5 comments about DEWALT DC515K Heavy Duty 1/2 Gallon 18-Volt Ni-Cad Cordless Wet/Dry Vacuum.

1. Dewalt DC515K cordless Vacuum. DEWALT DC515K Heavy Duty 1/2 Gallon 18-Volt Ni-Cad Cordless Wet/Dry VacuumThis is a great tool. First it has much more power than a dust buster. This vac has the same power as the larger DeWalt, but much more compact. I liked it so much I took it to work, showed my boss and we bought two at work. I do maintenance work, and have it with me on my tool cart. I use it every day at least once. Amazon was $40-50 cheaper than anywhere else I could find it and it was free shipping too.



2. I have been using the vac for 2 years now. It performs on a daily basis for up to 20 people 7 days a week. At work we have almost every 18 volt cordless tool DeWalt puts out. I have been so impressed I bought the 9-tool bags a couple months back for my personal use. Anything that can last so long with the crew I am on has to be tough! And the performance of each tool has always been up to par with any of our corded tools, which are falling by the wayside, collecting dust.



3. It's the best little vac I've used.
   I sorta get people's issue with the high pitch noise, but to me , it isn't loud...my bigger shop vacs are FAR louder.
   But your 3 x the distance from them, so I guess it just seems louder to others.. I don't find a problem with the noise.
   
   PROS....
   Easy to get the trash tray off and dump it.
   Uses a REAL filter... the type that works best and more efficiently on full size shop vacs.
   Picks up all sorts of stuff easily.
   I have other 18v dewalt tools, so a no brainer addition for me.
   But my wife loves it for spot clean ups in the kitchen and bathrooms.
   
   CONS:
   I wish the charger had provisions for wall mounting as well as some sort of wall mount for the vac.. that would make it soo much easier for general use around the house.



4. Because it was a DeWalt, and rather pricey, I bought this unit expecting it to basically be a hand-held Shop-Vac, which is not quite the case. I suspect that my expectations were too high. It will easily lift all kinds of wood and metal chips, even fairly heavy ones, off a smooth surface, but if you're trying to get a winter's worth of grit out of your car carpets, a plug-in shop-vac still does a better job....



5. I purchased the DeWalt vac to replace an older Dustbuster. The power of the DeWalt is considerably better. The hose function works well and is great for corners and tight areas. Many reviews raise concern about noise. Here is a comparison measured at 36 inches:
   
   DeWalt cordless vac 87-90 dB
   Black and Decker Dustbuster 80-82 dB
   Porter Cable wet/dry shop vac 87 dB
   Dirt Devil 84 dB
   Simplicity home floor vacuum 80 dB
   
   Hearing damage occurs at 90dB over time. Ear muffs for hearing protections store nicely on the handle of the DeWalt and, I believe, should be used. I do not find this to be particularly inconvenient. I own other DeWalt tools and have found them to be consistently high quality. This one is no exception.

5 comments about Jensen JP20 160-Watt DC-to-AC Power Inverter.

1. Works well, added a simple 4 outlet power strip and was able to have laptop and phone charger plugged in at sametime.



2. Bought this for my campervan when I stay somewhere without an electrical hookup. I can run it for hours powering my 40 watt LCD TV/DVD player and it doesn't even get hot. TV works without a problem, you would think it was plugged into a normal outlet. The unit is whisper quiet. In fact, I don't recall hearing any noise at all! The thing just works as advertised. I wish everything would!



3. Does what it's suppose to do. Recharged several items (GPS, bluetooth, cell phone, etc.) during a recent family trip, and it was quiet and unobtrustive. Only thing to mention is that it should be turned off or unplugged when starting the vehicle; otherwise it will make a high-pitched squeal. But that is a minor issue, and I am very content with this product.



4. We bought this to power a laptop in a Honda Pilot. It works fine. The dual outlet wasn't in stock when we bought this. I would suggest buying the dual outlet because it is only cost slightly more.



5. I am pleased so far. I had my computer plugged into the unit for several hours during a drive to the east coast, and I have had my iPhone plugged into it a number of times in my Smart car, and it has always worked fine.

5 comments about Bostitch MIIIFN 1-1/2- to 2-Inch Pneumatic Flooring Nailer.

