Hand Tool Reviews

I have used this on shaper and table saw. It works great on both of them. Though It took some time to get used to in using the feeder, got used to it after some time. I think there is an opportunity to provide better documentation. I have cut 10' long hardwood with consistant results, which is not possible with out this power feeder. In addition to quality cuts I appreciate the safty it provides using both table saw and the shaper.

This was an excellent safety addition to any shaper. When swinging carbide that fast, the further I can keep my hands from it the happier I am. The power feeder came with a peel off template that made drilling and tapping for mounting bolts a piece of cake. Take the time to read the instructions, and get familair with the device. The fact it keeps constant speed has made all my door styles/rails and mouldings picture perfect whether they are 12" long or are 12' long. As usual, Delta provides a good product for the money.
Plan on spending 1 hour to mount the power feeder. I chose to grind off the front portion of the wheel guard so I could get it tighter to the feence for smaller moulding. Leave enough guard to prevent damage to the wheels, but it 1'4 from the side, and 12" wide mae a huge difference for tightness to the fence. I recommend purchasing a drill and tap set and tapping the table top. Much easier than trying to fish under, get through any reinforcement webbing and locate nuts.

Over the years I've seen and heard of some horrible accidents in wood shops. Although it's not a standard piece of equipment in most shops, the shaper remains one of the most common culprits for accidents. I myself once had a piece of 3/4 x 3/4 trim fire like an arrow out of a shaper (the finger boards holding the stock had vibrated loose) narrowly missing a guy jointing lumber and bursting into toothpicks when it hit a block wall 15 feet away. I'm sure it would have gone right through him had he been standing 2 feet to the left. That and a couple of other shaper incidents have brought me to the conclusion that one of the best safety devices you can put on a shaper is a stock feeder. Nothing will ever replace common sense or care in using a shaper, but a stock feeder keeps your hands and fingers well away from the cutter head and they provide accurate feeding, positioning and control of material as it is fed against the cutter. Finger boards, hold-downs and positioning jigs are important, but ultimately it's the feeder that ensures constant feed speed and total control. I bought my feeder with my shaper (Delta 3 HP model) and would never consider running the shaper without it. I do everything in my power to avoid using the shaper "free-hand"; on cuts where the use of a feeder is impossible (such as the rails on frame and panel doors) I have jigs with integrated hold downs that achieve the control and positioning of stock while keeping my digits where they belong... as far away from that cutter head as possible.

This model from Delta is a very versatile performer, can be positioned in virtually any position or configuration you can think of, and the ability to run it in reverse is very useful in certain situations. Mine is somewhat older and it appears that there have been some design changes and a few components have been changed over to plastic. However, overall it appears to be the same device. Everything is very solidly built and absolutely rigid when locked down. However, if care is not taken during set-up a feeder can also pull pieces directly into or away from the cutter head and it will drag unsecured items such as fence plates into the cutter head too. Check everything prior to turning anything on and then check it again... it could save you more than a ruined piece of wood. The only criticism I have of Delta shapers is the fact that you have to drill the holes in the cast iron table yourself. I can understand why they don't drill holes in a table saw top by default, but a shaper? It's not too arduous to do this, but really this should be something that is done right in the factory even if you don't get a feeder with your shaper (the holes would not interfere or effect the use of the shaper in anyway). If your buying a shaper put a feeder in your budget, you will never regret the decision.

I'm sure the compressor will prove to be a great reliable workhorse, fired it up and it's not too loud, held the pressure. My problem has been receiving 3 damaged compressors. The plastic guard around the motor is always cracked and the mounting bolts have been jarred loose leading me to think that if bump that broke the plastic guard was big enough to jar the bolts what else is damaged? Dewalt, whats the problem with using a better packing method? Other companies seem to have it down, especially Bosch. Extra thick cardboard and a few pieces of styrofoam please!

I've hade mine obout a year and no probles so far . It's not to loud . I use mine every day to trim and for light framing .I don't know if I would use it as a professional framer,but I like mine.

This is probably the best small compressor I have owned. It is very user friendly, relatively quiet and it comes up to full pressure rapidly. It also has the added durability feature of an oil reservoir to keep the piston well lubed.Previous small compressors I have owned were oiless types and were prone to freeze up under prolonged use.Not so with this model.

I should say something about DeWalt that not a lot of people know. DeWalt and Black&Decker are one company. So what is behind that black and yellow casing could be Black&Decker!! ( Please don't misunderstand me, I am not saying it is; it could be-what is inside of a Lexus is a Toyota-Don't be fooled by advertising and what other people think ) Many pro. tool users will probably agree with me that DeWalt is not an industrial brand; it is premium household!

