Hand Tool Reviews

I ordered three of these knives and have been using just one of them to install 200 sq. ft. of SecondSkinAudio sound damping material in my car and all I can say is WOW.

The easy change blade system comes in real handy when in a hurry and you don't need to have a screwdriver to change the blade! The mechanism that holds the blade in place is very secure and won't come undone by accident, but not too secure that it doesn't make changing the blade difficult or dangerous in anyway.

For those of you who don't know what sound damping material is, it's butyl rubber with a heavy duty aluminum foil on top and if you don't have a sharp knife when cutting this stuff, you can and will get seriously hurt. Because if the blade isn't sharp, the butyl rubber will just stick to the blade and cause a "jerky" motion when cutting, which can cause incidental injury.

I've been using this knife for 4-5 hours straight everyday for the last two weeks now and I can't think of anything bad to say about it.
This is now my pocket knife I carry with me all the time, a must have!

I bought this knife to use at work for cutting cardboard boxes and strapping materials. The knife is substantial, very well made. Sheffield is a name you can trust. Also included was a packet of replacement blades.

This is a great product, and you can get it, along with any other products on Amazon up to $500 Free! Participate in this special promotion and get a free $500 Amazon Gift Card at this web site: nocoststuff.biz/amazon

I have just finished pruning 110 rose bushes with these pruners. About 30% of my cuts were bungled because the blade quickly dulled and it easily flexes to prevent a clean bypass cut. Otherwise the pruners facilitate cutting large branches and the spring works well.

I like this item B00004SD72 very much You should read more reviews to find out more about it

The Fiskar pruners lived up to their advance advertising as being easy to operate and giving a clean, crisp cut. I like them so well, I got a pair for my neighbor, who is equally satisfied.

I've used it hundreds of times now, with only 1 jam!! Some people made a big deal about the adapter u need to use for nails under 1 1/4" - I HAVE NOT USED THE ADAPTER YET WHEN I CHANGE NAIL SIZE - IT WORKS FLAWLESS WITHOUT IT! To me it's a bonus to have it shoot 3/4" - 2 1/2" nails. It also has no problem shooting nails through 1 1/2" solid red oak either! - 1 MAJOR FLAW - IT'S MADE IN TAIWAN - seems porter cable is getting alot of their tools MADE IN TAIWAN NOWDAYS. You could get better quality if you spent a little more $$$ to get american made! 3 stars for overseas construction!

I'm writing this after only one day on the job. I am installing oak trim. It seems to work great & has no problems in the 3/4 solid oak. I have to agree with a couple other reviews, though. Using 2 inch nails, had to remove the allen screw. Couldn't find the allen wrench, so drove home (2 miles) to get another one. Didn't realize that it is metric, so had to drive 16 miles to town to buy one. Also had to have a #6 metric wrench to hold the nut on the back. All told; lost about [amt] to [amt] in labor out of my day & much frustration & tension. PLEASE...isn't there a better way without needing a special tool, then worrying about losing the part once it is off? Also, had to buy new air connections to convert to the more standard & less expensive type. Today felt like a 1 star day, but I'm giving the tool 4 stars anyway, just to show good faith.
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My wife and I just bought a new house and I had to install a couple hundred feet of new baseboard, so I decided to go the easy route and buy a nailer. Got the Porter-Cable last weekend and all I can say is great tool. I had absolutely no problems with it and think this had to have been one of the best tool purchases I've ever made. This one's definitely gonna get a lot of use.

After 7 years of use, it was finally time to upgrade my Skil portable saw. I did a lot of research into different models, including the Jet, Delta, and Powermatic. Finally I went to a woodworking show and talked to the man who literally "wrote the book" on table saws, and he recommended the DeWalt DW746. It was a little more than I wanted to spend on a saw, but he said it should be the last saw I ever buy. I ordered it and the 30" rails from Amazon, and ordered the mobile base from Tyler (Amazon had a long back order and Tyler was cheaper).

The suggestion made by someone else here to assemble the base first, then attach it to the feet while the saw was still upside down in the crate was on the money. Can't imagine trying to attach it afterwards.

* Pros:

Assembly took a few hours, and was very straightforward.

