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.

RYOBI WS730 7-inch Tile Saw

RYOBI WS730 7-inch Tile Saw

Perfect for tiling projects in and around the house, the Ryobi WS730 tile saw includes a 7-inch diamond cutting wheel, wheel wrench, hex key, rip guide, bevel block, end of cut reminder, splash guard and operator’s manual. Ryobi has a motto: “Pro Features, Affordable Prices”. Since this is the first overhead motor tile saw to be offered at under $200 they’ve certainly seem to be delivering.

Hitachi NT65MA3 15 gauge nailer

Hitachi NT65MA3 15 Gauge Finish Nailer Review

With a nifty color scheme and futuristic styling, the Hitachi NT65MA3 2 1/2-Inch 15 Gauge Finish Nailer has the good looks to back up its strong performance and fancy features. With the 34 degree nail magazine, you will be able to get the head of this nail gun into the tightest corners. Don’t let its light weight of 4.4 lbs fool you either because it packs enough power to drive 2-1/2” finish nails into almost any material.

difference between cpvc and pex

Copper Piping vs PEX Tubing

Dealing with copper plumbing is a job I love to hate. Not because I don’t understand it. Not because I can’t accomplish the plumbing tasks that I set out to achieve in various projects. No, I hate dealing with copper because it’s unashamedly unpredictable.

delta unisaw table saw

Delta Unisaw Table Saw

Delta Machinery, which introduced the industry’s first and only 10-inch industrial cabinet saw with the Unisaw name in the 1930’s, announced that it has completely re-engineered and re-designed its flagship table saw from the ground up. One of the unique features of this new saw is the riving knife. A lever on the front of the saw can be pulled to instantly (and toollessly) drop the riving knife down for non-through (blind) cuts.You can even remove the riving knife as needed, simply by pulling it out.

Hitachi EC119SA air compressor

Hitachi EC119SA Air Compressor Review

The Hitachi EC119SA 4-Gallon Twin-Stack Air Compressor comes with many big compressor features in a compact and portable unit. With class leading power, this unit is ready for action. Featuring a powerful 2.5 HP induction motor that runs at 15 Amps which is coupled to a cast pump iron cylinder that has oversized bearing and is oil lubed.

DeWalt Heavy-Duty XRP hammerdrill

DeWalt Heavy-Duty XRP 1/2″ 18V Hammerdrill Kit Review DW988KA

The do-it-all portable drill that helped to define a market segment! For those big holes saws and auger bits… no problem! For drilling 3/4″ holes in concrete block… no problem! For driving in 1/4″ lag bolts… no problem! For taking the lug nuts off your 18-wheeler… OK, well it can’t do everything. The DeWalt DW988KA Heavy-Duty XRP 1/2″ 18V Hammerdrill / Drill / Driver is the tool for nearly any job. This drill comes with a high-torque motor, three-speed manual transmission, hammer drill setting, and a nifty removable side handle that can be added to the front and rotated 360 degrees to ensure you always have a comfortable grip and maintain control.

Ridgid MS1290LZA miter saw

Ridgid MS1290LZA Miter Saw Review

While other miter saws are playing at being tough, the Ridgid MS1290LZA 12-inch sliding compound miter saw takes a different approach. In fact, it takes the competition to task – with just the right blend of features and finesse. Case in point: show me another miter saw whose miter adjustments can be made with your pinky finger? Can’t find any? Welcome to Ridgid.

Ryobi RJ162VK Reciprocating Saw

Ryobi RJ162VK Reciprocating Saw Review

The Ryobi RJ162VK is a sensible 6.5 amp reciprocating saw that is perfect for the handyman or do-it-yourselfer who doesn’t require oodles of power and who isn’t planning on doing tons of demo work. Its very reasonable street price makes it one of the more handy “gotta-have-it” tools we recommend for anyone who plans on doing any type of projects around the home.