Power Tools Reviews

This saw may be lighter but at the expense of strenght. Any saw will get damaged if it is used/abused, but this saw's foot plate (shoe?) is easily damaged if not treated with kid gloves. If you use a speed square to ride the edge of the shoe along for cross cuts, or you like to use the v-cut in the front for rips like I do then you know how important it is that it be in alignment (paralel)with the blade. The shoe on this saw will not take much of a bump before it gets out of alignment. Not only that, but because the shoe is made from aluminum, the bottom of the shoe scratches easily and will then leave marks on the wood that you are cutting; especially bad if you are trimming a door. I like the color, and yes it's a little lighter, but the saw that has proven throught the test of time is still the Skil HD77.

I have owned one of these for ten years, and a have cut everything you can think of from soft wood, to metal, to asphault and concrete this`saw is virtually indestructable.

I work construction and do plenty of research on tools. Skil currently makes less then par products, but with this exception. This saw is the industry standard. I see the MAG77 and the regular HD77 on every constructon site. I like the HD77 because it is a little heavier then the MAG77 due to the casing, which means no kickback and a stonger, more solid feel. Both saws are incredible and either purchase is an investment. Buy this saw if you plan on cutting a lot of lumber.

Just got the brand new 2012NB planer and could not believe the way it was packaged. It was rattling around loose in a cardboard box. Amazingly enough there is no apparent damage that I have found yet but I can't believe they would cheap out like that on a nice $400 piece of equipment. Check your package thoroughly for possible freight damage. A little surprised that the Hood is an accessory and does not come with the tool.

I just got this and planed some poplar maple and oak baords and wow was I impressed with it..I also have the Dewalt 735 which is now for sale because the rollers slip constantly and it is way too loud and the blades wear too fast..this Makita has very simple but effective features which is what makita is all about.The stock repeat stop is great set it and just crank down to it to get the exact size stock over and over again,the automatic snipe control works great and it comes with the fold down table bed extensions which are also adjustable,I also love the quietness it is the just under the noise level of a shop vac not bad at all and it is truly portable the Dewalt is almost 100 lbs and is very tough to move and it has lots of thin cheap feeling plastic,but the Malita is very well built and has a very sturdy and solid aluminum top which is unheard of in the portable planer market most have plastic like the Dewalt.This by far the best out there and Oh ya did I mention how nice it finishes stock it is very smooth with very minimal(almost none) machine marks actually less than the Dewalt and that has two speeds and three cutters but this Malkita provides a better finsh and thats what planing is all about not just changing the thickness of your stock. I think the finish on planed stock is so good because the machine is smooth meaning the motor/bearings/cutterhead they all seem very well balanced and it has a very high quality sound when cutting you can tell the difference between the Makita my old Delta and my Dewalt 735 (NO COMPARISON)!!

I took my time and did my research, based the other reviews of this tool. Satisfied that so many others thought this a quality product, I took the plunge and bought it. It helped that Amazon was running a 10% off special at the time, so it was considerably less than I could have gotten it else where or on Ebay.

I agree with the other posters that the packaging was flimsy, but the tool was in mint condition.

This is my first planer as well, but I literally unpacked it, plugged it in, and started planing some salvaged redwood boards. This tool is excellent. The finish on the boards was very smooth and in some cases, I don't think I even need to sand them.

Since this was my first planer, it was a surprise to me that it's self feeding, but that makes the use of this tool all the more enjoyable.

As other posters noted, this will create a ton of debris. I ordered the hood too, but it's not due to arrive for a month. Having only a shopvac, I have my doubts whether or not it can keep up, so for now it's going to remain in the garage.

I'm completely satisfied.

I have been using this system for about 9 months and I am very satisfied. This machine works wonders on straight edge blades such as chisels. But beware, sharpening curved blades, such as knives and plane blades, requires practice to acquire a certain finese.

For example, I sharpen my hand plane blades so that they have a slight to substantial curve on them. My scrub plane has a substanial curve while my smoothing planes have a very subtle curve. The curve eliminates the "edge bite" that results when a straight plane blade is used. I use the multi-purpose jig for plane blades and it requires a bit of practice to get a really nice edge. Still, using the Tormek for curved blades is probably easier than water stomes but not much.

