Monthly Roundup
March 1, 2010
February 2010 Monthly Roundup for Tool Snob
Another good month is in the bag here. Between watching the Olympics and trying to wrap up a project at work, we managed to deliver some tool news and reviews. In our opinion, the most interesting things going on this month were the Rockwell H3, the Rockwell VersaCut, and the Ridgid JobMax.
The Tool of the Month has to be the Craftsman MiterMate. While it's a little awkward to use in certain circumstances, it shows Craftsman's willingness to take risks and at the same time add a little spice to the boring old miter saw. Also, we'll be announcing the winners of our MiterMate giveaway later this week. Oh, and make sure to check out InspectApedia if you have any curiosity about how your house works.
Tool of the Month
Air Tools
All Reviews
Bits and Blades
Cordless
Demolition Tools
Distractions
Glues and Adhesives
Guides
Hand Tools
Lithium-Ion
Monthly Roundup
Oscillating Tools
Power Tool Accessories
Power Tools
Promotions
Repair and Service
Sanding
February 2, 2010
January 2010 Monthly Roundup for Tool Snob
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.
Tool of the Month
All Reviews
Bits and Blades
Books
Cordless
Demolition Tools
Hand Tools
How-To
Lithium-Ion
Monthly Roundup
Oscillating Tools
Our House
Power Tools
Promotions
Radios
Recalls
Sanding
January 4, 2010
December 2009 Monthly Roundup for Tool Snob
This post puts a cap, not only on December, but 2009 as well. It was a good year, filled with all sorts of interesting things, which we're trying to get to in a post later this week. But for now, let's take a look back at the final month of '09.
December's Tool of the Month is Fein's orbital attachment for the MultiMaster. We liked it, not only because of its functionality (right up there with a traditional orbital), but also because it proves that Fein isn't just going to coast along on the notoriety of their great oscillating tool.
And speaking of oscillating tools, we put together a chart on which accessories fit which tools. That's here.
Tool of the Month
All Reviews
Bits and Blades
Cordless
Distractions
Glues and Adhesives
Hand Tools
Lithium-Ion
Monthly Roundup
Oscillating Tools
Our House
Power Tool Accessories
Power Tools
Promotions
Sanding
Sharpening
Work Lights
December 1, 2009
November 2009 Monthly Roundup for Tool Snob
Well the first blast of the holiday shopping season is over (so far no casualties!). If your bank account hasn't been completely depleted by Kindles , Wiis, and Bananagrams, and you've got a DIYer on your list, we've put together our annual gift guide.
In other November news, the Tool of the Month is a hand's down Dremel 4000. Each time we use it, we're more impressed with it. Check out our review here.
We're also currently giving away five Black & Decker Ready Wrenches. To enter the contest, you just have to leave a comment at the post. Pretty simple. Even a chimp could do it. More information is here.
Tool of the Month
Air Tools
All Reviews
Benches, Stands, and Storage
Cordless
Distractions
Guides
Lawn/Garden
Lithium-Ion
Measuring & Marking
Monthly Roundup
Power Tool Accessories
Power Tools
Promotions
Repair and Service
Routers
Sanding
Tool News
November 2, 2009
October 2009 Monthly Roundup for Tool Snob
Moving into a new house made for a busy October for us. But still with all the chaos, we managed to review a number of new tools. Of the four that we looked at, we're going to give the Tool of the Month to the Craftsman Multi-Tool. Like we said in our review, it really blew the doors off our expectations with a few nice innovations. That said, the CH Compressor, the Delta Blades, and the DeWalt Distance Measurer are all nice tools as well.
October also saw the debut of MyFixItUpLife, a new DIY radio show that's on every Saturday and is available for download here.
Stay tuned in November for reviews of the new Dremel 4000, some interesting new DAP products, a number of leaf blowing products, and more.
Tool of the Month
Air Tools
All Reviews
Bits and Blades
Cordless
Distractions
Lawn/Garden
Lithium-Ion
Measuring & Marking
Monthly Roundup
Oscillating Tools
Power Tools
Promotions
Radios
Tool News
October 5, 2009
September 2009 Monthly Roundup for Tool Snob
This month we reviewed Bosch's great Impactor Impact Driver, a cool carbide knife from Striker and the iRobot Roomba, which completely blew the doors off the place and gets the big old Tool of the Month Award. They're expensive, but the amount of time they save you is beyond charting.
Like we said in our earlier post, things should be back to normal soon. Which is good, because we're starting to get a good sized pile of tools back-logged, waiting to be reviewed.
