Tools

Routers are rather unique in the world of woodworking tools, especially amongst handheld power tools. They are the only tool which is designed for shaping the wood, rather than cutting it. Granted, these tools cut the wood in order to shape it, but the focus tool is creating the profile, the shape. Many consider the router an “extra” tool, when compared to more “essential” ones. That depends on what type of woodworking you are doing. If your main thrust is rough carpentry, there is little chance that you would use a router. But if you are trying to do any sort of finish work and especially if you are making furniture, a router is essential. A router works by spinning a bit which cuts a profile in the wood. They are most commonly used to form profiles on the edge of the wood, but can also be used quite effectively for cutting a relief into the surface of the wood. They typically work at extremely high speeds, as the higher the speed the router works at, the smoother the cut. There are two basic categories of routers, ones with a fixed base and “plunge” models. The fixed base is used for cutting profiles in edges and the plunge base is used for cutting in the middle of a flat surface. Combo routers come with one motor but two bases, allowing you to use the same router for both purposes. This is a great money saver, especially for those who are buying their first router. The motor on these routers is of medium size, typically about 1.5 HP. In comparison, some detail routers have .25 HP motors and some heavy-duty profiling routers have motors as big as 3 HP. The 1.5 HP motor is big enough to use with pretty much any of the small to mid-sized router bits, but is too small for use with the larger router bits. Larger bits have a 1/2 inch shank, which would prevent them from being mounted in some of these routers, which only have a 1/4 inch collet. However, the more powerful ones have both 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch collets, allowing them to accept all router bits. Since these are all combo routers, they are very similar to one another. The biggest difference is going to be ease of use. Some manufacturers just seem to make their tools in such a way that they are easier to use than what others do. In addition to that, we want to take into consideration any differences in power, as well as overall tool quality. Check out our list of the best combo wood routers in 2022.

Anyone who really uses a drill is bound to end up dulling their drill bits, especially if they ever have to drill into harder materials such as metals. You can probably drill in softwoods for years without any problem, but any serious craftsman is not going to limit themselves to working in softwoods.For most of us, a dull drill bit entails a trip to the hardware store for a new one. All too often this ends up being a special trip because we don’t realize we need it until we’re already in the middle of a project. Having the capability of sharpening your own drill bits at home doesn’t eliminate the interruption, but it can certainly make it so you lose less time taking care of the problem. At the low end of the scale, you can actually sharpen drill bits freehand, using a bench grinder or honing stone. However, you’re not likely to get a very accurately ground bit that way. I remember trying to sharpen 1/2 inch bits on a handheld grinder for an emergency repair and it was a joke.Some bench grinders have a groove on the tool rest, intended for use in sharpening drill bits. While this can work, it takes an extremely light touch, as well as a good bit of luck to make it work out. The biggest problem in trying to sharpen a drill bit this way is trying to make the point come out in the center of the bit. It’s all too easy to end up offset to one side or another. That’s why it’s worth investing in an actual drill bit sharpener. Being made specifically for the purpose, they will give you the best possible grind, often as good as what you would find on a factory ground drill bit. In other words, used properly, these tools can make your drill bits as good as new.How much you spend on a drill bit sharpener depends on how many drill bits you go though. Ultimately, these tools pay for themselves by saving you on buying new bits. However, you would have to resharpen a lot of bits to pay for some of the more expensive units.There are two basic categories of drill bit sharpeners; self-powered which have a motor to drive their own grind wheel and those that depend on working with a separate grinder. We have an assortment of the two types here. While all of these tools do essentially the same thing, there are some differences which may make your decision for you. You can also check out our list of the best drill bit sharpeners in 2022. Depending on your personal needs, you want to pick one that will do what you need.The first thing to look at is the drill bit sizes the sharpener can be used for. Generally speaking, the more expensive the sharpener, the larger the bits it can be used for (however all of them will sharpen small bits). If you use large bits frequently, this is an important consideration. The second thing to look at is the types of grinds the sharpener can put on the bit. Some can only do one while others provide different types and point angles.One thing to remember with any drill bit sharpener is the very act of sharpening a bit will remove its coating. If you’re accustomed to buying drill bits with exotic coatings electroplated onto them to make them last longer, you won’t have that coating on the re-sharpened bit. However, the fact your bit needs sharpening essentially dictates the coating is no longer there anyway.

I still have a radial arm saw in my workshop. When my friends see it, they ask me why bother when their sliding miter saw can do just about everything my radial arm saw can do. Well, what can I say, some of us like the old stuff. I will say if I was in the market for one, miter saws on the market today (especially the sliding miter saws), really make my radial arm look old fashioned in comparison.Power miter saws started out as a replacement for the old wooden miter box and back saw. They were essentially used just for cutting moldings on houses and maybe the occasional molding in a cabinet shop. Modern miter saws have gone way beyond, allowing precision double angle cuts in much larger and thicker material than ever before.Since miter saws are used for crosscutting a variety of types of wood, a blade which can handle a variety of materials is important. You need to buy a blade which cuts your toughest material thus ensuring easier materials are a cinch.It’s a shame to see someone spend hundreds of dollars on a high quality miter saw and use the cheap blade which came with it. The blade handles the actual cutting and ultimately decides the quality, and especially the smoothness, of your final cut. I’d rather have a cheap saw with a good blade than a good saw with a cheap blade any day. You can check out our list of the best miter saw blades in 2022. Lower quality blades will cause three basic problems: Make a more uneven cut with visible blade marks visible. Cause more splintering especially as a blade gets older and duller. Cheap blades dull faster, damaging material and requiring frequent changes.  So, what’s going to give you the best quality cut in all kinds of woods? Let’s look at these basics: You definitively want a carbide-tipped blade. Since wood is highly fibrous, it’s abrasive on saw blades. A carbide-tipped saw blade will last way longer than a steel blade. The more teeth on a blade will ensure a smooth cut. While you might be able to get by with a lower number of teeth, a higher tooth count will really show in cases where extra-smooth cuts are necessary. The blade is designed to avoid vibration either through the use of extra-rigid materials to avoid flexing or by laser-cut reliefs in the blade which dissipate vibrations. Adequate tooth design to avoid splitting. Manufacturers experiment with different designs in order to come up with a blade which isn’t going to damage your material.  There are a lot of miter saw blades available to choose from, so this was a difficult choice. While most of these probably aren’t available in your local hardware store, they’re worth the wait to order online. I’ve mostly stuck to 12” saw blades with a 5/8 inch arbor for this review, but you should know that the same blades are available in smaller sizes or for 1 inch arbors if you need them.

