I went through a small buying spree awhile back and posted my catch in “what tool did you buy today” (20001.8523, 20001.8524, 20001.8526).

I had never been able to use the tools I bought prior to buying them and it took me awhile to put everything through it’s paces. But, now that I have a feel for what I got, I wanted to share my thoughts with you all.

I should also note that I am a professional remodeler (just in case that makes a difference to anyone). Being a remodeler you must possess that “jack of all trades” mentality and the right or wrong tool may make you more money or cause you to lose. Personally, I have an estimated $55K in tools that I must account for and each must be worth it’s weight, otherwise it’s just an anchor to me, raising my prices to make up for increased overhead and possibly causing me to lose work. Blah, blah…tools….money…blah blah. sorry.

Anyhow, here’s my latest reviews:

First is the Husky THD800 mortar and grout mixer. $197 at HD, $130 Ebay. It needed some adjustment when I first got it to fit a standard 5gal “homer” bucket. It does come with a 5 gal husky bucket, but it’s not a standard “homer” or DW bucket. Then I had to figure out how to turn it on. The mixer has to be in the full “down” position to turn on. When I tried to mix like that it was awkward and difficult to gauge the amount of dry mix being poured into the bucket; as a result the mix was too stiff and the bucket just spun. So, I wedged a chunk of wood into the safety switch and went back to work, less the hassle. Went back to the shop later, disassembled the motor housing, and removed the offending safety switch. As a result, the mixer works great! The mix is easy to control and easier to get perfect mixes every time. Verdict: if you don’t mind having to do a little tool customization then this is an exceptional tool! (4 out of 5 stars).

Next is the Secco Z1M-100 wet grinder/polisher. $100 on Ebay. This thing smells like China, although has no “Made in” designation. Still, a similar Makita would run almost $400 and wouldn’t come with any grinding discs. The Secco came with 7 disc grits (50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500, 3000 grit) a separate GFCI unit, H&L backup, and 3′ section of quick-connect hose with fittings. It works flawlessly. I could only imagine a better unit may be somewhat quieter and maybe less vibration (neither of which were a real issue). The central irrigation is great and even works well on edges. The variable speed is a necessity and is nice to have the control as you work through the grits. This machine makes it fun to grind stone and concrete (just to see what you get). I highly recommend this for working with tile, stone or concrete. (5 out of 5 stars).

Moving on to a more common tool, the Porter Cable 557K plate joiner. $175 at the Home Depot during 20% off tools days. I finally went ahead and bought one of these because I picked up a trim job where I had planned on pre-fabbing all the casings. Unfortunately, it didn’t work in all the areas I needed it to, the face that goes against the work is just too wide and the blade it came with would’ve been too large to offset it the necessary amount. Specifically, the problem was in the area where the casing legs dove into the sill. I worked around it by simply screwing through sill up into the casing legs, but had to be more cognizant of alignment. Still, the plate jointer made the other joints easier to align so it wasn’t a total waste (BTW each window is comprised of 17 pieces made using 38 cuts, 5 rips, and 1 rabbet!!!!). Anyways, I have used plate joiners before and know they have their place so I will hopefully get more use out of this tool but it is not the bees knees if you ask me. Also, the case is horribly cramped and dust collection is in the way and awkward so unused. The tool seems a little heavy but otherwise has great feel and easy to use trigger. Overall I say this is a good if not slightly limited use tool (3 out of 5 stars).

Next tool is the Bostitch MCN150 “Strap Shot” metal connector nailer. $176 at Amazon w/free shipping. This thing made a dreadful job, not quite as dreadful. I had to integrate the header system of a deck into the joist system, a job that ended up requiring 72 pieces of metal overall. First, using a setting jig that I made, I set all the joist hangers with just two nails. I think it took all of 15 minutes to set 64 LUS28’s. Then I dropped in all the joists and finished the nailing, another 15 minutes. I couldn’t imagine doing it by hand and would have been much slower with palm nailer. I still had to palm nail the spikes through the joists but the overall time saving was significant. The tool operates by sticking the end of a strip nail into the hole of a metal connector. Once in a while (every 10th nail) it would need to be re-set in the hole to fire…must be something to do with it’s safety mechanism. The tool is comparatively light and compact but that comes at a cost; you gotta add nails annoyingly often, just as you get into a good rhythm it stops you. And it doesn’t just stop when you run out of nails, it stops with 4 nails left in the strip. Also, it only shoots up to 1-1/2″ nails, so it is limited. On top of that, I ordered nails through Amazon because nobody in my area carries them (or has heard of them) and that came at a time and money premium. I had to pay $45 for 1000 1-1/2 galv nails and on top of that, had to wait almost 2 weeks. I cannot say I was happy about that, hopefully these gun catch on and the nail prices and availably become more reasonable. Verdict: Saved lots of labor time and effort but at a slight cost, will hopefully pan out over time. (3 out of 5 stars).

I also just ordered two new Hitachi 1/4″ x 50′ polyurethane air hoses. $15.13 each plus shipping from Amazon. Not much review for an air hose…it moves air well? The fittings are steel instead of brass so not the highest quality. The hose is lightweight and easy to see (easy to see dirt on the white Hitachi hose). The strain relievers should prolong the life on this hose as they have on other hoses I use. I did have to look to FHB for a new way to coil the thin Polyurethane hose using the “over and under” technique (there’s a video somewhere). If you just coil like a rubber hose you will get mad and maybe tie your self up! Verdict: good lightweight hose at a great price (4 out of 5 stars).

There you all go. I hope I may have helped someone who may be on the fence whether or not to buy one of those products. I know that many others here have assisted me in making purchasing decisions.

DC