Wrenches Reviews

OK. This router is inexpensive. Why spend so much on a real router? Because this one has plenty of probelms. It is a very light weight, low powered, tool that lacks precision. When plunge cutting, the base and motor-housing do NOT remain on course. The very light weight columns connecting the base to the housing do not hold with adequate precision. Thus the machine tends to cut "u" shaped mortises. There is a lot of wiggle in this machine.

It has no speed control. Only a quater inch collet, that has a tendency to come loose while routing. A very flimsy guard. Any one who needs a decent router does not need this tool. Save your money a get a good Makita or DeWalt.

(this is a follow up to the message from Jan 2002)
My third router has worked so far without failing. I have mostly used it to route pressure treated lumber.

I gave it only three stars because I had to get it replaced twice. Otherwise it would have been a 5 starrer.

Mind you, I believe my router has not been submitted to rigorous use.

So far i haven't had any of the problems other people mention in their reviews. i'm gonna say right now that this router isn't nearly as good as the porter-cable 8529 (my other plunge router) but the skil is the one i find myself reaching for the most. i don't reccommend using this router in a table (very hard to adjust that way) but as a plunge router its just fine.
my only gripe about this router is the plunge lock lever needs some improvement.

Overall, this is a very nice grinder for the price. When I turned it on, the first thing I noticed was how quiet it ran. However, when I adjusted the speed, passing through certain RPM ranges caused it to vibrate a little. But once the motor reached the set speed, the vibration stopped.

After dressing the stones (with the included diamond dressing tool), I sharpened a pair of mower blades, and was quite pleased with the performance. I had no trouble getting a good edge, and the grinder stayed put on the bench thoughout the process.

The only other issue I have is that the side of each tool rest comes a little too close to the wheels. This may have just been a minor issue with mine.

I know that most of Delta's offerings are no longer made in the States, and I guess I have to accept that. I normally find vintage tools & equipment to restore and use at my shop, simply because those machines were built better back in those days.

I needed a decent bench grinder to be put in the back of the shop to make small cutting tools, and I didn't really have the time to find an old Baldor to fix up, so I settled on an import.

This particular grinder is going to shape those cutting tools, before going on the Tormek sharpener. I opened the box and noticed how many accessories are included, one of them is a diamond dresser that is normally $15 at Wood Craft. The tool rests were surprisingly made of cast iron, those will be going on a surface grinder to be trued up, that always makes things more accurate. The wheels are made well, and will get balanced so no vibrations will be felt or heard, the vibrations the others noticed were probably the quick-change wheel covers, something that is easily fixed with some rubber grommets. Please note that removing any vibrations will only add to the quality of the grinding work you are doing.

I am very pleased with the power for my applications, but would like to add that grinders are normally direct-drive motors, there is no gear or belt reduction to add power to the grinding wheels... so sometimes people put too much force on the machine, not realizing that if one lets the wheels do the work, the job will go smoother and safer.

Overall, a very nice imported grinder for the price, like all tools one usually makes them suited for their particular trade, and this grinder definitely has a place in our shop.

I bought this grinder despite the poor reviews that it got here. I haven't had problems with either noise or vibration on any of the speeds (this includes using it without it even being bolted down). I haven't done any real heavy grinding on it yet, but have sharpened some chisels.

Wow, that's a lot of power. My 20 amp drill was able to spin it backwards, but this lightweight drill kept up pretty well when I used it to tighten 3/4 bolts.

It can also handle the slower drilling. Just pull the trigger half way. And it was about three or four uses before I figured out how to pull out spring loaded hex coupling to lock in the bit. It is the easiest, quickest "chuck" I have used.

I read several complaints about how noisy it is. It is noisy once the hammers kick in. For low torque jobs, its as quiet as any other drill. But it meets resistance with force. The hammers start pounding and that 3" deck screw is going in pre drilled or not! Har Har Grunt Grunt! Maniacal laughter..

This is a fun home drill that's great for small to med projects, like hanging pictures or installing a deck. Two batteries, a charger, a handful of bits, and a rugged case.

I BOUGHT THIS UNIT WHEN IT FIRST APPEARED AT HOME DEPOT FOR AROUND $30.00 AND ALL MY FRIENDS WANTED ONE WHEN THEY USED IT BUT HOME DEPOT HAD DISCONTINUED IT. NOW ONE BATTERY COSTS MORE THAN I PAID FOR DRILL ,CHARGER AND TWO BATTERIES. I REALLY LIKE THIS BETTER THAN ANY DRILL I HAVE AND I HAVE APP 14 IN USE IN SHOP. WHEN IM BUILDING CABINETS AND PORCH SWINGS ECT. I HAVE TO BE REAL CAREFUL BECAUSE IT WILL STRIP THE HEADS OFF THE SCREWS. I CAN BURY A SCREW IN A 2" BOARD WITH IT WITHOUT ANY STRAIN. LOVE THE DRILL. THANKS

I was supprised to read the other reviews. I have had my B&D impact driver for 6 Months now and I love it. Infact my cordless drill lost its spot in the Peg board because I use the impact driver for almost everything. I have driven up to 1/2" Lag bolts in to Pressure treated 4x4's without problems. When drilling it never twists on you, when it starts to bind up it goes into impact mode and pushes the bit through it. The one key that I found is do not push down on the back of the drill like you are used to, this slows it down. just apply slight pressure to hold the bit into the screw and let the impact do the work.