1. I own a manual floor nailer but this tool is a joy to use...



2. A word of caution. When attaching the handle my husband screwed it down to tight and broke the handle. I then had to order a new one. The handle is not as strong as I would have hoped, We have not had a chance to use it yet, we will be laying about 1100 sq feet of flooring in another month, so I'll let you know how it goes.



3. We bought this nailer to install 1800sqft of hardwoods in our house. Here's our experience:
   
   Pros:
   
   Beefy. You can tell it's made for the pros. And you can smack it hard to help get warped boards tight.
   
   It does exactly what it's supposed to.
   
   The included mallet feels like high quality, and its just the right weight.
   
   
   Cons:
   
   We had a lot of problems with the nailer allowing the last nail in a stack to fall out of the nailer. This is a problem because it can fall half way out, then when you put the nailer down on the finished floor, it's easy for the sharp nail to scratch the finish. Get in the habit of setting the nailer on the unfinished part of the floor.
   
   The nailer includes a plastic shoe that bolts to the underside. The instructions say this is for finished floors whereas the normal plate is for unfinished (site finished) floors. The shoe was useless for us. It made it nearly impossible to line up the nailer with the tongue. The normal plate didn't scratch the floor at all. So we used it that way. Maybe softer woods would have scratched (we used distressed oak).
   
   Having to attach the handle was annoying. It also seems like a clunky afterthought. But once installed, it worked fine.
   
   If you don't smack it with a hammer hard enough, it won't drive the nail in all the way in. If it's half way out, you can use channel lock pliers to pry the nail out. But if you get it 90% of the way in, you'll have to use a nail set to drive the nail in the rest of the way so that the next board fits. This is a real pain. The nail metal is soft. It likes to deform or break off. This is more operator error than anything else. So smack it hard.
   
   How it could be better:
   
   Stop letting the last nail fall out.
   
   Make the nail cartridge slightly longer so you can put the next stack of nails in sooner.
   
   Redesign the handle.
   
   What we learned:
   
   For wood floors, wider is better. 5" wide boards mean half the cutting, fitting, and nailing compared to 2.5" wide boards.
   
   Also pick up a finish nailer to help when you're close to walls. If you take the rubber guard off, a finish nailer can nail through the tongue just like this nailer. Less face nailing.



4. nailer required the handle extension to be installed after receipt but the installation was easy, only four bolts. the prefinished flooring plate was not installed and the instructions for this were not as clear as they could have been, but even so it took but a few minutes to figure it out and install. the prefinished flooring plate makes a simple and fast job of intalling prefinished flooring and protects the flooring from damage. if not extremely careful nailers w/o the special plate tend to mar the flooring. i would highly recommend this product for ease of use, quality of product, and performance.



5. The nailer worked fine. I used it alongside a manual nailer and it was worth the extra cost. Also the NO-MAR attachment made the tool a breeze to use and lived up to its name.

5 comments about MAGCRAFT® Magnets - 1/4" Rare Earth Cube, Package of 20.

1. we use these on a magnetic whiteboard. Wow they are strong magnets, and look great in the process. Get them, noting will ever fall down.



2. These magnets are smaller than I figured, but that's because I didn't stop to think what 1/4" looks like. But that doesn't keep me from being beyond satisfied with these magnets. NOTHING will fall off of my fridge. I was literally able to open my fridge door with one of these suckers!
   
   Definitely a good buy.



3. I got these as cheaper alternatives to overpriced 'designer' fridge magnets. They are strong. I tend to stack them two together so that I can pull them off the fridge. For things I leave on the fridge, I use one so that they are not easily removed.



4. I bought these for use on a wall painted with magnetic primer. We only painted 2 coats (should have done 3) and then painted over it with another color. I was having a hard time finding magnets that would hold anything on the wall. These work great! One tiny cube will hold 2 sheets of paper on the wall.



5. Beautiful magnets! Strong, gorgeous shape and finish. Timely delivery. I would highly recommend the company and product.

4 comments about Wiremold C110 White Cordmate Kit.

1. Great product for hiding wires. A bit rigid and difficult to cut, but that is probably b/c I was using regular scissors. Excellent product.



