Power Tools Reviews

This is an outstanding product, but it's rather expensive here. You'll probably want to buy it from Amazon.com; that's where all the good, detailed reviews are, too.

The product in a nutshell: a heavy, substantial base for most (not just Bosch) benchtop saws, that makes the combination of heavy saw and heavy base remarkably easy to move around. Superb balance (no hydraulics involved) give it this ease when changing between the operating and upright-for-moving positions, and pneumatic tires let you negotiate uneven ground with aplomb.

Highly recommended.

I've owned this tool for about 3 years and truly love it. It is very quiet for a pneumatic tool. It is also extremely smooth, the smoothest of any jig saw I've run. The power rivals that of the best electric jig saw. It is really good for cutting metal and fiberglass, both of which raise issues with electric saws. There are two draw backs that make it less than perfect. It uses a lot of air. It takes all that my 5 hp (industrial) compressor can deliver. This makes it unsuitable for most home garage-shops. A small drawback is the fact that as an air tool, it should have a better system for blowing chips away from the blade area while cutting.

Some of my crew have asked me if I own stock in the BOSCH Tool Company (I probably should). As with all of my BOSCH tool purchases, my expectations for quality and efficiency are high and these hole saws do not disappoint. Fast on the drill, and fast through material, this clever design will be greatly appreciated when time is of the essence. I chose to submit my review for the 2-1/4" saw because it is a common size, but if you are wondering-Yes, I bought all of the available sizes. This should sum things up.

This centering cone should be standard equipment with any router. It's absolutely essential for accurate template guided work. I made a lot of firewood before I realized that my baseplate and template guide were not centered on my bit. It's especially frustrating when doing inlays and your work pieces don't mate perfectly. This simple centering cone fixes all that and you don't necessarily need a Bosch router to use it.
Most higher-end routers come with baseplates that have two sets of holes to mount it to the router base. One set is fixed and is used at the factory to align the baseplate close to center. The other set is elongated and allows you to fine tune the placement of the baseplate on the base. The factory holes are close, but not perfect. If you need to do precise work like inlays, you'll want to use the second set of holes, and to use those, you NEED this centering cone.
Attach a medium-sized template guide to the baseplate, say or 3/8" or 1/2" then attach the baseplate to the router base loosely using the elongated set of screw holes. Gently push the long end of the centering cone into the router's collet and tighten the collet to the point where the cone is snug, but can be moved in and out of the collet with a little force. Now continue to push the cone into the collet until the cone comes in contact with the template guide and keep pushing until the cone can't be pushed in any more. This will pull the baseplate into exact center on the collet. Before removing the cone, gently tighten the baseplate screws without moving the baseplate. Remove the cone, chuck a bit, and you're ready to do some precision work.
Remember, all template guides are not made alike, so it' a good idea to pull out this cone and re-center whenever you change the template guide.

I purchased the Bosch fixed based router last fall before the combo kit came out. I eventually mounted the fixed base to my home built router table. It is a bit of pain to remove the base from the table when I wanted to use it freehand. Since Bosch created a reat quick release for the router motor I decide to Purchased the plunge unit for portable use. The base also has fine depth adjustment (1/64") marks so you can actually adjust within 1/128th depth. The unit stops are easy to read and adjust. The motor slips in and out easily but can't fall out by accident. When you place the router into the base the bit is dead on center. No worry about bit cuts wandering if the base is running against a fence or pattern as you run your router. The plunge base works smoothly and the lock mechanism is easy to use.

If you have the Bosch EVS router then use your fixed base in your table and buy this to make your unit quickly portable again.

I use this accessory with drill bits for wood/metal and those arrow shaped tile bits in rotation only mode.

You can hammerdrill with this 3 jaw chuck, for example the bits that come with the blue Tapcon screws, but I prefer sds bits with the 5/16" hex shank for drive sleeves, it is faster to use and a much stronger grip on the drill bit.

