Jake Mercer
General contractor turned tool reviewer. 14 years in residential construction. Leads ToolShed Tested's hands-on review program and spec-check process.
About Jake
Jake spent 14 years as a licensed general contractor in the Pacific Northwest before shifting to full-time tool testing and reviews. He's framed houses, finished basements, and built more decks than he can count, which means he knows exactly which tools fail on a real jobsite and which ones earn a permanent spot in the truck.
He started ToolShedTested because he was tired of reviews written by people who had never actually used the tools they were recommending. Jake leads core hands-on reviews and the spec-check process for research-backed buying guides before recommendations are published.
How Jake Tests Tools
Core hands-on reviews start with the exact retail model being reviewed whenever practical. Product sourcing stays separate from editorial scoring, and manufacturers do not approve reviews before publication. Jake tests those review products on real projects: drilling through hardwood and concrete, making production cuts in dimensional lumber, running battery endurance tests, and stress-testing durability under actual job conditions. When a review cites a specific number (runtime, torque, cut count), that number was measured, not estimated.
Hands-on top-pick recommendations are held until Jake is confident the tool belongs in a real jobsite or home-workshop workflow.