Anyway, about this light, I am very happy with the amount of light it produces and the length of the time with one charge. But, there is a problem. The reason why I bought this light is the problem, the flexibility. There is really no flexibility. This light will NOT be flexible as you would think it will. It will loose the balance and will fall. I used it for about a month, got tired of it and got the regular version of this light. That will do anything this "flexible" light does and saves me about 400-500% time on tiring to change the light angle.

Its easily got 3x the light output of a standard 4d cell flashlight. Our use
is to walk the dog at night. We walked the dog every night for 2 weeks
plus some mornings before the battery needed a charge.

The flexible neck makes a comfortable handle, plus we can use it as a
flexibly necked light when the occasion calls for it.

This light has proven to be a real workhorse around the shop. When installing cabinets, getting to hard-to-reach hardware or just doing DIY stuff around the house, it's always helped out. The battery life is very good and the light's tough. I'd recommend it for anyone who owns the DeWalt 14.4v drill. Buy an extra battery just for the light. A simple idea that works well.

This unit works well for small branches. The light weight is appreciated, and the stainless blade is a useful upgrade as standard blades rust from the tree sap. But I used mine on some heavier branches, still within the recommended diameter range, and something slipped so that the blade no longer touches the anvil. The tool therefore is practically useless, as you do not get a clean cut. There is no way to adjust or fix this pruner when that happens. And the lifetime warranty is of dubious value, as you must send the tool back at your expense, plus keep and be able to find the original receipt. They should model their warranty after Craftsman.

Don't be fooled by the light weight of this item--it's cutting power is amazing. It's an anvil lopper, as opposed to the more popular bypass type of lopper, but the anvil is a much more efficient cutting method. Anvil cutting method (regardless of brand) tends to damage what it is cutting, so the best use of this tool is to cut dead branches, or live ones that you don't care if they survive of not. This is the perfect tool for cutting back rose bushes in the fall. If your arms ever get sore from wielding heavy tools, this is the ideal lopper/pruner for you. I believe this item is made in Finland--home of the infamous Fiskars orange handled scissors. This is the perfect gift for any gardener.

a wonderful product. i couldn't be more satisfied. buy it - you will love it!~

I've used my new Freud FT2000 a few times now (all freehand), and can confirm what the others have written. The power that this router has is impressive, but comes at the expense of being a bit heavy. However, I don't think any other 3 1/4 HP router has overcome that problem either. On the plus side, this heft gives the impression that this router will be in my workshop for many years.

My major complaint about this router is the depth-stop mechanism. It has a "quick-set" feature that allows you to press a button which releases the threaded stop rod, allowing you to quickly move the rod up and down. Once you release the button, the threads are reengaged and you can then turn the rod to make fine adjustments. The problem is the button that releases the rod, doesn't hold the rod well once it is engaged causing your depths to vary after several cuts.

After looking at many routers, using several, I bought a Freud. For the price, you cannot Go Wrong. When it arrived, the Left handle was broken/cracked, but still usable. The next day I called Freud (not the number in the manual, Use 800-334-4107)and they promised to send me a replacement immediately. I cannot say how long it will take to get here, I just talked to them an hour ago. Will post parts arrival time when it arrives. Anyway, the soft start is great, and it plows through oak with ease. The collet reducer they ship..throw it away and buy the 1/4 collet and another nut. The edge guide (I reviewed it as well), don't waste your money if you are doing precision work, buy a Micro Fence if your budget can afford it. I would buy the router again, but I don't think I'll ever need to.
Added 5 days later: New left grip arrived uneventfully via US mail, fit perfectly.

A 3 1/4 HP plunge router - at this price point - with the features this one has. It's like a blue light special!

I bought this router approximately 4 years ago because I needed a large plunge router to table mount. The Frued FT2000 seemed to be a logical choice because of the standard features (especially the extra long height adjustment knob) and the price.
I have never regretted this purchase.

During those four years I have built numerous projects using this router. It remains table mounted approximately 95% of the time and has all the power and adjustment I need to turn even large panel raising bits.

I have used this router as a hand held, but it IS large and heavy. While these attributes are actually desirable in a table mounted router (large mass = reduced vibration), they can be tiresome for hand held use.

If you are looking for a light weight router for freehand use, look at something smaller. However, if you are looking for a powerful, heavy duty router to table mount, you could pay much more, but.. why would you want to?