The table was very flat, and everything but the splitter was well aligned.

I had to resaw some 5/4 x 5 Poplar, and the saw never bogged down at all. Plus it made surprisingly smooth and well aligned cuts for having to flip the wood over to make 2 passes.

Dust collection works surprisingly well. I had to rig up a 2-1/2 to 4" adapter, but it removes 90% of the dust. A little dust still blows off the blade.

Very smooth running, no vibration. The internal motor and wide belt lend a lot to that.

Takes up a lot less space than most other saws, since the motor is inside the frame.

The 30" rails were flat and true.

* Cons:

Removing the guard is a pain, and it's a little hard to get at one of the nuts.

The blade that comes with it is lousy. Replaced it with a Freud and it's like night and day.

Needs a 20A line, as it occasionally trips a 15A breaker on startup. I'm going to switch it to 240v soon. Should be smoother.

The miter guage does not have any holes in it for mounting accessories and jigs. I took care of that.

The assembly instructions (as others have mentioned) could stand some improvement. The photos were not matched up with the text, and in some places the text started next to the picture then wrapped under it, making it very hard to follow. This should be a simple fix for DeWalt.

* Overall:

I'm hoping the author was correct that it will be my last saw. So far I have been very impressed with it.

I've taught high school woodshop for 13 yrs and have used contractor saws in my home shop and 2 Unisaws in the school shop. Needing to upgrade the saw at home I researched the options. A Unisaw was my first choice but if I bought it I was short on funds for an upgrade fence (Beisemeyer) and sliding table. Looking at the hybrid saws brought me to the Jet and the Dewalt. Reviews of the Jet spoke of a quailty machine but with a few shortcomings such as the link belt for blade adjustment. The DW was newer on the market than the Jet so didn't have many reviews. I decided to purchase a recon unit from Toolking for just under 800.00.

The saw arrived in sturdy packing and there was nothing to make me believe it had been reconditioned for any reason. No sawdust, dents, dings etc. A few hours to assemble with decent directions. I had also purchased the 30" Beisemeyer commercial fence and Delta sliding table and Forrest blade. All this took me to under 1500.00 which was the entry level price for the Unisaw.

The saw has seen hundreds of feet of cherry and tiger maple. I built an entire set of kitchen cabinets with melamine boxes and cherry doors. The sliding table was easy to install on the Dewalt. I have not had one single problem or noticed any lack of power or performance.

I made some zero clearance inserts and a large side and outfeed table. The saw comes with some steel units that are rather light weight. The factory fence looks decent although I have never installed it.

My only recommendations for improvement would be to add a 4" or 6" dust port and larger handwheels for blade adjustment. All in all its a great value for the money. Lance A, Chico CA

My woodworking hobby outgrew my starter saw a few years ago, but circumstances did not allow me to buy a new saw until this year. Since I really wanted to take my time with this decision, I studied the market, put my hands on every saw I could, and read everything I could find on the web about table saw features. Since I work in a library, I also had access to every table saw review in most of the woodworking magazines.

Eventually I came up with the following criteria:

- I have a one car garage for a workshop, so space was a big issue. I was only looking at saws with 30" capacity to the right of the blade. I also limited my search to saws that could be pushed flat against a wall if need be. This left only hybrids and cabinet saws to consider.

- I wanted the most powerful motor I could get without having to switch to 240 volts, yet have the option to rewire the saw for 240v later if I so choose (thus eliminating 3hp saws).

- I wanted a solid fence that was accurate and DID NOT DEFLECT when locked down.

- I wanted some decent dust collection abilities.

- I wanted a quieter saw with less vibration than my old Delta contractor's saw.

- I wanted to spend less than $1000 to get the saw, yet have lots of options for upgrading/outfitting later.

