Tool Blog

Pavers look great and last a long time, but they are so often underused because of the high cost of labor. This is unfortunate, because these works of art offer almost endless pattern choices and beautiful design options. In Europe, where brick pavers are commonly used on road ways, any way to speed up this labor intensive job is always welcomed. In Europe this once slow and tedious task is now a breeze thanks to the Dutch made Tiger-Stone. This brick laying machine takes most of the manual labor out of the job thanks...

The great thing about using pole saws is the ability to trim your trees without having to actually be in the trees. Their long extension lets us work safely on the ground or from a ladder. With all the great things these saws offer, there is also some bad. Because of the long reach, it is often hard to get any downward pressure on the saw blade to make a cut. My Father and I know all about this; just last month we were trying to cut a branch with no success. In comes...

When an impact driver is just not enough power for you, now you can get it done with one of the new Bosch Impact Wrenches. Their new 18V lithium-ion impact wrenches weigh in at 6.7 lbs. and offer 500 foot-pounds of torque, with a total head length of 10-inches. Bosch is offering the new wrench with three different chuck choices. The IWTH180-01 uses a 1/2-inch friction ring for quick and easy socket changes, the HTH181-01 uses a 1/2-inch detent-pin for positive accessory retention and the HTH182-01 uses a 7/16-inch quick change for tool-less accessory removal and works with common...

Sorry for the lack of news this week, I have been battling a headache all week. I thought I would post a bit of entertainment today, because I know I could sure use it. One common trend that manufactures have been doing these past couple of years has been videos of their radios surviving some amazing destruction and abuse. I am not sure which brand starting doing these first, but they are something we have all come to love. The latest to get a beatdown, is the Bosch PB360 radio. After a trip to Wrigley Field, the...

ToolRank user SulSaw posted a really cool video in the TR forums that showcases the first zero clearance flush cutting circular saw. The Straight Flush was designed and built by a professional contractor of 15 years, who was looking for a faster way to do his job.

A while back Channellock sent over a pair of their 369 lineman pliers and I had the pleasure of putting this tool to the test. Now I am not an electrician, which the tool was originally designed for, but who couldn't use a good set of pliers to help out with life's daily problems. The pivoting action on the pliers was really smooth and a tell tail sign that these are quality made. Channellock recently updated these pliers by reducing the size of the pivot. This change allowed them to move the point closer...

If you thought the tool bags from Veto were cool, you will probably love the new Dr. Wood bag from Occidental Leather. If you don't like the price of the Veto bags, you will absolutely hate the price of the Dr. Wood, at over $450. But lets take a look at the Dr. Wood, maybe its worth is hiding inside. First off, like all Occidental Leather bags, it is made in the USA. So if the other high end bags are priced in the $200 range and are made in China, the price for...

No, its not a 10-inch axial glide like many are hoping for, but it is new none the less. Or is it? It appears to be exactly the same as the previous 4410 except for the trigger handle. Instead of using the user rotatable handle, the 4310 uses a fixed handle. I was never a fan of the old handle anyways, so this is no loss. There might be some other minor changes, but basically it is the same saw. The 4310 will retail for less, so this new model appears to be a way for...

Most of the tools that get covered here at ToolRank have to do with construction; because well, I am a construction worker. Every once in a while I throw in a garden tool just for fun, but for the most part automotive tools get left out. This injustice to automotive tools ends today with the announcement of some new lithium-ion cordless tools from Matco. Matco has announced their Infinium line of cordless tools that were specifically developed for professional automotive technicians that require the power of pneumatics but the portability of cordless. Headlining in...

The latest radio from Ridgid seems to be almost indestructible. In a video released by Ridgid, they went all out in a series of radio abuse tests. They dropped cinder blocks on it, used it to break boards, ran it over with a truck, and even threw it off of a roof top. All of that and it still survived. There is not much information out about the new radio, but at the end of the video they do give us a little. From what they tell us, it looks like it will be the first jobsite...