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Hand Tool Reviews & Buying Guides

Hand tools make up a large portion of the equipment we carry every day. Pro Tool reviews pays close attention to recent innovations. Our hand tool reviews include knives & cutting tools, wrenches, chisels, fastening tools, hammers, and more. These hand tools covers the gamut from one end of the industry to another. Possibly our favorite series is our best framing hammer review. In that head-to-head review we compared nine popular models. This type of comparison isn’t always possible, but we do test out these tools on the jobsite. Hand Tool Reviews for the Pro Tradesman This is also where you’ll find popular lighting products and even folding knives from Kershaw, CRKT, and Zero Tolerance. We try to review as many of these types of tools as possible. This helps us remain a leader in reporting industry trends. This is particularly important when manufacturers add new features or make tweaks to their products. Sometimes they revamp an entire line. Other times they include something that only slightly improves a hand tool over a previous model. It all adds up.

Milwaukee 12'' Tongue & Groove Pliers 48-22-3212 Review
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Milwaukee 12-inch Tongue & Groove Pliers Review

by Ben Parker

Tongue and groove pliers are one of the many tools that are used by commercial electricians, especially when working with conduit. One of the main reasons is because of the compression couplings that are used to put conduit together, but also, they just plain come in handy. I would definitely recommend buying two of these if you work on putting up conduit. You will get your money’s worth if you find yourself frequently using compression couplings. I really like that Milwaukee angled the head of the tool at 45 degrees and not 80-90 degrees. It makes it easier to tighten the couplings in hard to reach places. Plus, the smooth transition grips are especially nice because it feels like the tool is a part of your hand. The grips also don’t feel as if they’re likely to slip, even when you’re applying significant pressure to the tool.

Milwaukee 6 IN 1 Long Nose Pliers 48-22-3068 Review
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Milwaukee 6 IN 1 Long Nose Pliers 48-22-3068 Review

by Ben Parker

Having just taken a look at Milwaukee’s 6 IN 1 Combination Pliers, we weren’t too thrown off guard by the 6 IN 1 Long Nose Pliers, which are a different tool, but similar in many ways. If anything, the 6 IN 1 Long Nose Pliers feel like they are meant for things that are a bit more heavy duty. These pliers are 1/4″ thicker than the combination pliers, which is good since they can be used to pull nails. We found that the design – particularly, the head of the tool which is squared off – does a pretty decent job at pulling nails out of wood. This really is a good tool if you are an electrician and need something heavy duty in the field. I really enjoy having it in my tool pouch at work and have recommended to other electricians to go buy one as well.

ZipWall ZipDoor Dust Barrier Solution for Doorways
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ZipWall ZipDoor Dust Barrier Solution for Doorways

by Clint DeBoer

We attended the 2012 International Builders Show in Orlando, Florida and were making our rounds when our eye was caught by the ZipDoor. This is a dust barrier product that makes it super-easy to cover a doorway and seal off a room from dust ingress and/or egress. The ZipDoor kit comes with everything you need, including a roll of tape and plastic lining and is designed for use in residential or commercial applications. Featuring ZipWall’s new double-sided tape and heavy duty, glued-in zippers, the ZipDoor installs – literally – in under one minute to provide a complete dust barrier. The ZipDoor is made of 4 mil plastic sheeting and comes in both standard (doors up to 3’x7′) and commercial (doors up to 4’x8′) sizes. In addition to being larger, the commercial version of the ZipDoor is also fire retardant.

Benchmade Triage 916 Knife Review
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Benchmade Triage 916 Knife Review

by Thomas Gaige

The Benchmade Triage 916 Knife might be one of the best tools to have on hand in an emergency. Even the name “Triage” imply the three main purposes of this folding knife which include a flip out strap cutter, carbide window breaker and rugged, purpose built blade. Grippy G10 handle scales, backed with full stainless steel liners, inspire confidence because of its rigid construction. The simplicity and power of the AXIS blade lock makes blade deployment and folding nearly effortless. Thankfully, we have not been in (or had to create) a “situation” to use this knife as it was designed. After our own testing and use, we find it very reassuring to know that having this knife clipped in a pocket could literally prove the difference between life or death.

Klein J2000 Side-Cutting Lineman's Pliers Review
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Klein J2000 Side-Cutting Linemans Pliers Review

by Ben Parker

If you ask ten electricians which company makes the best lineman’s pliers, all ten would say ‘Klein’ (trust me, I actually asked ten… and I’m an electrician). In fact, most electricians call any lineman’s pliers “Kleins” – though they probably shouldn’t. They have set the standard for lineman’s pliers in the way that Xerox set the standard for copying machines back in the day, or Kleenex did for tissues. Klein tools are on the top of the list for electrician’s tools because it’s their specialty – and when that’s all you do, you tend to get good at it. The Klein lineman’s pliers are said to be the best made. With all of the recent competition, and years of other manufacturers crafting competing products, we were curious to see if they still held the title.

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