Hand Tools Reviews

the only reason i could find to have these is to get those pesky back screws out of your computers hard drive casing. But atleast they get the job done.

Hand tools are very sturdy and excellent; however, the large tools are basically useless. You still will need to purchase a full sized shovel and perhaps also a hoe, depending upon your needs.

This is a smaller version of my favorite tool over the last 25 years. The hand tool metal handle that's available should hold up well. The older plastic handle I bought in the 80's broke. I still use the 25 year old large weeder--I just needed a new metal handle because I was too tough on it. It broke recently, the toold didn't. While I was shopping, I saw this little one, I had to try it!

1) The lopper cuts clean and effortlessly
2) The plastic pull handle supplied digs too deeply into the pull cord and is a chore to disengage although the manufacturer describes it as a "quick release" handle, I got so fed up with it that I switched over to the wooden handle from my Sears Craftsman pole pruner to the Wolf-Garten and ditched the Wolf-Garten handle.
3) One of the plated pivot bolts on the lopper started corroding badly within only a few months. I have been in constant contact with Wolf-Garten USA in trying to obtain a replacement and after several months am still awaiting the replacement bolt. They are quite frankly not very responsive and parts are as scarce as hens teeth.

It is very hard work to dethatch your lawn, but this rake does pull the thatch out better than any tool I've ever used. I would recommend it to anyone who has a little muscle and determination.

I'm a sucker for wooden planes. Have a few, love the feel of em.
I bought the book "Wooden Planes and how to make them" a year or so ago and have made one smooth plane. What a blast...nice break from my usual activities, making boxes. Back to this tool. Nice unit...good weight and feel, size is pretty good and the handles are comfortable. This is a good plane....especially for the price. The blade needed sharpening, no surprise there, only took 5 minutes or so to put a good edge on it. I removed the shellac/varnish on the sole, would rather just have a wax finish on it. Checked it for flat on glass covered with 180 grit. Pretty flat right out of the box, but had to remove that varnish finish anyway. You should use a wooden mallet to adjust the depth on a wooden plane...not hard to learn, this plane comes with a nice little phamplet that explains the process. This plane holds its adjustment well, the blade didn't move at all, even when edge planing, and goin deep. I think this will be a nice inexpensive addition to my shop. I recommend it to anyone who wants to have a nice smoothing plane for not much money.

X-Acto X5177 Basic Woodcarving Set is very well made. The handle is solid and strong and there are more than enough blades for most needs. My only complaint is that the storage box could have been designed a bit better. The blades tend to fall out of their storage slots in the base and some simply lay alongside the handle. Otherwise, the tool itself is a good value.

I love this lawn mower, it's easy to start and easy to push around, it takes care of my grass just fine. The only problem I am having is finding an air filter for it. Lowes, Home Depot, Amazon even the Yard Man dealer does not have them. Where in the world do I buy parts?

My Hoover SteamVac V2 cleans just fine - but the parts are so cheaply made that the machine leaked like a sieve after the first four uses, though I had treated it with utmost respect when filling, using and emptying. The clean water tank is made of a very thin, brittle plastic that cracked all on its own, right where the plug goes, so I can't seal the crack - and costs a minimum of $45 to replace, based on the ones I've found online. The carpet cleaner was way too expensive to justify this expense within the first year. I would not recommend this model to anyone else because of the shoddy construction.

I had the old model and loved it so much I grabbed this one when it came out. First off the tool caddy was a joke just like the first model I had. Right to the closet for it. My first few cleanings were great and left my carpets clean and dried pretty fast. However by the fouth use the top tank started dripping water. I have a dog, 2 kids and a husband that can't seem to wipe his feet. So my floors get pretty nasty. It got all but the most stubborn juice stains. I used it at least once a month for over a year (I have since found out that the cleaning solutions made for it leave a residue that just make dirt stick right back to the carpets). It still dripped but was a small price to pay for clean carpets. Then one day while I was using it the top tank started gushing water. After inspecting it I found that the bottom plug had cracked and chunk broken off. So I got online and ordered a new one for $45 plus shipping. I was a little annoyed but these things happen. So our new top tank arrives and I start using the machine. This time it only took two uses before the same exact thing happened. I ended up giving it to my neighbor as I was fed up. She ordered another new tank and wasn't even done cleaning her living room carpet when the bottom seal cracked and broke again. This machine cleans great and I loved it (though the attachments are a waste)but you never know how long it will last. They need to use something other then cheap brittle plastic for the tanks. Till then I'll keep renting the big red ones from my local grocery store.

