OX marks the spot for Professional Builder’s Tibby Singh
OX Tools has become a very popular brand on site, and you know it’s OX from the vibrant blue colour. There’s also a bright range of products, and I got the chance to try out a few, but particularly wanted to talk about the company’s level, rafter square and chalk reel.
Let’s start with the OX Pro Tuff Levels; 600mm/24” and 1,200mm/48”. Everyone knows that sinking feeling when someone drops your level but the chunky box design makes these robust but surprisingly light in weight. The fairly simple design – with minimal holes and no handles – makes them low maintenance and easy to clean, which will be welcome in the wet trades.
There are rubber bumpers that act as shock absorbers on the ends and around the vials for extra protection. The latter reduces the chances of the vials cracking if it did drop. OX has also done a cracking job with a vial that’s easy to read, even in poor light conditions, thanks to the green-ish liquid. An incredible precision of 0.5mm/m accuracy means you can’t blame your tools for something being on the slant. OX has so much confidence in its engineering the company has backed it with a lifetime vial warranty.
Next up was the OX Pro Chalk Line. Its aluminium construction makes it light yet sturdy. It’s relatively small, which makes it easy to handle, but inside there’s 30metres of Kevlar line coiled up. Kevlar is a durable material, first used commercially as a replacement for steel in racing tyres, and won’t snap if it snags on something sharp. To put it into perspective, it’s 20x stronger than previous models.
It has a 6-to-1 gear ratio, which means it’s very quick to rewind. It’s space saving too as the handle sits flush to avoid getting caught on other tools when in the tool bag. The hook, which is probably one of the most important parts of the chalk reel, has a strong grip to ensure it doesn’t move when pinging the line. OX also provides a range of chalk colours depending on what material you’re wanting to use it on.
Last but certainly not least is the new OX Rafter Square. Again, an aluminium construction