I bought a lot of the accessories and boy, are they expensive. One of these days Delta will make a knock-off Tormek that sells for half the price. Some of the accessories are great, such as the scissor sharpening jig and the knife sharpening jig. But who in their right mind would need to sharpen an axe to a razor sharp edge?? Just use your regular grinder.

Certain accessories shold be included in the basic package, such as the diamond truing tool, because the wheel WILL become out of round.

I'm a long-time doubter here. My primary hand tools are a set of Japanese chisels, some Pfeil carving tools, and a number of Lie-Nielsen plances of which I'm inordinateld proud. I have an entire library of sharpening stones and have been completely egotistical about hand sharpening and honing. In other words, I was an edge snob. That it could take me two days to sharpen everything after a sizeable project was besides the point.

Age, and the addition of another set of exotic chisels, finally did me in. After all that time sharpening it took another two days to work the cramps out of my fingers. suddenly the Tormek, despite its price tag, began to look good. So I attended a demo and watched someone sharpen a very fine chisel in about 15 minutes, including the traditionional hair shaving flourish. the finish of the edge was mirror perfect. I started saving my pennies.

The Tormek works by using a sharpening wheel that can be surfaced easily for either fast cutting or fine finishing. It rotates through a water bath at about 90 RPM. The tool being sharpened actual stays cold so you never lose temper. On the other side is a honing wheel with a leather surface on which you put a bit of rubbing compound, and that finishes the job. Because of the way you use the wheel, the edges are hollow ground. So if you are a perfectionist, you should grind at a slightly greater angle, but I know of no one who has ever had a problem.

I bought the Tormek with a host of accessories, but this model, out of the box with just the basic jig, will do 90% of your sharpening. It took me 6 hours to go through every edged tool except my joiner blades, and every one is perfect. Including the iron on an old, ugly Record T5 that had literally become a paperweight. If you want a way to consistenty get great edges on a host of tools (you can even get an axe sharpening jig) there really isn't another option. And it actually does what it says it does.

I've been using the grinder with a few of the different jigs and I can say it does, indeed, put a great edge on tools. I did find out that nothing is as easy as you might expect. The grinder does take a little practice in setting up and using the various jigs. The jigs are repeatable which is a big strength. That is, once set up correctly, you can repeat the bevels without even thinking about it. I gave this tool five stars because it does what it claims to do and does it very well. My plane blades and chisels have a mirror finish on them and are VERY sharp.

It's sooo smooth. When you get yours out of the box, plug it in and gun it up for the first time, you WILL grin. I think it's impossible not too. So smooth. And there's this high-pitched whine of the gears. Know why? They're all metal - not plastic. One other reviewer pointed out that the 8 amp version is over-powered. He's right. This baby only burns 5.5 amps but you better hold on! I only wrote this review to add my kudos, however redundant. You can stop shopping around, you found THE ONE! It's so smooth!

I was getting no where with a 1" spade bit in my cordless drill, and I needed to drill a lot of holes to run the wiring in my basement. So I tried a self-boring bit, and my cordless drill quickly started smoking. That's when I went and got this drill. It blasts through studs effortlessly with a 1-1/8" self-boring bit. This thing saved me hours of tedious drilling.

I have 7 1/2 in drills, including a Milwaukee 299, a Dewalt, and a Haitachi. This sets the standard. It is so smooth, it is a joy to use.

I'm a finish carpenter and I use this saw for multiple applications, from cutting the bottom of jambs to shaving a bent post back to square. It's come in handy for so many different jobs - demo to finish - that I wouldn't be caught without it. I would highly recommend this tool to anyone who works with wood.

I love this tool it saved me from getting a crain cutter to do door jambs yes it is not as quick but i like the control of it and i have seen to many people hurt themselves with those dam sidewinder type flush cut saws. i perfer this type of saw plus i feel it leaves a cleaner cut with less patch work to the adjacent molding.

as good as the saw it for jambs i like that this thing has other uses and doesn't just sit in the truck and only get used once in awhile. for $100 it seems to do twice as much work as a crain cutter.

This can be used in many ways from cutting door jambs to mitering corners. Great tool. Great idea. Much more control than sawsall. I used it the other day to chop off some stair balasters the first day I got and it worked perfect. be careful tho of kickbacks when cutting in tight locations.

