Originally Posted by
Joe Vincent 63
...
I saw a collet style handle at Hannes Tools, and was looking at those as well, but they require a wrench. I thought it was neat that no tools were needed with the Serious handle but maybe it isn't that big of a deal ...
One of the neat things about the Serious handle is that you can easily change how far your tool extends out of the handle (assuming the tool doesn't have a tang, but is a constant diameter along its length). A quick 1/4 turn and you can extend the tool farther out or shorten it up. That may not sound like a feature you'd want or need, but I've found myself using it a lot. For some delicate cuts, I've found myself griping the blade of the tool with the wooden handle/ferrule in the heel of the palm of my hand. I wasn't holding the tool that way because I found gripping the blade more comfortable. I was doing it because I wanted my hand to be closer to the cutting edge. With the Serious tool handle, I can simply stuff more of the tool inside the handle and get my hand closer to the action while still gripping the handle. What a concept!
Of course, you can do the same thing with most metal handles. Just use a hex key to back out the set screws (or a wrench to loosen the collet) and you can slide the handle in or out to best meet your needs. The difference is that the Serious cam lock makes the operation so quick it becomes second nature.
David Walser
Mesa, Arizona