Power Tool Accessories Reviews

I just bought a Fein Mini-Turbo and was surprised to find that it was smaller and evidently less powerful than claimed by Fein Power Tools U.S. and its distributors.

The specifications listed in the instruction manual for this model (9-11-20) are: max static pressure 78" (not 90" as was advertised); max blow volume 106 cu. ft./min. (not 116), useful capacity, solids: 4 gal. (not 6), liquids 4.2 gal. (not 5.3), height 20.5" (not 23"). I measured the unit and confirmed that the smaller dimensions and capacity stated in the manual are correct. Fein has not replied to my inquiry regarding the discrepancies, although they subsequently removed the erroneous specifications from their web page. Woodcraft, who sold me the vacuum, did not get a satisfactory explanation from Fein either, but they were very responsive, offering me a refund if I wished to return it.

So, how does the vaccum perform? I had a Ridgid WD1245 ($70 at Home Depot) to compare it with - lower static pressure (48"), higher blow volume (175 cu.ft./min), wider (2.5") hose, noisier, and less tightly constructed. The task: vaccum up piles of asphalt shingle bits, dust, the odd roofing nail and cellulose insulation from the dormers in my century-old attic. The Ridgid sucked stuff up quickly initially, but lacking bags, the dust and insulation quickly clogged its filter, reducing its performance after a short while. Cleaning the Ridgid filter was a pain (requiring another vacuum) and dumping the canister stirred up lots of dust, partially defeating the purpose of vacuuming in the first place.

I'd say the Fein was somewhat slower to vacuum due to is lower blow volume and narrower hose. However, it picked up about twice as much as the Ridgid did before the Fein's bag was full, with no noticeable degradation in performance. Changing the bag was an easy and clean operation. So the Fein saved time and mess overall. The paper bag, BTW, wraps about half-way around the perimeter of the bucket - the filter occupies the center - so I'd guess that it holds only 2 gallons.

Stuff would sometimes get lodged in the handle of Fein's hose, a minor nuisance. Fein says its 2.25" diameter hose fits this unit, which might work better for this application.

At Woodcraft's closeout price of $140 for the Mini-Turbo, I'd give it a positive rating, but I don't feel it's worth $200. This model, BTW, is being replaced by the Turbo I which adds an auto switch for a power tool and comes with a different filter for about $250. At that price point, you might also consider the Porter Cable 7812, which uses 10-gallon bags, although it's reportedly noiser than the Fein models.

This is a wonderful product, BUT the bags are pricey, if you can get them. Amazon/tool crib are you listening????
Either stock the supplies to back up the products you are selling or you should probably not sell them anymore!!!
If you sense that I am upset, you've got it right.
Have been waiting for bags for two months now. I'm getting weekly e-mails asking me to approve yet another delay.
OK, now I've vented. If only they'd send me those bags

I've owned this vacuum for about 3 years now and I really like it. Not as powerful as the big Sears unit I have but much less noise. He's the deal, almost $9.00 for a replacement paper bag! What the heck is that about? I can see paying $9.00 for a three pack but not for each bag! Give me a break, it's a paper bag!

I work in a major welding and fab. shop. where we really use the grinders, not like the other reveiws. Dewalt has made the worst grinder ever.
The DW402 was designed with very serious flaw which could send you straight in the ER. (several of my co workers ended up in the hospital)
1. Where the exhaust blows out, everything that is grinded will blow right in your eyes. Believe me I know it happen to me.(with safety glasses on) Also so many people were getting eye injuries the Company I work for pulled them from the shop floor.

Angle ginders are made primarily for grinding metal, not cutting concrete, diamonds, cutting down trees or for use as a fan or trimming your beard. This tool excels at grinding metal. Most of the bad reviews are from people who tried to use the tool for something it was not designed to do. So they gripe!! duh.........

I've been around these things for 40 years, see the bigger ones every day at work. Some lazy helper is always wanting to use a 4 1/2" instead of a 9", that's why they don't last long in a welding shop, they burn up with heavy use.
Do I like this grinder? You bet! It has plenty of power, fits my hand and I love the paddle switch. It grinds welds, cuts brick and tile, brushes off paint and rust, removes wedding rings etc.
To those reviewers that cried about the type 2 guards being too costly why not just modify the type 27 guard? If you can't do that you ain't much of a craftsman. And who is so dumb or lazy that they can't blow the dust out from the switch and motor? Doh!
I think I've seen all the 4 1/2"ers that are available and used most of them. This is the one I bought for my home use.