At its core, a pressure washer is nothing more than a pump with a nozzle to direct the water. The idea behind it is that high pressure water will clean things better than water coming out of a garden hose at a typical 60 PSI. In practice, best pressure washers in 2022 do remarkably well, not only cleaning off dirt, but peeling off old paint and even removing graffiti. There is a fundamental difference between a pressure washer and a steam cleaner, although many people confuse them due to their similarities. Steam cleaners have a tank heater to being the water to near boiling temperature, so that it will better dissolve grease. They are intended for use in removing grease from automobile engines and other machinery. A pressure washer doesn't have this capability for heating the water, so it is not effective for cleaning grease off. Since providing pressurized water is the main purpose of a pressure washer, the pump itself is the most important part. There are three major types of pumps used in pressure washers: wobble, axial and triplex plunger. While all three can produce sufficient pressure, the first two don’t last, as the pumps are working at the top end of their pressure capability. This causes them to wear out quickly. Triplex plunger pumps, on the other hand, can handle the pressure without problem. There are some companies which are manufacturing what are essentially “throw away” pressure washers which have big name motors and cheap pumps. As the pump is the most important part of the pressure washer, buying one of these units is foolish. Pretty much any motor will work, as long as it has enough power. The motor is not likely to wear out, like the pump is. Speaking of motors, both electric motors and gas engines are used to provide power to these pressure washers. Either one works well, although the gasoline engine allows you to use the pressure washer in places where electrical power is not available. On the other hand, if the pressure washer is going to sit for long periods of time, that isn't good for a gasoline engine. You’d be better off buying an electric pressure washer in that case. Most pressure washers have some sort of soap injector which allows you to add soap to the water being pumped through it. This not only expands the use of the pressures washer, allowing it to clean things that need more than just water, but also allows adding chemicals for removal of painted graffiti. The two most important specifications for any pressure washer are the flow rate, which is stated in gallons per minute (GPM) and the pressure, which is stated in PSI. These two numbers are multiplied together by some manufacturers, to create a number called the “cleaning units” of the pressure washer. More than anything, this number provides a way of comparing different units to see which provides more overall cleaning power. Pressures washers come in all sizes, including a number of them which are intended for commercial and industrial use. For this list, we've limited ourselves to smaller units which would be appropriate for consumer use.

Biscuit joiners, more properly called “plate joiners” are one of the most innovative woodworking tools to hit the market in a long time. While it seems like new power tools are popping up all over the place, none has had the impact of the biscuit joiner. Although originally frowned upon by die hard woodworking traditionalists, the fact of the matter is that this is such an effective joining system, that any serious woodworker who builds things bigger than a bird feeder needs to add one to their collection.Before the invention of the biscuit joiner by Lamello (see our #1 pick) woodworkers had to use dowels for edge connecting boards together. If you’ve ever tried doweling boards together, especially without a horizontal boring drill (something very hard to come by), aligning it so that it comes out well is a real challenge.The biscuit joiner uses a 4” diameter carbide tipped blade to precision cut a slot into the edge of the wood. The fence insures accurate positioning and depth, so that the boards will connect together at exactly the correct height. The actual connection is made with a pressed hardwood “biscuit” (hence the name) which is actually a pressed plywood disk. This provides for a very easy, yet strong connection.By angling the fence, the same system can be used to invisibly join carcases (for dressers) and cabinet cases with mitered corners.A good biscuit joiner needs to be of rigid construction, more than anything else. The fence needs to be solid, like with any power cutting tool, to ensure that it won’t move against the workpiece. Rails need to be well fitted with the bearings, so that there isn’t any wobble. Finally, the adjustment of the fence for angle, position and depth is important, to insure accuracy of your work.Best Biscuit joiner in 2022 hit the market at about $800 dollars per unit. That pretty much put them out of the realm of anybody but professionals. While there are still professional units around that will cost that much, or even more as you’ll see in this list, others have simplified the design of the biscuit joiner, bringing the price down. Any of these tools shown will do a quality job for you. What you’re buying with a more expensive unit is life expectancy and adjustment accuracy, more than anything else. So, if you’re running a cabinet shop, you’ll want to buy a high-dollar biscuit joiner; but if you’re a do-it-yourselfer, you may want to take a look at the less expensive units.