Eventually I chose the DeWalt 746, and here are my observations:

The saw package arrived in relatively undamaged crating (seven days after I ordered it from Amazon), and the saw was in perfect condition. Here's a tip - I ordered this saw over the phone and was given the option to pay $25 to have the saw delivered on the ground in my shop - well worth it! Assembly was not too bad (3 hrs), but the manual could have been a bit better. In my mind it was a bit too small and the illustrations corresponding to each step of assembly were not always on the same page! This saw is heavy and the cabinet/stand is very stiff and strong. I feel that the base of this saw is a much better design than the open stand of my old Delta. The saw also runs very smoothly - it is A LOT quieter than my last saw and vibration is at a minimum. The motor is about as powerful as you can get while running 120v without popping breakers left and right (which I have read is a common problem with the 2hp motors running 120v). I have not had any problems ripping 8/4 white oak with a good sharp blade... Speaking of blades, the one that came with this saw is inferior. I will keep it just for those instances where I want to cut treated lumber for outside projects or some other such task not requiring precision or smooth cuts. I have always wanted a Biesenmeyer fence, but I read good things about the DeWalt fence on this saw and was eager to try it for myself. I am pleased to say that it is a very sturdy (and heavy) fence with some ingenious features. Most importantly this fence operates very smoothly, it does not deflect when locked down, it was easy to adjust square to the miter slot and blade, and zeroing the fence scale could not have been easier. I did have to fuss with it a bit to get the fence face set 90 degree to the table, but once I got it there it seems to hold the setting well. Dust collection on this saw is absolutely excellent. I hooked up my Fein Turbo II vacuum and basically no significant sawdust escapes. I couldn't be happier in that department. As for safety features, I like splitters and hate blade guards so I was pleased to find that the splitter/blade guard on this saw is able to be separated (I did just that). The splitter is easily adjustable and works well.

As far as downsides go... Well, as I mentioned earlier the assembly manual could have been way better and the blade that came with the saw is junk. Also (and I read this several places ahead of time) the table is not absolutely flat. Using a straightedge I found a couple of hollows in the surface. I don't think they are significant enough to throw off the accuracy of what I am doing with this saw, but be forwarned that if you use a tablesaw to cut something more intricate than tenons you may have a problem with this. Unlike other reviewers I didn't have too much of a problem with the steel extension wings that came with this saw. When installed properly are they perfectly level to the main table? Yes. Are they perfectly flat? No, but acceptible for what they are. I wanted a good saw that could be upgraded and these are good enough for temporary use. In fact there are a host of great accessories/upgrades available for this saw. I already installed a cast iron router table wing (made by Bench Dog) and soon I plan to order the DeWalt cast iron wing for the other side of the saw.

When it comes down to it, I am very pleased with this saw. The features all met or exceeded my personal needs. This is important, because I have no doubt I could have gotten a saw that performed nearly as well for a lot less money, but it would have failed to meet one or more of MY criteria. As for the price - I bought mine at a time when the saw was on sale and the mobile base was included (see my separate review of the mobile base). The sale price coupled with Amazon's ongoing deal of 25 dollars off any order over 199 gave me this saw at more than a seventy dollar discount. If your needs are similar to mine, then take a close look at this saw. I highly recommend it!

The saw is a dream to use and is very accurate. There is one very frustrating problem however. The dust colleciton port on the back is supposed to be a standard 4" port. All the standard fittings, including the recommended JET fittings do not fit. WHM Tool Group has been very frustrating to work with. I hope they are not this problematic with other issues as well.

Oh My God, this saw is a dream, but when I first unpacked it and saw the 2 7 foot long pieces of angle iron I was VERY SKEPTICAL. But my son and I suffered through the assembly and alignement over 2 beers (for me) and a pop (for him).. total time near 3 hours to first spin of the blade. Absolutely no problems with assembly or adjustments and alignments. Heavy metal needs 4 hands in some cases, but that is what my son was there for. Impressive manual and easy to follow instructions provided you go slow and pay close attention to each detail as you progress in the assembly process. The saw cuts like a dream, blades do make a difference, have experimented with a few different brands and agree with other reviews.... FORREST is a perfect match for this saw. The fence is wonderful! Thought it looked funny when I unpacked it especially when I pulled the two pieces of angle iron out of the carton, but I have been using this saw now for near 5 months and am truly convinced that PM is by far an exceptional piece of machinery. It is HEAVY, QUIET, VIBRATION FREE (or at least very close to vibration free). I suppose from looking at the earlier reviews, the WMH Tool group may have had some problems in the past but as far as i am concerned, I am CONVINCED that POWERMATIC has been the best bang for my buck in a long time. hehe, I even missed an adjustment in the initial setup 5 months ago, (might have been the beers that night) but used the saw for 4 months and never noticed it until I tried to cut some complex miter joints. Dug out the manual and reviewed the setup procedure and 20 minutes later recut the miter joints.. wa-lah perfect! Man this saw is about as good as anyone could expect, spend the time, go slow, follow the instructions, hehe dont just look at the pictures, and trust them to get you through the set up, you will be glad you invested the time. And 5 months down the road... you wont care how much the saw cost you in dollars, it is worth every penny!

