Hand Tool Reviews

I personally never saw the garden set, but the recipient was delighted and felt it was sturdy enough for outdoor use also.

This set is not only practical for indoor gardening but also oh so cute! The size is just perfect for small space and small hands. The quality of the tools is surprisingly good, considering the price. I don't need to buy a garden tool from the big-box stores again! And it came packaged beautifully. You can give it to anyone as a great gift. Highly recommended!

so cute - fun to use - great for indoor plants and flower boxes

The most important part of any project is getting the measurements right. This is the most accurate tape rule I have ever found. Both inside and outside measurements. After almost 20 years of continual use I have to buy another due to a small tear at 5". This is simply the best tape rule you can buy.

I've had several different tapes through the years, have now used this tape daily for fulltime construction work for over a year, works just as well as the day I bought it!

this is the only type of tape measure that i will buy. they just last longer than the rest.

I have a lot of hammers. This is the best. A joy to use. What else can I say.

The art of making a good hammer isn't exactly new. This claw hammer isn't too different therefore from the claw hammers of our fathers or our father's fathers. This hammer does absorb the impact very well, and is very lightweight for its strength. The hammer is made by Stanley, so you know its going to be a good quality construction, but there is really nothing here that is much different from any other hammer. Its not laser guided and doesn't have GPS tracking, but it is reliable when it comes to knocking nails into things.

Amazing hammer. Works like a hot darn. Easy to hold when it gets wet. Packs quite the punch but does not feel awkward. My only complaint is the checkered face on mine wore down very quickly, not a huge deal however. It sure has made the tendonitis clear up in my elbow. Keep up the good work Stanley!

Needed to do some sanding to get rid of a sloppy wallpaper job from the previous owner of my home. In desperation I got my Bosch detail sander on it and found it worked great but I needed something larger. Off to our local home improvement store where I did in fact "save big money".
Looking on the shelf this and the smaller Bosch unit were the ONLY 2 I could find not made in China. Even the well known "American" names were made in China or wouldn't even claim where they were made. VERY disappointing.
Having been very satisfied with my other Bosch sander I bought this. The first thing I noticed is how smooth and quiet it is. Next the POWER. If I wasn't careful I could have gone right through the wall ;)
My only complaint is it's somewhat heavy and bulky (but then I bought it for the quality).
Bottom line this is an outstanding product and won't disappoint. Perhaps I'll never use it beyond this one project or I'll never use it for what most do but I am impressed!

This sander greatly exceeded my expectations on smoothness, aggressiveness, and durability. I am a seasoned woodworker who invested in this product a a PC R/O palm sander for two different applications (the PC is also very smooth, I'm very impressed with it also). I bought the PC for furniture making and finishing, the BOSCH for more general purpose work. For three monthes I used this sander 24-7 to remove many, many layers of old (70yr) house paint. Using 60-grit H&L paper, it made quick work of the stripping task. It was extremely durable (Others and I inadvertantly dropped it at a max height of about five feet). The only problem I had with this tool was that the H&L pad wore-out fairly quickly.

I own almost every type of sander, due to the fact that we live on our 50' motor yacht, with lots of varnished surfaces inside and out. I started working on the interior ladders (stairs to you land types) and was very concerned with the sanding dust generated by machine sanding. In addition to the other features I am most pleased with the dust removal system of my Bosch 3107dvs. AL Nalven Longboat Key, FL

This hammer is an excellent complement to a full-fledged framing hammer. Because it has a shorter handle than the Estwing framing hammers, it works great for sheathing roofs and roofing, as well as other closer-in work. Still has the rip claw like a framing hammer. The 20 oz. weight gives it the right punch to drive nails without being unwieldy. The new shock-reducing handle does seem to work. Certainly softer than the old handle style.

I purchased my Estwing 20 oz. Vinyl Grip Rip Claw Hammer from a certain Blue store recently. Although it costs more than other hammers, the Estwing is superior due to its simple one-piece design. During a long day of installing wood siding with this hammer recently, I appreciated its flawless weight distribution and rigidity. The grip is of excellent design and proves comfortable day after day on the job-site. After a redesign from previous generations (which I have occationally used), the new grip material is softer, thereby reducing vibration noticably over previous models.

Let me start by saying that I am not a contractor and I don't use my tools for a living. Having said that, I do all of my own home repair/renovation work and at one point or another I have built everything from furniture to room additions to a 24' by 40' pole barn. I have owned this hammer for a long time - at least 6-8 years, and although the metal has tarnished to a dark grey it is still in as good of shape as the day I bought it. The face has remained very flat and true and the handle grip is holding up just fine. I love the balance of this hammer and the weight is just right for jobs like framing where power is more important than finesse.

All in all this is what I would consider a useful and indestructible tool at a great price.

I bought this thinking it was an extravagance, but it's worth every penny. It stands up for squaring table saw blades and band saw blades, it has the lip that keeps it square against boards, the corner is relieved so that a rough edge on the wood won't throw it off, and it's built like a pry bar - you'd need a sledge to get it out of square. I use it daily and don't know how I got by before.

BTW, the guy who said that the box was nice was right - it's cardboard but has a form-fitting high-density foam insert that the square rests in. The whole thing has "serious equipment" written all over it.

If you have a nice shop and want your tools to be as accurate as they can be then you must have this square. I am always worried that my equipment is inaccurate but now I know they are, and I can fix them all now and be certain that they are tuned to the precission that I expect. Only after haveing this square did I find out how much I needed it.

This is a beautiful tool that has seen much use in my shop already. Packaging is exceptional...I hate to throw away the box!

