Testing tools is my passion.
As regular readers will know, I’m a bit of tool nerd.
As a child I would spend hours in Hughes ironmongers in Hartfield Road, Wimbledon, near my parents home, looking at the strange mysterious tools on the old wooden shelves. I was in heaven. Even now the smell of old oily tools brings back fond memories of those childhood times and I can’t resist the chance to try out old or new tools.
Testing and reviewing tools since 2013
As such I’ve amassed a huge array of them for my model making, railways and engineering projects and which I’ve reviewed here on Model Railway Engineer since launching the site in 2013.
I’ve tested everything from old hand tools, to screwdrivers to the latest power tools – just some of the reviews are listed below. Each one gets the same treatment, testing against specification, suitability for the intended task, value and reliability (I use them for months before writing about them, the Four E’s mixed was used for a year, to identify any long-term reliability issues). If they’re poor, I say so and if they don’t live up to the hype or product-spec blindly parroted in so many mass-produced AI-created affiliate reviews now swamping the web I’m not afraid to say so.
Bought and used before reviewed
With very few exceptions (always clearly stated), I purchase all the tools I review here with my own money. I buy all the tools with my own money and each one is tested, used and abused in real model railway construction and model-making before they are written up.
How I make money
Buying these tools myself eats up a lot of money. As does paying the technology costs to host and maintain this website.
To help with these costs, product recommendations here may include links to Amazon, eBay, etc. When you buy something after following these links I receive a small commission. For transparency, each page has a note at the bottom disclosing this. I also sell hand-crafted models – line side huts for example – and run adverts from Google. These have no bearing on whether I recommend or point out the flaws in a product discussed and reviewed.
Tool reviews
Here are a few tools tested, used in my studio né workshop at the bottom of my garden in Surrey and reviewed here since 2013.
Hand tools tested
You can’t beat the feel of a well-designed hand-tool!
- The Gimlet hand-tool, what is it, why you need one
- The Scratch Awl and its uses
- Best low-speed hand drill for modellers
- Which Xuron Track Cutter to get (and how to use them for perfect cuts)
Tools for working with wires, written up
Power tool reviews and guides
- Desktop sander
- Dremel 3000 review
- The Six Must-Have Dremel Bits & Accessories
- What is the difference between a dremel collet and chuck?
- Four E’s Vortex paint mixer review
- Static grass applicators tested
What would you like to see tested?
If there’s a particular tool for model railway modellers you’d like to see tested, please drop me a line via my contact page.
Andy is a lifelong modeler, writer, and founder of modelrailwayengineer.com. He has been building model railways, dioramas, and miniatures for over 20 years. His passion for model making and railways began when he was a child, building his first layout at the age of seven.
Andy’s particular passion is making scenery and structures in 4mm scale, which he sells commercially. He is particularly interested in modelling the railways of South West England during the late Victorian/early Edwardian era, although he also enjoys making sci-fi and fantasy figures and dioramas. His website has won several awards, and he is a member of MERG (Model Railway Electronics Group) and the 009 Society.
When not making models, Andy lives in Surrey with his wife and teenage son. Other interests include history, science fiction, photography, and programming. Read more about Andy.