Who doesn’t like new hand tools? Well, today DeWalt just dropped the hammer (so to speak) and released a small line of brand new tools to market that includes over 100 new products. The list includes razor knives, adjustable pliers, wrenches, tape measures, various hammers, hand saws and even toolboxes. If you like your yellow-and-black, you just got an opportunity to add a whole lot more color to your tool arsenal. The only remaining question is whether or not these tools will be manufactured to the same standard of quality as the company’s power tools. In our experience it could go either way – but if they are going to longevity then we would like to think they did some serious front-end design work before China took over the manufacturing process. Supporting our optimism is Tracie Gildea, director of global brand marketing, who stated that the company’s new hand tools have been rigorously tested on jobsites across the country, incorporating feedback from the people who use these tools every day to earn a living. If that’s the case then we have reason to think they’ll do very well in the market.
DeWalt Hand Tools
Though there’s over 100 new hand tool products, several stood out (and to be honest, um, they are the ones we have photography for): a 15 oz Framing Hammer (DWHT51138), a 1-1/4″ 25-ft Short Tape (DWHT33385), a Tool Case (DWST24070), a Folding Retractable Razor Knife (DWHT10035) and a slew (that’s a technical term meaning “bunches”) of adjustable wrenches.
DeWalt is claiming that their framing hammer is the “world’s first 15 ounce all-steel MIG Weld framing hammer”. OK. That’s kinda like saying “this is the first plastic speed square assembled using super glue and a razor knife”. That is to say, there’s nothing particularly impressive about MIG-welded metal, nor is it particularly more (or less) durable. The hammer claims to be lightweight, but still capable of handling any wood framing application. As we’ve found with our titanium hammer reviews, weight isn’t a factor of a hammer’s ability to hit hard and drive nails quickly.
The new 25 ft tape measure is cool in that it uses a 3M thermoplastic film which is stuck to the first 6″ of the tape and is designed to help it last longer. It also has what looks to be a tough casing and even a rubber sliding lock that should be able to take a lot of drops without breaking. As always, “stand-out” is one of the key measures of a good tape (though there are other factors like “will it cut off my fingers when I slide against the sides?”). DeWalt’s tape measure claims 13 ft and also comes with an oversized end hook for catching onto just about any material easily.
The plastic tool case handles both hand tools as well as small accessories, so you can eaily store bits, nails, etc while not losing them in the chaos of a large open storage area. It also comes with a removable divider so you can store larger tools in the bottom, and smaller items up top.
The utility knife combines the convenience of a folding knife with the cutting performance of a traditional utility knife to create an all-in-one solution integral to any contractor.
Available in five sizes – 6″, 8″, 10″, 12″ and 15″ – the heavy-duty adjustable wrenches offer contractors a solution that can tackle nearly any professional wood framing, decking and plumbing applications. The adjustable wrenches are designed to offer durability for contractors so they can worry about the job and not the durability of the tools.
The new line of hand tools come with DeWalt’s limited lifetime warranty and will be available at The Home Depot as well as independent distributors beginning in June 2011. The 5 products listed above are expected to retail as follows: Folding Retractable Utility Knife ($9.99), 25 ft Short Tape ($24.99), Power Tool Case ($25.00), 15 oz Framing Hammer ($59.99), and Adjustable Wrenches ($10.99 – $34.99).