Have you ever been assembling a screwed together woodworking project and only had one drill to use? Maddening, isn’t it? First you chuck up the drill and drill your pilot hole; then you change drill bits for your shank hole; then one more change to put in your countersink; finally you get to put in your Phillips bit to sink the screw. Then, once you've done all that, you get to start over and do it again.Even keyless drill chucks don’t make that job all that much easier; what one needs to help avoid pulling out their hair, or throwing their drill at the wall, is a quick change drill & driver set. With these sets, a quick-change adapter that accepts standard 1/4-inch or 5/16-inch hex bits is chucked up in the drill. Then, all you've got to do is pull out one bit, and stick in another; nothing to tighten. That is, that’s all you've got to do if you have the right size quick-change drill bits and drive bits.Whoever first came up with the best quick change drill and drive set in 2022 was a genius. They are very commonly used in manufacturing, because of the time that they save. They can save the same time for you as they do for those businesses, especially considering that most of us don’t want to have four drill/driver units around to be able to avoid changing bits.There are lots of manufacturers of quick change bits, filling the marketplace with their sets. There are many less who manufacture quick-change drill bits; and there are only a handful who provide the quick-change adapter as part of their set.Let me give you a word of warning here about the drill bits that are used in these sets. They are usually glued into their hex bases. That means that they aren't as strong as they would be if they had been soldered or welded. However, manufacturers avoid soldering and welding so that they don’t remove the temper from the high speed steel drill bits. Since they are glued, they can come loose if the bit gets caught; while this isn't very likely when drilling wood, it’s rather common when drilling metal. For this reason, I don’t recommend using these bits when drilling metal, especially sheet metal.For the purpose of this review, I've only included sets that include the quick-change adapter. While there are much larger and more varied sets on the market, even from the same manufacturers that made these sets, they don’t include the adapter. Without that adapter, all you've got is drills and bits that have to be individually chucked into your drill.

Staple guns are way useful to have around the home and garage because of how versatile they are. They can be used with everything from insulation, wiring and upholstery to hanging holiday decorations. I like to think of staple guns as an essential part of every toolbox, right alongside a hammer and a good socket set. Staple guns have a bit of infamy for being hard to use (in terms of the amount of strength it takes to pull the trigger and shoot a staple). Repeatedly using a staple gun can cause some serious hand fatigue. To help cut back on hand fatigue, every staple gun I have included below is very easy to use either by having an easy squeeze feature or eliminating a squeeze trigger. Furthermore, because staple guns are so versatile and can be used for so many different jobs, they need to be able to use a wide variety of different kinds of staples. For this reason, every staple gun I have included on this list can be used with a range of differently sized staples. Finally, best staple guns in 2022 come in electric, pneumatic and manual varieties. For the purposes of this list (and to keep costs down) I will be focusing on manual ones. This makes them easy to use and as cheap as possible.

Traditionally, sharpening a chainsaw is long and tedious. It involves using a sharpening file and moving from tooth to tooth. It’s a great skill to have because it makes your chainsaw razor sharp, but only those with years of experience are able to have the patience to pull off such a task. If you’re not an expert technician at sharpening by hand, you could potentially ruin your saw. To successfully sharpen your chainsaw, you need to get the pitch and depth right on every single tooth. If you don’t do this, it makes your saw unsafe to use because it could possibly pull to the left or right during use, may become dull far too quickly or even not cut at all. Thankfully, there are a wealth of more modernized devices that help everyone get that razor sharp chain sharpening without the expert skill that comes from using a file. These devices save you tons of time, and most importantly, money (unless you don't mind paying someone to do it for you). First off, every chainsaw sharpener I have included below are not manual in some way, shape or form (whether you plug it in, use a battery, or otherwise). This is to ensure that every chain you sharpen gets done as quickly and efficiently as possible. Furthermore, price is a big issue when it comes to buying chainsaw sharpeners. There are models out there can be bought for upwards of $500. For fewer than $50, you can get a very long lasting, top quality best chain saw sharpeners in 2022 that doesn't break the bank. So, for the sake of this list, every sharpener can be bought for fewer than $50.

Mechanics and equipment repair technicians often need to be able to take their tools with them, right to the vehicle or piece of equipment that they are working on. The mechanic’s roll around tool chest was created with this in mind, allowing the mechanic to park his toolbox right next to the vehicle he’s working on. Of course, with some of the larger tool chests, that might be a little hard to do, unless the mechanic has a team of oxen to help them move their toolbox.Best Tool carts in 2022 provide the same flexibility, without having the cost or weight of a full-blown roll around tool chest. They can vary from very simple units, which just consist of a work surface on wheels, where tools can be placed, to multi-drawer units, which provide both a place to set tools and some storage as well. Generally speaking, the ones with drawers are much more flexible, as they do have some on-board tool storage.Of course, having a tool cart won’t eliminate the need for the mechanic’s roll-around. These are designed for those things that are being used at the moment, whereas a roll-around, especially the larger ones, is designed to store all of a mechanic’s tools in a secure, organized fashion.The nice thing about tool carts is their flexibility and portability. The few drawers that they do have can be used to store the most commonly used tools, leaving the rest in the main tool chest. Having a way to lock them up when going off for lunch or break is nice as well, although not all have that capability. The other thing that a tool cart can do very well is provide an easy way to take parts along. Instead of using the drawers for tools, common parts can be stored in them. In that way, between the roll-around tool chest and the tool cart, everything is right at hand.In this list, I’ve included all units with drawers, as I feel that the added storage space is definitely worth having. I’ve always said that you can’t have too much tool storage, as my personal workshop can attest to. Even with all the tool storage I have, I never have enough.These are also all steel carts, although there are several plastic ones available. The plastic ones I’ve seen are all sturdy units, which will provide excellent service and carry quite a load. However, the best units I could find were all metal ones. My one concern with plastic tool carts is that lubricants are usually petroleum products, which could possibly be damaging to some plastics. I’m sure that the manufacturers have taken this into account in their materials selection, but I still tend to be suspicious.A few of the tool carts I’ve looked at had problems with hardware. These pretty much all require some assembly by the purchaser. If the hardware that comes with the cart doesn’t’ work with the design of the cart, then all you’ve done is buy a box of headaches. None of these units have that problem, although some others that I’ve seen do.