Tool of the Month
All Reviews
Books
Cordless
Distractions
Guides
Hand Tools
Lithium-Ion
Magazines
Measuring & Marking
Monthly Roundup
Oscillating Tools
Power Tools
Tool News
Vacuums
Work Lights
September 1, 2009
August 2009 Monthly Roundup for ToolSnob
Aside from getting a new pair of boots, August was a relatively quiet month. We even took a few days off from the site to work on the house (more on that in the coming month). But still, we managed to test out a few tools in the broiling heat and of those, the Craftsman Propane Trimmer was the one we liked the most. We're currently testing out a number of interesting tools (including some attachments to the trimmer), so we hope to have some nice reviews up in September. But in the mean time, here's your chance to peruse the glory that was Tool Snob in August...
Tool of the Month
All Reviews
Benches, Stands, and Storage
Bits and Blades
Books
Building Materials
Clothing
Cordless
Demolition Tools
Distractions
Glues and Adhesives
Guides
Hand Tools
Lawn/Garden
Levels
Lithium-Ion
Measuring & Marking
Monthly Roundup
Painting
Power Tool Accessories
Power Tools
Promotions
Safety
Sanding
Tool News
Work Lights
August 1, 2009
July 2009 Monthly Roundup for Tool Snob
While we admittedly blew off a lot of last week, we cranked during the other three. At the beginning of the month we were looking at a pretty large back log of tools to review, but now we're only looking at a few (which you'll be seeing in the next week or so).
But of the seven items we reviewed, singling one out for the tool of the month is a difficult task. We really liked the EZY Hang Door Lifter, the Bosch DareDevil bits are fantastic, and both the LogJaws and the CH Nailer have their high points, but the big prize has to go to the Milwaukee 12-Volt Power Port for the simple fact that it has now saved our ass on more than one occasion. Worrying about the charge on our cell phone is now a thing of the past as long as we have this little guy tucked behind the driver's seat.
We also want to thank everyone who chimed in on the Chippewa/Red Wings conversation. Reader Greg was the winner of the random drawing, but all of the comments were very helpful. We've been leaning towards the Red Wing 406s, and PutnamEco's comment may have pushed us over the edge. Thanks guys.
Tool of the Month
All Reviews
Air Tools
Benches, Stands, and Storage
Bits and Blades
Clothing
Cordless
Distractions
Glues and Adhesives
Hand Tools
Lithium-Ion
Magazines
Measuring & Marking
Monthly Roundup
Painting
Power Tool Accessories
Promotions
Safety
Sanding
Sharpening
Tool News
Work Lights
July 2, 2009
June 2009 Monthly Roundup for Tool Snob
June was good to us here. We got to go out to the Milwaukee HQ and check out all of their new items due out this year. Our impressions of the event are here. We also ran a couple contests (more of that on the way) and we were able to review a few new items. On that topic, the best of the bunch and the tool of the month is the Wagner TurboRoll. It was something that we initially chuckled at, but once we got to using it, we were quite impressed. If you've got some big summer painting projects, we think you should look into it.
We already have a handful of review half-written for July and a few new items just showed up today, so keep checking back for those.
Tool of the Month
All Reviews
Air Tools
Benches, Stands, and Storage
Bits and Blades
Books
Building Materials
Clothing
Cordless
Distractions
Guides
Hand Tools
Lithium-Ion
Measuring & Marking
Monthly Roundup
Painting
Plumbing
Power Tool Accessories
June 1, 2009
May 2009 Monthly Roundup for Tool Snob
So your deck is half framed. You were hoping to get it done by the end of the month so you could enjoy it all summer, but you found that rot in the sill and it set you back a week or two. And then there's the mere fact of finding the time after work to go to the lumber yard for the screws you need, then home to set up your tools and figure out where you left things off. Sometimes it's not easy, but you have to do it or you feel, well, lame. We understand and can offer only encouragement and possibly a tip on a tool that might make things easier for you. Good luck.
Not much reviewing done in May, only the Gorilla Expoy and the Easy Chamfer. So we're going to hand the coveted Tool of the Month to the Easy Chamfer, mostly due to the fact that it looks like some kind of Pokemon weapon.
Tool of the Month
Air Tools
All Reviews
Cordless
Demolition Tools
Distractions
Glues and Adhesives
Guides
Hand Tools
How-To
Levels
Lithium-Ion
Monthly Roundup
Plumbing
Power Tool Accessories
Power Tools
Promotions
Tool News
May 4, 2009
April 2009 Monthly Roundup for Tool Snob
After hardly reviewing anything in March, we came back strong in April with a number of product reviews ranging from knives to pencils to brad guns. But of everything we played around with this month, nothing tops the Nail Jack Nail Hunter. Pulling nails is torture and the unique design of this tool takes a lot of that pain away. Basically, we loved it and now find ourselves using it all the time. In a related post, we also covered the story of Nail Jack's attempts to buy up the Irwin factory in Nebraska here.
