Have you ever been using an orbital sander and all of a sudden you realize that you've gradually gotten to the point where you're putting about 90% of your body weight on it? It seems to happen to us all the time. We're not sure why, but it's our natural tendency to really lean into it. We know that it doesn't improve the efficiency of the tool, but we end up there anyway. Apparently we're not the only ones with this problem because Skil has recently released a new orbital with something called Pressure Control.
Pressure Control is some sort of warning system that lets you know when excessive pressure is being put on the tool. From the image, it looks like there are a number of warning lights, sort of like the Homeland Security threat level system. The sander probably makes some kind of noise too. Maybe an electrical pulse as well.
In all other respects, this looks like a regular old orbital; it has a vacuum attachment, a filtered bag, a nice grip, etc. It costs about $40 which sounds like a good price.
For most of us, a can of WD-40 is all we need. It acts as a lubricant, a penetrant, a cleaner, and, for some, a deodorant. It's sort of a 'one can fits all' product. But for those who are really into their lubes, sprays, and foams, or for those rare occasions when the WD just won't cut it, WD-40 (the company, not the product) has just released a line of eight specialized items geared toward the heavy-duty and the hardcore, and, thankfully for us, they sent us a few cans to check out.
The new products are:
Industrial Grade Silicone
Industrial Grade High-Performance PTFE Lubricant
Industrial Grade Dry Lube PTFE Formula
Industrial Grade Multi-Purpose Lubricant
Industrial Grade White Lithium Grease
Industrial Grade Contact Cleaner
Industrial Grade Penetrant
Industrial Grade Degreaser
Reviewing things like this isn't easy. It takes too long and is too tedious to rust a couple bolt/nut combos together just to test out the Blue Works Penetrant against the leading brand. So we just put the cans on the shelf and used them as needed. Of the products, we tested out the Penetrant, the De-Greaser, the White Lithium Grease, and the Silicone.
The one we ended up using the most was the silicone, which had no issues assisting us with a gummed up slider and a couple sticky windows, as well as a few stuck wrenches. The White Lithium Grease, we put right in the truck (our old boss once said, "every old truck needs a can of white lithium grease under the driver's seat), and the penetrant did actually help loosen a rusty nut.
We liked the products and the cans have a cool look about them. The Blue Works website has a boatload of information on each one, including the MSDS sheets and scientific-sounding test results that firmly establish their dominance against other brands. We take a lot of those types of manufacturer's tests with a grain of salt, but WD-40 has a great reputation, so even if their products aren't 50 times better than the competition, they're at least 5 times better.
So now when WD-40 isn't doing the job or you're looking for something a little more specialized, you now have a place to go.
There's a boatload more information (including the MSDS sheets) over at blueworksbrand.com
Our normal reviews go something like this: we find an interesting tool or get a press release on something new; then we query the manufacturer (or their PR company) and beg and plead that they send us a sample to test out; if they are kind enough to take pity on us and do so, it arrives at the shop and we spend a few weeks giving it the once over; we then sit down and write a Pulitzer-worthy review of said tool (making sure to comply with new FCC regulations and let you know that the tool came from the manufacturer). Well, this time it's different. We didn't just get our hands on our two Bosch Bulldogs, and we didn't get them from Bosch. We paid for them outright and to be honest, it's some of the best money that we've ever spent on any tools.
It's easy to review the precision or functionality of a tool, but when it comes to durability we usually combine 'general feel' with 'previous experience with that company's tools' and add in a few drop tests, and come to our conclusions. Here, that's not the case. We've had one of these tools for about five years and the other one (the dirty one) we had on an aggressively brutal jobsite for about 18 months. We can only say that these tools are phenomenal and that if you're thinking about getting one, just go ahead and do it. There were days when we treated these tools so poorly, you'd think that we hated them. They've been dropped, tossed, kicked, stepped on, and one of them was even lost in a snowbank for a short period of time. As far as tools go, they're like the paperboy from Better Off Dead; always there, ready to go, non-stop (minus the annoying voice).
In addition to the unreal durability, there's the power/size ratio which, in our eyes is perfect. If you're a carpenter, you really don't need some massive hammer drill, but you still want the ability to chip concrete and spend a day driving tap-cons. This tool does all that, and it doesn't take up that much room in the back of the van.
They cost around $200 and there are a couple different versions with different handles and features, but they've all got the same ass-kicking quotient.
