Great tool! Nice heavy weight and easy to use.
The quick release forward makes it easy to use and move quickly as your working. Really pulls the floor to make a nice tight floor.
Be careful! This thing has power and could probably push a wall out of place! Porta-JACK Pro
I have been a flooring installer for 7yrs...how did i ever manage without the porta jack....simple to use and powerful..it ratchets boards into place effortlessly and allows secure nailing for a tight fit... life is great and much easier now!
Product does what it is supposed to do, albeit pretty heavy to move around. Also, it has to grab the tongue of the plank instead of the top edge, which cuts down on the amount of room you actually have to use when laying your last plank by the distance of the tongue. Not that big a deal though usually because your last plank is almost always a rip.
The Porta-Jack is a small but extremely powerful tool. Used to straighten any curved boards and to pull together joints at the wall. Have used other types of jacks but none are as easy and small as this one. You have to make sure you use a longer piece of wood next to the wall when you force the joints together or you will puncture the sheetrock, also watch that you do not move the wall. After you use one you can retire the pry bars and blocks of wood. Overall just a great designed tool.
I am installing over 800 sq ft of 4" x 3/4" Brazilian Cherry in an old home. I won't have any help with this installation and needed something to take the place of a guy with a pry bar. I found this tool and decided to give it a try. The tool is awesome. It's built to last so the price tag is not that bad. This is definately something that will last years and years. I read some people saying it's heavy but I find it pretty consistant for what it is. It is solidly constructed and made with you, the guy or girl installing the floor, in mind. Anyway, about how well it works. Long (6 - 8 foot) boards go in tight with no problem. These boards, even with two other people are a pain in the neck normally. After you straighten out four boards you are going to realize that the tool is worth every last penny. Even though I still can't move as fast as I can with another guy, I get the results I want by myself. While it won't perform miracles it can come really close. It can straigten boards that are already nailed down and it is awesome on your last row before rip cuts. This coupled with a porta nailer and a 16 gauge finish nailer and you're good to go. I could only imagine how awesome this thing could be on an oak floor. I am just happy that I don't have to hack away at a pull bar as much. If you are installing a sizable amount of quality hardwood and have no handy friends do yourself a favor and buy this. Make sure you know what your doing and don't blow out any walls.
I used this for a recent install of hardwood flooring and was thoroughly impressed with the tool. It can generate incredible force and is particularly useful for face-nailing the first or last few rows of flooring, holding everything tight while you drive the nails.
It also provides a useful "anchor point" when using the Porta-Nailer w/ face-nailing attachment, as you can butt the face nailer up against the Porta-Jack and hold it nice and steady while driving the nailer's ram with the hammer.
For the price, I would not buy it for a single room-sized installation (e.g. 150 sq. feet or so) as you can use wedges and pry-bars to move the flooring around. If you have a helper who can lever the pry bar while you nail, that probably works just as good as the Porta-Jack.
However, if you will be undertaking several projects, if you are working alone or if you are using the Porta-Nails nail gun in a face-nailing mode, I'd highly recommend this tool.
I'm professional flooring installer and have used this tool but ended up returning it when I found the same tool at Harbor freight for 24.99. I purchased the one at Harbor freight and have used it for a long time with no problems. I know that you can get alot of junk from them but this is one product you buy from them that will last and work. Save your money this thing is way over priced. - Porta-nails - Floor Jacks'
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