April also saw the release of Bosch's impressive new line of nail guns. We have some information on that here.
We've got a lot piled up on the desk for May. There's a funky new caulking gun, possibly a tool giveaway, and one of the strangest items we've ever seen courtesy of our inventor friend in Australia. Stay tuned.
Tool of the Month
Air Tools
All Reviews
Benches, Stands, and Storage
Bits and Blades
Cordless
Demolition Tools
Distractions
Guides
Hand Tools
Lawn/Garden
Lithium-Ion
Measuring & Marking
Monthly Roundup
Painting
Plumbing
Power Tools
Promotions
Safety
Sanding
Snow Removal
Tool News
April 1, 2009
March 2009 Monthly Roundup for Tool Snob
After February's Reviewapalooza, we took it down a few notches and only ended up reviewing one single tool this month, and even that only happened a few days ago. While we're a bit embarrassed by the lack of reviews, it does make choosing the Tool of the Month quite a bit easier. This month the award goes to (wait for it....wait for it....) Striker's Folding Utility Knife! Congratulations knife, you just won a one-person race! In actuality, it's a nice knife and would have at least been a contender no matter what it went up against.
We're looking to get to some more reviews this month (the tools are starting to pile up a bit), so stay tuned for our thoughts on a selection of knives, demo bars, brad guns, and on and on....
There are also only a few days left to enter to win the $200 Home Depot gift card that we're giving away in a random drawing next Monday. Details here.
Tool of the Month
Air Tools
All Reviews
Benches, Stands, and Storage
Cordless
Demolition Tools
Distractions
Fasteners
Glues and Adhesives
Guides
Hand Tools
Lawn/Garden
Lithium-Ion
Painting
Power Tool Accessories
Power Tools
Promotions
Repair and Service
Safety
Tool News
Work Lights
March 2, 2009
Februrary 2009 Monthly Round Up for Tool Snob
During the course of most months, we review one, two, maybe three products, if we're lucky. This past month, the shortest of the year, we reviewed eight new products. That's one review every 3.5 days, or to put it in clearer terms: one review every 302,400 seconds. We looked at everything from a new recip saw blade to an interesting little flashlight (and let us not forget the Spout Popper!). Of all the products we looked at though, the HK1 Hydrokinetic Wrench stood out on the merits of its usefulness and innovation, and for those reasons it's the February Tool of the Month.
We also celebrated our two year anniversary on the 19th, and to mark the event wrote up a little retrospective (here), collecting some of the more interesting items we've posted during our tenure.
In the coming month look for reviews of two new utility knifes, the new Cadex brad nailer, and an intriguing new carpenter's pencil (could it be better than the SuperPencil?). But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, here's a look back at February...
Tool of the Month
All Reviews
Benches, Stands, and Storage
Bits and Blades
Cordless
Distractions
Glues and Adhesives
Hand Tools
Lithium-Ion
Magazines
Measuring & Marking
Monthly Roundup
Oscillating Tools
Painting
Power Tools
Promotions
Tool News
Work Lights
February 2, 2009
January 2009 Monthly Round Up for Tool Snob
Other than the relentless snow blowing, we had a very good January around here. Keeping the driveway clear makes us sympathize with Sisyphus and his big, dumb boulder. Each time we chip away the last bit of ice, we look up and see the first flakes of the next storm.
As far as tools go, we reviewed a bunch of interesting ones this month, including the Rockwell Jawhorse, Gorilla's new Super Glue, and the Craftsman Auto Hammer. But even against these tough competitors, our tool of the month this time around is going to the one-two punch of the Arbortech Mini-Grinder and Power Chisel. Taken alone, each of these tools is a wonderful addition to anyone's shop (particularly those interested in wood carving), but when looked at together, they make a very complimentary duo. One chisels, the other grinds, both with amazing precision and strength. We loved these tools when we wrote about them and since then we've kept using them and have only found more and more uses for them.
Tool(s) of the Month
All Reviews
Benches, Stands, and Storage
Building Materials
Cordless
Distractions
Glues and Adhesives
Guides
Hand Tools
Lithium-Ion
Monthly Roundup
Oscillating Tools
Power Tool Accessories
Power Tools
Promotions
Snow Removal
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Craftsman 10" MiterMate - Review