I've had it for 2 weeks now, and have had no problems with this. I went on consumer reports website and it says that this Hoover sucks more water than the Bissell and they're right. In 1/2 hour (with a fan blowing) the carpeting was dry. I didn't want to wait longer than that. If you want a machine that cleans great, and the carpets to dry quickly, this is it.

So far so good.

I loved my Treo 90....while it lasted. One month after the warranty was up the unit completely died. Reset wouldn't help it. The manufacturer would repair it...for almost the cost of a new one. Be wary of this product.

I just got my new Handspring Treo 90 about a month ago, and so far, I have no complaints. Seriously, what got me into the Treo first was when I saw doctors using it for appointments on CNN saying PDA's are really useful, plus I had never even seen one with a built in kepyboard. I'm really glad I got it finally. The screen doesn't look as nearly as vibrant as the one on the front of the box or the picture on amazon, and that's good. My eyes are sometimes sensitive to vibrant colors probably because I don't have good eyesight, but it's still great to have a color PDA after using a black and white one ever since I got into handheld devices.

The built in keypad is very original, almost like a Blackberry, and also very compact in the small space you have on the screen and the PDA, but as surprisingly small as the buttons (and the PDA itself) may seem, it is very easy to type in things. I'm already a pro at it, and only have sideswiped a key next to the one I was aiming for once or twice. Like for me I'm 5' 10" and my hands are fairly large, but it helps to remember assignments for High School, since I'm a junior, and things can get pretty hectic around the middle of the day when you try to remember homework. I really also like the keyboard because with PDA's that don't have keyboards (which is mostly all of them) you have to continually tap at the screen with the stylus, and it gets annoying after a while.

I'm sure I'll still be using the PDA for work when I get out of college, but while you're using it, it helps when you're so concentrated on entering in something, and you forget about the smallness of the PDA and it's just very smooth in what it does in the small space to hold. It's even got a guide through on the programs so you won't have to go back to the guide book to find out how to use the keyboard or how to get started period.

And also another thing that I like is that when you turn it off, it stays in the same place that you left it so you won't constantly be going back to the main menu and have to click on the place you were just to get there. I'm still trying to figure out what mail is all about. The guide that comes in the box is very basic, but I'm sure I'll figure it out.

I didn't want to bother buying it for $300.00 though. I'm sure a lot of us don't have that kind of money, especially when you're in high school like me. But for a refurbished one, and you're not paying full price for one that might break down as many have said before, I got mine which works great, almost like a new one, at priceisright.biz where PDA's of all sorts soar in low prices, and I saw that it's currently unavailable here, so there you have it. I got mine for $39.00 because the previous owners of them all must've all had the same problem: the flip cover came off, but I like it even more without it. The battery life is also very useful when recharging. It doesn't even take an hour before it's fully recharged, and it last's a long time. Like me, I'm used to my Sharp OZ-590 (which I still have) which needs one triple A battery, but I wanted to upgrade to something more modern, and durable, and recharable instead of regular batteries; thus the Treo 90, and it works great.

You won't believe how durable this thing is. (I hope my mine keeps working after what others have said) I've dropped it at least four times. Once on the carpet, another time on a hardwood floor, and the other two times on hard concrete. This thing has obtained barely minor scratches, and hasn't messed up or anything. I've only reset it a couple of times, and that was because I had downloaded a bunch of things too quickly, but hey, when you do as many resets as me, you begin to do it routinely.

Synchronization is a little hard to figure out, but once you do, it turns out to be extrememly helpful. I learned how just today, and I got to download a good number of games. I was sort of angry when I found out I had to download the games from the cd rom, and I couldn't figure out how to synchronize, but now that I figured it out, it works perfectly. Try not to pay attention to the guidebook too much. It might mess you up even worse. I just went with my own instincts.

The metal stylus is also very helpful in my favor. It's a lot more heavier than just the plain plastic ones, and is easier to hold because it's wider than the other ones. Everything is very useful. The only reason why I gave it four stars is because if the bottom buttons are touches while it's being jostled around in a backpack or a purse, or pressed up against someone in their pocket, it'll turn on. I've already found it on twice after pulling it out of my pocket, and I was wearing baggy pants, and the fact that you have to press two buttons to get to the main menu is sort of annyoing, but these things can easily be worked out. No big deal. All in all, I hope Handspring comes out with a lot more PDA's this size and compact. They'll definitely be a huge help in the long run of a busy life.

Small, light...fits the need. Too bad Handspring is no longer in business. Their products are much slicker than Palm's.