As most US Craftsmen have noticed, nearly all woodworking manufactureres are off-shoring the manufacture of their machines. Powermatic (JET) is no exception; their PM 66 series tablesaw, their shapers, and a couple drill presses are all that remain of American made machinery. I picked up the 5HP saw with the Router Lift table and am very pleased with it. It won't be long before all of Powermatic will be made in Taiwan, so if you want an American made saw, you better act now. Your next best choice is General (not General International), which is made in Canada. General carries two lines one made in Canada and their General International which is the same Taiwan crap you find at Jet. Happy shopping. John - Knoxville, TN

The saw is great. Just do not buy this from AMAZON!!!! I have waited for over six weeks for my saw and finally gave up(I was told in the sixth week of waiting that it wasw being shipped to AMAZON from the manufacture in 3-5 weeks and AMAZON was going to take another 3-5 weeks on top of that to get me my saw for a grand total of 5 moths!) So, I went to southern tools and they shipped the saw that day. I had my saw within three days (not weeks or months like AMAZON!!!)
I received the saw in seven boxes but it was very easy to set up! The boxes they used for the saw was reinforced with 2x4's. They even test the saw before it leaves the factory (give you a readout of the test results, which is great to use as a reference.) I got the mobile base and set up the saw in the base. The table saw was square right out of the box. Just follow the directions and you will have a great saw that will last for years!
Thank You Southern Tool for my table saw!

dont order this product from amazon been waiting for three going on four weeks amazon says it will be two to three more weeks if they dont change it again ......can they really get this saw?????? steve

For the price, everyone should have one of these in their toolbox. Its great for those times where you need a little bit of leverage in a small place. I have personally found mine most usefull as a helper when hanging a door, it was just the right size and thickness.

Due to its thickness, this is not a strong pry bar and it does have some flex, but it will do for anything a reasonable person would attempt with a 7" long pry bar. The relatively thin thickness is also what makes this pry bar so handy, it is not that thick bar of steel like most pry bars, this thing is only slightly thicker than a stamped piece of sheet metal.

If you dont expect a "real" pry bar when you order this, you will be very happy with what you get, especially for the price.

The Wonder Bar II is small, light, inexpensive, and amazingly handy. It works great as a small crowbar, and I was surprised by how useful it is to have a selection of lever arms and grip shapes available to meet various nail-pulling needs. This may deliver the best value for the money of anything in my tool box.

well size does matter... when your talking about pry bars that is.

this pry bar is so handy i have one in each of my toolboxes and i never leave home without one.

good work Stanely!!!

I have had an anvil looper for a long time. The anvil looper has a gear mechanism that increases the leverage. It easily cut up to 2-inch branches with one slice. But the blade finally became dull and I could not find a replacement so I decided it was time to buy a new one. I had a difficult time deciding between an anvil or bypass looper. I decided on the bypass because it has 2 ?-inch cutting capacity and long 32-inch handles for leverage. They should have said 2 ?-inch capacity if you can cut it because you can't cut through a 2 or 2 ?-inch tree branch without attacking it several times from various angles. That makes cutting vary difficult. On smaller stuff it cuts great but then the long handles become awkward.

It is a good cutting tool for brush and small branches but next time, when I must buy another one, it will be an anvil.

Expensive, yes. But this is an efficient, tough tool.

Just spent many days clearing brush and trees. This tool is the best I have used. I have broken wooden handles on other loppers, struggled with others, and am completely satisfied with this 32 inch Corona. Also consider their hand clippers. The top of the line is fantastic.

Gee whiz... occasionally, you find a piece of equipment that is truly well-made and worth the extra dollars it costs. Corona's loppers are super! I have 5 acres and along a fencerow I had a lot of willow trees coming up that had already grown to a couple of inches in diameter. They were a real pain to mow around, and I had grown to dread mowing that side of my lawn. One hour with the Corona lobbers in my hands, and they were all laid to waste! I had originally thought about cleaning this undergrowth up with a chain saw, but these lobbers are much faster and a lot easier to use to boot!

I'd had some miniature lobbers that I used to cut roses with. I'd always thought a lot of those mini-lobbers too, but had never paid attention to what brand they were. I knew that on occasion, I had pruned trees with them, which was well beyond their advertised or intended capacity, and they'd always done well. So... when I was hanging up my new giant Corona lobbers, I picked up the little ones I'd had for so long to see what brand they were... Corona also. These guys just make great tools!

I've cut some whompin big bushes and tree limbs with my new giant lobbers, and they've never given as much as a squeak.

Highly recommended -- a tool to keep!

The first nailer I recieved didn't work properly, the driver wouldn't retract. I followed the instructions for oil, and used the proper nails but no luck. Amazon's return policy worked flawlessly. They sent me a replacement via FedEx 2nd day and I received a perfectly working nailer that looks as if it has never been used. The price was excellent and I was able to build 85 feet of fencing without a single problem. I think, based on previous reviews that receiving a gun that didn't work was certainly an exception and Amazon did an awesome job of correcting it.

This reconditioned nailer like all my past reconditioned tools that I have brought (22 in all)is Brand New! not a mark on it!
It pays off big time too buy these tools, I shouldn't tell anyone this for fear these tools will sell out too quickly.

I recently purchased the FR350R framing nail gun from Porter-Cable and have found the gun to perform wonderfully. My only complaint was how the reconditioned nail gun arrived with major scratches and no labels. I know this product was reconditioned, but it looked like it was used on a job site for many years performing heavy labor. I would have preferred to spend the extra money to have bought the new tool. I also bought a reconditioned finishing nail gun from Porter-Cable that performed perfectly as well, only that the finishing nail gun appeared brand new upon arrival.