This Ryobi drill was cheap ($$).  Unfortunately, it is cheap (quality).  The battery charger is slow, the life of the battery is poor, and the power is just not there.

Ryobi does an excellent job and getting into the entry-level market and some of my experiences with their tools have been favorable, but not this one.  The drill was inadequate in every regard for a woodworking shop or serious DIYer.  And with the unreliable battery, I didn’t even feel comfortable giving it to my wife.

Maybe if the battery had been better would I rate it better, but it is what it is.

What’s Included:

The drill, a 7.2v rechargeable battery, and a simple plug-n-wire slow charger.

Ryobi, the company (link):

Directly from their website:

Ryobi Limited is a worldwide manufacturer of die castings, printing equipment, power tools and builders’ hardware, with group companies in Japan as well as the United States, Europe and China.

Design & Use:

This entry-level cordless drill is aimed at the infrequent home user rather than the woodworker or DIYer.  The overall design is impressive at the price point, and the finish is excellent.  Ryobi is good at tool design and usually puts the “little” features in their tools that some of the other companies just miss.

Unfortunately use was limited by the battery life.  Under normal use in my shop I was lucky to get 10 minutes of use before the drill could hardly turn.  From there you’d be looking at hours before the battery was ready again … unrealistic.

Purchasing Advice:

Spend a couple more bucks on something else.

Images:

Top View

Side View

The Trigger

The Chuck

The Battery (bottom)

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Short and sweet … this razor knife holds not one, but two razors on each end.  Both can be standard razors so that when one gets dull you don’t miss a beat and just “flip” to the other side.  Or, each end can hold a different type of blade — one end a standard blades, and the other end a curved blade.

Anything that helps me work safer, and quicker, seems like a good thing to me.  This tool accomplishes both of those and is built well to handle the rugged environment a razor knife will usually be exposed to.  Thumbs up to the “Flip Knife”.

What’s Included:

Besides the plastic marketing package … you’ll get the Flip Knife along with one straight blade and one curved blade.

CH Hanson, the company (link):

Directly from their website:

Headquartered near Chicago, Illinois, the C. H. Hanson Company has been a family-owned and managed operation since 1866. The company has demonstrated throughout its history, the ability to innovate both products and merchandising methods.

C. H. Hanson is quick to respond to changing market needs with new products, new merchandising and new packaging. The company is strategically focused on significant product expansion through partnerships with the end-user to create tools that make job site tasks easier, faster, and safer.

Design & Use:

What don’t you use a razor knife for?  Honestly, I pick mine up most every day and go through blades faster than cereal — or so it seems.  At this point I own about five razor knives.  Not because I have to, but because I always seem to temporarily lose the one when I need it, and thus decided to keep a couple more than necessary around the house.

A razor knife can be used to cut carpet, paper, plastic, thin metals, … you name it.  At its most basic form a razor knife is a handle for a razor blade that keeps the your hands and fingers away from the blade, and makes it more manageable to use for any period of time.

The Flip Knife has a couple of good things going for it.  (1) It can hold two blades of the same type, or different types, (2) the blade changes are as easy as it gets, and (3) it incorporates simple safety features to help protect the user (for example, you cannot expose the blades on both ends at the same time).

The not-so-good things really have nothing do with the knife itself, but rather a bit of personal preference.  (1) The packaging is that horrible, indestructible plastic that is sealed on every side and nearly impossible to get into and (2) it only comes with two blades.  As I see it the packaging should be easier to open — in fact, I had to get another razor knife just to open this razor knife.  As for the blades, I think it would be a common courtesy if a small package of blades were included so that a first-time buyer wouldn’t get stuck at home with only the two included blades and have to make a return trip to the hardware store.

WARNING: Cutting seems to be the most common type of injury in the shop.  The damage is often done with razors, utility knives, or scissors due to improper use.  So be careful when using these tools.  They don’t have a motor, don’t cost a ton of money and are in every household … but trust me, then will still hurt you just as badly.

Purchasing Advice:

If you use a razor knife frequently, then the Flip Knife should be on your radar.  You’ll benefit from the two blades ready to go at a moments notice — so much so that the tool will probably pay for itself in time savings on the first job.