In our world of fancy power tools and high-tech, digital equipment, there is still a place for the humble sawhorse. Having something that will hold up a piece of wood while you are cutting it or doing other machining operations is essential, especially if you are working somewhere that you don’t have access to your workbench. Even when your workbench is available, best sawhorses in 2022 can multiply your effective working space, by providing you with an alternate work or cutting area.One of the great things about sawhorses is that they don’t take up a lot of room, but still provide you with a big enough work area that you can work on a full sheet of plywood. If you buy collapsible sawhorses, they take up even less room, while still giving you lots of room to work.While many carpenters still make their own sawhorses out of 2-by-4s and some scrap plywood, the commercially available ones do have some definite advantages, especially for the do-it-yourselfer. More than anything, they’re collapsible, saving valuable space in your workshop. At the same time, they save you the time of having to build your sawhorses, which isn’t really all that hard. Even so, I’ve seen a lot of wobbly sawhorses made by people who decided to do their own. When you look at the cost of materials to make your own and compare it to the cost of buying, there really isn’t that much different.There are a fairly large number of commercially available sawhorses on the market, plus a number of other work holding devices, such as the Black & Decker Workmate or the Rockwell Jawhorse. We feature these on our list for Best Portable Workbench, so you may want to take a look at them before making your decision. While not technically sawhorses, they do perform the same function, plus more.There are about three basic options in manufactured sawhorse. The first one is to buy an actual finished sawhorse. These are usually made of plastic, so they won’t knick your saw blades. The second is to buy folding legs to use with a 2-by-4 top. The third option is to buy brackets which allow you to make sawhorses out of 2-by-4s. All three have their place, depending upon your need and the money you have available to work with.Most sawhorses have a plastic or wood top member, so that you won’t knick your saw blades when you hit it (which invariably happens). However, there are a few around which are all metal construction. While these work fine, you need to be extra careful with them, so that you don’t accidentally hit them with your saw. Not only would that tend to dull your saw blade, but it’s rather hard to fix the sawhorse when it happens.This problem can be solved on metal sawhorses by putting a wood top on it. Most will have screw holes in the top member to allow for this, making it easy to protect your tools and giving longer life to your sawhorse.

Hand-held best spotlights in 2022 are useful for a wide variety of activities; from outdoor sports, to changing a flat tire, to looking for the dog that jumped the fence in the middle of the night. Anytime you’re out in a vehicle and you might need light, a handheld spotlight is a nice thing to have.In most cases, hand-held spotlights take over where flashlights leave off. Most flashlights are limited to providing 100 lumens of illumination. Today’s tactical lights can provide more, with some that are topping 600 lumens. Handheld spotlights generally provide more illumination than that, with a larger reflector that focuses the light into a relatively tight beam for providing high intensity illumination in a smaller area.These spotlights come in two basic varieties, cordless ones and those that run off the vehicle’s power. The ones that run off vehicle power will usually plug into a cigarette lighter socket, while the cordless ones are usually rechargeable. Both have their advantages, depending upon how they will be used.Many of the newer spotlights on the market, like many of the newer flashlights, use high intensity LEDs to provide illumination. There are several advantages to LEDs over other types of light bulbs: Longer lasting – LEDs are typically rated at 60,000 hours of life Lower power consumption – With an LED light, batteries last much longer Shock resistance – LEDs don’t have a filament to break from shock like incandescent light bulbs do. Nor do they have a glass bulb to break like halogen and other gas filled bulbs. When looking at a spotlight, normally the most important factor is how bright it is. Besides that, you want one that is durable, so that you don’t have to worry about it breaking when you use it. Battery life is another major consideration when looking at cordless spotlights. For the corded ones, you’ll want a nice long cord. Finally, you want something that is going to be easy to work with.These units can either be rated in lumens or candlepower. The difference is that candlepower describes the light radiance at its source, while lumens describes the light intensity in a particular direction. It is usually measured over a one square foot area, one foot away from the source. While it is possible to covert from one to the other, the conversion isn’t very accurate, as they are measuring different things.There are a lot of different models of spotlights on the market, being manufactured by a lot of different companies. With all the models to choose from, it’s almost impossible to pick out five best ones. However, I’ve made my best stab at it. There are a lot of other good ones out there, but these stood out to me as having something special to offer.

Tradesmen in pretty much all the building trades use tool belts on the job, especially carpenters and electricians. The best tool belts in 2022 gives the worker a convenient way of carrying their most common tools with them, without having to have their hands tied up carrying a tool box. With the tools on their belt, they are easily reached while working, saving time and providing the worker with the ability to grab the tool with one hand, while holding what they are working on in the other hand.Carpenters tool belts also serve as a nail pouch to hold the most common sizes of nails. While most carpentry today is done with pneumatic or cordless nailers, there are always a few nails that seem to need to be driven by hand. Having nails in your tool pouch keeps them ready at hand for those times when they are needed. The same pouches can be used to hold strips of nails for the power nailers, so that the carpenter doesn't have to go running back to get more.While all quality tool belts used to be made of leather, this is being replaced by heavy nylon materials. The advantage of the nylon tool belts is that they breathe, allowing the worker’s perspiration to wick away from their body, instead of being trapped under the belt. This helps prevent rashes and infections.Regardless of the material chosen, it’s important to pick a belt that is made of heavy-duty material which is well stitched. A poorly made belt won’t last the rigors of surviving on a construction site, especially when weighed down with several pounds of tools and nails. Having a tool belt’s seam split open in the middle of a work day is worse than not having a tool belt at all.The second important consideration when choosing a tool belt is that it has enough spaces to hold all the tools. A carpenter usually doesn't carry all that many tools with him, other than a hammer, tape measure and a pencil. At times, they might add other tools, such as a chalk line or a nail set, but you’ll never see a carpenter with a lot of tools in their belt. An electrician, on the other hand, needs a wide variety of tools for his work. To compensate for this, electricians’ tool belts have a lot more pockets to hold tools, but don’t have a place to hold nails.You want to be sure that the tool belt will hold everything even when you bend over or move in unusual ways. If you have to stop to pick up nails off the floor every time you stoop over, it’s going to make a long day of it. Better to have less space on the tool belt and have it keep everything stay where it belongs.Finally, you want to make sure that you buy a tool belt which will be comfortable to wear. Remember, you’re going to be wearing it for 40 or more hours per week, with several pounds of tools and nails in the pockets. If it’s not comfortable, you’re going to end up being miserable. Some come with built-in suspenders, which help distribute the weight better, making it more comfortable for long periods of time. However, those shoulder straps could get uncomfortable as well, so you want to make sure that it will be comfortable for you, not for your buddy.

