Ten tools day 9

Hack saws are the bane of my existence.  I grew up with a dad that owned a hardware store and we always had power tools around, hack saws just seem outdated and a general pain to me but there are times you can't get around using them.  Those times include water lines buried tight wall cavities, cutting off toilet bolts (I've tried everything, saws all burnt the vinyl flooring, Dremel tool had the Sam result, oscillating tool didn't really work that well, grinder was overkill), and just making those quick small cuts without running out to your car or down to the shop (shower rod, towel bar, quarter round even though I won't admit it, ect).



I'm sure you've seen a model like the one above and probably have one.  The compact design makes them nice and they work but the cheap construction has some downfalls.  The blade is a pain to get out, especially since the screw gets rusted when cutting through water lines.  The cheap construction isn't all that comfortable and I gave had two snap in my tool bag.  I also hate bare metal in the cold of winter, no matter what tool.



So here is my solution, the Milwaukee 48-22-0012 compact 10" hack saw.  I saw this in my local plumbing supply warehouse and thought what the heck.  At $18 ($16 on Amazon) it was more than double the cheap model but still very affordable.

The quick change system is a little bulky but really hasn't got in the way for me and it works like a charm.  The comfort grip handles are awesome, they cut down on the fatigue of my hands a surprising amount.  The construction is much more heavy duty also.  The only downfall is all the solutions add to the bulk of the tool but like I said, I haven't run into a situation I couldn't use it in yet.

One thing I've learned over the past few years is that buying a tool that is more "user friendly" can be worth the extra money but you have to be sure the extra "amenities" are really something that you need.  A laser pointer on a hacksaw wouldn't be that good but a laser pointer on a circular saw can be.    This tool has really addressed the issues I had with its more generic brother and I was glad to pay the extra price for the added comfort and ease of use.

If you have any questions about the tools I post about please send me a message and I'll be happy to respond.  Have a great day and keep those residents happy!