I can't agree more with the author of a previous review. I bought the same type wrench, not a rubber one but with thick waxed cloth hoping it will be finish safe to work on shower head installation. After 20 min of pain I have to get a real wrench too. Good idea but unforunately doesn't work in real life.

This is an outstanding tool for the right application. There are a number of times that a standard wrench is not the right tool such as for loosening and/or tightening cylindrically or asymmetrically shaped objects. I am pleased with this particular tool in particular as the strap lock mechanism is of a much better design than a similar tool sold under the Craftsman brand.

Contrary to other users' experiences, we were able to easily change a shower head and a faucet by using only this type of grip wrench.

The most important use I have for it, however, is the opening of everyday items that require grip strength. With rheumatoid arthritis and resulting painful, misshapen hands, I face situations several times a day that would be impossible for me to handle alone if it were not for my supply of strap/grip wrenches. I can open jars and twist-type bottle caps by using two of them (facing different directions, one to hold, one to turn the lid or cap), turn garden hose fittings, doorknobs and even control dials on the washer and range. The rubber strap does the gripping and the handle provides leverage that makes these tasks a snap. I have them in every room and keep at least one in my purse.

Although I don't own this specific wrench, my supply includes a variety of brands, the best ones of which have this design. It's important that the strap be very flexible and held in place by the head of the tool rather than a slot in the handle (which requires the hand to maintain the tension on the strap, negating the main benefit).

For people who because of aging or disability find their hands too painful or too weak to grip, twist, pinch or turn, a wrench like this is a boon!

I agree with the last reviewer 100%. I looked near and far for template guides so I could route out the hinges on some doors I was hanging. This tool would be ideal for the light routing work involved. I looked everywhere for template guides. The manual stated that the same guides that can be used on the 1600 series routers could be used on this trimmer. No universal guides would fit so I went to an authorized Bosch distributor to get them. Even the guides that the employees told me would work did not work. I had little choice but to go out and purchase a new router that could do the job and that had the accessories available. The quality of this trimmer is 5 stars all the way. The accessories are what keeps it from being great all around.

I AM A FLOORING SUB-CONTRACTOR AND HAVE USED THIS LAMINATE TRIMMER WHILE INSTALLING LAMINATE FLOORS. I OWN 4 OTHER BOSCH PRODUCTS BECAUSE OF THIER QUALITY AND RELIABILITY. THIER TOOLS PERFORMANCE AND DURABILITY ARE SECOND TO NONE AT THIS PRICE RANGE; BUT THE COMPANY GETS LOW MARKS FOR DIFFICULTY IN OBTAINING PARTS AND ACCESSORIES IN THE AFTERMARKET. THIS IS THE ONLY REASON I GIVE THIS PRODUCT A 3 STAR RATING.

I was hoping to find this item with either a lower price for its torque or higher torque for its price.

1036.8 in-lbs. (86.4 ft-lbs.) is respectable. (compare to Makita 6918DWD).

I purchased 4 of these cordless impacts every single one started smoking or burned out after 1 week of use. This tool is garbage.

I bought this impact over a month ago but I waited untill now to write the reveiw because I wanted to give it a REAL long term test. I almost didn't buy it because of the other guys reveiw, but am VERY happy now that I did.. Having already owned an 18v Dewalt drill and an 18v hitachi drill, an 18 volt Dewalt Sawsall and an 18v Hitachi Sawsall, I expected great things from this little impact and I wasn't diapointed,, I own 3 other impacts, a 9.6 makita, a 14.4 Dewalt and a 18v dewalt, none of these even come close to the HITACHIs power, I have used it at least 1 hour every day for the last month, the 3.0 NI-hM batteries are Super. We added a room to the Garage and used nothing but 4" long deck screws, this thing had so much POWER it hardly had to impact to sink them out of sight.
I have owned my dewalt impacts for years and always LOVED them but they seem a little outdated when compared to the HITACHI. it has lots more power and a smaller size, and a more comfortable handle, The lugs on my Skid Steer torque on 100ft lbs and it doest even strain this thing to take them off and torque them right back to specs. i would have gave it 4 1/2 stars if possible because of 1 thing, the socket holder wouldn't hold on large sockets like a Deepwell 1" or so, but it was an easy fix, I just took the little rubber plug out that holds the ball out against the sockets and put a peice of 10 guage wire insulation over it. now you have to want a socket off to get it off,,
J.R.

No power, no torque, you get what you pay for

I'm not brand loyal, I look for the best tool at the best price. I searched the local stores and this tool offered 400 ft/lbs for 79.95. Works great for home/garage use and looks great too.The 20 pc socket set can't be beat for the price either.

This is a good tool except the battery doesn't stay in the tool. It works loose with rough use. They need to change the design on the battery so it clips in more securely.
Otherwise awesome.

I'm always looking for tools to make my job easier. This tool really fit the bill. It's quick adjusting and gripping ability sure bought me some time. The gripping ability was similar to regular pipe wrenches its size on my opinion. I did have two complaints- The first a biggy. The tool only lasted 3 weeks which accounted for about 6 jobs. I had bolt nut failure and the tool spread apart similar to what happens to bolt/nut channel locks. Unfortunately you cant just tighten nut back in so the tool was useless. I did take it back to the hardware store and they gladly exchanged it for a new one. Second complaint the handle really needs to be about 2 inches longer. I found myself having to use a lot of muscle which produced fatigue in this muscle wrench on the bigger pipes. To some it all up if you just fix stuff around the house this tool is for you. If you are a tradesmen look at something else.