I really like the Milwaukee 14.4 volt drill. It has remarkable power, resonable weight, and a nice working feel. However, the charger apparently failed to shut off and caused the melt down of two batteries. Would I consider buying another Milwaukee? Yes I would, but only if I had the assurance that the charger design has been modified within the past two years. By the way, new batteries are about $60. each.

I replaced my DeWalt 12 volt cordless drill after nearly 10 years of service with the Milwaukee 18 volt. I immediately realized that it was going to be nearly impossible to remove the battery without some assistance. I figured that my no-as-strong female hands just couldn't deliver the necessary squeeze power it would take to release the battery. So...I asked a strong male neighbor to give it a try, he failed. Ultimately it took my bench vice to apply enough pressure to the release buttons to do the job. After six months of struggle it hasn't loosend up so I'm taking it back to the store and replacing it with another brand. This time I'll try the battery removal process before I leave the store. As for performance, I loved the drill's power, battery capabilities and balance. I hope they fix the battery problem.

We bought this drill to replace our 1,100 sq ft redwood deck. The 9.6 V DeWalt we had was barely getting the 3" screws into the treated pine joists. I was tempted by various 18 V models, but their weight and price (the 18 V models had just come out and were still quite expensive) ruled them out. The 14.4 V models seemed to be the right blend of power, weight, and price, and this Milwaukee was available on sale. It made the deck easy work and my arm did not feel like it was going to fall off at the end of the day. I have noted two "convenience" faults: (1) a clip for spare bits is not present and (2) the forward/reverse button, which slides forward and backward, is not as convenient as the push buttons available on most other brands. Milwaukee touts the ability to install the battery in the other direction as a feature allowing access to tight spaces, but I have never encountered a space where this feature was useful. Overall, this is a really solid drill; it feels and sounds like it will last a long time.

I purchased this tool for use as a high speed spindle on a cnc mill. It has performed very well and has no detectable play in the work that I am doing with it, milling PCBs

This is a smooth powerful and rugged tool. I have used mine to cut drywall, plaster, wood, plastic and even old window putty (glazing compound). I have used it overhead to 'chase' cracks in plaster so I could repair them with Durabond. Even in this very dusty application, the tool has given me zero problems. The 'bump off' switch is a great feature as you can turn the tool off and lay it down with one hand. The handle and guides in the kit just add to the ease of use in specific applications. If you're looking for a rotary saw, you will be happy with this fine tool.

This is a wonderful cut-out tool. It cuts through drywall with ease and makes a very smooth cut. You need to use both hands as it is very powerful but I haven't had any trouble keeping a straight line so far.

Like any rotary cut-out tool, it breaks bits! Keep a good supply handy and happy cutting.

The Boss Bench Oscillating Sander is a smooth, quiet operation, with hardly, if any, vibration. The cast iron table provides an adequate work surface and great support and stability of the workpiece. I did not have any trouble with the spindle being square to the table. This sander works wonders on the curved and scrollsawed pieces, with no burning of the edges, and a smooth finish.

The dust collection system works okay. The dust port is an odd size, 1.5", but the dust collection fan blades built into the base of the spindle draws the dust down from the table into the bag. The bag is a little tricky to install, but once it is installed, it works great.

The only negative I have, and thus only 4 stars, is the fact there is not a spindle lock. This makes changing the spindles not as easy as it should be. I have created my own "spindle lock" by placing the allen wrench in between the dust collection fan blades and the dust port, this "locks" the spindle in place while I change out the spindle sleeves. I'm sure this is not good for the fan blades, but it works, so far.

A great running machine, has met all my expectations and then some for edge sanding curved pieces. It has a permanent place on my work bench !!

I bought the BOSS after the price dropped and I have been extremely happy with it's versatility. You get a [...] Spindle kit free to get started and the different sizes of spindles are readily available almost everywhere (unlike my Jet power tools). The vibration is a lot less than I expected making it very easy to shape wood rough cut shapes from my scroll saw and my table saw.

One of Delta's better efforts!

Sander works great but, dust bag is hard to get on and off. The extra spindle set you get is all the sizes they make for sander that is not included with standard sander. Extra set comes with drums and one sanding drum per rubber drum. Great value because, at a national hardware store they will charge you [alot] for just the sander plus ... extra spindle set which is encluded at amazon for nothing.

I purchased not just one, but two of these supposedly highly rated coil nailers. The first unit would not set 2 1/2" nails anywhere near flush. Like 1/4" short to a full inch short of flush. Tested through various materials and tested not only by me. I took the unit in to the Hitachi factory authorized service center, and they had the same results. The service center said it must be falulty and that I should retrun it.

