I have never been a fan of folding utility knives. They always felts cheap, the mechanism that holds the blade in place seemed dangerous, and they were darn right uncomfortable to use. Their handiness was far outweighed by their design flaws. With all of the flaws in the Utility Folder class, could DeWalt's introduction of the DWHT10035 Folding Retractable Utility Knife do any better than the folders on the market today? DeWalt sent over the knife so I could find.

I was a bit skeptical when I first heard that DeWalt would be making hand tools. I figured the tools would just be re-branded Stanley tools, like the Bostitch hand tools were. How would a bunch of re-branded hand tools be interesting news for you to read? It wouldn't, but thankfully for all of us, the new DeWalt tools are not just a simple logo change. The DeWalt line of hand tools look like they were built upon Stanley models, but also improved upon. As a way to show the skeptics among us what they really had, DeWalt sent over a few of their new hand tools for me to review.

Channellock has put together a great general purpose tool roll set, and in my opinion it is the best tool set they offer. The Tool Roll No. 3 Gift Set includes the: 430 tongue & groove plier, 420 tongue & groove plier, 337 cutting plier, 3017 long nose plier, 526 slip joint plier. These 5 tools are a great addition to a DIYer's small collection of tools, and can be used for many of the most common DIY tasks. This is not some cheap tool set either, and should last a lifetime. Channellock sent me this set for review, and they also sent the one I gave away last month.

Is is fair or even possible to call a ToolRank Pick just from seeing a product demonstrated in a video? Well, that is pretty much the case for the Hat Grabber. The moment I saw it in action on video I knew it had the potential to be a real winner; all I had to do is test it out for myself to make sure it worked as well as advertised and confirm my suspicions.

If you remember, the Hat Grabber is a small hardhat add-on that claims to better hold your hard hat on your head. The people over at Hat Grabber were cool enough to send over a few of their Hat Grabbers so that my co-workers and I could test them out and see if they really worked. We are a crew that seems to have our hats on the floor more then on our heads, so we were the right guys for the job.

You know I love lasers, they automatically make everything cooler, and the Johnson 40-6616 tiling and flooring laser square is no exception. This cool little squaring laser projects two lines across the floor that are 90-degrees apart, thus making it ideal for the flooring trades. But you don't have to be one of the flooring trades to get good use out of this tool; the 40-6616 works great for anyone needing to make squaring lines on the floor.

Though the 40-6616 uses new technology like lasers, the tool itself is very simple in design and in function. A single push of a button is all it takes for the squaring fun to begin. You don't even have to level it, though the laser does have two level vials that can be used for layout on vertical surfaces.

Tools are cool and lasers are cool, so we can pretty much assume that tools with lasers on them are double cool. So when Johnson Level sent over their 40-0921 self-leveling cross-line laser, even though I have used other cross-line lasers, I knew I would have fun testing it out. So after getting the kit out of the box, the obvious next step was to take it to the jobsite and put it to work.

The Johnson 40-0921 comes in at a price of around $100 which puts it in the price range and class of a DIY laser; you do lose a few features at this lower price, but this kit also has a lot to offer. The 40-0921 Kit comes with the self-leveling cross-line laser, 3 AAA batteries, an extendable tripod, tinted viewing glasses, and a hard carrying case. The same laser can be purchased by itself without the tripod or glasses for a little less, and it comes with a soft case.

Do the new Lenox Speed Slot Hole Saws Work? Yes. This is the easiest review yet.

OK you might want a little more information on the subject, but in the end, the Speed Slot Hole Saws work as advertised. The stepped slot in the side of the hole saw made it super easy to eject out the piece of wood by simply working your prying device (screwdriver) up the steps. The Lenox hole saw may be named after the stepped slot, but there is a little more at work that ensures successful puck removal. The simple fact that Lenox chose not to paint the inside of the hole saw also plays a large part. In comparison with other hole saws, the Lenox Speed Slot is much much smoother on the inside because of the lack of paint. The smoothness cuts down on friction, which also aids in the removal process.