I received my Model 66 a couple of weeks ago and wanted to use the saw for a little while to make my review more accurate. I received the saw in all of its glory from ABF Freight in excellent condition. It took me two nights to upack and assemble the saw and another afternoon to make certain the blade and fence were properly aligned.

I, too, had a little problem getting the fence to be exactly 2 27/32" from the table top. But, I found that drilling through the predrilled hole on the fence rail on the far left into the left cast iron table wing took care of it. The holes on the rail want to make the fence rail move slightly when they are tightend. I used the same drill bit to ever so slightly enlarge the predrilled holes in the fence rail to allow the rail to be at the proper distance when tightened. For a saw that weighs 600 pounds or so, I didn't think this was a big deal.

Aligning the blade to the miter slot and the fence to the blade was a piece of cake. It took a little time, but considering how much I will use the saw and how sweet it is, I don't consider this wasted time.

I previously owned a Jet contractor saw which I had pretty much tweaked as much as I could. I loved my Jet contractor saw and was able to get some really nice cuts on it. However, it wasn't in the same league as the Powermatic Model 66. This rascal is so heavy and stable, it cuts like a laser. I highly recommend this machine to anybody looking for a table saw. I think it is worth the extra money to get the best. When you figure how much use you will get out of it and the fact that the saw will probably last longer than the user, the extra money is well spent.

All hail the Speed Square, the King of Tools. I have no idea how anyone was able to build anything without these. Get the Swanson best $8 you will ever spend. If these things cost $45 they would still be worth it.

This speed square just keeps getting better and better. You can't get any better. The 12" model is great as well.

I use this tool the most, only followed by my measuring tape and my cordless drill. If you include a pencil as a tool, then this barely slips to #2!

I had a plastic one, and it broke. Replaced it with this one, and it's fantastic. I use it whenever I cut any 2-by, and the only complaint that I have is that it's a little short for 2x12 boards. I use the 12" Speed Square for that!

I bought this drill last April, and used it few times, and then it stopped working last week. I was a bit surprise it broke so soon. Took it to the DeWalt service center for repair. After it was examined, I was asked where I bought. I told them it was from Amazon. And then I was told they have found inside parts that were broken and cheap, and not genuine DeWalt parts. They suspected someone just simply rebuilt the drill with cheap parts. Anyway, they fixed the drill for me. So be warned.

I am very pleased with the quality of the drill. I was disappointed when I opened the box, because I had assumed that a kit would also include the bits. A short walk to home depot, and $18 fixed my problem, and it's still a great bargain even when you add the price for the bits.

I am usually suspect about reconditioned tools, but this tool looks exactly like the brand new model I bought my brother for Christmas, and the performance is identical. A great drill for the price with a case included.

I gave this item 4 stars because after about three weeks I broke a clip that holds the big strap. I did a lot of browsing for the right bag and this is it. Its big and tough Ive carried a lot of weight in it about 40 lbs or more and am still very happy with it.

Works great, the triangle clips that support the shoulder strap are a little weak though.

I have bought and tried a lot of different tool bags this past year. What I was looking for was a bag that would hold a lot of different hand tools in a organized way that I could see at a glance.I want to be able to have all the tools at hand and not run back and forth to the service truck. This tool bag is the greatest bag around. The only thing I would change would be the length. I think they should make a bag with all the pockets it has but maybe at the 16" size. I do like this very much. Thanks Jerry

I have the anniversary model (gold rather than green) of this nailer, purchased new. For my purposes, lack of depth control is not an issue. I wanted a sequential trigger to avoid doubling when used by other community-service volunteers who are inexperienced with bouncing the nailer to place one nail at each location. The price for a single-fire trigger has dropped to about $57, but that's still pricey.
Here's the alternative: Most commercial framing crews want a bounce-fire-only trigger in the newer NR83A2's which come with selective actuation triggers. Some owners of the older NR83A would like to have selective actuation (or at least single-shot capability). The triggers are swappable. I now have a NR83A with the NR83A2 trigger. I did not have to purchase another trigger, since it was traded to the other nailer.