This is a nice saw for the money, no problems with it. I've had one project where I wish I had a 12-inch saw or sliding miter, otherwise this works for everything around the house from chopping 2x4's to fine trim work. It's light and easily moved too. The blade that comes with it is OK and works for trim work, but it would be nice if an 80-tooth blade was included!

I've had this saw for a couple of years. It is a great saw that has never bogged down or been at a loss for power. The horizontal handle is superb. The blade is not that bad either, however it did splinter some oak & some plywood I recently cut. The only drawback is the size. I recently had to cut some shelves that were 9" wide; too big for the saw. I wish I had the 10" sliding saw (36-240). If you plan to keep your projects small to medium sized this is an excellent saw. ! If you are doing larger projects, i.e. shelves, bookcases, etc. then invest in the Delta Sidekick 36-240 sliding miter saw. I have also added a LaserKerf to mine, which is a great addition ...Over all, this saw is phenomenal for the price and I am going to continue to buy Delta products.

Excellent tool. Easy to assemble and the manual makes it easy to learn how to use. Comes with a very good blade and the side and back extensions are a great asset. The tool is easy to learn and use and is very well finished. Spending more money would be a waste of time.

I have owned this pack for a few years. The compressor and nailer have worked without problems. When considering this combo, be sure that this is the right nailer for the task you have in mind. This combo pack is great for a beginner pack. I have added several other nailers to my collection.

This combo pack is ideal! I had never owned a Porter Cable product until my father gave this to me as a Christmas gift. My initial attempt at installing crown molding was daunting. Well, after the first piece I was a pro. I have never experienced a tool that has allowed me to raise my DIY skills to such a high level. I feel like a professional. I am now removing the original crown molding that was poorly installed when I bought my house. I plan on replacing all of the crown molding utilizing my Porter Cable Finish Nailer and Pancake Compressor combo and my DeWalt 12" Combo miter Saw. Two indispensible tools for anyone. Spend the money and finally enjoy projects rather than dreading them. This unit will save you an incredible amount of time. You may want to keep a nail set and a hammer around though as I have had occasional nail heads stick up. However, this only happens about 1 in 50 nails that I've driven.

I remodeled my basement a while back and this is the compressor I used to do the framing. It kept up ok with the framing nailer that I borrowed. I also used the finish nailer to put up my trim boards. The compressor wasn't able to keep up with my die grinder though. I used the die grinder to prepare my gutters on my house for painting, and I would have to stop quite often to let the compressor catch up. For little jobs like what I used mine for, however, this compressor will work just fine.

This is a great tool. Has different heads to drive common nails, finish nails, and roofing nails. This kit also includes a hammer face to do anything you can do with a traditional hammer, without the arm fatigue. Drives nails quickly and I had no problem with bent nails, even driving them at angles. Kit includes a plastic case and all the wrenches to change heads and maintain tool.

I've only used this little critter for driving 10d and 16d nails, so I can't remark much on its versatility, but after renovating a 22x24 garage into a shop, including constructing a center beam to suport the attic floor above, and triple-sistering all the joists of that floor (1974 construction is exciting to bring up to code), I really like it.

My Campbell Hausfeld HL5501 8-gal air compressor powered it pretty easily. The compressor cycled often, but didn't need any catch-up time; I could keep nailing at 100psi until I finished the joist I was working on without any noticeable decrease in performance. It put 16d nails through frozen, ice-caked 2x6 (construction work in the Sierra in February is chilly) with no problem at all.

It's small and light enough that it wasn't any bother to carry around. Putting up collar ties, it just hung by its hose over my shoulder while I, atop the ladder, got the collar tie into position and leveled. Sistering joists, the palm nailer fit easily into the spaces between floor joists, even an inch above the ceiling drywall where I wouldn't have had any room to swing a hammer. I could wriggle it around and hold it from any weird angle I needed to get the nail driven.

I learned, however, that it didn't have the oomph to spring a warped 2x6 flat against the 2x6 I was nailing to. I'd have to drive in the nails to set the new 2x6 into place, then go back and whack it into place with a hammer. I don't think this is any fault of the nailer so much as my inexperience combined with the crummy, corkscrewed 2x6s I was working with. Anyway, on the 2x6s that weren't warped, it sure set them into place well.