So Amazon had a replacement at my door in less than 2 days. (Thanks Amazon for many years of excellent service) Anyway the new gun did not set nails any better than the first unit. So I took it in to the Hitachi service center as well. With the same results. They told me it was a faulty nail gun and I should return it like I had the last one.

I suspected that there may have been a bad series of nail guns out there and I just got two of them. So, just to be comprehensive, I contacted Hitachi customer service and was re-directed to a head tech person who told me that he knew of no bad guns and that they just don't alway work as advertised all the time. Gee... Thanks a whole bunch Hitachi.

So I packaged up the second hunk of junk and sent it back.

Since I already owned two other Porter Cable nail guns (finish and framing), which have never given me any trouble in quite a few years; I ordered a Porter Cable COIL250. It came with a nice case like my other PC guns (the Hitachi gun only came in a carboard box). Porter Cable also sent me a restrictive trigger replacement for free (Hitachi wants close to $40 for one, I understand). The Porter Cable COIL250 has performed well over the past month as I have run thousands of nails through it.

I would be very wary of this Hitachi NV65AH, maybe their larger coil nailer is OK, or maybe there was just a bad group of guns out there, I don't know. I do know I will not order another Hitachi nail gun. Buyer beware!!

Hitachi has a great nailer but they absolutely, positively need to include the single shot upgrade kit at no extra cost as this gun fires multiple nails far too easily and jams like you wouldn't believe. It's a great nailer as far as feel and weight but do yourself a favor and install the single shot nail kit.

Hitachi, shame on you for not building this into the gun or offering the upgrade at no extra cost.

As it stands now, I'd recommend to others to look at the Makita coil nailer as the best choice and then the Porter Cable as the second choice.

I am a DIY'er. I bought this nailer to install Hardieboards on my house. This tool saved me a huge amount of time over a hammer.

However, I am not a pro and here is what I found challenging:
1. The depth gauge was fairly easy to use but after a while I found that I had to just nail in a course and quickly hammer the nails home. Call it user inexperience (which clearly was the case) but I ended up under-driving rather than over-driving on purpose.
2. If you don't watch the plastic nail strap or cut it off frequently, it could twist around and foul the tool, requiring a stop to fix it.
3. It comes with the "automatic" trigger function: Hold the trigger, push, and nails will pop out until you let go. I found that difficult to work with: I can see how that would be useful for roofing, but for Hardie Boards, it made me pay too much attention to trigger pull/release, rather than paying attention to quality work.

Why 4 stars and not 5: Because the single-trip (one pull, one nail) mechanism doesn't come with the tool. I had to order that from a Hitachi dealer (referred by Hitachi themselves when I called) and it cost an additional $60-$70. Porter Cable, for example, will provide a different trip mechanism for free for their finish nailers (or at least they did when I bought one). This should have been included, or at least the price not so excessive, for such small and few parts.

I have owned this product for a year. Like most Jet equipment I own, this one arrived with minor (nuisance type) damage from being dropped. I am wondering if Tool Crib purchases the damaged equipment from Jet at a reduced price to garner higher profit margins.
The saw performs adequately although the accompanying blade did not have a long useful life. The rip fence is low quality and does not permit easy minor adjustments. The miter gauge is also poor quality. Maybe I'm spoiled by the more accurate fence on my table saw but for [price] I expected more attention to detail.
I am using the saw at the lower power level although it can be rewired for higher power.
I like the nice sized cast iron table but plan to build something larger to accommodate more intricate cutting.
The blade guides are not high quality and you should plan to purchase a better quality set.

Purchased my Jet 18" bandsaw with 3/4", 4 tooth blade bout a year ago. Before purchasing this saw I searched for as much info on bandsaws that was available. I am 100% satisfied with it.
Everything I cut is hard wood. I have cut up to 6" thick and even with the 3/4" blade, it was no problem for this saw.
The table surface area is one of the largest on any saw. That's nice! It's easy to clean and the hand wheel adjustments for the cutting height and blade tensioner makes life good.
I don't believe there is a better 18" saw out there for the money.

I, too, have had my 18" Jet bandsaw for almost a year, and it has been a pleasure to use in every respect. Mine arrived without damage or problem, and other than the difficulty of moving a 6' tall wooden crate weighing almost 400 pounds around, setup was straightforward and worked first time out.

