Hand Tool Reviews

Don't let it's small size (and price) fool ya. This is a serious little tool. Perfect size for those small trim pieces I sometimes use on my boxes. It does a superior job of trimming end grain on lids to get that perfect fit, and is more accurate than sanding sponges for breaking those sharp edges on the box. It works equally well on softwoods and hardwoods, even those super hard exotics. It takes a very good edge and keeps it quite awhile. I have made a small "shooting" jig for it, so I can shave off that silly little mm on mitered trim for a perfect fit, it really excells at this job. Though quite small it is easy to hold and control. I haven't had any problems with the lock down mech. or movement of the blade once adjusted.
All things considered I am very pleased with this little guy and would recommend it to everyone.

I am in the remodeling business and have recently been using this little plane on a cedar siding job. I am often up on a ladder and needed something small that would fit in my tool belt or pocket and this one does the trick.

Size - While you obviously wouldn't use this for all your planeing needs, for the small detailed work, this is perfect.

Blade - I have been using this extensively on this job and the blade has managed to stay nice and sharp. The blade was coming loose a little so I now just tighten it down with a pair of pliers and so far the looseness has ended.

If you need a small planer, I would recommend this one. The Stanley name tends to be a quality hand tool.

This little plane is not just a toy! It is a great tool for anybody doing trim work. Having this tool in your belt beats running back to the chop saw to take off a sliver of material. It cuts square and clean, unlike sandpaper, and can even plane end grain smooth. You can also back-cut crown molding and hand-cut angles to fit.

I use tapes every day in my business. Was real glad to get these. Thanks.

I ordered five of the tapes over two months ago. I received an e-mail stating they could not get them and they did not charge my credit card. I have been to every hardware store in Southern Oregon and cannot find any. Is there not a large demand for this product?

I searched the internet to find this great bargain on a very handy tape measure and what a great deal! I received one for my wife and now I have to wait a month for the second one! It is a good thing I am a nice guy. Why does it take a month to get something that is advertized for 1-2 weeks?

Purchased this for some weekend warrior deck repair. Excellent balance and I was actually suprised how much a company could improve such an age old tool!

If you want a hammer that is well balanced, a comfortable grip, alot less of vibration, stress & impact to your wrist, hands & shoulders; GET ONE & TRY IT OUT! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ONE!
The 16 0z. model is a great hammer also but suffers with a ringing noise unlike the 20 Oz. model; (it may be due to more metal in the head of the hammer which absorbs the ringing noise.)

One of the reviewer wrote something to the effect, "it's a hammer, what's the big deal". Well, I pretty much thought the same thing, and always used cheap hammers. What a difference this hammer (or probably any quality hammer) makes. It feels balanced in you hand and gives you confidence when hammering. If you don't have a good hammer in your tool box, get one.

This bag is top quality, and better than most bags I've found. I've been buying at least a couple of tool boxes or bags every year for the past thirty or so. I usually retire one for the next when it gets too heavy with tools and supplies. HA!

I service electronic church organs for a living and I love tool bags with shoulder straps because they free up my hands for carrying other equipment and repair parts. The difficulty I have with every tool bag I've ever owned is that the tool pockets are sized for the larger hand tools of electricians and other tradesmen who seldom, if ever, need to work on circuit boards or other types of precision electronic and mechanical equipment. What this means is that most of my small hand tools and specialty tools get lost in the deep pockets of these otherwise excellent and durable tool bags.

I'd give it five stars, if not for this one gripe.

This is a very good 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: awesomestufffree.com/amazon

I test fire alarms and sprinkler systems and love this bag. I have a large range of tools from small to large and this bag works! Having a water proof bottom is a must and a Nice sholder strap to boot. I recommend you try it. If you do not like it Amazon's return policy is solid you can just return it, no harm done.

Replaced the outdated fence system that came with my Rockwell saw. I had to drill 4 new holes as the Delta/Rockwell spacing is not the same. Added new left and right extension tables. Install was less than 3 hours...2 hours building extensions. After a couple minutes of calibration, cutting to within 1/64" is repeatable. I choose this model over the universal fence as the color matches my saw. I highly recommend this fence.

Replaced the outdated fence system that came with my Rockwell saw. I had to drill 4 new holes as the Delta/Rockwell spacing is not the same. Added new left and right extension tables. Install was less than 3 hours...2 hours building extensions. After a couple minutes of calibration, cutting to within 1/64" is repeatable. I choose this model over the universal fence as the color matches my saw. I highly recommend this fence.

