Product Review: Tolsen tools

Tolsen tools, like any budget brand tend to be a compromise of quality/price.

And while Tolsen isn't really any different, some of the tools they produce are a excellent value.

While they may advertise "professional" grade, they really cannot compete with the level of quality of some of the better known manufacturers, such as RIGID in the case of their plumbing tools.

A hammer, is a hammer, and there isn't that much a manufacturer can do to mess that up, (but to my amazement some can and do). This is where Tolsen excels. They make a o.k. pipe wrench, their hammer will work as you expect, and if you buy a paint roller for less than half the price of a name brand roller IT WILL do the job.

Tolsen however seems to fail, where quality, and workmanship are of critical importance, and the tubing cutter pictured above, in my case was a total failure.

"Operator error" could be claimed, but, I do know exactly how to use them, 1/4 turn at a time, on a clean, unaltered cutting surface. It isn't rocket science to use one of these, but, even the best are sensitive to cutting wheel damage if improperly used. In my case, that is not what happened.

That tool was god awful! It was so lacking in quality, I wouldn't even give it away, it went straight to the trash, and I went straight to home depot to purchase A RIGID and truthfully, I knew better than to buy anything else.

Side by side the only similarity is their shape and the job they were designed to accomplish, and that ends it. The level of quality just isn't present with Tolsen in that narrow regard.

Of all of the Tolsen tools I have used so far, including the tile cutter, assorted pipe wrenches, pry bars, etc have surpassed all of my expectations, but again, they can't really compare to the quality levels of some other tools. Those "other" manufacturers cannot, however, come close to the cost of Tolsen.

My general guideline regarding budget tools is a simple one:

If what I have to do requires a high level of precision, or if the job I am doing is something I will be doing often, I must buy top quality. Other than than that, basically anything goes. And in that respect, Tolsen makes some great tools to supplement the needs of any construction company big, or small.