Toolboxes are great for some situations, but there are some where wheeling a roll-around tool chest with top box might look a little strange. That doesn't eliminate the need for the tools however; it merely means that those tools need to be housed in something that fits the environment better. For those circumstances, there are tool cases.Tool cases are most often used by service technicians who need to perform repairs to equipment in customers’ stores, offices and other public locations. They provide an organized manner of carrying tools around in an attractive case that doesn't necessarily look like a toolbox. Even so, they are rugged enough to survive carrying the weight of the tools, while ensuring that those tools are ready to hand when needed.Some of the bigger best tool cases in 2022 come with wheels, looking like a wheeled briefcase, rather than a toolbox. The wheels eliminate the physical strain of carrying the tools, and free up at least one hand for other things, like opening doors or using a cell phone. These cases are typically larger, allowing the service technician to carry more with them as well, making it possible for them to be more efficient, instead of having to run back and forth to their vehicle after various tools they need.The various pockets and dividers inside the tool case are intended to hold the tools in place, so that they cannot move. By eliminating their ability to shift position, the case is easier to carry and move. At the same time, tools are easier to find when they haven’t shifted around during movement.Selecting the right tool case for a particular need depends mostly upon what needs to be carried along. Some types of repair work require more tools than other. Some technicians also need space in their tool kit for common parts that they repair on every service call. Others might need to carry a laptop computer with them, in order to interface with the equipment that they are working on for testing and adjustment.The other major factor for most people is the appearance of the case. Some situations warrant having a case that appears like a briefcase, rather than a tool case. Others may need to be able to transport their case with them on an airplane. The right case has to meet all of the technicians needs.

Tool bags have become more popular in recent time, especially for tradesman and maintenance workers who want quick and easy access to their tools. Using a tool bag makes it easy to organize those tools, while still having them contained in a way that they are easy to carry from project to project while working. With all of a tradesman’s essential tools inside, he’s got everything conveniently at hand.Although best tool bags in 2022 seem like a new arrival on the scene, they've been in existence for quite some time. I can’t find any data showing when they were first used, but some trades have used them for centuries. Farriers (those that shoe horses), have always used a tool bag for their nails, files, hammer and hoof trimmer. Pipefitters working on the cooling system for the Boulder Dam used tool bags to take their tools from worksite to worksite. Even the Army has used tool bags for years, at least as far back as World War I.The nice thing about a tool bag, as opposed to a tool box is its convenience. No matter how well organized a tool box is, it can’t keep everything ready at hand like a tool bag can. The open top and flexible sides make it easy to carry a variety of things, while the sewn-in pockets make it easy to organize a wide variety of tools.I was amazed when I started looking at tool bags for this article, to find how wide a variety of tool bags were offered and how expensive some of them are. Of course, like anything else, you get what you pay for, so those high-dollar tool bags are better than the low cost ones that you might find at your local building supply center.Tool bags are constructed out of a combination of heavy canvas, leather and plastic. Some have hard sides, with pockets sewn inside and out, while others are all soft-sided. What works better for your needs depends a lot on the tools you need to be able to carry with you and your personal work style.The key to these bags is how sturdy they are built. I have an old all-canvas one that I've had for years. While I've managed to poke a number of screwdrivers, chisels and knives through it in one place or another, I can’t say that I've really damaged it. Clean it up and it’ll look just about as good as new. The bigger risk for breakage actually comes in the ones which have plastic supports and sides. Those might break, especially if kept in the heat or cold a lot, as both heat and cold can make plastics brittle.The other thing to look for is the number of pockets that the tool bag has, and whether they are the type of pockets you’ll need for the tools that you need to carry. Some of these are designed for specific purposes, and if you end up trying to use them for some other purpose, you’ll end up pretty frustrated.One other thing I’d like to say about these is that they are not for the person who doesn't put things back where they belong. The whole concept of a tool bag is to have everything neatly organized where you can grab it easily. If you’re the type of person who is likely to throw your tools in the middle compartment, rather than put them in the pockets, don’t bother with a tool bag; you’ll just end up frustrated.

Roller cabinets and top chests are great for the garage or workshop, but they’re not very practical for hauling tools around to various work locations. They’re really not even practical for rolling through your house to make repairs. For those projects that require carrying tools with you, or for just having a tool kit in the trunk of your car, you need a portable toolbox.There’s really no such thing as an ideal portable toolbox. A lot depends on what types of tools you are taking with you and the type of work that you do. What will work out perfectly for one person may not be useful at all to another. You really need to find what will meet your needs the best, not what works well for your buddy. Fortunately, there are a lot of portable toolboxes to choose from.The best portable toolboxes in 2022 come in a wide variety of styles, each of which has a large number of models from a large number of manufacturers to choose from. The basic styles are: Stacked roller box – This is like a smaller version of a roller cabinet, without a lot of drawers, but designed to move like a hand truck. They are usually made of plastic or a mix of plastic and steel. Multi-drawer box – These are similar to a top chest but are designed to be portable. A handle on the top is used for moving them around. They are available in both steel and plastic. Top tray box – These have a tray mounted in the top part that can be lifted out, providing access to the main storage area. The tray is useful for small tools and parts. These can be metal or plastic. Cantilevered tray box – Cantilevered trays are usually mounted on both sides of the angled top, which flips open to both sides, providing access to the trays. They give a lot of room for sorting small tools and parts, with a main central storage area as well. Usually made out of steel.Manufacturers build toolboxes out of both steel and plastic. While the steel ones are stronger, there is a definite place for plastic toolboxes. The plastic is lighter than steel, making it ideal for those who don’t want to practice weightlifting every time they have to move their tools. The better-quality plastic toolboxes can hold quite a bit of weight without any serious risk of damage to the box.With any toolbox, the ability to organize it well is an important consideration. Toolboxes with multiple drawers and cantilevered trays make this easier, dividing the space in the toolbox into smaller segments so that you can more easily organize it. However, they are limited in how many large tools will fit, as part of the space is taken up with the drawers and trays for the smaller stuff.Rarely do portable toolboxes come with built-in locks, although most have some way for you to lock them with a padlock. Even the plastic ones will be somewhat secure in this manner, as most people won’t bother to cut the lock or the toolbox to get to what’s inside.No matter what kind of toolbox you think you need, we have you covered. Below, we've reviewed a wide range of the best portable toolboxes available in 2022 that could suit your needs.