First off, January 2010 is not the first month of a new decade, it's the first month of the last year of the current decade. So there's no 'dawn of a new era' vibe going on with this post. And it's going to be another year before we do any kind of mega-retrospective.
Our Tool of the Month is actually a book. The more we think about it, Insulate and Weatherize should be on the shelf of anyone who is even remotely curious about their house. It's not only very informative, but it is very engaging, which is quite a compliment about it book on insulating.
If you look in any carpenter's tool bag, there's likely to be something in there made by Channellock. The reason for this popularity is that most people are in the know that the company is one of the premier manufacturers of gripping, grabbing, and holding hand tools. We have a few of their tools kicking around; one in the tool bag, two or three in the shop, and (we think) one under the passenger seat of the truck. They're reliable and durable and that's really all we ask for out of a hand tool. So when Channellock sent us their new 6.5" V-Jaw pliers, we figured there was a good chance that we were going to like them. And, not surprisingly, we did.
What Channellock has done is miniaturized their popular V-Jaw pliers to make it easier to handle smaller round stock; things like 1/2" copper and small diameter PVC. That's all fine and it does work nicely for those uses (it's a perfect fit for 1/2" stock actually), but coming from a carpenter's perspective, and not a plumber's, we also found other good uses for it. In the past couple weeks, the 6.5" pliers helped us pull nails, fish a hard-to-get wire from a wall, and handle a sharp metal edge on a chimney liner. It wasn't long before we moved its status up to one of the coveted exterior pockets on our tool bag.
In our opinion, everyone needs at least one pair of pliers (and honestly, three or four extras don't hurt). For your first set, get the regular, big old kind that everybody has, but if you find yourself having a hard time with smaller materials or you just want some variety in your tool chest, the 6.5" Channellocks should be at the top of your list.
They're also made in America (Meadeville, PA) which is nice.
The little pliers cost around $13, a fine price for a high quality hand tool like this.
The publishing company Oxmoor House is recalling a number of electrical how-to books due to the fact that they contain, "errors in the technical diagrams and wiring instructions that could lead consumers to incorrectly install or repair electrical wiring, posing an electrical shock or fire hazard to consumers." There's no more information available as to exactly which drawings contain the bad advice, which is too bad because some of these books have been on the shelves since 1975. Thankfully though, there have been no injuries resulting from the errors.
One of the books, Complete Home Wiring, is sitting on our desk right now. We even reviewed it way back in the first month of this site's existence. In that review, we applauded the book for its, "helpful pictures and charts." Apparently what we should have written was, 'deadly pictures and charts."
If you have one of the books, listed below, you are to visit www.sunsetrecall.com for instructions on how to return it for a full refund.
An article on the recall is here, the recall press release is here, and, again, if you have one of the books, go here to return it.
The books are:
AmeriSpec Home Repair Handbook
Lowe's Complete Home Improvement and Repair
Lowe's Complete Home Wiring
Sunset Basic Home Repairs
Sunset Complete Home Wiring
Sunset Complete Patio Book
Sunset Home Repair Handbook
Sunset Water Gardens
Sunset You Can Build -- Wiring
A big thanks to reader Dar for bringing this to our attention.
Nothing is quite like the dust produced when you sand joint compound. We can say without hesitation that we loath it. It gets on our clothes, in our hair, up our nose. Everywhere. And then someone comes along and pats you on the shoulder and all of a sudden it looks like a bag of flour exploded. The stuff is wretched, and that's why we're in favor of tools like Goldblatt's Dust-Free Hand Sander.
It looks like this kit comes with a sanding pad, a hose, and a few couplings for the various vacuums out there. Obviously it's not just for joint compound, it can be used for wood as well, but it's with the drywall tasks where we would find the best use for it.
The whole kit costs a whisker over $20, which is nothing compared to what you'll save on laundry detergent, shampoo and cans of Endust.
If you read the site with any regularity, you know that our 1915 farmhouse has some insulation issues. And when we say 'insulation issues,' what we really mean is that large portions of it simply aren't insulated at all. Over the past few months we've been trying to tighten things up, but our efforts have been a bit random and unfocused. Thankfully, though, Taunton recently sent us a copy of Insulate and Weatherize which we immediately read cover to cover. The bad news is that our situation is way worse than we thought, but the good news is that we now have an informed and comprehensive plan of attack.