I have multitools from various manufacturers and this tool is the biggest disappointment. The Fiskars scissors are excellent, but the other implements lack a good finish. The screwdrivers do not slide out well (or at all). They have used plastic pieces in the locking mechanism. How will this stand out over time? My experience says "not very well". This is a darn shame because the scissors are so good that they could probably suffice as a wire cutter in a pinch.
If you want a good multitool that is about this size, try a Victorinox "Minichamp" (tried and true), or Leatherman "Micra" (great waranty). Both of these tools are of uncompromised quality. Both Victorinox and Wenger have a variety of small multitool knives to choose from. BTW, Wegner knives are also of very high quality.

I love it. My husband of 4years gave it to me when we were dateing and its still as good as the day I got it. When we got married we gave them as gifts to our brides mades and grooms men. They all still carry them as well. All in all its a great product.

I love it. My husband of 4years gave it to me when we were dateing and its still as good as the day I got it. When we got married we gave them as gifts to our brides mades and grooms men. They all still carry them as well. All in all its a great product.

This is a very good buy at the price. It has been being used by my one of my finish crews and is used almost daily. I have had it for about 2 months and have had no problems with it at all.

This is a great planer I inherited the one I own from my dad. Overall the one that I own is probably about 20 years old and it has never had any problems with it. The blades are easy to change and are realtively inexpensive. The nice thing about having solid steel blades is that they can be resharpened and reused, if you have the right equipment you can do it yourself or they can be sharpened by anyone you sharpens sawblades. It is nice to have several sharp sets of blades on hand. Compared to the makita n1900 make of similar size the plane compares well, when the blades are sharp this plane cuts like no other!

TODAY (7/11/00) I USED MY PLANER FOR THE FIRST TIME AND WAS REALLY PLEASED HOW VIBRATION FREE IT WAS AND WHAT A SMOOTH CUT IT MADE. THE FURNISHED GUIDE WAS A BIG HELP IN KEEPING THE PLANER AT A NINTY DEGREE ANGLE WHILE RUNNING A EDGE. THERE MAY BE BETTER PLANERS ON THE MARKET BUT FOR WHAT I PAID I DO NOT BELIEVE YOU COULD BUY ONE BETTER FOR THE PRICE. I HAVE OTHER HITACHI TOOLS AND NEVER BEEN DISPLEASED WITH ANY OF THEM.

I love Irwin products,especially the bar clamps/spreaders. However this is one case where a little "not-taking-care-of-your-tools-so-great" actually pays off.

Let me explain. The bars, when new, are smooth and slick. When you tighten down on something really tight, they tend to slip a bit after a moment or two, not much but enough to be a pain. Now if you leave them out for a fortnight (as I have done by accident) a little rust appears on the bars surface. This rust actually HELPS-it gives the clamp part something to "bite" onto.

That being said, these are great little clamps-you can never have too many!

I have several of these, and they're wonderful: they clip onto a hook on your tool belt, they hold rock solid, and come off easily. The rubber pads do a lot to prevent marring the work, but use blocks on more delicate work to avoid damage.

My only complaint was that I dropped one onto a concrete floor and the plastic on the sides came off. The clamp still functions well, but occasionally the trigger falls of at inopportune moments.

Great Price & great product! You basicly pay for two large clamps then you get the two smaller clamps & the squeez-clamps for free! Where at Home Depot, Lowes or where ever
can you get such a great price + NO taxes & Free shipping!! I have used these clamps on & off for 20-30 years and they are just a necessary item in any shop for quick strong clamping as well as some glue jobs.

How better to spend your time than resting and looking through Tool-Crib's Catalogs. You can plan ahead then order, save money and spend your time more wisely than waiting in line at the store.

