Drills Reviews

GOOD DRILL BITS THE DRILL BIT CASE IS GREAT BECAUSE IT STAY OPEN AND IT IS MADE OUT OF METAL

I purchased these as a gift for the home improvement junkie that I share a house with and guess who uses them constantly? ME! They are razor sharp and quite an upgrade from the cheap dull ones we had previously. Don't buy cheap tools! They are dangerous and frustrating. We also have the 14 volt Milwaukee cordless drill and I love that too. Very happy with the bits.

These will be the last drill bits you will need to buy. They are super hard and will go through the toughest heat-treated metal. You will need to be carefull with them; even though they are hard, they will break if you were to drop them onto a concrete floor. But will a little care they should last a lifetime.

I am very happy with my new Mr. Heater hose hook up, but it did need some tweeking.

I purchased the 12' Mr. Heater hose assembly, hooked it up, clicked the red Mr. Heater spark button and got a small pilot light to burn maybe 4 seconds. Then I could get nothing, no flame at all.

This is not uncommon, I am finding out. The problem has to do with the new OPD safty rigged propane cylinders. Actually, it is caused by a very good safty valve that makes a lot of sense.

There is an Excess Flow shut off valve in the new OPD units, so that your granddaughter dosen't accidently open up a cylinder in your garage and get frost bite or worse from propane shooting out. When the valve senses a sudden need for gobs of propane it shuts off or greatly limits the flow. Sounds like a good thing to me.

However, the people at Mr. Heater make no mention of this. That's not so good. It took me maybe 45 mins. to an hour searching on the internet and experimenting with my own hose before I got it working.

What worked for me was this:

Once the E.F. valve shuts off it wants to stay closed. So you want to bleed a small amount of "hiss" off the pressure valve. To do this, you will find a small slotted screw head on the side of the pressure valve up on top of the tank. Slightly loosen this, let it hiss for a moment then tighten it down again. Now, with Mr. Heater hose hooked up and Mr. Heater off, slowly open the propane cylinder, hopefully you will hear it hiss inside the hose for a moment. That means the valve intially opened and is slowly filling the hose. Wait maybe five minutes for it to fill the hose. Once the pressure in the hose equalizes, you should be able to light Mr. Heater.

This got me going. I hope it helps anyone else with the same problem.

Sincerely,

Randy

If you want to maximize the safety, usefulness and economy of the propane Portable Buddy heater by Mr Heater or any other appliance that uses disposable 1 pound cylinders, you can't go wrong buying this hose!

1. It allows the use of a larger LP tank (I have a 20 lb cylinder). I'm certain the savings from buying LP fuel in bulk will pay for the hose.

2. You can locate the bulk tank away from the lit heater. I use the heater primarily in my garage. With the hose I can get the heater off the floor and still have the bulk tank in a convenient and safe spot.

3. The hose can be used with any propane appliance that uses disposable propane cylinders.

The five foot length of this hose could be a drawback if you need or want to locate the bulk tank at a substantial distance from the appliance; if you don't have the room to move the tank then the length is no problem. The 12 foot hose can provide more flexibility, however.

Here's an essential safety tip for using this hose: be sure to shut/close the valve on the bulk tank BEFORE you remove the hose from the tank. It is possible to remove the hose end from the bulk tank without closing the tank valve and you will quickly find out that liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is another name for stinky, oily mess when it comes squirting out of the valve as I have done.

We needed a portable propane heat source during power outages in northern California. This hose was needed for the Mr. Heater Propane Portable heater. It's safe and easy to use.

The drill is great. It has plenty of power and the electronic speed control is nice. Add all this to a well balanced drill and you have a handsome package. However, I have had this drill for three years and I had to replace both batteries already. They seem to build a memory and I don't know how to prevent it from doing so. I have not used the drill extremely hard or abused it at all, to the contrary I use it but clean and maintain it better than most. I am not sure about the Ni-MH batteries,...