I have to admit I am a home improvement retard and not a professional. But, I have done basically all my work myself with my own tools, with the guidance of friends involved in various trades. That said, starting out framing, I grew tired of borrowing guns so I decided to look into buying one. I asked around and I looked at what framers who work with their tools day in and day out where using. 99% of the ones I came accross where using the NR83A and said if it ever became unusable they would immediately buy another. I borrowed Sencos and Hitachis. I found the Senco a pain in the a** to clear a jam from, other than that a great gun. I have a Senco finish nailer and a stapler, their stuff is excellent too but, the Hitachi couldn't be easier to load, to clear a jam I've never had to do more than pull the spring back that keeps pressure on the nails and give the gun a good shake. 99% of jams are due to nails coming out of their plastic racking. I've used the gun for basic framing, fastening plywood or osb, T1-11 siding, mounting windows, and building wood fences. If your a pro or just a home improvement slave like me, this is the gun that will last and still have a good resale value should you no longer need it.

PS. The gun works so much better without the spring installed. I had a pro carpenter tell me it's an OSHA violation to have it removed. I also have seen guys use these guns to beat beams into place. One so badly, the exhaust tin was pounded completely flat, void of almost all paint and rattling with each shot. This is by no means a tool to be taken lightly, it's possibly one of the most dangerous handheld construction power tools you can use, but it's also one of the most productive and time saving tools you can buy.

I wrote a review four years ago on this tool. I am still using the same NR83A, and have not yet had it in for repair. Your friends and neighbors will ask to borrow it. Tell them to get their own. You will not want to give this thing up. As for the Safety Aspects, you should understand that this is a SERIOUS tool. Why do you think they call it a GUN???!!! You wear eye protection and you start out slow and careful. Get the feel of the tool. Learn how it bounces when you skip-fire. Know how to release the trigger in tight spots so that you don't double fire it. It's all about knowing your tool, as if it were an extention of your own body.

If you are a homeowner, I would tell you to stick with the 16 oz. Home Depot special hammer. If you are a professional carpenter and you do any framing, you want no other gun but the NR83A.

(By the way, I take the safety spring out as well, I think it's actually safer to not have it. Just my opinion...)

I have been using Dewalt products for a long time and have never had any problems -ever-. Naturally when it came time to get a new compressor, I decided to go for Dewalt as well.

Once the package arrived, the air filter was broken and the motor/compressor was not operating. The motor won't even turn, it is completely jammed. I considered this an oddity and processed a replacement from Amazon. To my surprise the second unit came with a broken air filter which completely boggles my mind as it is in a protected area and I can't see how this could be damaged during shipping. If it was the air filter only, I would have kept it, but the frame on this unit was completely twisted and the face place where the gages are on was completely warped out of shape.

I think I have had it with getting a Dewalt compressor... Needless to say I am very disappointed. I am very impressed by Amazon's customer service though, the sent the replacement unit 2nd day at Amazon's cost and they processed the returns very quickly.

the compressor is a little heavy, but workable. i can use it for multiple guns or a single trim gun.

I concur with Mr. Paulson on all counts. Since I live in Tucson, the issue regarding the ice hasn't and probably won't come up. I purchased this unit after hearing from a number of my colleagues on how reliable it had been for them. But, as some of the other reviews have stated, this unit is not for heavy duty operation that would entail the use of spray guns, air sanders or all day feeding of multiple framing nailers. I too like the stability of the unit as well as the overall design and protection of some of the more fragile controls. I have since replaced this unit with a simular $210 Hitachi twin tank unit (3 stars) that has worked fine for over a year after this one disappeared off a job site. I would be willing to purchase this unit again if it came with a GPS chip, a junk yard dog or an employee that can keep an eye on it while on break.