3 must-have metal tools!

By Emma Peterson. 

Streamline your time and toolkit on metal projects with these innovative and powerful tools. 

There is no shortage of tools available in the metal roofing market, but which ones are critical to have in your toolkit? Karen Edwards sat down with Jon R. Olson of Malco Tools for a MetalTalk RLW to discuss just that! Together, they came up with a shortlist of key tools for every metal worker, here are the first three they discussed! 

1 - Standing seam mechanical seamer  

Malco released this drill-assisted, portable mechanical seamer last spring to simplify the process of seaming on the job site. Jon explained, “You're going to use your cordless drill to power this tool, and you're able to close a one stage or two stage lock in one pass depending on how many of the five stations you have at play. And so, with the remote trigger, you can stand up and walk alongside it and you're really able to just get to work.” This tool is fast and efficient, weighing in at less than 32 pounds with the ability to cover 98 feet per minute. 

2 - Standing seam cutter 

Malco spoke to contractors in the field and found that they were using cutoff wheels and saw blades when trying to remove panels off a roof post-storm damage and created their standing seam cutter to be both safer and more efficient. Jon described the tool, saying, “This tool cuts the seam completely off of the roof. It uses a pair of slitting blades that just slice through the material just as clean as a tin snip would, and really is a lot more efficient.” 

3 - Metal benders 

It’s been three years since Malco started working with a three-station metal roller, which is very effective at controlling the metal but relatively heavy compared to other models. Looking to help metal workers who need more portable tools, Malco designed a two-station metal bender. Jon explained, “It’s really a handy tool there. There's a minimum of probably four panels per roof that do need to be adjusted in width. And these tools give you everything you need to be able to do that. You can even profile panels, so create your own custom width or angled tapered panels if you need to on site giving you the ultimate and flexibility.” 

These are just the first three tools Jon highlighted. To learn about the remaining four tools on his shortlist, Read the transcript, Listen to the recording or Watch the video.