When I first started looking for a cordless drill,
I was looking for power, the more the better.
However, with that comes a ton of weight as well.
I had to change my mind set to what
I actually was going to use the drill for.
I'm a weekend warrior type person.
The drill I buy was going to be used for ordinary
do-it yourself work around the house.
I could not justify buying a drill with
so much torque that it could snap a head
of a lag bolt off.
I then started to look for a drill
that had decent torque with a compact
and lightweight design and with a good
battery life for driving screws.
Well, the Panasonic EY6407NQKW 12v.
fits the bill perfectly.
This unit is one of the smallest
and best balanced drills out there.
It has surprisingly good power.
It can drive a 1/4"x31/2" lag bolt in
without a pilot hole in a 4x4 P.T.
However, the real beauty of this unit
is in driving screws.
It drove 332- 2"deck screws using
a #2square bit into a 4x4 P.T. lumber
on a single charge.(No pilot holes either.)
AWSEOME! Other features I liked were
the clutch settings and the electronic
speed control.
The clutch settings are accurate,
and the electronic speed control
works great for driving stubborn screws in.
It also holds drill bits and drivers tight.
So if you are looking for a lightweight,
compact drill with decent torque,
THIS IS THE DRILL FOR YOU.
This deal also included the Big Lugg
which works great.
I would have given this drill 5 stars,
but I want to see how long the batteries last.
This is a nice unit.

I have used this drill for a year now, nice and light, powerful, and easy to use. Best tool I have owned.

Bought this drill a week ago .... after one day's use the variable speed feature gave out ... returned to the retailer for a replacement and didn't even get that one out of the store ... lube was leaking out of the gear housing. Took a third unit home and am hoping for the best. Positive side: ergonomically better than Milwaukee and cheaper too. BUT what's up with the problems I've experienced????

I bought this drill, and its 3/8" sibling, and have nothing but praise for them. I found it more comfortable to use than my Milwaukee 0234-6, with plenty of torque, a very smooth trigger, and a very nice, heavy-duty chuck. The only thing I did not like about it was the leather chuck-key keeper; but this was easily replaced with Milwaukee's rubber version for cheap. Overall, a great purchase, especially for the price.

I purchased my Porter Cable VS Mdl.# 6615 reversing drill one year ago and have never regretted it! My specific application's for this 1/2" drill was initially for outdoor furniture production, but I soon found many other uses that was pleasently surprising. The trigger switch is smooth and allows a very slow speed which prevents rounding off soft screw heads such as brass. On the other hand, you have a high torque capability of drilling screws into dense hardwood withease. The side handle is definite plus as you can maintain vertical alignment easily. My hands are average size and the handle grip is right on target! When you wish to change bits, the Jacob's Hand-Tite takes only a few seconds; unlike key-chuck drills. The reverse switch is nicely placed and allows the user to employ it easily and quickly without the use of your other hand. Overall, I highly recommend this drill for it's versatility and Porter Cable's famous durability. Other top-line brands used do not hold a candle to this Gem of a Drill. Buy One Today!

This clamp uses the ingenius trigger grip design for unbelievable ease of use. This makes the clamp unbelievably easy to tighten using one hand. A few warnings about this particular product, however:

(1)Be sure the size is correct. 6" is usually too small for the projects I use clamps for. This size has been great for small projects, however. I think the 18" size is a better all-around size.

(2)The plastic construction makes the clamps best for holding items "approximately" in place. If you need total clamping for cutting precision, look elsewhere.

All in all, a good product if it is the right size, and used for the right purpose.

As with so many of my reviews, I have to say that this is a superior product but only an "ok" price. For a woodworker who works alone, these clamps are the next best thing to a paid assistant. So often it seems that I am standing on my head while balancing two awkward pieces that I need to do something to, and I just don't have enough hands to clamp it all down securely and accurately. Thats where these clamps shine. I use them to hold work to my bench while I sand/drill/saw/route. I use them to hold work to my drill press table. I use them as a spreader when I am finished dry-fitting a snug mortise and tenon joint. I keep several of these clamped to my workbench legs so that I will always have one in easy reach. Try it and you'll be amazed how much you use these "extra hands". Because this is how I use these clamps, I have found the 6" and 4" to be the most useful sizes. I do not like thse clamps for glue ups as they do not have the clamping pressure of traditional bar or pipe clamps.

