OK, it's official. We're totally inundated in levels. It feels like this is the 50th one we've reviewed this year, and it's getting tough to come up with interesting things to say. This one, made by Swanson, is the torpedo version of their Lightning Level that we reviewed a while back.
This one has all of the same features; an aluminum body, a little button that lights up the vials and a timed shut-off (10 minutes), so you won't drain your battery dead the first time you leave it on in your tool bag. It also has a groove along the top, so you can work with pipes.
We generally liked the larger version, but feel that the technology is actually more practical in the smaller format. A lighted 2' level is OK, but how often are you going to be using a 2' level in the dark? A torpedo, on the other hand, gets used in wall cavities, under sinks, in crawl spaces, and plenty of other areas where visibility blows.
We used it a bunch at the site and we liked it quite a bit. So yeah, this one falls in the positive side of the ledger book. It's going to cost about $25.
So there you have it, yet another review of a torpedo level! Huzzah!
This is what's left of The White Cottage, my childhood ice cream stand. It was whacked on the forehead by Irene this past Sunday. When I was little I'd go there with my family and after devouring a vanilla soft serve cone, I'd run down the hillside so I could throw rocks in the lazy river that gurgled along behind it. That lazy river seems to have gotten the last laugh.
One of our homies deep inside the tool world just gave us a tip on the Rolair JC10. It's a small 1HP, 2-1/2 gallon compressor which is no big deal, but the fact that it's the quietest compressor we've ever heard warrants a little publicity.
If you're familiar with compressors (and if you're reading this website, it's likely that you are), you've got to check out this video. It's like the thing is whispering. As the video proves, it also has some stones too, which is always good. While the small compressors are ideal for finish nailers and pinners, it's nice if you can partner one with a framer if you need to.
Channellock, known specifically for things like pliers and wrenches have recently made a leap and expanded their line to include levels. Their first release in this area consists of three torpedo levels. One of each of them showed up on the doorstep, courtesy of Channellock, and we brought them to the site and handed them out in order to get some feedback. Here's what we got....
There are a couple of ways to scribe something. Most people seem to use dividers, but we gave those up years ago in favor of any little scrap of wood that's handy. M.Power has a new method and it's a really clever idea. Best of all, it's called the "Perfect Butt," so we can't wait to see what kind of perverts google sends our way after posting this one up. M.Power sent us a sample so we could check out the item ourselves.
Floor squeaks are the last thing a client wants to hear after shelling out the big bucks for a new home or a renovation. It may sound like a squeak to you, but what your client is actually hearing is, "...the contractor is a dumbass..." Don't be that dumbass.
Squeaks are usually the product of a nail rubbing against wood. Wood, as our old boss used to say, is "a terrible building material; it shrinks, it rots, it expands, it warps, it splits," and on and on (after a glass of tequila, the rant could go on for a solid ten minutes) and one of the byproducts of this lack of structural integrity is the squeak.
Seems like more often than not, the squeak comes from the subfloor installation. There are a few ways to prevent the terrible noises at installation; A) smear PL or Liquid Nail all over the joists before nailing off the subfloor or B) screwing down the subfloor. Both methods are sort of time consuming and using construction adhesive adds a significant mess factor.
Paslode's new TetraGrip Subfloor Fastening System aims at being the fastest kid on the block (as well as the strongest). The basics of it are that it's a nailgun that shoots a special (and we mean 'special') nail that truly locks the subfloor down to the joists.
We picked a winner in the Duo-Fast roofing nailer contest. It was Anthony who said that...
"An unnecessary airhose on a roof is as dangerous as a guy I used to
work with who demolished a roof by cutting through the rafters and then
jumped on the roof. He also shot himself in the ankle with a framing
gun."
Sounds like an awesome guy. The other day, we heard a story about a guy who accidentally nailed his wallet to his ass with a framing gun. Funny people to talk about. Lousy people to work with.
So We've got another Duo-Fast to give away. The rules are the same: Leave a comment at this site to enter and increase your chances of winning by 'liking' the Duo-Fast Facebook page (that gives you five additional entries).
So this time, finish this sentence:
"Roofing is as brutal as...."
Seriously, we think roofing is totally brutal. It's brutal on your clothes, your legs, your back, and your hydration. The way we see it there are about five day each year when the weather is OK for roofing. The rest of the time it's either too cold, too hot, or it's raining. So tell us how brutal you think roofing is and you might win a slick Duo-Fast nailer.
Our go-to on painting gloves are those latex ones that you can get in a box of 100. They're great as far as keeping your hands clean, but it's pretty wasteful to be constantly throwing them away (once they come off the hands, they ain't going back on). Recently, we were staring down the barrel of a complex staining/dyeing/shellacking/poly-ing process and we wanted to use a glove that would be a little more durable in the long run. Then we remembered that a couple months ago 3M sent us a pair of their TEKK painter gloves. So we gave them a shot. Here's what we thought....
Our pals at Duo-Fast are handing over a few of their Cordless Roofing Nailers for us to off load onto you guys. If you're unfamiliar with the tool, it's the first legit cordless roofing nailer on the market. This cordless action is good for a lot of reasons, chief among them is the lack of a compressor setup and no air hoses to deal with once you're up on the roof.
Because it can only shoot about 2 nails per second (far slower than a pneumatic-powered roofing crew is used to), the Duo-Fast is meant for small job, and repairs. So it's good for the pro roofer and if you're part of the DIY crowd, it'll probably be the only roofing gun you'll ever need.
We're going to accentuate the cordless nature of the tool, so to enter to win you only need to leave a comment at this post finishing this sentence, "An unnecessary airhose on the roof is as dangerous as..."
If you're drawing a blank, here are a few to get the creative juices flowing:
...applying ammonia-based shellac in a room with the windows closed (trust us on this one)...?
...the guy I used to work with who wrapped wire around his circ saw so the blade guard couldn't close (true story!)....?
...a neck-height tripwire on the bike path....?
Also, if you 'like' Duo-Fast on Facebook, we'll enter your name five additional times in the drawing.
In a week we'll announce a winner and at that time, we'll cook up another ridiculous way to win the second gun.
Duo-Fast has info on the tool here and our original write-up of it is here.
The gun has a retail in the $500 range, so if you judge by price alone, this is a pretty sweet prize.
Husqvarna has gone and snagged the greatest domain name since HampsterDance.com and established AnswerArmy, an online help desk for all of their associated brands. This means there's info on Husqvarna, Poulan, Poulan Pro, Weed Eater, and McCulloch.
We roamed around on the site for a bit and it's nicely organized and looks like it has some good information on it. In their press release, Husqvarna states that,
The "Army" is virtually staffed by Husqvarna product experts with over 500 collective years of category experience, who verify that all answers are accurate and correct.
We love statements like this because we always immediately imagine a 500-year-old fossil checking all of the answers.
Ralph A: This would have come in handy the last time I read more Richard K: Trying to replace the old interior door between my garage read more Kevin: me too. I'm my own worst enemy, as much as read more jeff_williams: I'm totally with you. Loathe painting, especially ceilings. Good to read more Jack Elliott: I have had my master bathrolm apart for the better read more
Swanson Savage Lighted Torpedo Level - Review
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