If you are an occasional user, or in the market for a razor knife … why not.  There are many options out there from cheapo imports to higher end gimmick designs.  You could go for either, but why when you can land in the middle with a solid, safe, two-blade system.

Images:

The Package

Having to use one razor knife to get to the other …

Curved Blade Installed

Straight Knife Installed

Quick and easy blade changes without opening the unit

The red button is the quick release for the blade

Size comparison to a regular razor knife

One lacking feature the Flip Knife is missing that was found on another knife I own is the on-board quick access blade storage … which is really nice.

Luckily the Flip Knife didn’t get into all of the gimmicks though … like this near useless measuring tape on another razor knife I own.

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Well, I have some good news for you. Regardless of whether you have or are going to purchase a table saw, one thing I do know.

You need to get yourself a Wixley digital Protractor and a Wixley digital angle meter. These two items turn even an El Cheapo table saw (like my 15 yr old Craftsman) into a precision cutting tool!

Once you have one each of these gauges, you can forget about the tiny gaps in your joints because the miter guage or the blade angle were off a little bit. These are turning out to be some of the most valuable tools in my shop, yet, they are inexpensive (especially when compared to the ever increasing cost of wood if you make a mistake).

Wixey makes several other gauges which might also be helpful. As and example, the Wixey digital height guage might be just the thing for doing precision routing or for setting saw blade height. I can not say enough about their stuff! My protractor and angle meter have been right on the money for accuracy and are available at a great price. I have been wondering if there is a negative to these gauges, and I just can not seem to come up with one, so, do yourself a favor and order one each!

I promise, you will be pleased with your investment if you do any cutting on a table saw. I have no connection with Wixey, and receive no compensation for sharing the above opinion.

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So what is it? Well, in short it’s a combination gadget that replaces several tools on your toolbelt — specifically a speed square, torpedo level, and t-bevel. However, the AngLevel is designed with much more thought and once you use it you start to find new functions in can perform (even a bottle opener when you need a cold one when the sun beats you down).

The AngLevel is built well. The stainless steel metal components are solid and will handle a beating. The other parts are a fiberglass material that should handle anything you dish out on the job site.

A lot of thought was put into this little tool that makes using it a bit of fun — and practical. For instance, the bubble levels that are integrated in the design are probably the most susceptible component to break — and since these are easily found at the home centers, the design of the AngLevel allows you to remove & replace them (no need to buy a whole new tool!). Also, the AngLevel has many built-in design elements that take the guess work out. An example of one of these features are the pitch lines for roof work … it’s all on the AngLevel, simple align the steel rule with the mark and viola … you’re a pro! (okay, maybe not a pro but damn good!).

Overall, I really enjoyed using the AngLevel. One it was cool to have a tool no one has seen in my back pocket and two it was just cool to have so much tool in ONE POCKET! Better believe I’ll be giving these as gifts come the holidays!

The AngLevel sells for $39.99. Pick one up here.

Here’s a snippet from their website that outlines better the true capabilities of it:

This tool can be used as a 9-inch up to 16-inch torpedo level, also can be used for 16-inch on center step-off. Some of the other features include, 1/8-inch and 1/4-inch pitch (commonly used for drainage). There are 1 thru 20 pitch lines on the body of tool and it display’s the degree at the same time with a degree dial that ranges from 0° to 90°degrees in 5°degree increments. There is a pitch-to-degree conversion table, for example a 10-pitch = 40°degrees, or 12-pitch = 45°degrees. The stainless steel ruler on the AngLevel™ tool spins 360° degrees and includes a compass feature. The compass feature enables the user to make circles from 2-inches to 15-inches in ½ inch increments. In addition the stainless steel ruler is 7-inches long etched in 1/16” inch increments. The ruler markings are ascending and descending on each side. This tool increases the efficiency of the tradesman because it simplifies the use of commonly used tools, many functions can be performed at one time with less effort and less equipment. The tool can make a less experienced or advanced tradesman more valuable and confident as it simplifies hard tasks and angle measurements that would be difficult and time consuming with other existing tools. The tool is 1.5″ thick (thickness of a standard wood/steel 2x lumber, like a “2×4 stud”) and is 3/4”, which is half of the stud thickness, which helps finding the center of the stud or the opposite edge of the 2x lumber or steel.

