Tool Reviews & Buying Guides by Trade

If you want to read articles and reviews that are trade-specific, try our Tool Reviews by Trade section. This organizes our site into topics suited particularly for a specific trade such as plumbing, electrical, framing, roofing & siding, concrete/masonry, and carpentry. Roofing and siding pros will find pneumatic roofing nailers as well as tools like cap staplers and hammer tackers. Tile & Flooring Pros will gain easy access to our tile saws, flooring staplers, and floor scrapers. As a painting professional, reviews of airless sprayers and cordless sprayers may interest you the most. You can count on one thing: whatever your craft, you need good tools. Our tool reviews by trade will help you drill down to quickly find the information you need. If you want to avoid anything that sits outside of your trade, this way helps you do it. If you can’t find a tool here, let us know.

Milwaukee M12 Palm Nailer Kit 2458-21 Preview

Milwaukee M12 Palm Nailer Kit 2458-21 Preview

It didn’t take long for us to be amazed at the power and efficiency of Milwaukee’s new M12 Palm Nailer when we saw it at the company’s 2010 Press Event. The tool is literally a 12V lithium-ion powered palm nailer that can drive 12D and 16D nails into 2×4 studs flush without any problems – we know because we demoed it and were just as surprised as anyone reading this article. The M12 Palm Nailer provides a portable solution to professional nailing applications without the hassle of an air compressor or hose. It also makes a joke out of those cordless 12V autohammers made by Craftsman and Ryobi. For whatever reason, this palm nailer hits hard, while those other tools come off feeling like they couldn’t do more than hang a picture with a finish nail.

Little Giant SumoStance 16-foot Ladder Preview

Little Giant SumoStance Ladder Preview

Little Giant Ladder Systems just announced a new SumoStance extension ladder, a wide-stance extension ladder which they showed off at the National Safety Congress and Expo in San Diego, California last week. The SumoStance triples the base width of ordinary extension ladders and increases side-tip stability by over 500%, resulting in a new category of extension ladders that work on nearly any uneven surface.

Skil Octo Sander 7302 Preview

Skil Octo Sander 7302 Preview

Skil Power Tools recently launched its new 7302 Octo Multi-Finishing Sander. The novel thing about this particular sander is the presence and inclusion of eight assorted attachments. The options make it uniquely suited to sand hard-to-reach areas and multi-task by hitting multiple surfaces at once, or more effectively sanding particular, or hard-to-reach places. Skil also added something it calls Pressure Control Technology to the 7302. The technology involves a series of pressure control lights that indicate when the user is pressing too hard, too light or just right. It’s a neat idea that is meant to help keep scars and marks off the wood and ensures optimal surface smoothness.

DeWalt DW368 Heavy Duty 7-1/4" Lightweight Circular Saw Review

DeWalt DW368 Heavy Duty 7-1/4″ Lightweight Circular Saw Review

It might sound like a misnomer to say both heavy-duty and lightweight in the same sentence but this is exactly what DeWalt calls its DW368 Heavy Duty 7-1/4″ Lightweight Circular Saw. This saw has been a mainstay on job sites for many years and for good reason. With a decent set of features, a reasonably cost and plenty of power, many construction workers have chosen this as their sidewinder of choice. While we normally like to review the latest and greatest products that come to market, sometimes is fun to step back and see what the average Joe is using and why.

RIDGID SeeSnake CS1000 Digital Recording Monitor

RIDGID SeeSnake CS1000 Digital Recording Monitor

The CS1000 by Ridgid is the fast, convenient way to record, report and deliver still images and video digitally. Just grab it and go! The CS1000 camera control unit is a purpose-built monitor that allows you to digitally record and report on your inspections in the field. With the CS1000, you have the flexibility you need to take full advantage of digital recording technology.

Bosch BNS200-18 18 ga Brad Nailer Review

Bosch BNS200-18 18 ga Brad Nailer Review

We’ve tried about every Bosch nailer to-date, and it looks like, with the BNS200-18 18 Gauge Brad Nailer, the company just may have saved its best for last. It’s smaller than most brad nailers we’ve seen to-date. It’s also extremely light at just over two pounds. It feels natural in the hand and is extremely maneuverable, with above-average ergonomics and features that really count – like dry-fire lockout and a tool-less trigger mode change. In a word, it’s fantastic.

Milwaukee Scraper and Grout Removal Blades Review

Milwaukee Scraper and Grout Removal Blades Review

As if a reciprocating saw is not handy enough, Milwaukee is making it more helpful by adding two new reciprocating saw blades to their line-up; one is a scraper and the other is a grout removal tool. Compatible with all Milwaukee Sawzall and Hackzall reciprocating saws, these new accessories convert several slow and strenuous hand tool applications into fast and effortless tasks.