Power Tools Reviews

So you are thinking about this kit. It's awesome, buy it. I've worked in Hawaii, Colorado, and with framers from California. For every, paslode, senco, bostitch, portercable, harbor freight model on the job there are twice as many hitachis running at the same time.

If you are looking for a deal, um.....I don't know maybe this is it. If you are looking for tools that will keep up with all day long, this kit will and more except the hose- lose it quick. I'm buying the polyurethane 1/4" x 100' it's all over here in Aurora, CO and I've worked with it in the middle of winter- it's a must have.

Good gun and compressor.

I have had this nailer and compressor for about a year and have gone through over 4 thousand nails. I have had no problems with the gun. The only problem encountered was with the compressor. It would not start up when connected to any extension cord. I would recommend this to anyone that wants a high quality nailer and compressor.

Like all Hitachi tools... this saw performs perfectly. Tons of power and it rarely binds up. I've even used it to cut firewood in a pinch. The light on it is an excellent idea. It's quite helpful when working in new buildings still running temporary light strings off generators. Only thing that keeps it from getting 5 stars... just one battery. I also have a 14.4 Hitachi Drill... and this saw will use those batteries in a jam so it's not a big concern for me... but if this is your only Hitachi cordless tool... be prepared to let the saw sit around for an hour while the battery charges. I guess they wanted to keep the price low, but this is pretty silly.

Have used it since 1988, loved it, cut all the siding for a rental house with it. Had 2 batteries but they are dead. Problem is Hitachi (nor anyone else) can supply me with new batteries, so saw is useless ... wonder if they will abandon buyer of latest saw the same way?

This drill is remarkedly comfortable to use. It is smaller and more powerful that an older DeWalt 9.6 volt drill I have. The major draw back is the battery charging system. With the DeWalt you put a battery in the charger and leave it until you need it. Not with the Hitachi. It says to take it out when charged. Therefore you got to watch it. Also, if you are using the drill alot and the battery gets low on power, it is also warm and the charger will not charge it until it cools off. Can't get the battery to charge until it cools off???? If you need to charge right away, you are out of luck.

I guess for the price, I can live with this flaw. But sure like the DeWalt charging system much better.

This drill is a champ, I had an old stick type 9.6v Makita that served me well for 8 years. When I finally lost the last battery I decided to buy a new drill. I never really wanted more power than the 9.6v Makita delivered so I didn't see the point in getting a huge cordless drill. This drill is light, incredibly comfortable, all the power I need in a cordless and for $80 with a flashlight and a rebate for a third battery it was a no brainer.

I picked this one up at a garage sale for 50 bucks (brand new) I have had it for a year now in my shop and it performs beautifully.From cleaning my tools, inflating tires, and running my nail guns. Not too heavy to move. If you need a small compressor with a lot of power this is the one for you.

THE BEST COMPRESSOR I EVER OWNED
PERFORM GREAT IT IS VERY QUITE
NONE STOP I USED IT FOR CABINET INSTALLATIONS TOP NOCH
IT GOT STOLLEN FROM ME AND I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND ANOTHER OF ITS KIND SO CAN YOU PLEASE START MAKING THEM AGAIN
I ALSO WANT TO PURSHASE ONE

I looked at all the planers. I was going to buy a planer with AMPS being my first concern. With a 3.4 amp motor this planer did not fail once. I put this machine to work on rough cut white oak with the blades full bore, and I got tired before this Hitachi planer. My only wish is the shoe as in all planers in this class was 1 inch longer. With a longer shoe or base this would get 5 stars. At this price you cannot go wrong. Blades are a snap to change, and sharpen. This is a nice machine.

If you need a hand planer for occasional use and don't want to spend more than $100 bucks this is an excellent buy. I gave it 5 stars are mainly because this is a best value choice. I got mine on sale for $89. It came with a metal case and right angle fence. It's a quality tool and fit and finish are very good. The shoe is a little short, making it slightly unbalanced, but it still feels pretty good in your hand. Depth of cut adjustments are simple and accurate, and it will produce a very clean cut. I've had mine for 2 years and the blades are holding up extremely well. I have not had to change them or sharpen them. It takes a little practice but it will take down to 64th of an inch with very little snipe at the ends. Has plenty of power for my needs. I use it mainly on bowed studs, shaving jam extensions flush, or back planing baseboard. None of these operations require extreme accuracy, but this tool delivers very nice results. Occasionally I will use it for shaving doors and it works fine but you will likely need some touch up hand sanding.

I think this is the probably the best hand planer out there for less than $150. For under $100 you can't beat it. If you want the top of the line look at the Porter Cable 9118 but that tool is 5 times the price.

I've used this sander to finish a project consisting of lots of veneered panels. In general its not bad for the price, the dust collection is good (a bag is supplied -- you'll need to purchase an adapter to connect a regular dust extractor hose) and the lever clamps make it easy to change the sanding sheet. The only problem is that the powerful motor can make it difficult to control and a lot of vibration is transmitted back into your hands. This makes it uncomfortable to use for long periods. Might be worth looking into the variable speed model (SV12V).

This is a great sander! This sander semi-replaced my 20 year old Craftsmen dual action sander (which is still being used for it's inline sanding ability). Dust collection is good, vibrations are low, it is very quiet, paper changes are a breeze, and best of all, the 20,000 OPM smooth's out my projects quickly with no swirls. I love woodwork, but hate sanding, and this tool definately cut's my sanding time in half.

