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Coil roofing nailers are the most abused tools on my jobsite. They withstand blistering rooftop heat under summer sun, take two-story high-dives onto frozen mud in winter, and endure constant grinding as I drag them across 10-grit shingle granules. And that doesn't even account for the grime that...
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When you're working with historic buildings, there's one thing you can depend on: You can't depend on anything. Over the last 150 years, changes in hardware, trim details, and other product introductions and evolutions (weather stripping for example) have led to the need for a versatile tool like a...
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Getting framers to tool-test wormdrive saws is like convincing kids to eat ice cream. After telling my lead guys we'd be testing the classic saws alongside the newest introductions in the category, I realized that I could have charged them money and they still would've showed up early for testing.
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When the Ridgid R84040 18-volt adhesive/caulk gun arrived at the office, my crew and I shared the same thought: Just because you can make something doesn't always mean you should. But while that adage applies to many things, our test proved the R84040 isn't one of them. It quickly earned our...
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Reciprocating saws have been on the move–fast–since the last time we looked at this group. Category-wide, manufacturers have made advances with tool-free blade changes, articulating handles, and even LED work lights.
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In this era of widespread hype and rhetoric, words like 'groundbreaking' and 'revolutionary' are so commonly overused they often turn us off rather than attract our attention. Instead of being wowed, we are often numbed and under-impressed. That's why we're happy here at Tools of the Trade to not...
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Walking into a tool store and standing in the middle of a square mile of tools and equipment, it's hard enough to remember why you came in--let alone figure out what you should walk out with. Tool buyers now have so many choices between brands and features in each category, you could spend all day...