Buying a jack for your personal shop or garage is an important decision, think of it as an investment in your future. Safety and performance are the two most vital factors to consider when looking for a jack because when you’re beneath your car, you’re putting your life in the hands of whatever jack you own. You want the best quality jack depending on the conditions of your purchase. Maybe you have a strict budget to follow. Maybe money isn’t an issue, but longevity is. Whatever factors influence your decision, we’ve got you covered. The following lists feature the best floor jacks in 2022 on the market with safety and durability as a priority. You can be rest assured that only the best quality jacks are included.

A file is a hand tool used to remove portions from the surface of various different woods, metals or plastics. It’s generally a steel tool constructed from one piece, with a series of fine, sharpened teeth across the surface of one end and a pointed tang on the other.Files come in a wide variety of different shapes (for example pillar, square, half round, taper, round, etc.). For this reason, and to make the sets I have included below more valuable in regards to how many different applications they can be used for, each set I have listed has at least two different file shapes represented.There are two different kinds of file patterns: American and Swiss. For the purposes of keeping things simple for this list, all the different file sets below consist of American pattern files. This is because American pattern files consist of fewer grades of cut (how fine the teeth are) than Swiss pattern files.While I’m on the subject of cuts, each set I have listed in best file sets in 2022 is comprised of one, but no more than two, different varieties of cuts on the files to ensure uniformity in the jobs you work on. This is so that you don’t have to work on materials with multiple different kinds of cuts, which could result in strange final surface textures on whatever you’re working on.

A nut driver is a tool used to tighten nut, bolts and other fasteners. It looks nearly identical to a regular screwdriver; only it features a socket on the head of the tool. They’re a really common tool and are good to have around because they’re quicker to use than finding a ratchet, locating what socket you need, finding an extension bar if necessary, fitting them all together and then finally loosening or tightening the fastener you’re working on.Since nut drivers come in only one, unchangeable size, I will be focusing on sets for the list of the best nut drivers in 2022. To help make jobs easier, each of the sets I have included comes with at least six different drivers. This gives you a wide variety of drivers to work with, which makes working on differently sized fasteners easier. Furthermore, all of the drivers in each set are marked (either by color coding or easily identifiable markings) so that identifying what driver you’re about to use is easy as can be.To make your set purchase easier on the wallet, each of the sets I have included can be bought for fewer than $50 and comes with a warranty. This makes whatever tool set you choose a lot easier because you can have faith you’re getting great quality tools for a decent price.

A concrete mixer is a tool used to combine cement, an aggregate and water in a rotating drum to form concrete. While there are many different types of concrete mixers available, I will be focusing on smaller, more portable versions (as opposed to vehicle or trailer mounted ones). This is so my choices can appeal to a larger audience of people. Perhaps you’re a professional in need of a solid mixer for a job site. Or, maybe you’re a DIYer looking to build something in your backyard. Either way, all of the mixers on this list will be perfect for you.Since all of the concrete mixers I am including on this list are supposed to be portable, they must all easily move about any job site with relative ease at the hands of one person. This means every mixer has a set of wheels and weighs less than 250 pounds.To make any and all jobs as easy as possible, each of the mixers I have included has an electric motor. This makes them more convenient to use. You don’t have worry about running out of gas. Additionally, you want a concrete mixer that can hold a lot of concrete. So, each of the mixers I have listed has an empty drum capacity of at least 3 cubic feet. This ensures that you can hold a large weight of concrete (in my experience, 3 cubic feet of empty space can hold around 150 pounds of concrete).Finally, all of the best concrete mixers in 2022 that I have listed below come with a warranty to make your purchase as easy as possible.

Palm nailers are a relative newcomer to the nailer marketplace. These compact tools are not designed to use with a specific type of nail, nor do they need collated nails; rather, they are designed to drive any type of loose nail that you could desire. That makes them extremely versatile and useful. By no means is a palm nailer going to replace a regular framing or finish nailer. These don’t have the high speed capacity that regular strip or coil nailers do. Rather, they are designed to replace a hammer, making it possible to drive standard boxed nails with little effort.They are excellent for use in tight places and awkward angles, where it might be difficult to swing a hammer or even use a standard nailer. The fact that you place the nail where you want it, rather than placing the nosepiece of the nailer where you want it, makes these tools an excellent choice for use in cases where you have to drive nails through metal plates, such as in the case of hurricane clips and joist hangers. They are excellent for use when building a deck, which invariably involves hammering nails at odd angles. You can check out our list of the best pneumatic palm nailers in 2022. Palm nailers come in two basic sizes, standard and mini. The mini nailers are intended for use in driving nails up to 16d (penny, 3-1/2 inches), while the standard can drive nails up to 70d (6-1/2 inches). The larger palm nailers usually come with various nosepieces, allowing them to be used with several different sizes of nails. Standard size palm nailers are the only type of power nailer which can be used for driving large nails, such as would be needed for nailing timber beams for a ceiling or in a log cabin.When using a palm nailer, a magnet in the tip holds the nail, allowing you to place it exactly where you want it. Pushing down on the nail starts the nailer working, driving the nail into the workpiece with about 2,000 beats per minute.When looking at palm nailers, these features are important:A depth of drive adjustment to stop the nailer when the desired depth is reached. A leather “glove” to go over the tool. This provides some protection for your hand from the vibration of the tool, while also providing a good gripping surface. A strap on the glove makes it easier to hang on to the tool.Changeable nose tips. Not all have this, but being able to change out the nose tip makes the tool more versatile.Magnetic nose – While most have this, not all do. These tools are difficult to use without a magnetic nose.