Without a doubt this is the best router value on the market. I state this owning 24 routers and I have at least one of nearly every model available. For the price of a PC 690 you get an extremely powerful PLUNGE router with the best balance of any plunger. It is not an accident that nearly every time you see someone in Fine Woodworking cutting a mortise with a plunge router they're are doing it using the TR12. It doesn't have variable speed or a soft start feature which would be nice but unless your doing raised panels the lack of variable speed is inconsequential. This is the best balanced hand held plunge router at the best price in the world.

I have had mine for years and years . It does not have the soft start as meantioned , it does not have variable speed , who cares .
What it does have is power , balance , smooth bronze bushing plung action and an easy to reach on/ off switch mounted on the tools body .
I dropped mine with the edge guide in place and cracked the base long ago but it still has held up , the nice depth knob handle is gone too .
Still it is my favorite plunge router of all time . Even at its size it is light and very stable and easy to control .
I want another but they are not made any longer , now we have the MV-12 which personally I don't feel is a nice or as well made as this older TR-12 .
I am going to spring for a new base and brushes and cord rather than but something new , I feel this router is well worth the repair . I happen to like a round base , I'm used to one . I don't need soft start or variable speed , you hold the handles , that's what they are there for .
Why not just leave well enough alone or keep making this one hitachi ? Give the consumer a choice the old reliable and the new high tech version . I truely do not understand what the benefit is of having soft start on a plunge router , the bit is well away from the wood and no router I have ever used was so powerful that it jumped out of my hands on startup , so what's the point ? Something else that can and will fail and cost a fortune to repair ?
This to me is one of the largest mistakes manufacturers make , all trying to keep up with the competition when in fact they were ahead of the game long ago .
A tool is something people become adjusted to and are then comfortable with , not a fashion statement .

Good driver, but a reasonable retail value would be closer to $99 than it would be the listed $999

Well worth the $1000 I dropped on it. Great for installing drywall

I own a wildlife reserve so needless to say I need a chainsaw that I can count on. I had a Poulan 20" saw that worked good but it finally melted down because it isnt meant for heavy work. This saw was expensive but it's in line with "you get what you pay for."

The nice thing about this saw is that it came assembled and ready to go. You have to purchase a case for it which runs about $30.00 but it does come with a blade guard. I love the blade gaurd. It makes carrying and transporting the saw very easy for when you just need to throw it in the truck and go. My Poulan case always got in the way of something but I never wanted to transport it without blade protection.

The differences between the Husqvarna and the Poulan in terms of sturdyness and feeling was like night and day. The Husqvarna felt solid as a rock. The plastic felt high quality unlike the poulan.

When I went to start the Husqvarna it was probably about 1.5 times harder to pull than the poulan. I thought I was going to die. But what I found was that with the Puolan I had to pull 5-10 times to start it but with the Husqvarna only one pull did the job. I'll take that any day.

The engine sounds like a beast. A great big burble of power.

With the Poulan it felt like you were using the wrong tool for the job when you cut down large trees. Don't get me worng, I loved my Poulan but when you cut a tree with the Husqvarna you can see that this saw was meant to cut trees - day in and day out.

The $350 was steep but if you need a dependable saw that won't fail you this is the way to go.

This is my first, and still my primary chain saw. It is an all around saw, light enough to use for more than a few hours, but large enough to fell mid-size trees. I found it only to be small when working at the trunk of large diameter trees like maples, some oaks. But for the price, if I had to own only one chain saw -- this would be it.

But if you like an easier to start and higher power saw, consider the 359. The de-compression feature on the 359 makes it easier to start than this. I would only recommend the 359 if you are using the saw more than once a week -- in which case how much power the tool has matters more. Less than that the additional power of the 359 doesn't save so much time as to be worth the extra cost and the 55 is your best deal.

This is a significant upgrade over the older 12.5" Jet planer. Auto set knives are a breeze to set-up, and unlike the DeWalt 13", you don't have to buy the in/out feed tables. The two speed feed results in a very clean finish and the locking head dramatically reduces snipe - it doesn't stop it. I don't know why accessories for this model are so hard to find unless Jet is trying to blow out the 12.5" stuff first.

MAJOR COMPLAINT - no dust collection port, it's an option? (How to create a wood chip snowstorm in the shop? Don't use a dust collector on your planer.) Amazon doesn't even carry the optional dust port - nice touch, huh? I had to have Woodcraft order it for me and it took two weeks to get it.

I still love the finish this planer produces and it's very easy to set-up and adjust. I gave it 4 stars because they decided not to include a dust port that must cost them all of $5 to produce.

ATTN JET Product Managers: Raise the price $10, add the dust collector port, and get a MUCH HAPPIER customer. You have no price pressure at $429 - the competition is the DeWalt at almost $600 with the in/out feed tables.

This is my first thickness planer and am very happy with my purchase. I agree that a dust hood should be included and is a pretty pricey extra, but well worth it. As with my other Jet tools, I'm amazed at how well it performs out of the box with minimal adjustment.

I looked at a lot of other benchtop planers, and trusted Jet's reputation and took the plunge. The finish this produces is smooth, adjustment is easy and I get very little snipe. I was hesitant with it only having two blades, but it seems to work just fine, plus it will be cheaper when it comes to replacing blades.

I appreciate Jet's simplicity and performance. I'm sure this tool will be in my shop for many years.