As for the price, I found a holiday sale where I got 2 for $15. Normally thet are about $15 each at Menards, Lowe's etc.

The big benefit to these is that you get true mobility out of them. While holding a piece of work, lined up, in one hand, you use these quick grips in the other hand to secure the work. If it slips while clamping, it is still a one handed tool to release it, and reclamp it again. Enables you to maintain a professional flow to your work. I feel awkward when using regular clamps in comparison. They require two hands. You could use a spring clamp to hold it together, then get another clamp to give it a final hold, but the quick grip saves you from having to do that.
Having these clamps in a few different sizes is beneficial as well. Small ones are more frequently used, and don't get in the way. The 33 1/2" is great when you need to hold larger projects together, and you can't effectively use two smaller ones to substitute. Additionally the macro clamps give you deeper jaws for a farther reach, enabling you to use them for securing work, to your radial arm saw table for example. They are fast enough to be used for almost any application. Sometimes I use them to secure work when sanding with a power sander. A couple squeezes and they are on, and one squeeze and they pop off.
After getting the smaller ones, and using them, I immediately order two of the 33 1/2" for larger projects, and for tie downs on equipment, including the drill press, and occasionally the radial arm saw.
Their is a small rubber stopper, which you can readily remove, in order to reverse the end, and make it a spreader as well. Something not needed very often, but difficult to achieve without one of these.
One note is that these have built in rubber pads, that completely cover the metal internal end. That is an advantage when you do not want to mar the wood. That and the fact that you can squeeze these with one hand, creates a mechanism that is easy to use, but not something that you would want to use for strength clamping. As a safety measure, these clamp sufficiently for most operations, but a threaded bar clamp, is stronger. So for those operations where extreme strength is needed, these are not the clamps to use. You sacrifice mountain holding strength for the ease of use. For example if I was using a large bit on the drill press, and drilling into metal, I would clamp it with something more. Even the slightest movement in an operation like that, could cause a snag, sending the piece into movement. If you are using just one of them, at the end of a 24" board, and decide to rout the other end, it will move on you. Securing it with two of them, and it is super tied down. You get my drift.
The big advantage of quick grip clamps, is that they handle wood beautifully, even for glue up operations. Hold workpieces more than securely to do the job in most applications, and are so handy that they deserve more than 5 stars. I would feel lost without them. It is another tool in the must have category.

I work for a paleontology lab that preps on dinosaurs. The rotozip blade cuts through the toughest concretions on the bones. I have several rotozips and use these exclusively. The only draw back is the dust.

I have one of the older (original) RotoZip tools with the ZipMate attachment and bought this blade specifically for the purpose of cleanly cutting off the excess edges of several thick, super-hard and smooth-finish floor tiles. This was one of those nuisance jobs that left little wiggle room and had to be done -- one way or the other. The tiles were already firmly in place and not removable. Also, the resulting cut tile edges had to be straight and smooth. I was concerned about binding, chipping and fracturing but to my surprise, this gem of a dry-cut blade sliced through the tiles cleanly and effortlessly, albeit with a lot of tile dust flying up and about everywhere. I don't know about heavy duty or prolonged use, but for the specific task I had at hand, it performed flawlessly AND was well worth the cost -- even if I don't get to use it again. Remember that you absolutely must wear your full safety goggles -- not just glasses!!! -- and a respirator mask when using a dry cutting blade like this one! The dust particles are small but rock hard and fly up and all about under the force of the blade. Also, go slowly as you cut so that the blade gets a chance to cut cleanly. I found that if you try to push it along, it tends to want to skip backwards and out of the line of cut.

Once again Roto-Zip has come up with another great attachment.I have always liked the idea how one tool can take on many jobs around the house.I was going to buy a grinder and a diamond blade(for cutting tile)at the hardware store,then I had seen Roto-Zip had a diamond blade.I had the Roto-Zip so I had to give it a shot.It cuts great and it saved me money.

My skil drill gets a lot of use at my part time job. Its not as durable as the Dewalt but its worth saving the money. Its a good tool and its sorda built to last. I wouldn't buy it if your going to use it the hell out of it because it won't last, but its pretty heavy duty. The key less chuck needs work.