The Speed Slots work great in the puck removal category, but hole saws also have to drill holes. Again Lenox chose to do something simple that probably should have been done years ago; they made their hole saws with a thinner kerf. Using a thinner kerf again cuts down on resistance, which enables the drill to use less power during the cut and at the same time cuts faster. Lenox did use paint on the outside of the hole saw, but with just a cut or two, most of it fell off. Again the lack of paint reduces the amount of friction, and less friction means faster cuts with less heat. Lenox designed the outer paint to be temporary, so all of the hole saws are etched with dimensions.

To use along with the holes saws, Lenox also sent over their Snap-Back hole saw arbor. A faster way to change out holes saws has been something we have all wanted. Some brands use a quick release chuck that works very well, but these require special hole saws, or adapters for existing holes saws. The Lenox Snap-Back arbor gives you the speed for fast changes, without the need for any adapters or special hole saws. Arbors in the past require you to screw the locking pins upward to prevent hole saw slippage after you have screwed the saw to the arbor, but the Snap-Back arbors use pins that simply snap into position. You are still required to screw the hole saw onto the threads of the arbor, but after that, you just push the locking pins into place. It is easier to use then it is to describe. I actually prefer the Snap-Back arbor over the quick change arbors offered by other brands. It is just as easy to use, but you can use it on any hole saw, thus saving money.

Both the Speed Slot Hole Saw and the Snap-Back Arbor are great, easy to use tools by Lenox, and I cannot find anything bad to say about either one of them. Amazon currently only sells the Speed Slot hole saws with an arbor attached, but they should also be available at Lowe's and other hardware stores.

I have wanted to write a review for the Bosch Axial Glide miter saw for a while now, but the saw has so many features, that I thought It would be best to just do a video review. It looks like Bosch really took their time to make sure everything was done right, this not only includes the things you would expect, like bevel and miter controls, but even the smallest of things are done right.

The Bosch GCM12SD miter saw is great, and is probably the best 12" saw on the market. I do a lot of millwork installation, and I have used just about every miter saw on the market today, so I have experience with all of the different saw brands and styles.

So what sets the GCM12SD apart? The upfront bevel controls, the smaller saw footprint (thanks to the axial glide system), and all of the other quick acting user controls (fence, table extensions, material clamp). However, like most tools on the market, it does have its flaws. The saw is heavy at 65 lbs, so either get a good miter saw stand with wheels, or make sure you have an apprentice if you need to move it. The saw is also tall and top heavy, and I am still not a fan of the bevel and miter gauge markings that Bosch uses. But like I said, the saw is a winner, with the good far out weighing the bad.

I go into greater details about the saw, what is has to offer and what I dislike in the video below, so be sure to check it out.

Features

• Upfront Bevel Controls
• Horizontal Capacity: 14" @ 90 degrees
• Vertical Capacity: * 6-1/2-in. against the fence (base); 6-1/2-in. crown capacity against the fence (45° spring)
• Amperage: 15
• Bevel Angle Range: 48? left / 48? right
• Blade Diameter: 12"
• Miter Angle Range: 52° Left / 60° Right
• No Load RPM: 3,800
• Weight (lbs.): 65 lbs.

* see video

Up this time for review is the Johnson 40-6048 Glo-View Digital Level. This level is built around the Johnson Glo-View level body (reviewed here), but gets boosted into the digital age with a digital readout and all the goodies that goes along with it. Since I have already covered the analog parts of the level in the regular Glo-View review, today I will only be covering the digital parts.

Analog levels have served us well for so many years, why do we need to go digital? Well, I am not here to tell you what to need or do not need, but the Johnson 40-6048 has a few features that make the move to digital very understandable, like five different measurement modes. A standard vial level can tell you if something is either level or out of level, but it is difficult to get a measurement of the degree levelness. This is where the Johnson Digital level shows its stuff. With its five measurement modes the Glo-View Digital Level can go from simple leveling, to more complex degrees, percent of level. Even their simple leveling has options that can really come in handy, like telling you levelness in inches per foot, millimeters per meter, and even fractional inches per foot.

