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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.

Johnson Level 1812-0025 Stud-Squared Review
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Johnson Level 1812-0025 Stud-Squared Review

by Matthias Gaige

The Johnson Level 1812-0025 Stud-Squared is the love-child offspring between a tape measure and a square. The general idea is that you can use the tape to both measure and mark a straight line on dimensional lumber with relative ease. No more making your mark and then looking for a square or straight edge to complete the perpendicular cutting line. Without even having to extend the marking ruler, you can scribe across a regular 2×4 since it shares the same width.

Milwaukee Pliers, Snips, and PEX Cutting Hand Tools Preview
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Milwaukee Hand Tools – Pliers, Snips, and PEX Cutting

by Clint DeBoer

When we attended the Milwaukee New Tools Event this year, Tim Albrecht showed us some of the new hand tools that fall into three basic categories: Pliers, Snips, and PEX Cutting. At the time, the info was under NDA, but now that has been lifted and we an bring you all of the first impressions and info we learned first-hand about the new tools. First up was a focus on build quality. First off, the new hand tools are all drop forged, machined for maximum precision, and treated to resist rust. In fact, using chrome plating instead of nickel, Milwaukee demonstrated the advanced corrosion resistance of their new tools by leaving two new aviation snips left in salt water overnight and then in the sun. Milwaukee’s tool showed considerable resistance to rust while the other brand had a ton of rust around the hinge points and across the blade.

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Warranted Superior Hand Saw Circa 1921

by Clint DeBoer

We’re going to just admit this up front – we have no idea how old this saw is. We do know, or at least surmise, that it is in excess of 90 years old due to how it came into the family. It belonged to my great grandfather and was used on a number of lumber-cutting tasks. This is a Warranted Superior Hand Saw, which is to say that it’s commonly referred to as a “lower class” of saw since it doesn’t bear the Disston seal, but rather a more generic moniker. Warranted Superior is actually a company by Warren and Ted Superior, makers of a ton of hand saws back in the early 1900’s. The blade on these saws is actually reminiscent of those old two-man saws used by loggers before the advent of chainsaws and gas-powered cutting machines in general.

Bosch D-Tect 150 Wallscanner plumbing
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Bosch D-Tect 150 Wallscanner Preview

by Clint DeBoer

We recently got back from Bosch’s Global Leadership Tour media event and were fascinated by all the new tools they are working on. One tool that we saw LAST year, however, was the Bosch WallscannerD-Tect 150. This tool uses Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) radar technology and is the first detector at a sub-$1000 price point that detects rebar, water-filled PVC, copper piping (non-ferrous metal), wood studs and live wiring. The BoschD-Tect 150 does more than detect these materials, though, it gives the user material type, depth, and relative width information. The D-Tect 150 works through concrete, wet concrete, and even deep concrete up to 6″. In fact, you can use it in any of seven surface modes.

GyrosGuard Rotary Tool Safety Shield installed
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GyrosGuard Rotary Tool Safety Shield Review

by Thomas Gaige

If you have ever used a mini cutoff wheel with a high speed rotary tool, you just might know what it’s like to have tiny pieces of a cutoff disk thrown at you when it breaks. To ensure a safer user experience with just about any rotary tool on the market, the GyrosGuard Rotary Tool Safety Shield offers protection, visibility and performance for rotary tool users. This unique blade guard does not impede visibility, yet offers complete coverage of the cutting wheel or blade. Thanks to an ingenious spring loaded design, and an easy to operate thumb stud that makes opening the guard easy, you can access and cut the material that you are working on. Along with the GyrosGuard Rotary Tool Safety Shield, Gyros Precision Tools offers a complete line of rotary tool accessories and miniature tools.

Swanson TOSB01 7" Speed Bevel Review
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7-inch Swanson TOSB01 Speed Bevel Review

by Clint DeBoer

When Swanson sent us their newest 7″ Speed Bevel, we didn’t realize the new inexpensive orange ABS plastic composite square would quickly become our all-around go-to tool for odd jobs and miscellaneous angle measurements. Swanson, who brought us the original Speed Square, built some new innovation into the Speed Bevel. While it doesn’t excel in build quality, it does have a really good function as a low-cost multi-purpose solution for finding angles, making quick cut measurements, and serving as a stop-gap protractor.

Dow Great Stuff PRO 15 Gun Review
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Dow Great Stuff PRO 15 Gun Review

by Clint DeBoer

The Pro 15 is Dow’s answer to dispensing its Great Stuff Pro expanding foam consistently and easily. It’s a one-handed tool that allows the PRO cans to fasten securely to the top and dispense a bead of expanding foam anywhere from 1/8″ to 3″ in thickness. If you do a lot of construction work, or you are in the specialty trades like plumbing, electrical or weatherization, you’re going to want a tool like this to simplify what can be a very tedious and time-intensive task. Once you use a dispensing gun, you won’t want to go back to manual cans. Add to that the fact that Dow’s Great Stuff Gun can help you to use your cans longer and reduce waste and it just might save you money over the long haul.

Kershaw Blur Folding Knife 1670BLKST Features
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Kershaw Blur Folding Knife 1670BLKST Review

by Thomas Gaige

The Kershaw Blur Folding Knife 1670BLKST comes in black with a partially serrated modified drop point blade, super grip handles and the proven SpeedSafe assisted-opening system. With the knife in hand, one of the first things that will jump out at you is how much grip that the handle materials offer. The sides of the aluminum handles have textured rubber inserts that make it virtually slip-resistant, even with greasy or wet hands. With just a little bit of thumb pressure against the thumb studs located towards the back of the blade, the blade swings and locks open with an authoritative thwack sound. The liner lock keeps the blade securely open until you press it sideways to release the blade. All in all this knife is packed with practical features that make it great for every day carry.

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