http://www.tool-rank.com/ 492-174 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/work-wear/red-wing-406-work-boots-20090720492/ Durable work boot, but very uncomfortable. My feet kill me, knees and back hurt after work. Can't wait to get Timberlands again. I'll never buy Red Wing again! For such an expensive boot, they should have put some research, and technology in to them. ]]> Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:28:19 -0500 757-173 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/Extension-Cords/green-leaf-ww-1-wonder-winder-hand-crank-extension-cord-winder-20100814757/ The Green Leaf extension cord winder makes short work of controlling extension cords and keeps them readily available for use. The winder consists of a wall mounted base, the body of the unit, a drive wheel, a yoke, a hand crank and a net bag basket. The basket is made of corded material. To install the unit you attach the wall bracket. The wall bracket is stamped inside with an arrow to show the bracket orientation. The body of the unit has locking ears to hold it in place. Pretty simple. You feed your cord starting with the male end. Feed that end through the bottom of the basket, pulling through enough to reach your outlet. Wind the cord into the unit by pushing back on the yoke which pivots to create friction on the cord as it goes over the drive wheel. I have two 50 foot cords hooked up in mine. You connect the two cords and hand feed the connection through the unit. Then just continue to wind. If cords are cold it is suggested you warm them up before feeding them into the unit and you will want to pull the tangles and kinks out first since its lots easier to do this before the knot gets to you. The basket coils the cord neatly so pulling the tangles out is a thing of the past. The Green Leaf Wonder Winder lives up to its name and is available on Amazon for just $20.63 To use the cord all you do us pull out the length you need and go to work. The second mounting bracket is to allow you to move the unit from one location to another. ]]> Sat, 14 Aug 2010 15:42:53 -0500 662-156 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/vacuums-/nilfisk-attix-30-wet-a-dry-vacuum-20100421662/ I am a contractor (lead ABATEMENT and RRP licensed) and have had Fien turbo's, Festool CT 33 and an Attix 8. This NEW Attix 30 puts them to bed It is so QUIET that you can let it run and talk on the phone. There is more suction noise at the hose nozle than the vac unit. The vac has more suction both in air moved and water column lift than any other vac its size. The new filter bags are awesome true 1 micron filter bags...... but you don't really need them with the now Standard "Push n Clean" Back pressure cleaning system. I made the Video above showing first impressions. Craig ]]> Thu, 22 Apr 2010 02:28:20 -0500 492-138 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/work-wear/red-wing-406-work-boots-20090720492/ My favorite day to day work boots, they are nice and light and feel almost as light a sneakers.They are waterproof, which is nice for those mornings with dew covered grass, or those horrid rainy and muddy days. The sole does not hold mud like some work boots with more aggressive soles do. Nice for when your in and out all the time. These boots are available in wide (EE) sizes which is important for me. The one minor aggravation for me is that the tongue extends a bit higher than usual and when ever I'm sawing, they tend to catch a lot of saw dust. ]]> Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:39:11 -0500 484-135 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/Scaffolding/werner-ap-20-mp6-work-platform-20090712484/ This bench is handy for more than just standing on. Mine is often found holding my radio and circular saw, or my toolbox. Definitively a back saver. I've also often used it as a saw bench. It does have the benefit of a larger reach area than a ladder, allowing me to work on six foot sections up to about eight feet, with out having to reposition. It's not as sturdy or as adjustable as a drywallers bench, but then again it's not as heavy as one either. It's light weight makes it very appealing to me, I don't have any hesitation grabbing it. This bench is a light duty bench, it has a weight rating of 225 lbs. It has worked well for me. I don't really like the way that this bench latches, it has a pin and latch mechanism that has some slop in it. It isn't noticable when there is weight on the bench, but it doesn't inspire confidence either. This bench is not good for any heavy pushing or pulling at height, latterly or perpendicularly. ]]> Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:59:15 -0500 429-118 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/Extension-Cords/cordwiz-20090410429/ Another of those great semi idiot proof knot avoidance gadgets. I purchased these after many frustrating hours spent untangling extension cords that people that I've worked with have turned into huge knots. The only downside to these, is the occasional loss of the snap on stand, which in my opinion is not really needed. I usually coil these differently than what is pictured. I leave the male end in the top section with about 6 feet of cord coiled and I coil the female end on the main body. Reason- I go to where I need power with cord reel and lay down the Female end and uncoil towards power outlet/generator, once at outlet put coil down and then uncoil enough from the male end to reach outlet, Leaving excess cord coiled on reel. (Note, this is not really recommended as a heavily used cord can overheat, better to uncoil cord completely) ]]> Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:54:10 -0500 430-117 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/Extension-Cords/mega-clamp-20090410430/ I use this as an idiot proof tie for my air hoses. It is a lot easier to undue than a Granny knot, and with no risk of a slice, from having