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Stanley Xtreme Fixed Blade Knife
by giksy21
This review is based from the perspective of a carpet fitter, although this knife has no shortage of other uses for which it is likely going to be just as good.
Carpet fitting is a hard job. To make it pay, you need to get through a lot of yardage. In order to do this easily, and effectively you need the right tools for the ... job. The main tool in any carpet fitters armoury is definately his knife. No matter what type of carpet they are fitting, or for what purpose, the knife must be easy to hold, easy to use and fairly robust.
Carpet comes in many different types, but none of these types is particularly easy on blades. Blades therefore wear out quickly so it is an important feature of any knife that it can store a few blades, and also that it is easy and quick to change them. last but not least, the knife should be useful in situations where precision is needed. as such, there should be no movement of the blade.
Ergonomics
The knife is about seven inches long. this is a good length to allow it to be held in a firm grip. It is shaped with gentle curves that fit the hand very well. This combined with its light weight mean that it can be used for long periods of time without becoming awkward to hold due to fatigue in the hand. The front third of the knife consists of a brass turnning screw for opening and closing the knife to accept new blades. this does not get in the way, nor is there and rattling or movement from it. It seems a fine system, and I have experienced no problems with this portion of the knife. The knife itself bends slightly here, which is the standard shape for carpet fitting use. Sometimes known as dolphin shaped. It works perfectly for carpet fitting, as it allows you to get quite a lot of pressure to the blade in situations where the cut us hard. Overall, ergonomically the knife is great. It's shape fits it's purpose beautifully, and it does not tire the hand over long periods. 5 stars from me.
Robustness
The knife is made from silver metal. It is strong, but also incredibly light. The knife itself has withstood substantial use by myself and looks to have retained it's original appearance. The only thing I would say, is that over time the metal area around the blade has actually been worn down slightly by coming in contact with so much carpet. This has not, however altered it's usefulness. As mentioned already, the brass screw for opening the knife does not wobble, and has been well constructed. I need to change blades on multiple occasions per fitting, and even with this extreme usage has not affected it. 5 stars again.
Changing the blade
As just mentioned, I need to change blades regularly. The large screw is easy to get at, and turns quickly and easily. The knife opens up to reveal a compartment that hold 15 blade comfortably, which is good as they come in sheaths of 5. The blade is held in place firmly, and cannot move as there is two notches at the top, specially shaped to hold 'stanley' blades. Changing the blade is a quick and easy experince, that has not got worse over time. It makes my use of the knife easier, and so it is 5 stars once more, from me.
Overall.
In conclusion, this knife is perfect for the carpet fitter. It is easy to hold, and light enough that it is not sore to hold for long periods. It's shape means that it can be used with a great deal of precision and force at the same time. It has served me well for a long period of time, so I can have no issues with its durability. Its changing mechanism is easy to use, and does an effective job. I cannot fault this knife, and would not hesitate to suggest it's use for others in my situation. I can also see how it would be equally as good in other applications as well. Top marks all round!
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Rolson 5m/16ft Tape Measure
by giksy21
At last!
In recent reviews I have made it known that I work in a carpet warehouse. In such a job, a good tape is essential. I perform several measuring tasks in my work, and one of these is to go to potential customers houses to measure up for new carpet. This task often means measuring on your own, and for that reason a ... strong tape is essential.
The Rolson 5m tape is a great one to use on your own. At 19mm width, it means you can extend the tape out a fair way before it bends, making an accurate measure impossible without moving. At risk of sounding lazy, when you are taking several measurements on your knees, you can do without having to get up and down all the time. This is where I found the Rolson was great.
The tape is quite robust, and feels nice in the hand. The grip is a nice feature, as it makes the tape feel more solid in the hand. The tape itself is easy to read, having the full range of imperial and metric markings. It seems to be virtually rust proof, due to the blade being covered in PVC. This also means its slightly harder to cut yourself on the side of the tape.
Then only downside is the anti retract feature. It will not go back in until you push a button. Most are the other way round, and they go in unless you push the button. Call me old fashioned, but I just find this operation awkward. That said, the Rolson has been a good servant, and I would happily suggest its use to anyone.
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Roughneck Heavy-Duty Plastic Hand Clip 50mm
by SusanLesley
Before we got our Lifeboat Shop here in Llandudno we used to have a stall on the promenade every Sunday during the summer months. We used to set up about a dozen tables and load them with stock to sell. Along the front of the tables we used to clip RNLI flags to show what charity we were supporting.
The British summer being ... what it is meant that we didn't necessarily have calm, dry, sunny days for our fundraising. Sometimes the wind was strong and we had to find some way of holding down our wire baskets holding the stock. Sometimes the rain came and we had to hurriedly cover all the stock with plastic sheets to protect it.
Now you have an idea of some of the problems we encountered and what do we do with problems? We solve them!
We bought a couple of dozen Roughneck Heavy-Duty Plastic Hand Clips of various sizes. The wind in Llandudno can be very gusty at times so we needed something strong otherwise we could end up chasing stock as it blew down the promenade!
The clips are made from heavy duty plastic and are very strong indeed! I could use the smaller ones with one hand but the for the 25mm and 50mm ones I needed to use both hands to open the clip it was so strong.
The main body of the clip is black with orange jaws and yellow handles. The jaws pivot and have what are affectionately called soft pads to protect the work pieces you are clamping. I say affectionately as the pads are just slightly softer than the rest of the clip and have ridges on them - they are hardly made of cotton wool!!
We used to use the clips to hold the flags to the front of our tables and they worked very well. We used to have two sets of three metal baskets - one on top of the other - in which we used to display toys and teddy bears. When it was windy these needed a bit of extra security and so they got clamped to the tables.
Our main use for these clips was when the rain came. It was often a sudden and sharp shower and the plastic sheets had to be put on to cover the stock very quickly indeed. It was all hands to the pump as they say!
We used to cover the tables from one side to the other and clip the covers to the edges of the tables. We needed these strong clips as the sharp rain shower usually came with a gusty breeze and, if it got under an unsecured cover, it would take off like a kite! We also used smaller versions of these clips to clips the covers to one another to prevent rain getting in between them and damaging the stock.
We had been using these clips ever since I first started working on the stall in 2002 so I have no idea where they were purchased from or how much they cost so I went to the ever trusty Google to find out some more information and found out that the 50mm ones currently cost £4.72 each from Amazon.
At this point I will also just mention that, although we had been using these clips regularly for many years, I never saw one that had broken in any way so they are built to last making them worth the money that you pay for them.
We had a selection of 50mm, 25mm and some smaller ones too and found that they were all excellent and always did the job for us. As I said earlier they are extremely strong and whilst the men could use them one handed the ladies had to use both hands to make the jaws spring open on the larger clips. In fact some of our older ladies with less strength in their hands found that they couldn't use them at all and had to leave that particular job to someone stronger!
In conclusion I would say that these clips were one of the most useful additions to our kit and would recommend them for their strength and durability.
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