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This is a large marking tool — thus the “Hog” in the name — and is made of a seemingly durable plastic case. A few metal parts accompany the tool — found in the sharpener (for a carpenters pencil), the reel handle, and end of line hook. Everything appears to be built solid for a hard day on the job site, or in the shop.

So simple, yet so beautiful. Who doesn’t enjoy poppin’ blue lines across some fresh plywood just before plunking down a dozen nails? Or snappin’ a stripe across timbers to mark your cuts before grabbing for the worm drive saw? The new Chalk Hog 100 is a step up for an ordinary chalk line tool. It has a finer line that definitely snaps clean, and reportedly uses much less chalk per snap — thus saving you money long term. In building a barn, we put this tool to use time and time again to mark our cuts, nail paths, and more. The fun of “blue line’in” quickly became the best part of the job … and not only because the act of snappin’ the line was fun, but also because it was so easy to use. The end of chalk was no where near in site (considering it holds a full 8oz bottom), the quick reel returned the line with little effort, and the built-in pencil sharpener was an added convenience.

If you are buying your first chalk line tool — get this one. It has all the features of the best at a better price. If you already have a chalk line and rarely use it, then you won’t need another and this might not be worth it to you. If you chalk often … then it’s a no brainer. It will pay for itself in chalk saved (it uses less) and you’ll no longer have to fill the tool with chalk … you just screw on a new 8oz bottle when you’re out!

Manufactured by CH Hanson, the Chalk Hog retails for around $15 – $20.

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Tougher than any “pencil” I’ve ever used. The graphite composition that makes up the pencil is tough and extremely flexible. It could break … but not from anything in the normal to extreme use. In fact, to test this I dropped mine from the 14′ loft of my barn and didn’t even break the tip.

With the CH Hanson pencil sharpener, it was quick and easy to get a good point on this pencil. By that time the pencil was ready for the task and I put it to work immediately. A bit skeptical at first, I found myself impressed with the writing capabilities on raw lumber. The point held it’s edge well and the lines were easily seen for all markups.

For general carpentry and construction, this would be a neat tool — okay, I’m considering it a bit more than just a pencil because it breaks the rules — to keep in your toolbox. The fact that it will last 7x longer and is so durable makes it the carpenters friend, for sure. For precision woodworking, nothing probably can substitute a mechanical pencil or marking knife, but for most roughing measurements this would be more than sufficient (and you won’t have keep cursing the regular pencils because the lead always breaks!).

Manufactured by CH Hanson, the Superpencil retails for around $5-$6.

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Picking up a pair of these pliers one is immediately reminded of how a quality hand tool should feel. The pliers feel solid and are designed with serrated teeth and patented, parallel, auto locking jaws. This combination of quality construction and good design make for a well-built tool.

There are plenty of one-trick ponies that aren’t worth their weight in pennies, but this tool stands apart from that crowd. While not a classical tool in the toolbox, the modern woodworker will be glad they have this tool the next time a pneumatic fastener shoots out the side of a drawer. What could be a disastrous mistake and time-consuming removal becomes nothing more than a small inconvenience with these pliers.

These pliers are the first in our review because they’ve been so helpful and reduced a lot of stress in my shop and around the house (especially if you are removing molding/baseboards!).

Instead of treating the family to dinner out one night this week, cook up something at home … then take that money savings & buy a pair of these for your toolbox — you won’t regret it when the time comes and you need them!

They also make a great gift! Everybody who sees them in action at my house usually says the same thing “Wow, I want that” … and usually they end up with a pair as a gift later in the year.

June 2009 Update – These pliers are still holding strong and remain a shop favorite.  I have run into some brad nails (shot with a pneumatic/air nailer) that would simply break off before the pliers could actually extract it.  This is really because of the low quality metal of the nail, but none-the-less worth noting.  These pliers work best when the fastener cooperates!

Manufactured by Jefferson Tool and priced between $25 – $30. Buy online from their website (link)

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