2. works great, easy too cut with hack saw, a little hard to open. Takes some time. Looks good!



3. Used this to conceal one cable and one cord. Adding the cord pushed its capacity, but it still worked. Luckily both (cable and cord) are white as the cord is not completely encased. Recommend for one cable OR two cords.



4. My room is 16x15, and I have a Pioneer HTS-GS1 home theater in a box system, with speakers in every corner of my room on speaker stands. So I had a ton of wiring laying around looking terrible! I bought 6 of these kits in total. It was going to ship in two shipments since 3 were from Amazon (all they had left) and 3 were from an outside vendor. I received the first 3 packages, yet one of the boxes was empty. I notified Amazon and they promptly 2 day shipped another one out to me. Big thumbs up to Amazon Customer service. But I decided to go ahead and start my installation anyways, even with just two out of the six packages. I busted out a measuring tape and hacksaw, and got to work. It was my first time doing anything like this and it was very straightforward. I now have about 40% of the wires concealed using just these two kits. I would definitely recommend using a hacksaw to cut through this stuff, as it is pretty hard. I used the elbows around the corners and they worked like a charm. I thought that varying the height of the raceways (on top of molding, and then going down to the floor for going across doorways) wouldn't look good, but it blends in very well. I am very satisfied with this product, and would recommend it for anyone who needs to route speaker wire and doesnt want to drill holes through their walls.

5 comments about Poulan Pro 17-Inch 25cc Gas Powered String Trimmer #PP125.

1. Just read the instructions, it's easy to assemble, put some gas and just start it, it works as a charm. It is really powerful and can cut some significant weeds. I recommend the brush cutter for more serious work otherwise the string is not going to last long. The brush cutter extension comes with a second handle and a shoulder strap that does not come standard with the trimmer.
   The machine has a reasonable weight and allows anyone to use it even for extended periods of time.



2. I have now had my Poulan trimmer for about 6 months. I have no major complaints about it at all. I really like the straight shaft design because i believe that it consumes less power than the bent shaft models. Plus, in about 10 seconds you can detach it and put on another attachment. I would highly suggest getting the brush cutting attachment. Even if you aren't planning on cutting brush, it is great for trimming trees, and larger weeds. It also comes with a shoulder strap and a much larger handle which i think the trimmer needs anyways. I do wish it had a little more power, but for the size and weight of the trimmer, it can't be beat. Starts and runs well every time. I also have a Poulan chain saw that runs and performs great. Will stick with this brand in the future.



3. This unit was ALL it was claimed to be. A Workhorse, yet so easy
   to use. Thanks----Brian



4. Received my PP125 yesterday (9/15/2008) from Amazon and it had exactly the same problem as reviewer Richard Samford - press down on the throttle and the engine bogs down and stops running. I was very disappointed since the unit will only operate at slightly above idle speed - which is unusable.
   
   The trimmer could not be returned to Amazon (it's gas) so I decided to re-adjust the carburetor myself to resolve the problem. Upon inspection, I noted the carb adjustment screws are of the tamper proof kind and a special tool is required to make adjustments. Undaunted, I found a pair of blue electrical crimp connectors that slipped nicely over the carburetor adjustments screws. Within 5 minutes, I had my PP125 Trimmer running smoother than a top... nice acceleration from idle, good power at high speed, and starts reliablely.
   
   Delivery was on-time and setup was easy. Unit appears well constructed. Since this was a new out of the box trimmer, I'll give it only 4 stars because it required a tune-up to get the unit to function properly.



