http://www.tool-rank.com/ 127-224 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/Circular-Saws/milwaukee-7-14-in-left-blade-circular-saw-6391-21-20080316127/ This is a great saw for home or job-site use. It's a real workhorse with enough power to handle even the toughest lumber. The adjustable handle makes it easy to control even from difficult positions. This saw will cut or rip any type lumber with ease. The quality is excellent, used properly this saw will last a lifetime. ]]> Sun, 22 Apr 2012 15:25:26 -0500 584-214 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/Sanders/rockwell-sonicrafter-deluxe-72-piece-kit-rk5102k-20091218584/ I got the Rockwell Sonic RK5107K a year ago. I finally used it to cut wood to repair my shed where other tools failed, i.e., jig saw, reciprocating saw, they simply could not reach. These tools either had too much power, not enough to do the job or were too clumsy to handle. It took a while to learn how to use it. Afterwards I found the RK5107K very precise. I learned the limitations of the machine! You cannot be in a hurry. Using the correct speed is key factor to success with this tool. Making holes, slots and trim away areas were very quickly completed. I was very happy with this tool considering that my carpentry skills are questionable to say the least. I felt that I was under control. If you mess up with this tool it is usually your fault! Vibration is very high but it is a SONIC tool. Noise and vibration are to be expected. I wore my eye and ear protection. The cutting blades need to be made better. A users manual with more information on what attachments to use would be nice. The cost of the attachments are very high. I am looking at other sources of attachments which might work with the Rockwell Sonic at a cheaper price. ]]> Sun, 25 Sep 2011 17:37:53 -0500 594-207 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/Scroll-Saws/hitachi-cw40-16q-variable-speed-scroll-saw-20100111594/ This is my second scroll saw. An upgrade from my older saw. I have used many different blades, including the spiral blade with no problems. I also use a clamp on light that is brighter than the provided light. This saw has plenty of power to cut most soft woods up to 3/4" and hard woods up to 1/2". I love the soft start. I would like to see longer legs on the stand that are adjustable for hight. ]]> Fri, 22 Jul 2011 02:59:54 -0500 174-199 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/miter-saws/milwaukee-12-inch-dual-bevel-sliding-compound-miter-saw-6955-20-20080629174/ Where to start on how much this saw sucks. The big thing is right out of the box my angle read out is off. Works sometimes and others times not. I have to slide it around from one side to the other and back often many times for it to settle in to something that seems consistent with the manual indicators. I am told this can be fixed with calibration. The right fence does not slide. The lights are weak to the point I ask why bother. The cord is short. The clear plastic guard is extremely light bending in nature so that you can’t see through it to judge a pencil line, meaning you have to lift the blade guard because it doesn’t even have slots to see through. they decided to limit the travel of the sliders so that the saw does not take up as much room, which sounds great but it means if you have marked your stock at the back edge you HAVE to sight down the blade judge where it is in relation to the pencil mark because the power head does not slide past the point where fence meets table. This means the thicker the stock the further the blade is away from the back of the stock during the alignment with the pencil mark process. This affects accuracy be assured, as your judgement is now more heavily relied on, not to mention the extra hassle and time this takes. And time is a big thing to not waste if you ask me. The dust collection they say is the best and brag about this point, but if you are cutting thick stock ever, which means often if you do allot of custom stuff which I do (slabs and small beams) this goes for even stock on edge. Then the dust shroud hits the stock meaning you can’t even cut such stock without removing the shroud. Remove the shroud though and you have absolutely no dust protection as there is no vacuum adapter. How retarded. There is no hold down clamp. There are spots for one meaning you have to go buy one as an afterthought. More money. The lock for the slide assembly is so close to the mounting assembly that it makes you wonder if it was made for Smurfs as large hands are just simply in the way. The depth stop is sloppy as they rely on a rubber o ring underneath the stop. Rubber squishes guys, so if you plan on using this say for dadoes in anything make sure it you are careful not to cut too deeply by using too firm a pressure on the power head. I really do not know what people see in this when they give it good reviews. There is so much to learn from and update. The last thing I have to say is how lacking the customer service is. I have spent hours and weeks on the phone and awaiting replies to emails. Finally I talk to someone and they tell me I can send it in and they will recalibrate the angle read