Dan Shapiro

Brian has brought us another NSY FREE TOOL review (now closed for new entrants). this link for more information on the NSY editorial policy about reviews. And without further ado, Brian’s review. –dan
The Good: Makes the drill/countersink/drive chore much faster and easier. Top notch quality.
The Bad: Small possibility of marring work if not careful.
The Bottom Line: If there’s a large batch of screw holes in your future, you want one. Definately beats a 2nd drill/driver.
NSY RATING: Four thumbs up (4/5) (Four and a half thumbs seemed like bad mojo).
The Full Deal:
I recently built a new pantry with roll out shelves for my sister. The biggest part of this project was building up the drawer boxes that form the roll out shelves. Since my sister lives about an hour away and doesn’t own a table saw I had to mill the drawer stock ahead of time and cut it to length on site with portable tools. I elected to build the boxes with both biscuits and screws in each corner. This left me with 40 screws to drill, counter sink, and drive, and carpel tunnel from switching bits so often. Since then I’ve been thinking of picking up a second cordless drill to have around for these situations. In the course of shopping the web I came across the Jack Rabbit Deluxe Set which looked tailor made to my problem.
When I contacted the good people at Jack Rabbit Tool not only were they happy to provide an review sample they also provided a set to be given away to a lucky NSY reader. They even took the time to send me a very friendly email to apologize for taking a few days to respond – like I said, good people.
When the sets arrived in the mail I was immediately struck by the quality machining on the parts. I felt like someone took pride in the quality of the tool, not just how cheaply they could make it. The magnetizer was so well made that I spend a minute or two just turning it over in my hand and generally fondling it. Some good thought also went into how the tool is used. For example, the case leaves room for the last used bit and counter sink to remain installed and ready to go instead of having to disassemble everything to store it.
The tool itself is wonderfully simple to use. Set up consists of placing the driver bit (Phillips and square drive are included) in your drill, sliding the magnetizer over the bit, and then sliding the drill and counter sink unit onto the driver bit. Then you simply drill till you hit the depth collar, slide the drill unit off and drive the screw. It’s great – the switch from drill to drive and back takes less than a second and is done with two fingers while the drill remains ready in your other hand. I had no trouble holding a few screws in the palm of my hand while switching.
The drill and counter sink unit consists of four pieces that you set up to match your project. The drill bit is held by a combination counter sink and collet that screws into the drill unit. For those of you not familiar with the idea of a collet, it works by squeezing in on the drill bit as it is screwed into the drill unit – similar to the chuck on your drill but simpler and more accurate. Collets are used by most large machinery to hold spinning cutters. This has two big advantages:
1) The set can use a standard twist drill bit that is easily removed for replacement or sharpening and can be found at any local hardware store.
2) Assuming the collet is well made, which these are, the drill bit is perfectly centered every time.
The collet is tightened with two wrenches that are provided with the set. The final piece is a squeezing collar depth stop that is used to set the depth of the counter sink. Once again the depth stop is a step up from the ordinary. The squeezing action gives a much better grip on the counter sink than the cheaper set-screw type that is usually seen. However, while beautiful, the shape of the depth stop was the source of my only negative experience. The shape of the surface that contacts the wood has a slight contour to it resulting in a relatively small contact area when it reaches the wood. If your not careful it’s easy to leave a slight crescent shaped depression in the surface of the wood. Nothing that would destroy a piece, but could require some sanding to eliminate.
Not only good people but a truly excellent tool. The fit and finish are superior, I experienced no wobble in the drill bit or counter sink, the connection with the driver bit and drill unit felt solid and reliable, and setup is quick and easy. This is one of those tools that inspires confidence because it just feels right.
Hmmm… there goes the reason for a second drill. Guess I’ll have to think up a new excuse to buy another tool…
Brian Todoroff
Contributing Editor, Nothing Severed Yet
www.nothingseveredyet.com

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