I have an older Delta contractor saw in my garage workshop. I replaced the original fence with the beisemeyer 28in fence. It was straight forward to install. All the needed hardware was provided and the holes in the bars matched the holes in the saw table. Aligning the fence with the miter slot was simple. I just turned one of the set screws. The replacement, including removing the old fence, took about an hour.

The fence is just a pleasure to use complared to the old fence. No more using the tapemeasure to adjust the fence spacing to the saw blade. Also no more measuring twice to check that the fence was parallel to the miter slot. I just position the hairline over the tape reading desired and it is ready to cut.

The fence slides easyly over the table and locks in place by light operation of the locking lever. I am very pleased with it.

Always wanted one of these fences, finally retrofitted my Craftsman with a great fence. The hour you spend installing it,and the savings from not making bad cuts will pay for this fence in no time. Everyone who tries the Bies, buys the Bies. If you are hesitating, it's because you haven't tried one yet. I wanted to wait for my "new" saw and include a Bies in the purchase. I never got my new saw, and I'm sorry I waited to upgrade the old Craftsman so long. Best tool in my shop. Bill Biesemeyer new his stuff, and in 20+ years, no one has beat his design (though several have tried to copy it). 20 yrs ago I lived next to the Bies factory in AZ...should have bought one from Bill back then. I'd have 20 yrs of great projects by now. Don't wait ! ! !

I have an old Sears 10" contractors saw and couldn't stand my old fences inaccuracy and lack of usefullness. I purchased the Sears 24X24 aline a rip fence and had to many problems installing it so I read several reviews at Woodworking.com and found the Biesemeyer fence system and ordered it. The worst thing was the waiting, the fence took only about one hour to install and adjust. I have cut several pieces at verious measurements and all have been perfect to the exact mark. I should have bought this years ago, it is heavy but excellent. I would recomend getting the table extension for it or making one from the drawing that is included in the directions. This is truling an awesome fence system.

I ordered the Biesemeyer 78-930 T-Square Home Shop Fence (Universal) 28"Right/12" Left about two weeks ago. Once it arrived, it wasn't long until it was installed and doing a fine job. I felt that the installation instructions were clear and easy to follow. and installation took me about two hours. That may seem loke a long time, however, a saw extension table is necessary and I also had to construct the extension. I have a Craftsman 10", 3hp table saw and I was a bit concerned that the fence may not not fit. No problems though! I would recommend this product to any Craftsman saw owner. It makes a huge difference in the precision and the ease of setup. I think the most difficult part is waiting for the UPS truck to show up at the door.

MDS 4-20-01

This is a wonderful tool bag, perfect for small jobs but big enogh that you are not constantly running back and forth for more tools. Nothing I have more than being on the latter and needing another tool.

I'm an amateur "electrician" (trained by my husband who is an unofficial pro), but with this pouch swingin' from my hip I'm like a wiring machine! (Ok, I admit it can still be slow-going with 12-2 wire in our cold climate). This pouch has plenty of slots for screwdrivers, wire-strippers, etc., with a nice blank space in the middle where you can carry supplies such as receptacles, covers and wire-nuts. The belt is easy to adjust, so it switches nicely from person to person, and is very heavy-duty--I like to put my cordless drill holster on it too so I can keep that at my fingertips as well. This wasn't something I would have thought I needed but now I am so glad my husband bought it for me, and he loves to use it too!

Love this "Sparky" Pouch. I am an electrician at a power plant and this pouch helps me keep my tools organized and always readily available. The material is very durable and strong and has held up in some rough environments.

After using a friends, I decided to buy my own, but balked at the price. A trip to Northern Tool for a trailer jack, and about $10 worth of parts from HD, and I had an equally functional and more attractive tool for less than $50. I've now made about half a dozen because they really are very useful, but not for $150 each.

What a great use of a very simple concept.The guy who came up with this idea is pure genius. A must have for installing wood floors.Quickly and easily closes gaps without damaging the flooring.Simple setup makes it an effecient tool to use.It's worth every penny.

The Cepco floor jack is a fantastic tool if you are installing hardwood flooring and want really tight joints in those areas next to a wall where you cannot get a flooring nailer. Instead of using screwdrivers, chisels, or wedges to force the flooring together, the floor jack simply presses it into place with no bother and no fuss.

I recommend using a 2x4 or 2x6 at least 36" long against the wall that you are going to press against to keep from damaging the wall or pushing a single stud out of place. The wall jack can generate a lot of force and in the hands of a careless installer it could dislocate a wall or partition.