out. Yeah, a brand new saw that is so poorly designed that it shouldn’t even be sold to craftsmen let alone my blind dog, that I am expected to send it back and be without the saws I stupidly sold when I bought this one. That’s right; they don’t even have a loaner program, which means I will have to buy another saw to use while this one is fixed. I think not. I will just use the manual indicators like always have. Do not get this saw, you will regret it if you do anything other than framing. Oh, and another possible fear. The LCD is always on when the saw if plugged in. No off on switch with it, so my guess is you may want to unplug it every night to prevent early burn out. ]]> Tue, 15 Mar 2011 02:57:45 -0500 146-197 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/miter-saws/festool-10q-sliding-compound-miter-saw-kapex-ks-120-20080504146/ love it ]]> Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:10:38 -0600 797-196 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/miter-saws/bosch-axial-glide-12q-miter-saw-gcm12sd-20101007797/ I've more often than not liked my Bosch tools...and this one will be dedicated to my shop(too damn heavy to move anyway)..it is incredibly smooth..good dust collection for a bag..it's not worth attaching dust collector as both leave some dust anyway..goood positive stops..I paid $649 for it and that was the most I though it should cost..I sold two other saws to justify this purchase.. ]]> Tue, 14 Dec 2010 23:41:18 -0600 155-193 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/reciprocating-saws/makita-15-amp-recipro-saw-variable-speed-jr3070ct-20080529155/ You cant go wrong with Makita, Most of the power tools i buy for hard use are Makita, and this is another great tool from them you can cut your little hart out with this one and it never gets that over heated nose like those yellow tools do. And for comfort this is the best brand I have used so far. ]]> Fri, 03 Dec 2010 10:23:35 -0600 586-188 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/Sanders/fein-multimaster-fmm-250q-select-variable-speed-sanding-and-scrapingcutting-tool-20091219586/ I bought this after watching the infomercials several times. We were starting a bathroom remodel and I thought this would be a handy tool. My husband was crazy about me spending the money since the multimaster is a bit expensive. I have to say we were both impressed with the tool and think it is worth the money. We were able to cut broken nails in studs, cut 2 x 4's out of door openings, cut laminate wood flooring, cut copper pipes, cut holes in drywall for outlets and we did it all with ease. The variable speeds are great and the tool is comfortable to hold. I sanded down an entire vanity in 1/4 of the time it would have taken me by hand or with other sanders. My hand never felt tired from vibrations or anything. I liked this tool so much and the way it sanded I took it outside to the door trim and sanded that all down to refinish. It goes fast and easy. We have lent it out to several family and friends and they all have one now too. The attachment that works to lift cheap laminate floor is awesome. It picked up floor and glue fast when nothing else was working. Cuts in places other tools can't fit. I can't say enough good things about this tool. I have done projects that I thought I would never get to because of the hassle and time. This tool makes it fast and simple. It does EXACTLY what the infomercials say it does. The only downside is the price for the tool and attachments but now with versatool attachments they are way more affordable and work just as well. I know there are similar models out there cheaper but they don't seam to be built as sturdy as this and with as many accessories to start with. I would recommend the Fein Multimaster to anyone. ]]> Mon, 15 Nov 2010 06:08:28 -0600 584-187 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/Sanders/rockwell-sonicrafter-deluxe-72-piece-kit-rk5102k-20091218584/ I am a finish carpenter and a cabinet/custom furniture builder. In my 40 years of remodeling/property repair it is by far the best tool I have ever purchased. I've seen the commercial many times for the Fein machine and would not buy it because of the cost. Rockwell brought this SonicCrafter out and I bought it from Lowes for $122.00. I used it on several jobs and the wood cutting blade was wore-out. I went to Lowes to get another one, they were $20.00 EA but they didn't have any. I looked at the Dremel cutter and it was too cheesy and little. I went to Sears and bought 2 in a package for $13.90 incl. tax. It took five minutes with a file to fit them to the Rockwell machine. I'll not buy blades from Lowes even if they do get them in stock. I don't think a carpenter should be without one of these tools. Jim Green a-1propertyrepair.com. ]]> Fri, 12 Nov 2010 17:09:10 -0600 509-183 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/Routers/master-force-2-hp-router-20090809509/ I too sang the praises of this unit as I believe it is a Craftsman clone like I purchased. After one year I literally threw it out and went back to my Hitachi. I called service and recieved a greeting stating that it was Masterforce service and he quickly scrambled