Coil nailers are used for two basic purposes; roofing and siding. Both of these applications require round-head nails, meaning that they need to be collated in such a way as to provide enough space between the individual nails for the nail heads. Both applications also use a lot of nails, so a large capacity is needed. For that reason, the coil nailer was developed. The coil allows more nails to be loaded into the nailer than a typical stick configuration, without making the tool too large to handle. The reason that round headed nails are used in these applications isn't because of the problem of the nails pulling out, but the material pulling out through the nails. Large nail heads help prevent shingles and siding from breaking and coming loose in high wind conditions. One really great thing about this style of nailer is that the coil magazine makes for a nice stable way of setting the gun down upright; something which can’t be done with other types of nailers. While only a small difference, it makes it easier to pick it back up and have it in the right position to continue nailing. The coil also makes for a compact package, which is easier to hold and work with. It can hold up to 120 siding or roofing nails in a much smaller space than a stick magazine can. These are used in high volume applications, so anything that the manufacturer can do to make the guns faster and easier to work with is a plus. Details like windows on the magazine, switchable triggers, rubber-coated handles, easy load canisters and tool-free depth adjustment are important, as they keep you working, instead of having to lose time to take care of your gun. Weight is also an important factor when using these guns, as they spend more time in your hand than other types of nailers do. Often, roofing crews will split the work, with one person stuffing shingles and another nailing them. In those cases, where the gun is in your hand for hours at a time, a few ounces of difference in weight can make a huge difference in the ease of using a coil nailer throughout the day. As with any nailer, jams are a reality of life. Most nailers today have easy-open nosepieces, to allow quick and easy jam removal. Roofing shingles are abrasive, so most of these guns come with tungsten carbide tip inserts. This prevents them from wearing out prematurely. There are two firing modes used for these nailers; bump fire and sequential fire. On some units, you have to change the trigger out, in order to change firing mode. On the better units (in my opinion) a simple switch allows you to change between fire modes at any time that you want it to. Check out our list of the best pneumatic coil nailers in 2022.

A pipe wrench is, odds are, what comes to mind when you hear the word wrench. It’s a metal hand tool with an adjustable jaw at one end. It’s designed to tighten or loosen in order to work on generally soft iron pipes, or fittings with rounded surfaces. In addition, the wrench also features angled teeth on the jaw that help to grip whatever you’re working on in place.While there are several different varieties of pipe wrenches (offset pipe wrench, end pipe wrench, compound leverage pipe wrench, etc.), I will be focusing on the most common type of pipe wrench that will generally work on any job you come across: the straight pipe wrench.Due to the fact that pipe wrenches are used mostly by professionals (plumbers, etc.), whatever tool they decide on needs to be long lasting. For this reason, every tool I have included in this list is made from either cast iron or aluminum. This will make sure each wrench is strong enough to work on any job (and very light, in the case of aluminum wrenches).Since ease of adjustment is very attractive when it comes to pipe wrenches, each of the tools on this list also has an easily spinning, adjustable nut. This is so that each wrench can be adjusted on the fly, even with one hand.Furthermore, for the sake of consistency, all of the pipe wrenches I have included on this list are either 12 inches or 14 inches long. This is just to standardize the list a bit. If you wish for smaller or longer pipe wrenches (depending on your job), they are available from each manufacture I have included.Finally, each of the wrenches I have decided to place on the list of the best pipe wrenches in 2022 come with a warranty. This is to ensure that your purchase is easier because it guarantees you don’t have to worry should your tool have to be replaced.

The name "ratchet" can refer to a few different kinds of tools, but there is one common attribute that they each share. The head of the tool rotates in one direction and prevents rotation in the opposite. It's a pretty simple concept that makes any fastening job easier and faster. The main categories are manual, air powered and electric. Manual ratchets function much like a crescent wrench, but eliminate the need to re-position the wrench with every turn. Air powered ratchets require a compressor or air pump, which must be bought separately, but they offer unparalleled power. Electrical models can either come in battery operated or wall plug versions. The wall plug models will usually be much more powerful, but they are not as versatile and useful in jobs outside of the shop. Whether it's manual, air powered or electric; all ratchets are based on the same idea of unidirectional gears and the smaller the teeth of these gears are the smoother the action of the ratchet. This is especially important in manual ratchets where smaller teeth translate into finer working movements. The range you need to move the handle for the ratchet to engage will be smaller and allow for work in tighter situations. No matter the power source; you want your ratchets to be built sturdy, deliver the power needed for the job and function smoothly. Not only should a tool stand up to your abuse, but powered ratchets deliver enough force that they would destroy themselves if not built well. It should also be understood that more power isn't necessarily better because an air powered ratchet delivering 85 foot-pounds of power is going to rip the head right off a small fastener. Good function includes smooth gearing, low vibration and a low chance of busted knuckles. Pick from the right list of the best ratchets in 2022 and you'll find the right tool for your job.