Don Reece King

I bought this model about 6 months ago and am impressed with its ergonomics,weight, and decent power. I was looking for a new cordless to add to my collection of drills and narrowed my choices down to this drill and the 12 volt Makita 6217DWDEX. The Panosonic is about a 1/4 lbs lighter- at 4 pounds, has a 1/2" chuck versus a 3/8" chuck, and comes with 3amp ni-mh batteries versus 2.6 amp ni-mh for the Makita. Why a 12 volt? Because of weight. What's been happening to cordless drills over the last 2-3 years is ridiculous. The 18 and 24 volt models are now weighing in at around six pounds, are a foot long,and cost twice as much as a good quality high amp corded drill. Torque? How much do you need? More on that later. Anyway, let's talk about this Panasonic drill.
The build quality is excellent. The seams line up perfectly, decals are put on straight, and there were no flaws in its apperance. The grip on this drill is made of a "grippy" rubber which prevents slippage if your hands are sweaty. This "grippy" rubber handle runs up the back of the drill. This could provide a little bit of cushioning protection if you accidentally drop the drill onto a hard surface. The 1/2" keyless ratcheting chuck grips bits very tightly. I haven't had any round shank drills spin on me. I checked the run out of the chuck with a gauge pin and Starrett test indicator and obtained a reading of .004" runout. Quite acceptable for a hand held drill. The 3 amp batteries have ventilation slots in the bottom. This is an important feature because the number one enemy of batteries is heat. Excessive heat will kill batteries. This heat is generated when recharging batteries or if the tool is under a very heavy load. The battery life is excellent so far. I've driven over 300 number 12 screws, 2", on a single charge into treated deck lumber. I've also used a 1 inch spade drill to drill through several 2" thick floor joists and the drill hasn't bogged down. One thing I did notice is that the drill handle gets hot under extended use. The battery doesn't get hot, just the handle and the bottom of the drill housing. This concerns me a little. Heat kills motors eventually. I'll have to keep an eye on this. The batteries have an excellent "shelf life." I've left one of my batteries in the case without charging it for 4 months and it still has a strong charge.
On to rpm, torque, and the clutch. This drill like most has two speed ranges-low, up to 400rpm and high, up to 1300rpm. The trigger on this drill is average. What I mean is that once the trigger is depressed about 2/3rds of the way the drill kicks into maximum rpm. I would like to have a more sensitive trigger. This is my only major complaint about the operation of this drill. By the way, the electric brake on this drill is fabulous! It stops the drill so quickly that the drill actually twitches in your hand when you release the trigger. It's instantaneous! There are 18 clutch settings. The clutch collar clicks solidly when adjusting the clutch and doesn't jump out of position. The torque rating on this drill is advertised to be 293 in. pounds in low gear with the clutch locked out. This is wrong! The actual torque is 199 in. lbs. The 293 in. lbs. is what Panasonic calls its "free load" torque. This "free load" torque is based on mathematical calculations that consider the gear train, magnets in the motor, electrical motor efficiency, and amperage provided by the batteries. It's a theoretical measurement. Under load-when work is actually being done- the actual torque is about 30% less than the advertised torque. What! Don't worry, Dewalt, Makita, Bosch, and Milwaukee, all the premium brands, advertise in the same manner. It's deceptive and unethical (part of the "torque war" that's going on right now), but helps to explain why when a group of 12volt, or 14.4 volt, or 18 volt drills are tested, they are all nearly identical in performance. Some may drill a few more holes, some may drive a few more lag bolts, but the results are pretty close to each other. I knew the torque of this drill was less than advertised before I bought it and wasn't too concerned about it. 199 in lbs. will easily twist the heads off of 10# wood screws if you don't pre drill holes- I've done that. Here's a tip. Whatever the advertised torque is on a cordless drill- subtract 30% from it to get the actual torque. One last comment about torque and this Panasonic. This drill has a feature called "full torque speed control." This means you get the same amount of maximum torque in low range with the clutch locked out no matter how far you depress the trigger. You get the same maximum torque at 70 rpm as you do at 400rpm. This provides great control when driving fasteners. You don't have to "open up" the rpm's to get that extra torque to seat a stubborn screw or lag bolt.
My final conclusion about this drill is that it is well built, lightweight, has enough torque for 95% of your jobs, and has unbelievable battery life. Why lug around a 6 pound 18 volt or 24 volt drill all day when a compact 12 volt will handle almost any fastening or drilling job you encounter? I see a lot of electricians and hvac people use Panasonic 12 volt drills, and I understand why. Nobody wants to stand on a ladder and hold some behemoth drill overhead all day. I would rate this drill as 4- to 4 1/2 stars. I think the trigger should be more sensitive and I am a little concerned about the drill becoming hot under extended use, but I think it has the best combination of weight, ergonomics, battery life, and torque of any compact drill on the market.

This is the best driver/drill out there for a number of reasons such as; it has a sturdy chuck that securely holds even the smallest of bits. I had a Makita previously and with small bits, it would often loosen on it's own-very annoying. It runs very smoothly, has NiMH batteries (don't even bother with something that uses NiCAD), and it's much lighter and easier to hold than the 15.6v version-try holding the 15.6v version above your head for a while and you'll see what I mean.