5. My old 7.5lb Homelite sx-134 finally gave out after 15 years trouble free service. I took a couple of weeks to read specifications and customer feedbacks of as many line trimmers (including Homelite) as possible prior to purchase. Some had mostly negative feedbacks, some had mixed negative & positive, none had all positive reviews. I decided upon the PP125 because it had the most positive feedbacks.
   Received the item on 17 Sept. The box was delivered with one side crushed somewhat, thankfully, there was no damage or missing parts. I followed the manual for startup. It was very easy pulling the rope and it started on the 3rd pull. I waited about 15 seconds and momentarily powered up to take it out of start mode into the run mode. I then tried gradually powered up, but the engine bogged down and almost stops. Tried it couple more times with the same bogging down effect. I had previously read the feedbacks (William B. Ramsey & Richard Samford) stating they had the same problem, I had hoped I would not have the same problem. I did however. The nearest repair center is 50 miles away (1 way). Thanks to William Ramsey, I also had blue electrical crimp connectors with the slightly flared ends that fit nicely onto the adjustment screws in order to make carburetor adjustments. It was such a tight fit I could only adjust one screw at a time with one connector. It took me about 10 minutes to correct the problem. It now revs up to full power nicely. The factory adjustments must have been made on top of Mt. Everest.
   I like the idea that the trimmer head does not turn while in idle, you have to power up with the speed trigger to get it going. I can set it down momentarily and my pet will not get into it. It only got 4 stars from me because 1) carburetor adjustment out of whack and 2) 13lb weight. It will take more time to evaluate long term usage.

5 comments about Calculated Industries 4080 Construction Master Pro Trigonometric Calculator.

1. We do Steel Detailing and Calculators are an absolute in this work.
   We have purchased several in the past few years and are very happy with this one.
   It was delivered quickly and has been a work horse since we bought it with no problems with the calcuator at all.
   Very nice people that sold this item through Amazon.
   We highly recommend this calculator for anyone who has to have precise and instant facts,figures and info.



2. Very handy calculator for construction purposes, required for many college classes I take and makes my life easier.



3. I am a structural steel detailer. This involves creating detailed CAD drawings of steel, using Architect's and Engineer's drawings as a basis. I find this calculator an extremely valuable tool, allowing me to perform mathematical functions on fractional dimensions without the need to convert back and forth from decimal form. This particular model also includes trig functions which come in handy occasionally. I gave it four stars instead of five only because I wear out the keypad on one every two years or so. Wish they lasted a little longer....but this IS a well made product and highly recommended.



4. Does all that I need it to in a machine shop - a coworker bought one from a store and paid over $40 more!



5. This is the forth calculator like this I have bought. One a different brand and the other 2 have been from Calculated Industries (Maker of the construction master pro) and this has been the best one so far.
   
   I love it's ability to handle feet and inches, built in trig (pich/rise/run calculation) that way I don't have to remember the sign cosign and tangent and how to use them. Built in circular calculations, ability to convert between metric and imperial (feet and in).
   
   There are several other functions that are cool, but I do not use, like the ability to figure stairs, figure a compound miter, ex.
   
   If you are looking for a calculator for a job site, or as a draftsman in my opinion you can not go wrong with this one.

5 comments about Designers Edge L-949 10 LED Rechargeable Solar Panel Shed Light Model.

1. The light arrived today in a timely manner and after testing it it does work. However this light appears to be used. The solar panel is somewhat scratched and all parts of light needed cleaning.



2. Got it at a very good price. Works better than I expected it would. If needed, I would certainly buy another. Highly recommended.



3. I love a product that just works when you pull it out of the box. This is one of those. I put mine in the greenhouse to provide night lighting and it does a great job. Worth every penny.



4. The panel installed easily.The light is not very bright at all, even in total darkness. I guess it is better than no light at all.



5. Advertised as having a 20ft cord...at best it's only 16ft!
   Pivot mount for the solar panel is totally useless...very poor design!
   There was a 6 inch "L" shaped treaded metal rod included with the hardware with no instuctions on what's it for! The light works well so far...not real bright but good enough to find things.

5 comments about Makita 9227CX3 7-Inch Electronic Sander-Polisher with Polishing Kit.

1. Everything about this product screams quality, the pads, the bag and of course the unit itself are all very well constructed and designed.
   
   It has the same 5/8" thread size as most angle grinders so you can use it with any of the wide variety of attachments made to fit angle grinders, just get some locking nuts from any grinder. It actually makes many of those attachments much more useful than they are on a standard angle grinder due to its lower speeds and the greater control offered by the loop style handle.
   
   Attach a fine wire brush wheel to easily make brushed metal, or use a spiral sewn cloth wheel with some polishing compound to bring metals to a mirror finish. Use it with a diamond disc for easily slicing through metal or wood. With a set of diamond polishing pads you can polish granite, marble and other natural stones to a high lustre. Attach ordinary microfiber towels or sponges to the hook and loop pad and you can buff or clean just about anything. I have even used it with grinding wheels meant for a bench grinder to sharpen my knives and garden tools.
   