I had some problems with blade drift (i.e., trouble cutting a straight line), which seemed to vary with the kind of wood, the blade used, and the tension. I finally made two purchases which I *highly* commend, both from Ittura Designs, a bandsaw supply company that provides an amazing range of accessories and expertise. The first is a tension gauge, to tell you how many psi you're really putting on the blade (note to experts: the Jet has no problem tensioning to 30,000 psi), but the turning point was a Lenox ProMaster iI carbide blade. This thing isn't cheap---over $100 for a single blade---but what an unbelievable difference! The tolerances and sharpness of this blade have made drift a thing of the past: I now cut through everything like a heated knife through butter. If you spend this much on a bandsaw, spend the extra $100 on one of these blades, otherwise you're wasting your time and your wood.

The finish on the saw seems good to these relatively inexperienced eyes; the dust collection works terrifically, and while the lower guides are indeed tough to adjust, the Euro-style rollers work well and seem to hold their adjustments. (One aside: a lot of bandsaw accessories, like zero-clearance inserts and Cool Blocks etc., don't seem to be available for the 18" Jet, so if you're a tweaker, you might want to look elsewhere).

In summary, this is my favorite tool in my workshop. When I started woodworking, I followed closely the "do you need a tablesaw, or can you make do with a bandsaw only" argument, and now that I've had my Jet for a year, with the ProMaster II carbide blade, I have no regrets about my decision to leave a tablesaw behind.

Works great, just what I wanted. Wished that changing from vertical to horizonal was provided by pushing a knob or moving a lever. Otherwise very good workmanship.

It's perfect for small jobs when a full size drill press wouldn't be needed. It's compact design is great if your work space is limited. My son and I use it for making his Pinewood Derby cars.

I received this item and Dremel sent me an adaptor free of charge to allow this item to work with the xpr.
Great item

This was a lot of saw for the money so I dove in. Had it a month, used it twice, the fence broke where it clamps to the rail. Bought a 50 inch fence that doesn't shift an eighth to the right when set. Running with dado blades, saw stopped. Wasn't motor. The arbor seized up. Could spin it backwards but not forwards. It tightened like a screw. Maybe there's something I don't know but it seems that that is one thing a table saw should never ever ever do. Unimpressed and worried what's next. Should have spent the extra for the 2hp General.

I've owned this saw for three years now and love using it.

Pros: Great price for a belt drive, contractors saw! Extremely accurate rip fence! Plenty of power for the hobbyist. 30" rip capacity. Came fairly true right out of the box (needed little adjustment). Durability (mine's been in my garage for three years and no problems with climate change, etc.). Switch placement (I can turn off the saw with a bump of my hip or leg without having to reach for it. Greatly improves the safety of operation). Can be wired for 240v.

Cons: Rip fence flexes a little. Miter gage not extremely accurate.

Many people have complained about the splitter and blade guard. I've found that, once you get the splitter aligned properly, it works just fine and only takes two bolts to remove.

Buying a quality saw blade is a requirement with any new saw. I'd bet I'd still want to buy a few nice blades even if I bought a Unisaw.

You absolutely cannot beat this saw for the price. I will be upgrading the fence and the miter gauge and then I have no doubt that this saw will be with me for years to come!

I purchased this saw because it looked like a good saw for my money. Assembly was a breeze as well as alignment. Saw cut extremely smooth until one day the locking handle broke on the fence. Apparently it is made of a very poor quality Chinese cast metal. Upon calling for a warranty replacement I was informed that it would be at least six weeks before I could get a new one. That is not what a professional woodworker likes to hear.

I bought the DW980 as I did not want to spend too much money. I then realized that it was not powerful enough for what I wanted to do and returned it. The 'Heavy Duty' in the product name misled me I guess. I suggest that you try it out first. I bought a 18V set and I am happy now. Drawback: it is a lot heavier to lug around.

This is a surprisingly fast and powerful drill for 12v. I had a Makita 12v cordless for over 5 years that only died because it was dropped.

I was going to switch to a higher voltage but when I tried this one out I thought the size and weight was just right.

The clutch issue that others are mentioning is not a problem. Gears 1, 2, and 3 are low speed/high torque through high speed/low torque. The 24 position clutch limits the motor torque, not the resultant output.

I think this works well, but it is not what you may be used to. The clutch does seem to break-in a little after a few uses.

This is a high quality drill. It is not like one of your B&D, Skil, or Harbor Freight models. This is an example of you get what you pay for.

Drill/drivers are one of those tools that I use a lot. I think that quality is important, and I can't see buying one of those low grade units. This has more torque and speed than your typical low grade.

Five stars definately.

I bought this drill for projects around the house, and it has risen to every challenge. Lots of torque for driving screws into oak. Plenty of speed when used as a grinding wheel. The battery lasts very long.

I haven't had any of the listed problems with the clutch either.

I think it's a great value that will last