The readout has an easy to read display, and also has a built in light that can be turned on or off. I found the decimal in/ft setting to be the easiest for me visually. The buttons on the level are only on one side, but the display itself can be rotated more then 180 degrees to allow for viewing from both sides. Johnson has even cut a window out of the aluminum frame to allow for viewing from the top. If you can not see the LCD display for whatever reason, a Hold button on the unit can be pressed to grab the current measurement. Another option the level provides is audible level indications; a series of beeps can be heard, and as the measurement gets closer to level the beeps get faster and closer together. A final long beep lets you know when you have reached 0 or level.

As with anything digital, especially a tool that can be dropped or banged around, there is a worry about becoming out of sync, or in this case out of level. I haven't noticed this to be a problem with the 40-6048, but I am also very careful not to drop my levels, no matter if they are analog or digital. In case the level does read out of level, calibration on the unit is super easy. All you have to do is go into calibration mode, push a button to take a reading, spin the level 180 (being sure you place it in the exact same spot) and take a second reading. That is it, the level will adjust to read level. The same method is used for both vertical and horizontal calibration.

The Johnson Digital Level has a lot of cool features, but it also has its negatives. The first, is probably also the worst; it takes a good second or more for the digital level to settle into a reading. When you are all about speed, having a reading that is behind is never good. This also makes the beeping feature harder to use. You can go by what you hear, but again, it takes a while for the level to settle, then you have to readjust. My next complaint is about the beeping. A level is usually only an arm's distance away, so the beeping does not always have to be as loud as Johnson made it. I understand that Johnson was probably taking jobsite noise into account, but a second sound level option would have been a huge plus.

You know I love the analog Glo-View Level, and all of the feature of the Digital version are great, but the slowness of the digital readout really sets the level back a few notches. Unless you really need one of the five measurement modes the digital level offers, or the audible or Hold features, I would recommend just getting the standard Glo-View level.

The Johnson 40-6048 Digital Level comes with 3-AAA batteries as well as a soft carrying case and instruction manual. Johnson also sells a smaller 28" (not 24") version of the same level. Interesting, Amazon sells both versions for about $190. Other stores have the 28" model for $40 less.

Not too long ago I review the ChannelLock 9.5” 369 Lineman Pliers, but today I have the new smaller 368 8” version. As I mentioned in my previous review of the 369 Pliers, I am not a professional electrician, and any electrical work that I do is on a small scale. It is because my electrical work is DIY that I prefer the smaller ChannelLock 368's.I simply do not need the added cutting power that the 9.5” version offers. Sacrificing a little in cutting strength and gripping power is worth it to me because I am getting a smaller lighter tool with the 368. The features between the two models are nearly identical, with size being the only difference. I wouldn't necessarily call the 368 the DIY model, but if you are working with smaller gauge wires, there is no point in carrying around the added weight no matter if you are DIY or Pro.

Amazon has the 368 for about $24 and the 369 for about $27, so again this is really just about user preference.

Meadville, Pa. – Channellock Inc. is proud to announce the launch of its new 8-inch 368 high-leverage linemen's plier, the latest in high-performance design from the company known worldwide for manufacturing quality pliers. The new plier's high-leverage capability is achieved by positioning the rivet within fractions of an inch of the laser heat-treated cutting edges, giving it more power to cut through fish tape with less effort than competing professional-grade brands.

"The new 368 is the second release from our high-leverage linemen's pliers line that we will continue to expand throughout the year," said Ryan DeArment, vice president of sales and marketing at Channellock Inc. "We've been working closely with electrical professionals and do-it-yourselfers to provide them with significantly enhanced linemen's pliers that clearly provide more force and require less effort to use. So far, their feedback has been overwhelmingly positive."

With a measurement of 8.38" in length and a weight of less than one pound, the new 8" 368 high-leverage linemen's plier is perfect for those wiring on construction jobs where larger linemen's pliers may not fit. Unlike competing brands, the new 8-inch 368 high-leverage linemen's plier also provides noticeably more leverage and features knife-and-anvil cutters to ensure proper cutting edge alignment. This means less force is required to cut through high-tensile-strength fish tape or wire. The new 8" 368 high-leverage linemen's plier also provides even more utility with its useful, built-in crushing area.

Like all CHANNELLOCK pliers, the new 8-inch 368 high-leverage linemen's plier is fiercely made in Meadville, Pa. It features drop-forged, high-carbon C1080 steel and the signature CHANNELLOCK BLUE comfort grips.