This Panasonic 12v packs plenty of punch for everything but the most severe industrial jobs. Among those in the know, Panasonic is regarded as the best maker of cordless drivers. The combination of reliabilty, ergonomics and smoothness is why.

This driver is perfect not just for usage around the house as a powerful cordless screwdriver and drill, but it can also quite effectively be used in industrial/contractor situations with no problem at all. I'm a photographer and just used this driver to install frame mounting hardware to the backs of about 100 picture frames for a corporate client and I was extremely pleased every time I reached for it-it's not too heavy, I didn't worry about the chuck coming loose or having the unit fail. I can't say this much about other brands I've owned in the past.

This is an excellent drill. At 12-Volts this Panasonic packs plenty of punch, and maintains constant speed under load. The finish is excellent and all parts fit together snugly. This drill has just the right weight and size, and fits comfortably in your hand. The Panasonic kit comes with two 3.0 amp batteries so you always have one in the ready. My battery lasts a full day with heavy use.

I bought the Panasonic to replace a 12-V Makita. The Panasonic has more power at the same voltage (the 3 amp batteries). Small drill bits will not spin in the chuck!!! The electronic brake is also excellent, althought this can't be good for the brushes. No problems so far.

My only complaint is that the trigger needs to be more sensitive/responsive. It slowly increases RPM's as you depress it, and then goes right to full speed.

Overall, I highly recommend this drill for all general tasks. It will out-perform other 12V drills, and is just the right weight to carry around or for working overhead.

I love the job that this vacuum does, however I have gone through 3 belts in less than a year. I do have to cut dog hair out of the brushes regularly but I have a 150# Newfie so that is to be expected. Since I have carpeted stairs, I thought the Power Paw was a great idea. It worked like a charm --- for two steps!!!! --- then it died. It will no longer spin. Complete disassembly and cleaning of the Power Paw did not revive it. Frequent belt replacement and a Power Paw that was dead shortly after arrival mean three stars instead of five.

We just got this vacuum a couple weeks ago and were amazed at all the additional accessories that came with it as well as the closed system HEPA filter.
The vacuum itself is great, the HEPA filter works like it should (no yucky vacuum smell or dust) and it had no problems getting out all the dust and dirt from our carpets. We vacuumed our whole house (which hadnt been vacuumed in atleast a month) and only filled up about half the container, so we had no problems with the storage capacity.

This vacuum came with a variety of accessories including a "paw" that allows you to vacuum stairs and curtains and a "static duster" that will clean itself when u put it back in its compartment on the vaccuum. THe paw itself works just as it should and had no problems reaching the stairs and sucking up stuff.

Now the only bad thing..
The duster itself is a brilliant idea. You would let it spin for a while to create static, take it out and attract dust on window sills etc and put it back in with all the dirt hanging onto the duster and spin it again to suck all the dust off. Great idea, but the only thing is (i'm not sure if its a techinical problem or design flaw) the duster wouldn't spin all the way. It would go and then stop and get stuck. We had to manually twist it ourselves to allow the duster to get static. After cleaning with it and all the dust was on it, we put it back in and because the suction from the vaccuum itself wasn't enough to spin the duster, u could still see large particles of webs or dust still caught on the duster.

Other than that, it is a great vaccuum with everything you could ever want out of a vacuum. It has plenty of accessories, convenient storage for those accessories, plenty of suction, plenty of room, and effective filter and doesn't weigh a ton. And plus, our version came with a free "minivac" that was like a mini vaccuum that had a detachable end and converted into a hand vac. It is very light and you could carry it everywhere with one hand with ease. This vaccuum also exceeded expectations and had plenty of suction to deal with everyday messes like spilled cereal or sugar.

My original vacuum cleaner (for my small, carpeted office) was the Boss lite, which worked fairly well at picking up dirt. But, it's small and does not get close enough to the walls. Therefore, I ordered the Eureka 5863 as a replacement. It arrived quickly, in the manufacturer's box. Assembly was quick and quite simple. What a difference from the smaller vacuum. This is much more powerful, requiring one (or two) passes over an area of carpet to get all the deep dirt. Also, it has an edge cleaner which is really nice for getting close to the wall. The accessories are conveniently placed on the vacuum and work well. The hose is much longer than included with my smaller vacuum. Overall, this is a powerful, easy to use, time saving vacuum. The bonus stick vac (ie., dust buster like vacuum) is a nice addition for cleaning small areas very conveniently. It even has an extendable handle so that it can be used to quickly clean a small section of the carpet when the larger vacuum isn't needed.