. For larger limbs reaching the cutting capacity of this pruner, I simply begin the cut and rock the cutters as I squeeze, I also like the way they fit my small hand which is not to say that large hands would not be comfortable too. I love these pruners so much that when I lost my first pair, I did not hesitate to replace them with another.

The small scissors in this set are perfect for scrapbooking. The spring action is perfect for cutting out detailed pieces, especially lettering.

I am currently on my second D.B. Smith Field King sprayer. My first one, purchased around 1990, was the 5-gallon model. When a neighbor offered to do some work for me in exchange for this sprayer around 2000, I took him up on the offer and immediately ordered the model offered here, the 4-gallon version. The only difference between these two models is literally the size of the tank. I had found 5-gallons of liquid somewhat heavy and definitely prefer, for extended periods of use, this 4-gallon model.

One of many things especially nice about D.B. Smith sprayers is that every part is readily available, at reasonable prices, should a part ever require replacing. I purchased both my backpack sprayers from Forestry Suppliers, but I am sure A.M. Leonard offers spare parts, too, in additional to non-standard nozzles and extension tubes should one have specialized spraying applications. I, however, find the two types of nozzles that come standard with the sprayer adequate for my needs of shrub, fruit tree, flower, lawn, and house deck spraying. The only replacement parts I have ever purchased are a wand nozzle filter and strainer basket that sits under the lid--and then only because I lost one part (filter, under $2.00) and stepped on the other (basket, under $3.00). That's in 6 years. The 16-year-old one my neighbor now has has never required a replacement part.

One thing the description for the sprayer here does not note is that there is a lumbar bar support on this sprayer. It's a heavy duty plastic thing about 3" wide that rests on the lumbar zone of one's back. This plus the heavily padded, adjustable shoulder straps make for a very comfortable sprayer. Actually, the description also does not note that it comes with a fan spray nozzle as well as the adjustable straight nozzle . I use the adjustable straight one 95% of the time.

The real advantage of a backpack over traditional sprayer is the ease of keeping pressure in the tank. One can place the pump bar on either side, depending on whether one is right or left handed. *Gentle* pumping keeps it primed. An agitator in the Field King tank assures that even powder chemicals stay in solution. Should one be careless and get any debris in the tank with one's mixture [by not using the strainer basket], the filter in the extension wand will catch it, making it easy to remove the gunk later rather than having to dig things out of a tiny sprayer nozzle hole. The location of this filter is such that it can be easily accessed while maintaining pressure in the tank.

If someone here decides to buy this or some other backpack sprayer, the one tip I have to offer before you use it for the first time is find a place to fill it, such as a picnic table or wall, so it can be put on your back, once filled, by bending your knees and sliding backwards into the shoulder straps. Getting a 4 or 5 gallon sprayer on one's back from the ground is not easy.

In closing, this is a very high quality sprayer. Many other companies are starting to use plastic wands and/or nozzles. Smith only uses brass, a far superior material, for these parts.

Another review on scrapers...These are indispensable if you do a lot of work with hard, wild grained woods as I do. Nothing will put a final finish on wildly figured maple or walnut like a good scraper. These scrapers are very solid and inexpensive...I got a couple of them....keep one with an aggressive hook and one with a fine hook for those final passes. Makes the wood shine like nothing else will. Learning to use scrapers is easy and sharpening them is a snap. Lots of good books out there covering both aspects. If you are tired of sanding till your hand falls off, trying to achieve that perfect finish on your expensive wood, give these scrapers a try. Not a lot of money and you will be thrilled with the results. Highly recommend.

It's no "fluke" that the John C. Fluke Corp consistently puts out quality test instruments that have superior value and usability. This is no exception. Fluke was the first to offer 3200-count digital multi-meters when everyone else had 1999-count (3.5 digits). They were also the first with an analog bar-graph in addition to the 3200-count digital readout -- the fast-update bar-graph is a must for fast-changing readings or peaking/nulling adjustments.

The model 111 has 6000-count digits which update 4 times per second and a 33-segment bar-graph that updates 40 times per second.

I love the min/max/avg functions, being able to check capacitors, ac frequency, ac current from 5Hz to 50kHz, dc current, resistance, continuity, etc. I don't leave home without it!

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This is a great rake for clearing stuff out of your lawn. The tines are strong and well-spaced, the handle is long and comfortably padded, and the rake pulls together grass and other trimmings, leaves, etc., quickly and simply. In other words, it does what you want a rake to do.

Some assembly is required -- you attach the head of the rake to the shaft by positioning it and then putting in a single screw. The shaft is made of a fairly hard wood, so this is not completely easy, but once it is done, the rake feels solid and strong. I've had no problems with it so far.

I use about 4 or 5 of these in my machine shop for setting lathe centers, sheet metal work, and general metal forming and pressing. The mallets (and their hammers), work perfectly, not marring the metal, and not leaving marks on the work surface. Far better than the cheapo rubber and urethane knockoffs that are largely imported for a dime a dozen. For the true craftsman/artisan/professional machinist, you just can't beat these.