and said Craftsman, which only confirmed my suspicion. The spring is weak and in time it loses its ability to work the fine adustment for height. This is well documented under Craftsman discussions. I replaced it with a generic spring that is stronger but I had to cut it down. The gears had already worn down after a year of use with the weak spring. I emailed Craftsman to suggest they make a running change and never heard anything in response. I am not an engineer so take this at your will but I feel my money was wasted. Once again, the discussion above is right on, I just hope it holds up with time. ]]> Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:39:25 -0500 775-181 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/power-tools-other/dewalt-65-amp-plate-joiner-dw682k-20100905775/ The DeWalt biscuit plate joiner is a versatile tool that lets you adjuct for the three biscuit sizes of #0, #10 and #20. The machine cuts clean slots, sized perfectly for the biscuits and a good dose of glue. This is a well made piece of equipment with a comfortable grip and comfortable access to the power switch. Even with the dust bag attached it does blow a lot of dust. (I don't have a shop vacuum to use the vacuum adapter so I can't comment on how well that works.) The dust bag is the typical DeWalt zippered cloth bag over a metal frame. I find these to be difficult to completely empty without shaking the dust all over the place, but that may be just me. The adjustable fence on the unit easily adjusts for the thickness of your material. This allows you to accurately center your slot. The fence also adjusts to accomodate a full range of angles from 0 to 90 degrees as well as a reverse 45 degree angle for use on miter joints. The tool is equipped with anti-slippage pins to help prevent the workpiece from sliding. These can be fully retracted if needed. The included instruction "manual" is actually a multi-folded sheet that walks you through the steps for setting up your tool and offers illustations for setting up the various joints. It also provides a handy fence angle setting chart for use when making 4, 5, 6 or 8 sided boxes. I have found a lot of uses for this tool. ]]> Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:20:54 -0500 764-176 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/power-tools-other/rotozip-120-volt-spiral-saw-kit-rz10-2300-20100827764/ The Rotozip 2300 is a variable speed rotary saw that allows speeds from 15,000 to 30,000 rpm. This tool is generally considered a drywall cutting tool. It does a superior job of slicing through drywall for outlet and switch box installation. I had my electrician use it to install new switches in the kitchen when it was renovated. It took about 1/3 the time of cutting the holes by hand. (It created about 5x the dust.) He really liked it and said he'd be picking one up. The tool is light-weight and shaped to reduce user fatigue which I like a lot. The reason I got the tool was in renovating a bathroom. My home was built in the 80's. When it was built, the installation of a one piece fiberglass type tub and surround was put in the second bath. It was the 1980's lovely blue (UGH). I needed to rip this unit out. Since the unit was installed during the original house construction, the walls and floors were installed on top of the unit flanges. Hence the need for the Rotozip, since I wanted to minimize the amount of sheetrock repair. (I also need to reduce the size of the one piece unit to make it easier to get it out the door.) The Rotozip cut through the fiberglass unit like butter. I was able to slice the tub and surround into six or seven pieces and slice off the sheet rock above the flange by following the flange all the way around the unit. Made the final sheetrock repair so much easier. I found th unit to be easy to handle, more than powerful enough for what I needed to do and it only broke one bit. ]]> Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:00:57 -0500 584-175 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/Sanders/rockwell-sonicrafter-deluxe-72-piece-kit-rk5102k-20091218584/ works well when it works. The on off switch got sticky and the tool burnt up on the first job. It took SoneCrafter over 2 months to replace to tool even though i made many calls. My master shower was down during the warranty period. Changing heads is a snap with the Feintool. Much more difficult dealing with the allen screw and wrench. Don ]]> Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:12:25 -0500 742-169 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/Sanders/black-and-decker-3qx21q-dragster-belt-sander-20100730742/ I am a painting contractor and specialize in historic renovation and remodels, so me and belt sanding go way back. If you've used a belt sander for more than a couple of hours a day while having to hold it either vertically or overhead for long periods, you know how heavy most of them can be. But those big dog belt sanders are heavy for a good reason. For horizontal sanding the extra weight saves on elbow grease. I've owned some of those (like the Porter Cable), and their quality it tops, but unless you're only going to do table top sanding consider the