About & how we test

Online Tool Reviews reviews power tools and woodworking gear for people who have to live with the purchase. Every article makes a clear recommendation and says who it is not for.

Who writes this

Every review, buying guide and how-to here is written by Nate Calder.

Nate covers the tools a home workshop actually runs on. Saws, routers, clamps, sharpening and finishing. And the maker gear that has moved into the same shop: laser engravers, 3D printers, desktop CNC and pyrography.

The approach is the same for every page:

• Start with the job, not the spec sheet. Who is buying this, and what will they cut, glue or make with it?
• Find the real drawback. Every review names at least one. A review with no cons is an ad.
• Say when the answer is "don't buy it". Or when the better option isn't on Amazon.
• Label the method. Every review says whether it is hands-on or research-based. See below.

The workshop photos and diagrams on the site come from Nate's own bench. Where you see one, it was made for that article, not pulled from a manufacturer.

How scoring works

Tools are scored out of 10 across four areas, then given one overall figure:

• Build quality — materials, tolerances, and how it survives being dropped.
• Power — real output under load, not the number on the box.
• Ergonomics — balance, grip, noise, vibration, and how it feels after an hour.
• Value — what you get relative to what it costs and what else is available.

The overall score is a judgement call, not an average. A tool that fails on one thing that matters can score lower than its individual numbers suggest.

Hands-on vs research-based

Reviews are labelled honestly. Hands-on means the tool was physically used for the work described. Research-based means the assessment draws on specifications, manufacturer documentation, owner reports and comparison against tools that have been used hands-on. Both are useful; they are not the same thing, so they are never presented as if they were.

How this site makes money

Through Amazon affiliate links. If you buy after clicking one, we earn a small commission at no cost to you. Commission rates do not vary by product in a way that could influence a pick, and no manufacturer pays for placement or gets to review an article before it goes live. See the full disclosure.