Stay warm on site with body mapping workwear

Body mapping workwear

A change of season means a change of focus on what you wear on site. With this in mind, Snickers FLEXIWork, RUFFWork, LITEWork and ALLROUND Workwear is said to ensure you keep your cool when the heat is on or stay warm and comfortable when the temperature drops. Interweaving 37.5 Technology fabric into Snickers’ working clothes means that you’ve got …

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Lightweight beanie fits under hard hats for warmth and safety

Lightweight beanie

As the chilly weather sets in JSP has launched a new thermal helmet beanie called the Surefit Beanie which is fully approved to be worn with all the JSP Evo range of Safety Helmets. Compatibility is key when combining PPE and this new Beanie will prevent workers from wearing incompatible and dangerous alternatives such as hoodies under their helmets. Designed …

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Metabo SSW 18 LTX 400 BL Impact Wrench – Roundup Part 3

Metabo SSW 18

In the third part of the Skill Builder super impact driver roundup, we look at the Metabo SSW 18 LTX 400 BL Impact Wrench. The Metabo 18v 2×3.5ah LiHD cordless impact wrench features the unique Metabo brushless motor for quick work progress and highest efficiency for any application. Featuring LiHD battery pack for ultimate performance, extremely long service life with …

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Average Tradesperson Earns £781 per Week

what trades earn

Hudson Contract has revealed this year’s winners and losers across 10 regions and 17 trades in its annual Construction Pay Trends Index with plumbers enjoying biggest pay rise in 2017 while electricians have experienced a pay drop. The index shows that self-employed builders in England and Wales have seen a year-on-year increase in average weekly earnings of 3.8% – with …

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Bright idea: ProVan LED light review

ProVan LED light

Roger Bisby lets a lot more light into the black hole that was the back of his van. There are few things more frustrating than rummaging around in the back of your van trying to find something and not having enough light to see. As winter draws in I find myself in this situation once again, I know it is …

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Real Deals For You: Roughneck Gorilla Bar Junior Twin Set

Roughneck Gorilla Bar

Skill Builder has once again teamed up with Real Deals for You to take a look at a selection of products from their Christmas campaign.  In the sixth instalment of this series Roger Bisby tries out the Roughneck Gorilla Bar Junior Twin Set. Real Deals for You is a year-round campaign run by one of Europe’s leading hand and power …

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Hitachi WH18DBDL2 Impact Driver Review – Roundup Part 2

Hitachi WH18DBDL2

In the second part of the Skill Builder super impact driver roundup, we look at the Hitachi (rebranded to HiKOKI as of October 2017) WH18DBDL2 brushless 18v impact driver. Hitachi WH18DBDL2/JX 18v 2×6.0ah Li-ion Brushless Impact Driver The WH18DBDL2/JX 18v Brushless Impact Driver features a high power brushless motor with a selection for 4 speed modes: Soft Mode for delicate …

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Building an Extension Part 2 – Moving drains

moving drains

Roger Bisby shares the trials and tribulations of moving drains in the second episode of The Extension project. Builders will often tell you that the hardest part of a job is the bit in the ground. In my case this was true. The ground was made up with rubble, there were two drain runs and manholes to be removed and …

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BMF Welcomes Commitment to Housebuilding

year for bricks

Responding to the Budget, the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) has welcomed recognition by the Chancellor that housebuilding needs to be one of the Government’s main priorities.

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Total Wipeout: Uniwipes review

Uniwipes review

Roger Bisby tries out Uniwipes Ultra Grime. Are they going to give the competition sleepless nights? I am a big fan of workwipes. Not only do they clean your hands up they also clean off surfaces so jobs such as siliconing around a shower have now been made a lot more manageable. For me the the drawback with wipes is …

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Delving deeper into the world of damp prevention & cure

damp prevention

Roger Bisby attends a one day damp-proofing course with Safeguard Europe where he learns about the different causes and types of damp in buildings and what can be done about them. I have been using DryRods from Safeguard Europe for a couple of years now. Before that I used the Dryzone cream. There is no doubt that the product works …

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Real Deals For You: Faithfull 20cm/8″ Diamond Sharpening Kit

Diamond Sharpening Kit

Skill Builder has once again teamed up with Real Deals for You to take a look at a selection of products from their Christmas campaign.  In the fifth instalment of this series Roger Bisby tries out the Faithfull 20cm/8″ Diamond Sharpening Kit. Real Deals for You is a year-round campaign run by one of Europe’s leading hand and power tool …

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Dewalt DCF887 Impact Driver Review – Roundup Part 1

Dewalt DCF887 Impact Driver Review

Dewalt DCF887 Impact Driver Review: In the first part of the Skill Builder super impact driver roundup, we look at the Dewalt DCF887 3-speed 2nd generation brushless 18v impact driver. Reviews of the Makita, Milwaukee, Bosch, Hilti, Metabo, Panasonic, and Hitachi are still to come with the conclusion being published at the end of the year. Features DEWALT built brushless …

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Jewson closes online store following data security breach

Jewson closes

Builders’ merchant Jewson has taken its online store www.jewson.co.uk offline amidst fears that customers’ data may have been stolen by hackers. The breaches are believed to have taken place between 23 August, 2017, and 3 November, 2017. Jewson notfied its customers of the breaches in a recent letter which stated: “As a Jewson Direct customers, we regrettably are writing to …

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Choosing a house builder

Choosing a house builder

Ryan Abell of building services company, Abbell Building Services, describes how working in a range of building trades has helped him to instantly recognise a house builder that is great to work with.  In this article, he explains what makes a house builder stand out. Skills Perhaps the most important attribute of an excellent builder is their level of skill.  …

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Hilti DD-WMS 100 Water Management System

Hilti DD-WS-100

Maximiliano Moreira explains the Hilti DD-WMS 100 Water Management System, which cools, collects and filters water for diamond drilling systems.

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Real Deals For You: Scan Xtremity Work Gloves

Work Gloves

Skill Builder has once again teamed up with Real Deals for You to take a look at a selection of products from their Christmas campaign.  In the fourth instalment of this series Roger Bisby takes a look at the Scan Xtremity Work Gloves. Real Deals for You is a year-round campaign run by one of Europe’s leading hand and power …

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Excavation company fined after worker set on fire

Construction boss jailed

A company undertaking excavation work has been fined for safety breaches, when a worker was burned after striking underground electrical cables. Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard that in February 2016 an employee was excavating the ground at a site on Spare Lease Hill in Loughton, Essex. He struck an electrical cable and was set on fire. He received significant burns to his …

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Hultafors Tools Range of Hammers -Whack, Bang, Pound, Smash

range of hammers

Whatever type of hammering jobs you have to do, the Hultafors Tools range of hammers is said to deliver all the power and precision you’ll need. The new generation range features Ball Hammers, Carpenters’ Hammers, T-Block Hammers, Electrician’s Hammers, Sledge Hammers, Dead Blow Hammers and even Copper Hammers. The tools are designed to handle the toughest work, delivering the best possible …

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