This tool is great.I have put it through tough dArilling & screwing.I am pleased with the BACK UP AC pack,which is great.To make this drill complete for me would be to add a "Drill"or "screw" switch for DRYWALLING.

This Drill out of many that I own and used is the best drill. It provides plenty of power and the corded back out has a really long cord and the battery lasts long. This is really a great drill to own and use and is very light weight and esy to use. It has a great rubber grip on the back and has a pretty short charge cycle. All and All this is a very good and powerful drill for the price and is a great power drill and If your looking for a drill like this definetly buy this one its a great value and a great product like mant other great products made buy skil so buy this drill if your lookking for a power dill.

The router base plate is great. Unfortunately, the t-nuts which ride in the grove in the straight edge jam with sawdust. Getting a cut started was a pain as each t-nut had to be rotated to line up with the groove in the straight edge. Also, the far t-nut comes out of the track at the end of an 8 foot cut and rotates so you need to stop everything and hand feed it back in the groove.

To get around this I cut a thin strip off the far edge oft the base. It was very slightly less than the width and thickness of the groove. I then drilled and tapped it to accept the bolts which went into the t-nuts. What an improvement. The sawdust was just pushed out of the way. No more feeding t-nuts back into the groove at the end of a cut.

This unit fits snugly into the Slot on the fence without any play or looseness. That makes it a very accurate piece of equipment. It does not have any predrilled holes, so you can custom drill it to your specifications. Placing it closest to the fence area will give the greatest flexibility and use. You also can drill it for different routers without any problems. It basically is a large thick piece of white smooth plastic, custom formed to fit the fence guide.
Knowing the precise distance the bit takes from the fence to the innermost edge of the router bit is an advantage. One way is to do this is make measurements prior to drilling. That way you know the distance. Another method is to make up a guide block that you size to the distance. When routing an edge you simply place your guide block along the fence edge and line it up with your pencil line for the work edge.
This is a very simple device, and fortunately is one the works well for what it is designed for. Engineered to simplicity.

After many years of using multitudes of clamping straight edges, custom bases for routers and a variety of fabricated jigs to achieve totally accurate joinery at last a product that works! No chatter or run-out. Combined with the FTS series clamping straight edge this is a joy to work with and well worth the price.

I install cabinets full time and this jig is the only way to go. Once it is set all you have to do is drill holes. the price is well worth it considering if you drill one door wrong it costs you $150.00. I'm only giving it 4 stars because it is time consuming to adjust. The picture in tool cribs catalog shows a jig that is adjusted with thumb screws but the jig you get requires an allen wrench and when you're trying to hold everything in place the wrench can be a pain. Other than that one of the best tools I have ever bought.

This is the tool for door drilling. The accuracy is great and convienence of adjust is as well. i never have to make replacement drilling jigs that get the holes wallered out. and it is almost idiot proof (sorry sean). A good choice for the cabinet builder or installer. you will be glad you chinned the pole for this one!

This ia a very good kit, but I exchanged it for another brand. My decision was based on the comfort of the other brands kit. However, the BOSCH is an extremely solid and durable kit with good ergonomics.

I have lusted for a kit such as this for some time, waffling between brands (Makita, DeWalt, Bosch), and couldn't bring myself to spend the money for a quality system. I'm glad I waited for this Bosch package. I have used it for three months now and wouldn't trade it for anything. I still have a 14 volt Makita cordless drill that I like because it is lighter for some jobs, but the extra torque of 18 volts and the feel of the Bosch makes tough screw jobs a breeze. As a bonus, you get the cordless recip saw with tooless blade change which is very handy. I have used it for cutting sewer drainage pipe with minimal digging, trimming limbs in trees with an aggressive blade, plus it is so nice for high altitude remodeling jobs. I don't do as much remodeling work as I used to, but I carry a drill in the truck always, as there is always a use for in a rural area. I feel you truly get what you pay for when it comes to tools. There is nothing I hate worse than getting to a job and not have the tools I need in working order.