It's tough to characterize what's in this book, but it goes way beyond insulating and weatherizing. The best way we can explain it is that it's a complete guide to efficiently conditioning the air and water within the four walls of your house. The book takes you through all of the major areas of your house (attic, basement, living space) as well as all of the major systems (water, heating, cooling) and describes every possible way that heat can be lost as well as how to contain that heat. The whole time it's a great split between hands-on tutorials and big-picture thinking. If you want to know the best way to insulate the ceiling of your basement, it's in there, but if you're just looking to understand how heat transfers from one material to another, it's also in there.
So when you read the title of this book, don't think that it's all 'R-values' and 'rigid vs fiberglass.' It's not. It's much, much more and anyone looking for a deeper knowledge of the way that their house works would be well served to read it.
And if you're one of those people, like us, who loves leaky, drafty old houses, this book will become an essential part of your library.
Since the Tool Snob travel budget only covers trips to the liquor store, we couldn't make it to this year's International Builder's Show out in Vegas. Thankfully, though, the Sears Blue Tool Crew is there with video cameras and they'll be releasing videos of the event in the upcoming days. So far there are three, one of which is an introduction, and the other two talk exclusively about (you'll never guess) Craftsman Tools. According to their Sears, they are going to branch out into other brands in the upcoming videos. But as far as the Craftsman tools go, there are some interesting items featured in the video, including the MiterMate (which we're currently testing out and so far have A LOT of thoughts on, our review will be up soon) and the Versatrack storage system. Actually, it's funny but with all the big budget items on display, one thing that really caught our eye was the Edge Utility Cutter, which is a set of snips that uses a standard utility blade.
So check out the videos here and make sure to check back throughout the week for more.
We just saw that Lowe's has a nice selection of how-tos over at their site. A lot of the times, these things are really basic and pretty uninteresting, but the projects at Lowe's range from simple (build a sandbox) to complex (installing wall tile and dividing a room). Along with the hand's on knowledge, there are also some nice articles like Understanding Heat Transfer and Choosing a Color Scheme.
It's amazing how much mileage Dremel has gotten out of the rotary tool. Each year seems to bring a new and improved version each with significant advancements over the previous models. The company would be deemed completely insane if it weren't for the fact that each tool really is that much better than the last. So it's not like these guys are coasting on a single tool (well, they sort of coasted on the Golf Cleaning Kit), instead they're seemingly on some sort of frenzied quest to create the perfect rotary tool.
Late last year they released the 4000 corded rotary tool (our review here), which suprised us with its jobsite-ready power (we used it yesterday, in fact). So if 2009 was the year of the corded upgrade, 2010 must be the year of the cordless. Which brings us to the new 8200.
It appears that the 8200 is the companion cordless to the 4000. The removable nose has the same look as the corded version and the new tool can handle all of the Dremel accessories, including the new detailer's grip and the sanding guide.
The 8200 is powered by a removable 12-volt li-ion battery that, according to Dremel, gives the tool a speed of cut that's twice as fast as any other cordless rotary tool out there. The battery recharges in 1-hour.
The 8200 will be available in April and will range from $100 to $140, depending on the kit.
We just checked out the Artillery Tools website and saw that it has gotten a much needed facelift. The new site is a lot easier to navigate and has a nice product page, making it easy to build your own destruction bar. They also sell pre-assembled bars or complete sets.
If you're in the market for a high-quality demo bar, we recommend looking at the Artillery. It's a small company built solely on the enthusiasm and determination of founder/inventor Joe Skach. If you call to place an order, it's likely Joe will be the one answering the phone.
The new Grizzly catalog showed up the other day brightening up an otherwise cold and gray week. It's currently sitting on our desk and in about a week it will migrate to the nearest bathroom where it will likely spend the year.
If you've never looked through one of these things, you're missing out big time. This year's offering is a full 675 pages of tools, accessories, milling machines, router bits, guitar making materials and every other tool related item under the sun. The prices are generally good and there are some real steals with the Grizzly tools.
The crazy part is that the catalogs are free. All you have to do to get one is go here and sign up.
We were just wandering around the interweb and saw that Arbortech, makers of the fantastic Mini-Grinder and Power Chisel have a number of project plans posted up on their site. Of course, the plans are geared toward their unique woodworking tools, but they could also be completed with traditional tools as well. We tend to like these kinds of presentations and Arbortech's project selection goes beyond the standard "spice rack" variety and into territory that's a little more unusual.
Some of the plans are in .pdf format and some are videos on youtube, like this one...
Skil 5" Random Orbit Sander with Pressure Control
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