Recommended Tools and Materials
As a handyman I use a variety of tools and materials to complete customer projects everyday. Here I've compiled a list of those tools and materials in an effort to provide you with reviews and recommendations. I hope you find these reviews helpful with your next project. Please free to e-mail me from the contact page if you have any questions, or if you are in need of a recommendation.
Pro's: Durable go-to cordless drill. Feel solid and well balanced in hand. Good battery life. 20v Lithium battery is small, and charges quickly.
Con's: Occasionally the jaw jams. Magnetic bit holders are a nice idea, but impractical when maneuvering the drill in tight spaces.
Pro's: Solid powder coated table top. Nice straight cutting with easy to move table stop. Good table saw for someone who uses this tool once or twice a month. Very reasonably priced.
Con's: Legs do not fold up. Rubber stops on legs commonly fall off. Lacks power for large hardwood cuts.
Pro's: The Standard in Miter Saws. Solid aluminum base and backstop. Easy the maneuver for angled cuts.
Con's: Expensive blades. Washer that hold blade into place can wear down and need replaced.
Pro's: Easy to apply. Self leveling. Durable long-lasting shiny finish.
Con's: Strong epoxy smell while installing, need to install with adequate ventilation and breathing mask.
Pro's: Well built, feels good in hand. Slip resistant TPE over-mold for easy handling. Blade fits where other saws cannot fit. Tool can be used as a multi-purpose cutting tool, power sander, and grout remover.
Con's: Blades wear down quickly when cutting abrasive materials like drywall. Blades and grout removing tools can be expensive.
Pro's: Keeps dust down by filling tray with water. Works well with small and large tile. Cuts straight using an adjustable locking straight edge.
Con's: Lacks power at times. Blade will stall if tile is not cut perfectly straight.
Pro's: High speed RPM's insure a clean cut. Comes with commonly used bits. Easy to adjust for different heights of cuts.
Con's: Large and bulky, makes it difficult to menuevre when routing small items.
Pro's: Saw is well balanced and cuts extremely well. Good for large tile if you don't want to invest in a wet table tile saw. Reasonably priced if you do not do a lot of tile, but need to make cuts that a traditional tile cutter can't handle.
Con's: Produces a large amount of dust.
Pro's: Affordable entry level saw. Light and durable build. Straight edge stays in place when pressure is applied to the cut.
Con's: Lacks power when cutting hardwoods.
Pro's: Lot's of power, cuts both wood and steel with ease, solid construction/virtually indestructible, adjusts for fine or rough cuts.
Con's: Blades tend to flex if cutting thick wood, blades sometime come out of chuck.
Pro's: Great saw for demolition or difficult to reach areas, works great on wood and metal, lots of power.
Con's: Battery has a short life and extremely long charge (Battery operated version only)
Pro's: Lot's of power, powerful enough to blast through thick paint finishes, will not stall out no matter how much pressure you apply.
Con's: Can leave small circular marks that are difficult to get out, sandpaper loads quickly when removing paint.