While this tool is designed primarily for installing hardwood flooring, creative carpenters will undoubtedly find many was to use this tool to precisely move framing members. It is worth every penny that I paid for it.

Pete Bucy

NC1, Inc.

Great pruners! I have used these for over a month now, they are still sharp and cut with ease. I've trimmed all the weeds, tree's and cut along the walkway in our yard.... they cut great, I can't say enough good things about these pruners. One thing I like is they never seem to dull. My neighbor's borrowed them for a few days, they bought a pair so I was lucky to get mine back. A great value, very good pruners.

I have used these clippers enough by now to say they are the best I have ever used. The angle of the blades is so much more useful than the straight ones. The quality is outstanding.

18 months later and I still think these are the best clippers. Yes, it helps to have long, strong fingers. No shame in using two hands, especially when you can cut larger branches than the 1 inch promised.

My introduction to the Corona Clipper Company came utterly by chance when I bought their Homeowners 1/2" pruner simply because it was the first one I saw. I was so thoroughly impressed with the quality of that pruner that I've since added about a half dozen different Corona tools to my collection, and I want even more!

As good as their Homeowner models are, the Professional series has a host of valuable improvements. Ergonomically, the angled cutting head makes for a slightly more comfortable cutting position, and the handles are thicker, so it's a little more comfortable to hold. And joy - the Professional series has a different type of locking clasp that's not nearly as fickle as on the Homeowner's series (my only real complaint about that line of pruners is the rather unreliable clasp).

What continually impresses me about Corona's tools is how well they're designed and manufactured. Compare this pruner to pruners that look similar, from companies like Fiskars, and the difference in the quality of the materials and construction is incredibly obvious. The thickness of the blade is a good way to compare brands - Corona's beefy blade is twice as thick as some other brands, so you know it's going to be more durable, less likely to break or wear prematurely. This pruner has a heft and solidity and smoothness of movement that other, less expensive brands lack, and it's this overall level of quality and substantial feeling that makes it a tool that will outlast its competition. When you really bear down on it to slice through a limb, the tool doesn't flex, give, or yield in any measure; it remains solid and just does what it's supposed to, every time. Yes, they cost a little more, but you really do get what you pay for.

A word of advice...if you're thinking about getting one of the larger models - the 3/4" or 1" capacities - you better have big hands, because they open pretty wide and it can be difficult to apply enough pressure to cut a branch if you don't have long (and strong) enough fingers to hold and squeeze the handles. Don't just assume that, "Well, if I get the 1-inch model, I'll be able to cut bigger branches! Life will be grand! I'll be the envy of my neighbors!", because if your hand isn't large enough to span the handles when you open the pruner around that one-inch branch, you'll end up having to use two hands, one on each handle, pressing together, and when your neighbors see that awkward maneuver, they'll hardly be envious. They may even snicker a little.

I was in the market for a multi-tool for quite sometime. I considered several different models but many seemed like overkill. I mean how many attachments did I really need? I certainly wasn't looking to clean out any cow hooves or saw through a leg bone with it after a successful hunt. It has the right number of tools and features for a regular guy. I use it at work and at home all the time. The add-on tool set and carrying case are a nice bonuses. Great value for [the money].

I had written a review about the Leatherman Sideclip, calling it the best daily carry multi-tool I had found. This was until I got a Gerber Sport.

My "heavy-use" multi-tool is a Gerber, and I would often carry onto a jobsite if I knew I was going to be using such a tool. The "auto-pliers" and locking tools make it a fine choice.

The Scout retains these qualities, slims down the size and weight, and adds a very heavy duty set of scissors that I have personally used to shear thru thick leather hides. Cuts seatbelts like a charm as well.

The selection of tools isn't comprimised on this smaller model either. A good selection of ground screwdriver blades and a solid combo-edge knife are the standouts.

I have owned many a Leatherman, and I have twisted and tweaked the screwdriver blades on every one of them. I have *never* had this happen with a Gerber.

Those of us that have had to apply a good amount of force to a multi-tool plier have known what the hollows of a Leatherman feel like. Hard to apply pressure for any length of time as it "bites" into your hand. The Gerber's handle is rounded and quite comfortable for such activity.

One last note: As silly as it sounds, taking out your Leatherman in the middle of a task can often be clumsy as you butterfly it out to get at the pliers. With the Gerber, you flick your wrist and you're ready to go.

I first used this type of gerber onboard a ship, and its great! has practically everthing you need with an added tool set sor you can fit more screws. Its much easier to have this sitting on your belt loop ready to use then to have to fish around in a tool bag or box for the tool you need.