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.

Powernail Model 50M Manual Floor Nailer

Powernail 50M Manual Floor Nailer

The Model 50M is a manual, single-blow nailer designed to use 18 gauge cleats. It is recommended for use on 3/8″, 1/2″ and 5/8″ tongue and groove flooring, as well as some 3/4″, exotic and solid wood flooring. The 50M uses a thinner 18 gauge cleat that is less likely to split the tongue on thinner woods and provides a reliable bond to the underlayment. This is a very robust nailer and it should do an incredible job at smaller jobs. We don’t recommend it for larger work over 300 sq. ft. as it will invariably produce lots of arm strain due to its reduced handle size and greater amount of required exertion over a pneumatic model.

Swanson T001WZ Framing Wizard Review

Swanson Framing Wizard T001WZ Review

Swanson took the age old framing square and made it into a folding, 5-in-1 layout tool they are calling the T001WZ Framing Wizard. This new tool makes space and functionality top priorities! Forget about trying to figure out where to keep your old square; now that you have this one available, you can fold it in half and throw it in your tool bag. With its versatile use, you can just whip it out and use it as a framing square, tri-square, miter square, angle finder or as a saw guide.

Swanson T04424 Wood Magnet Review

Swanson Wood Magnet T04424 Review

The new Swanson T04424 Wood Magnet is one of those types of tools that once you use it a few times, you realize how many times it would have come in handy on all your past projects! With low cost and highly versatile applications, this compact tool is able to combine a number of project leveling and layout tools into one. The simple design combined with a pretty rugged build should make this an easy choice for both DIY types and pros alike!

Arrow HT50PBL Hammer Tacker Quick Look

Arrow HT50 Hammer Tacker Preview

Arrow’s HT50PBL Heavy Duty Hammer Tacker is a unique product that swings and hits like a hammer, driving a staple with each blow. Typically you use a product like this for anything ranging from installation of roofing insulation to tacking down roofing felt, carpet underlayment, or other materials. The HT50PBL hammer tacker features an all-steel construction with a rubberized coating that helps absorb impacts and delivers a nice grip.

Arrow PowerShot 5700 Staple Gun Quick Look

Arrow PowerShot 5700 Staple Gun Preview

The PowerShot “Heavy Duty” Staple & Nail Gun features a forward action design, meaning that you actually press down on the front of the tool to actuate it, rather than the back end. This is not only more ergonomic, it also applies the most pressure to the point where the staple is firing, delivering more power and control with less effort. This makes the tool easy to use, but also gives it an unusual mechanism which is more prone to jams.

Swanson BBL24M 24" Magnetic Box Beam Level Review

Swanson Box Beam Level BBL24M Review

When a durable, indestructible 24″ level is desired, Swanson takes up the call and delivers its BBL24M Box Beam Level that has the features to take a beating and then some. With rubber “Super Shock” end caps and solid block acrylic vials, the Swanson Box Beam level is certainly a tool that isn’t afraid to take a beating and come out on top. We took it for a spin in our real-world test and found it to be an extremely easy-to-use, no-nonsense product that will provide years of reliable service.

Swanson Savage and Lil' Savage Magnetic Torpedo Levels Review

Swanson Savage Magnetic Levels Review

Sometimes you make do with an average level, but when you finally get ahold of something professional, like the Savage series of magnetic torpedo levels from Swanson Tools, you’ll immediately recognize the difference. Their billet aluminum construction and clear, easy to read vials make them a handy tool that you’ll want to make sure are within easy reach for plumbing, trim and even electrical work. These torpedo levels even include four rare earth magnets which make them indispensable when working around commercial power applications and when leveling up electrical boxes.

Leatherman Kick multi tool pliers

Leatherman Kick Multi Tool Review

The Leatherman Kick was designed for folks who prefer a little less weight, yet need a full size multi-tool that features longer, sharper, and stronger implements in a lighter and more compact tool. Full-size pliers are built in that have a jaw design that can handle twice the squeeze-load as the previous version with no extra weight

New Channellock #89 Rescue Tool

Channellock 89 Rescue Tool

The new Channellock #89 Rescue Tool was designed by firefighters, for firefighters and first responders. Using feedback received from firefighters, first responders and EMTs, the engineers at Channellock further refined and updated last years rescue tool model #88 with many great updates.