Router tables transform any router into a shaper for cutting molding edges onto boards, rabbeting and dadoing. This is much more convenient than hand-holding the router, especially when cutting small to medium sized pieces.I've used a router table for years. In fact, I have one router (fixed) permanently mounted to my router table, while a second plunge router is available for the rare times that I actually need a hand-held one. As my home is somewhat antique styled, pretty much everything I make has extensive routing on the edges. With a router table, I am able to do this quickly and easily, without risk of injury.Router tables vary extensively in their design and manufacture. While most are tabletop units, there are some free-standing units on the market. With the right router mounted to them, these rival any shaper I've ever seen for capacity and accuracy.There are a number of important things to look at, when looking at a router table. First of all is the size. How much room do you have in your workshop for a router table and how big a work-piece are you going to be cutting? While a small router table can be used with large work-pieces, it’s difficult to maintain accuracy. While looking at size, be sure to look at the size of the insert in the table. If you are planning on using large diameter bits, such as those for making raised panels, you’ll need a router table that is designed to handle that capacity.The flatness of the table is extremely important for maintaining a consistent depth of cut. The cut made by many bits, such as beading bits will look extremely bad if the depth isn't consistent. Some of these router table manufacturers go so far as to provide a leveler for the table inserts to help with maintaining flatness. Some also provide special coatings to the table top, in order to reduce friction.The second thing to look at, after the table top itself, is the fence. If you are working on a lot of curved pieces, you may not use the fence much, but if you are cutting profiles on straight edges, you’ll have to have a good fence. Just like a table saw, the fence on one of these can make or break it. Fence styles differ widely, with some better for one thing and some better for others. I personally like a high fence, as it gives me the option of standing the board vertically for a different sort of cut.Finally, the miter gauge is important, especially for cutting profiles across the grain. There are times where you will use the miter gauge in conjunction with the fence, holding the piece as square as possible to cut the edge molding or for cutting a slot to be used as a drawer slide.Although you can do a good job with a low dollar router table (I do), a more expensive model will usually provide you with features that make it easier to work with, especially for ensuring that your profile cut comes out exactly like you want it. Check out our list of the best router tables in 2022.

The first jointers were long-bodied manually operated planes, which were naturally enough called "jointer planes." Their purpose was to smooth a piece of wood after cutting, ensuring that it was both flat enough and smooth enough for use.These manual versions of the jointer have long since been replaced by power jointers, which still hold the same basic purpose. However, as power tools, they operate differently than the original. Instead of having one fixed blade, they have multiple blades, placed on a revolving drum. While this cuts much faster than the original manual plane, it isn't as smooth. The ripple appearance that is visible on the surface of many commercially produced boards is a result of being run through a power jointer.Many woodworkers feel that they don't need a plane today, as boards purchased at the lumberyards have already been smoothed. Of course, if one is cutting their own boards on a sawmill, that would eliminate said reasoning. Nevertheless, a jointer is still a useful tool, providing the ability to thin boards as needed and match their thickness.More than anything, jointers are used by those who make furniture. When laminating a number of boards together to make a tabletop or the top of a dresser, it's not uncommon to have slight variances in the thicknesses of the boards. This problem increases dramatically when the boards have come from a variety of different sources, as not all sawmills finish their boards exactly the same.There are a wide variety of jointers on the market today, showing that they are still used extensively, even if a lot of people don't have them in their workshops. While there are not that many manufacturers producing them, each manufacturer has several models to choose from.Jointers come in a variety of sizes, mostly measured by the width of cut they can produce. The wider ones are also referred to as planers, although the two are essentially the same tool. The major difference is that a true planer doesn't allow material to be edge cut on it, but only cut on the flat. A jointer on the other hand, allows the material to be cut on the flat or edge cut.A couple of these jointers have helical or spiral knives. This is a relatively recent design innovation, created to reduce the waviness that power jointers typically produce in the sides of boards. While they have many more blades to set up, it is worth it, for the smoother cut that they provide.The other important feature that some jointers have and others don't is parallelogram ways. This refers to the way that the bed of the jointer meets up with the center part of the jointer's body. By placing the sliding ways at an angle, making the center part of the jointer shaped like a parallelogram, it ensures zero clearance between the blades and the feed table. This reduces chatter, helping to reduce the waviness in the board.Finally, power and size are important considerations. For the sake of this list, I've tried to stick with planers that were reasonably enough priced that they could be considered for a home workshop. I'll have to say, it was hard picking out the best models to choose. For each one you see here, the same manufacturers make other, larger models. However, those larger models have larger price tags as well. Check out our list of the best jointers in 2022.

Winches are a vital part of any truck owner's arsenal that frequently goes off-roading. That being said, winches are also great to have for many other things as well such as pulling out stubborn tree stumps, loading your ATV or UTV onto a trailer, or getting your truck out of a ditch if you get stuck. Due to the fact that the winch you choose can often times save your life, it's very important that it's top quality. Think about what you’ll be using your new winch for. Will you be crawling on rocks in a forest somewhere? Take a look at our best winch list. Maybe you’ll just be using your best winch in 2022 to help load your jet ski onto a trailer to take to the lake every other weekend. Check out our best budget winch list. No matter what you need a winch for, one of our lists will have you covered.

Performing maintenance on your car in your garage is a great thing to consider doing. Not only is it easy on your wallet, it's also mentally stimulating because you constantly have to learn all kinds of new things in order to successfully perform the maintenance. One of the most important repairs you can perform on your vehicle is changing your spark plugs. In order to make this easy on yourself, you'll need a spark plug socket. They generally come in two sizes: 5/8 and 13/16 inches and they work by fitting down around the spark plug to make it easier to remove. The better spark plug sockets on the market also have some way to hold the spark plug in place, inside the socket, once you remove it from your vehicle.What spark plug socket is best though? All of the best spark plug sockets in 2022 on this list have some sort of feature that holds the spark plug in place after removal (like I mentioned above). Also, spark plug sockets generally aren't very expensive to begin with, but all of the sockets on this list come with a lifetime warranty.

With so many power tools going cordless these days, and so many options for batteries and voltage in those tools, it raises a lot of confusion for the buyer. Does the battery type really affect the tool’s usability? How about voltage: do higher voltage tools really deliver more power? Or, is all of this hoopla just a bunch of advertising hype, intended to impress the uninformed and get them to buy?