My 3 jaw sds chuck did not come with a manual but I figured out that if you pull the collar down and to the left you can quickly and quietly adust the jaws, I dont know what that is about but Bosch has put it so there must be a reason.

I turn my Bosch Bulldog into a drill when I play the uncharged cordless battery game. Sometimes its even handy to use alongside the cordless drill driver.

I had to get used to the rubber boot over the jaws, but really you just push the drill bit through the rubber boot and tighten with the chuck key (all 3 holes for a good grip)

I just learned that SDS means slotted drive system.

This gun is fairly light and replaces 3 other guns. We used one heavy gun for shooting 16d 3-1/2" common nails for structural framing, one for Simpson hangers, and one for shooting regular 0.131 framing nails. This does all of that with an adjustable (no tools) depth gauge! I usually weld a receiver and run a 1/4" bolt in it, that I double nut for a depth gauge.

I am impressed. Somebody thought this one out.

After moving to central Florida earlier this year we were hit with an unprecedented four hurricanes in a row (Charlie, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne). The first three resulted in power outages of nearly a week after each. After suffering from heat and humidity with no air conditioning, and losing the contents of our refrigerator each time, we decided to get a generator as soon as one was available for sale (there were none to be had in the state for over a month after the first two hurricanes!)

This unit was easy to set up and operate. It starts on the first try each time, and produces sufficient power to keep a small air conditioner, a refrigerator and a few lights going. It also effortlessly powers a microwave and coffee maker (although not simultaneously).

The ground fault interrupt protection is a great safety feature, and the start-up surge output will protect any appliances you have plugged in on initial starting. It runs steady with a constant, clean supply of power, although it is noisy. The noise is a small price to pay when you are without power for six straight days.

A few things you need to know about this (or any generator): make sure it is well away from any vents or other areas in your living space, else you could suffer carbon monoxide poisioning. Also, make sure you are using heavy duty, outside-rated power cables. Do not cut corners here - I use Coleman 12/3 gauge contractor grade extension cords (ASIN B0000225BS), which are rated at 20 amps and have an abrasion-resistant outside. The heavy duty plug on this particular cord makes a solid, water proof connection to the electrical outlets on the generator. This is an assurance and safety feature if you are using this device in the weather associated with a hurricane. The 20 amp rating of the cord I recommend matches the rating of the generator's outlets.

Another nice feature is the 240 volt outlet. It is handy for using a dryer when you are without power and dirty clothes are piling up. If you use this outlet I recommend using the GenTran 25 foot generator cord (ASIN B0001Q2VL4) that is rated at 30 amps and 7500 watts, and designed to transmit up to 300 volts.

Overall, this generator is solid, 100 percent reliable, and heavy duty. It can run constantly for over a week with no problems, and is fairly economical on gas. Expect to fill it every 6-10 hours.

The builder didn't use sizing on the walls before puttig up wall papaer. This took it down no problem. There were 1 or 2 pesky sheets that required a little more time and mist but they came down as well. You may want to invest in a manual spray bottle as the power one included with this kit doesn't hold the charge as long as needed.

I've had one of these Campbell Hausfeld tanks for many years, to carry compressed air outside to work on lawn equipment.

Pros:

- For low air-volume applications, or when you need decent pressure for a short while, it works just fine. It's purpose is to have compressed air on a small job (or tire-filling), where there is no electricity.

Cons:

- After filling the tank (125 psi to 175 psi, depending on your air compressor), pressure will quickly drop below 80 psi once you start using it. So, this tank is only practical for air tool use of very short duration - e.g., an air ratchet wrench to remove a handful of bolts/nuts. Air tools just don't work [well] with insufficient pressure. In fact, with 11 gallons of pressurized air, this tank is only useful for small air-volume applications, regardless of pressure needed. Of course, the tank can be refilled as needed, but that gets tiresome.

With no electricity nearby, options include: this tank, a long extension cord, or a long air hose. Otherwise, any air compressor would be a better choice, since air volume at pressure, will be unlimited. (Of course, the cheapest tank air compressors cost around $100.)