Black & Decker Dragster. Besides its very manageable weight, it's got some other features that are also big pluses: a very good dust pick up system, an adjustable front handle that goes from horizontal to vertical w/ the quick flip of a locking lever, and the thing that I really like is a long, hinged guard in the front that flips up to expose the front roller and allows close in sanding on three sides. Don't know of any other belt sander that's got that feature and I use it a lot. The only other control on the machine is the belt adjusting knob for belt drift and it works well, but is a tad stiff. The sander's got plenty of power to run 40 grit belts all day (with cool down periods so the belts don't stretch out). I've used one for over a year now without a hitch. I paid about $60 for mine new and will probably buy another when this one wears out. ]]> Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:49:07 -0500 267-167 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/Sanders/Dremel-15-Amp-Multi-Max-Oscillating-Kit-6300-01-20081009267/ This tool came in handy when I was putting up beadboard paneling in a garage that had been converted to an indoor room. Worked great for cutting out electrical outlets and for (ahem) adjusting some trim. Blades are really dear though. Unfortunately no other tool blades are compatible with this tool, since you cannot lock them down. The scraper is excellent for removing adhesive from old flooring and showed little signs of wear once the work was completed. The cord is a good length and the variable speed feature was handy when the previously mentioned adjustments had to be made. I haven't used the sanding attachment but I expect to be impressed. I did't notice a lot of heat from the tool but I did notice a need for a learning curve due to the oscillation versus a spinning or stroking blade. Once I got past that it was great to use. And the price is right too. ]]> Thu, 29 Jul 2010 23:32:18 -0500 172-164 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/Table-Saws/firestorm-10-inch-15-amp-table-saw-with-stand-fs210ls-20080629172/ I have had this saw about 3 years. I use it for beginning woodworking. While this cannot compare to a Sawstop or other cabinet saw, it has certainly met my needs. It supports the use of stacked dado sets and the fence is easy to adjust and measures right on with the front measureing system. The only real con I have is the pullout outfeed support. It is just a couple rode this a housing on the back that tends to bind if not pulled out square. This may seem like a small thing but it is bothersome. In order to pull it out squarely you have to wald around the saw. Maybe I'm just lazy. I have it stored in my carport under a riding mower cover. No signs of rust or weather effects. Both the right and left side tables make it easy to support a variety of sleds and material lengths. The dust collector is a cloth bag that hangs below the saw. Works pretty well to contain most of the dust, though I do brush it off afer use and use a shop vac to really clean it out. ]]> Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:16:45 -0500 48-160 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/miter-saws/makita-ls0714-7-12q-four-pole-slide-compound-miter-saw-2008011348/ coll and works better than others, i had ]]> Sun, 02 May 2010 04:34:36 -0500 336-159 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/Sanders/Ryobi-14-Sheet-Pad-Sander--20081231336/ The clips that clamp on the 1/4 sheet of sandpaper are very flimsy and broke within 2 months of owning this thing. ]]> Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:44:14 -0500 48-158 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/miter-saws/makita-ls0714-7-12q-four-pole-slide-compound-miter-saw-2008011348/ This is the Lightest, cleanest, miter saw capable of crosscutting 1x12". There is nothing close. If you do punchout, base shoe, work in finished areas, or need to carry your saw more than 10' consider this 28# wonder. I had a DW 718 that I sold for this saw. If you cut a bunch of nested crown--then you should still look at this saw because you already own a larger saw and will appreciate the portability of the LS 0714. With vacuum hook up you can work in a finished space--see the video, (it is unedited so you can count for your self how many pieces of PARTICLE BOARD, it's hard to capture) This is a professional tool that will change How you approach your craft. If you don't believe me buy the saw and try it-If I am wrong return it before the 30 days are up. Craig ]]> Thu, 22 Apr 2010 03:11:42 -0500 567-152 http://www.tool-rank.com/power-tools/Scroll-Saws/dewalt-20q-variable-speed-scroll-saw-dw788-20091115567/ I've had this saw for about a year with not one problem. Extremely smooth at all speeds. No vibration at all. Easy blade change. With the rear leg extensions, you're right on top of your work. You can put the puffer right on the edge of the blade and it is still out of the way. I would add a foot switch and an upper arm lift. The later keeps you from having to put a block under the arm when changing blades. I would highly recommend this saw. ]]> Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:02:01 -0600