The work went quickly principally because the nailer worked beautifully. I look forward to using it on more delicate projects, and can recommend it --for ease of use and general utility-- unreservedly.

I didn't know what to expect when I bought this thing, but have but have since become very attached to this pint-sized powerhouse. It's surely not as fast as a framing nailer on bump mode, but it's much faster than anybody pounding away with a hammmer. Plus, you have a levelent of control that you don't obtain with either of the other methods of burying nails. Sort of makes you feel like you're Superman just pushing nails into the wood with your hand.

I have enjoyed it so much that I recently picked up a second one to keep from having to change heads so often. Now I can use the finishing nail head to get everying in place, then come along with the hammer head attachment and my nail set to countersink everything. It actually makes countersinking nails fun, while reducing the chances or marring your work with an errant hammer blow (watch you fingers though - one little tap on the nail set creates a powerful whack from this thing).

Unless you frame or run trim for a living, this nailer is probably most of what you'll need in pneumatic nailers. Versatility and delightfully compact dimensions make this thing a pleasure to own. Now if they'd come out with a "hoseless" version...

I teach high school Wood Fabrication and Manufacturing and I have two of the Bosch 3727 Random Orbital Sanders in my shop. I have used other random orbital sanders in the past, like Dewalt and Ryobi, and I found them difficult to hold on too. These sanders are wonderful. They are very smooth, create an excellent finish and are very well balanced and stable. You can easily hold on to them with one hand and keep the sanding pad on the work piece. Definitely the best random orbital sander I've ever used.

I have this sander at home and it does an amazing job. I have a Fein vacuum that, when connected to the sander, makes it pretty much dust free. The sanders own dust bag does a good job too but hooked up to the vacuum you really get spoiled.

If you work in a wood working shop everyday the sanders to get would be the Fein 8", 6" and a pneumatic 5" or 6". The Fein has a lager throw so it sands off more with each pass than the Bosch with the same grit paper.

The Bosch however is easier to control, lighter, very quiet (compared to the Fein), less expensive, and a lot more comfortable to use. I work in a shop making furniture so I do a lot of sanding and I have been very happy with this sander!

I bought this sander to replace my Dewalt palm sander and I love it. Its a little heavy if your sanding walls or a ceiling but if you're on a flat surface its fine. The paper is a snap to change. This is a truly awesome sander.

I replaced a Porter-Cable RH framing nailer I had used for several years with this Bostitch. The P-C had been in the shop twice and had some occassional jamming problems... not so with this Bostitch. The P-C has been relegated to a 'back-up' position. I have used this Bostitch model and have had trouble free operation for over a year. I would guess I have put more than 20-30,000 3" and 3-1/2" nails through this gun without a snag. I'm not sure why reviewers keep complaining about unavailibility of nails. You can find them on Amazon (for all brands,sizes and angles) if not in your local 'big box' stores in lots of 500 or 4000 count. Perhaps, its the inconvience of shipping/waiting which can be a hassle if framing is your profession (it's not mine, but I do quite a bit of framing). Having no box store nearby, I just keep an eye on the inventory and order more when I start to get low.

There may be a better RH framing nailer out there on the market, but I'd be hard-pressed to figure out how. All nailers nail... power and reputation, balance and weight, reliability and trouble-free use are the determining factors as far as I'm concerned, and the Bostitch N88RH has them all!

Note: Amazon's third-party vendor Grizzly has a nice carry bag that 'just fits' this nailer for around $22 (including the s/h). "Grizzly #H3401 Nail Gun Carrying Bag". It has hand-carrying handles and also a shoulder strap. Great way to protect your tool. Fast delivery, too!

The family had a number of projects to build so we made an investment in the N88RH. Now three of us are completely hooked on this marvelous nailer. In the begining I was suprised at it's size, but the lightness of the unit makes it quite easy to use. We all had carpentry experience, however none of us had ever used an air nailer. The learning curve was very short. Projects can go up very fast.

I bought this nail gun about three months ago to use on a garden shed I am building. I probably didn't need the nail gun just to build the shed, but I thought it might come in handy if I did more projects later. I went through most of three boxes of nails with this thing and it never once misfired. the power is more than adequate and it has made the job much faster. When framing walls with a hammer, everything moves as you swing but with a gun it goes together much better. I give 5 stars because I am completely satisfied with this nail gun.