   Of course it is also a great sander and famed in the auto detailing industry as one of the top (if not the best) circular car polishers on the market.
   
   What sets this tool apart from the pack is the fact that it can handle heavy torque loads without slowing down, even at low rpm. I have tried other similar tools (circular polishers and VS angle grinders capable of low speeds) which had no problems handling torque at higher speeds but could not handle much at low rpm without slowing down or wavering. That functionality is crucial to many delicate polishing and grinding applications where you need an even cut without removing too much material.
   
   This thing is very comfortable to use, runs smooth and quiet, does not overheat, and it can stand up to a heck of a lot of abuse. What more could you ask for?



2. I needed this Sander/Polisher for both sanding and polishing (Imagine that).
   
   The unit itself is excellent and I love the fact that I can dial it down to 600 RPM. It is really a high quality unit and I'm sure it will outlive me.
   
   Despite being advertised as a "Sander/Buffer" the kit does not have any sanding accessories and the sanding pad is difficult to locate on the web. I opted to purchase the additional pad that lists at the same time as the machine, but it just turns out to be another buffer pad, which is already included with the kit. So, after it was all said and done I had to place an additional order to get the sanding pad.
   
   Other than all that, I love the unit itself.



3. GREAT PRODUCT/PRICE!..BUT SHOULD SHOW WHAT NEEDS TO BE ADDED FOR SANDING..IE: S-PAD, LUCK NUT AND ASSORTED PACKAGE OF S-PAPER ADDED AT A REDUCED PRICE!.....
   PS NO HEX WRENCH INCLUDED IN MINE



4. This is a nice hatchet to use for chopping chicken necks for your trot line. Light weight, straight edge.



5. Just as described which is just what I needed. I changed it to a 4" driver pad for polishing stone. It worked great. I like the variable speed which is hard to find on a tool. Can't wait to use it to get the scratches out of my car.

5 comments about Hunter Fan 27185 Light Remote Control.

1. This item is possessed. Go over to epinions and read about it. Fan comes on and off at random times, mostly inconvenient times (while your trying to sleep). Changing the frequency dip switches involves unmounting the fan (thats right, getting up on a ladder and taking it down again). I actually have installed 100 fans in my life, and holding up a fan in one hand while changing a dip switch with the other is somewhat of a challenge :). Now that the dip switches are changed, VIOLA...still interference. I think I may try to cut the receiver wire this time to shorten the range, as it may be getting interference from down the street, or solar flares, or the gremlins that live in my attic.



2. should not be sold with fans that come with compact flow lamps...ok for incandesent lamps only..needs to be made in usa also...i dont trust china products..



3. Product works great and I received within 2 days of my order. Will definately order again.



4. I've had many Hampton Bay fans in the past but not so much in future purchases. If you have a plain Jane chain pull, then you're safe to go. However, the upgraded ones with the remotes leave a lot to be desired. The warranty for 25 years only covers the motor, NOTHING ELSE.
   
   In researching why my fan failed after two years of operation I opened up Pandora's Box so to speak. The remote and receivers are made by Rhine based in TW. They have a very weak capacitor design and break down anywhere from one to two years. The failure range from blown capacitors or shorted ones which kind of ooze gray matter all over the inside of the receiver. I've spent three weeks sending emails and going to forums to try to find the manufactureer of these capacitors and they are made by Carli in China, However you can't buy them here, and they won't answer any emails.
   
   So the long and the short of it is, in my case I cannot change it over to a pull chain type so essentially it is scrap.
   
   For some odd reason my paying for a two hundered dollar fan and be told I have to pay for a weak designed receiver just doesn't do well with me.
   
   Good luck



5. I have replaced the receiver twice because of lights blowing out. Each time a light goes the receiver stops functioning correctly. The first time the unit wouldn't operate at all so I spent $32 and 2 hours of my time replacing it. The second time the unit still controls the fan, but now the light is either on or half-way dim--won't go off and the gradual dim function doesn't work at all. Hunter's suggestion is a new unit. No way. I am looking for a better product.