to cut a poorly tied or jammed knot off my hoses, has in the long run saved me both time and money. It is kind of cheaply made and I am always wondering when it will break, but so far in the time I've used them they have not let me down. For the price they get for them at the big boxes, I would have bean happy if I got 6 months out of them. They do work as advertised. ]]> Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:34:16 -0500 260-112 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/Ladders/Little-Giant-Ladder-17-ft-type-1a-20080930260/ It works well but the gorilla is similar and far cheaper. See a video comparison at http://www.infonotmercial.com/littlegiant-gorilla.html I have the little giant, but a friend has the gorilla and he paid far less at Costco. ]]> Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:39:34 -0600 361-103 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/Work-Stations/trojan-ts-35-folding-saw-horse-20090113361/ Folds down into a very compact size.Fit a few pairs behind a pickup trucks seat. They can be made up in any width that you can get 2x material for, I find this very handy,especially for painting, set them up at 8-12 ft. wide and you can put up a whole lot of material. They don't look like they can hold up a lot, but they can support an incredible amount of weight. Trojan also makes a miter saw stand based on this horse. ]]> Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:25:08 -0600 352-102 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/safety/Photochromic-Safety-Glasses-EXPO-V-UV400-20090108352/ If you do any type of work that requires you to work inside and out and move between them a lot throughout the day, these glasses are for you. The problem for me comes from working in a dark building and then going out in the bright sun or vice versa. The transition is to quick causing me to be either blinded by the light going out, or blinded by the dark going in. I am on my second pair of these glasses now. The first pair lasted about a year before I lost some screws, and they started to lose their photo sensitivity. I believe my first pair was a full wire frame, but the new version is a half frame. There are very comfortable once you get the frames bent the way you like them. I have done a few commercial jobs that require all workers to wear safety glasses at all times, and I could wear these all day with no issues. I just wish these glasses were cheaper. ]]> Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:53:33 -0600 348-101 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/work-wear/Wrangler-Riggs-Ranger-Pants-20090106348/ These are my favorite pants to wear while working in colder weather. They are reasonably priced for what they are. They wear reasonably well, lasting at least a season for me. The rip stop does function. Stopping small tears before they ruin the garment. They are pretty heavy for what they are, and have a bit of warmth to them, about as much as blue jeans. The pockets are decent size and well placed. I think the inseams run a little long, YMMV They dry out pretty quick when they get wet. The hammer loop, tape measure reinforcement, and numerous pockets are handy for when you don't care to wear a toolbelt. ]]> Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:54:59 -0600 344-98 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/safety/Dewalt-Ventilator-Black-Frame-IndoorOutdoor-Safety-Glasses-DPG56B-9C-20090102344/ If Bono were a carpenter these would be the glasses he would wear on the job. I picked these up when I was a couple dollars short on meeting the requirements for free shipping when shopping for some Visegrips. I had been looking at these glasses for awhile, but somehow always forgetting to buy them, so I made a point to remember them the next time I needed something cheap to meet the quota. What caught my attention with these glasses was that they could be effective both indoors and out, and they do live up to the billing, except maybe in very exteme cases of brightness or darkness. Before getting these I usually had several sets of clear shooting style glasses laying around the house, along with chemical splash goggles, they are great for indoor work and real dusty situations, where I dislike having to wear them is outside on a roof, yard,etc during the summertime when I need sun protection. I often do a lot of work outside and keep my tools inside, I constantly had found myself taking my shades off, then putting my goggles on when going inside the garage to find something, make a cut, etc, the end result was me always forgetting where I put my shades ,losing my safety glasses, and losing productivity Now I just wear these things. The lens provide a good amount of sun protection and can be worn inside under normal to slightly low light conditions , allowing the wearer plenty of light to see for work. The frames themselves are very comfortable, they are made out of a somewhat bendable plastic material with flexible rubber tips. Th nose piece is also rubber which is both comfortable, and prevents the glasses from slipping. Despite the name and the slot vents on the side of these glasses, there are no vents,but there does seem to be sufficient enough air circulation. They have only fogged up on me while using them in conjunction with a dustmask. These glasses provide good eye protection in all areas, with the exception of real dusty work, which I recommend switching over to face hugging goggles.These Dewalts are best suited for general work where someone is in often contrasting lighted areas. A Bonus is these glasses dont look that bad either, they could pass in most cases as regular shades. ]]> Fri, 02 Jan 2009 23:40:57 -0600 324-82 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/Ladders/Husky-8-Fiberglass-Step-ladder-20081221324/ Sun, 21 Dec 2008 15:10:07 -0600 323-81 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/Scaffolding/Werner-Short-Body-Ladder-Jacks-AC10-14-025-20081221323/ I had a job to restore & paint (2) badly weathered, 6 over 9, double hung windows of a historic house. The tops of the windows were about 12' off the ground and the bottom's about 6'. Due to a space limitation from a nearby driveway, setting up scaffolding was out of the question. The amount of work that had to be done also ruled out working directly off of a ladder, so ladder jacks and planks were my only option. I didn't have any so I shopped around and found the Werner's to best fill the bill for me. They will attach to either the front or back's of (2) extension ladders, will easily adjust for multiple angles and will accept plank or planks, up to 24" wide. The other brand I looked at (I forget what that was) only accepted planks up to 18" wide. That difference was a major consideration for me since I generally fall into the "more is better" category when buying tools & equipment. And after actually using the ladder jacks on the job, I was glad that I went for the extra plank width capability. It made for a comfortable work surface where I could move my Frankenstein-sized 12 boots around and feel like I had a wide, solid, footing, surface. Moving the jacks and planks up & down the ladders, as needed, was easy to do and the angle adjustment feature also worked equally as well. Found no fault with these at all. ]]> Sun, 21 Dec 2008 14:49:10 -0600 314-77 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/Ladders/Tricam-Gorilla-Ladders-17-Foot-Aluminum-Multiposition-Ladder-AL-17-20081216314/ The first one of these types of ladders that I've owned. Wanted an all purpose ladder that I could load in and out of the back of a long-bed pick up truck with a cap and not have it stick out the back. Looked at, and was very impressed with the comparable Little Giant ladder. It was also well made and had the same capabilities as the Gorilla. The Little Giant had only one feature that the Gorilla didn't, wheels built into the base of one end. That was a feature that I really didn't need, so it didn't come into consideration. I decided on the Gorilla number one because it seemed just as well made as the Little Giant, but more importantly, it was about 1/2 the price of the Little Giant. Being a painter by trade, I use ladders daily. And the Gorilla's been everything I need it to be. It's easy to unfold and extend. It feels safe when you're on it. And it collapses into a relatively compact package when you're done with it. ]]> Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:31:20 -0600 257-71 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/Extension-Cords/Yellow-Jacket-50-ft-123-extension-cord-2884-20080929257/ This is my primary cord on the job site. Being a painter, most of my power needs are for my 1000 watt, double headed, tripod-mounted utility lights, but I also have use of either a belt or palm sander, so the 12 gauge wire on this cord is the way to go for me. The Yellow Jacket's cord keeps its flexibility and the sheathing has held up to being stepped on and run over. Found mine at Lowe's at a lower than normal price. ]]> Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:08:40 -0600 261-70 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/Ladders/werner-nxt1a06-6-ft-step-ladder-20080930261/ I do painting for a living and have used one of these ladders for the past two years. It's taken a lot of abuse being loaded into/out-of the truck, being shoved around the job sites and being used as a scaffold support. If I had it to do over again, I would have bought the aluminum version of the same Werner 6' ladder, but only because of the weight difference. When you have to move a ladder as much as a painter does, any weight advantage you can get is the way to go. Also, a shelf would have been nice. Sometimes they just get in the way, but when you don't have one and need it then obviously it's better to have one. ]]> Wed, 10 Dec 2008 19:54:54 -0600 302-68 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/Work-Stations/100-Foot-1500-Watt-Temporary-String-Light-E-400-20081128302/ I know, It is a lot more expensive than just wiring up regular cage lights, but these are so much more durable, just take them out of the truck and hang them up. They last so much longer, when your constantly taking them up and down, paying the price is worth it in the end. I run compact fluorescents in mine, so daisy chaining many of them is not really a problem. Home depot often offers a 50 foot version. Ericson also makes some worthy string lights. Harder to find. Also has availble safety light strings. http://ericson.thomasnet.com/category/construction-lighting? ]]> Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:36:23 -0600 261-56 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/Ladders/werner-nxt1a06-6-ft-step-ladder-20080930261/ This is one of my everyday ladders. It has done everything I've asked of it. The molded in extras on the top are actually usefull. I find the big lug bungee ball holders particularly handy for holding impact drivers and drills. I do miss the shelf found on other ladders, Werner does offer it, as an option. ]]> Tue, 30 Sep 2008 23:41:50 -0500 260-55 http://www.tool-rank.com/job-site/Ladders/Little-Giant-Ladder-17-ft-type-1a-20080930260/ I was always a little leary of spending the big bucks they want for this ladder, thinking it was overly gimmicky infomercial rip off. I had a chance to work with a borrowed one and wasn't really impressed. When my local big orange retail giant discontinued them, they had the display model really cheap, I just had to pick it up. This ladder has grown on me. It collapse into a short package hardly larger than a 4 ft. step ladder, and fully open it is either an 17 ft. straight or a 7 ft. step.
It works on steps and in stair wells great.
The only thing that I really don't care for is the weight. ]]> Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:29:05 -0500