Tool Tests and Reviews

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    Right-Angle Drills

    A big part of a plumber's or electrician's job is making holes. Through studs, plates, floors, joists, and even roofs, before you can start to run any pipe or pull any wire, you need countless large holes, and you want them fast and with as little effort as possible. So when you're looking to pick...

     
  • Cordless Impact Drivers

    Manufacturers make big power and speed claims for these little tools so I had to check them out.

     
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    Cordless Impact Drivers

    My college rugby coach used to encourage the small guys on our squad (me) by saying, 'It doesn't matter how much dog is in the fight. It only matters how much fight is in the dog.' While Coach Ortale's phrase fired me up in my rugby days, it's also an apt description of cordless impact drivers...

     
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    Cordless Drill/Drivers

    With so many of these tools including a hammerdrill function, which we use all the time on our trim and cabinet installations, we took the models into the field and focused on this feature. Most of these hammerdrill models switch functions by dialing in the hammer symbol on the clutch setting ring...

     
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    Compact L-Shaped Rotary Hammers

    I had the opportunity to try out the Hilti TE 7-C and the Milwaukee 5363-21 rotary hammers while working on an addition to my own home. For this fairly average addition, my crew and I found ourselves reaching for these tools a lot more than I had expected we would. We used the tools to punch a...

     
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    Bosch PS20-2 Pocket Driver

    Pick up Bosch's new Litheon PS20-2 10.8-volt lithium-ion Pocket Driver and you'll immediately start looking for ways to use it–or should I say, excuses. From the way this compact driver form-fits into your hand to the soft-grip handle and its perfect balance, this tool will quickly earn its way...

     
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    D-Handle Rotary Hammers

    As contractors in New York City, my crew spends most of its time pouring, cutting, drilling, and anchoring in concrete. For some framing and all mechanical and electrical work, we use rotary hammers on a daily basis to attach virtually anything to concrete, and the tool we reach for most is a...