Compact tools are all the rage and, to make sure they have their market share, Milwaukee Tools has beefed up their M12 line with some pretty cool goodies like the 2491-24 four tool combo kit. Two of the included cordless tools that drew us in were the 850 in-lb impact driver and a small sized reciprocating saw.
If you are a pocket knife kind of guy who is always on the lookout for innovative knives, then you need to check out Kershaw’s new folder knife. It’s called the Zing 1735 and it has a unique 3D machined blade. This folding pocket knife is made with special stainless steel and was designed by the famous knife designer RJ Martin.
Ryobi decided to follow the Craftsman Nextec Hammerhead’s lead and came out with their own version of a cordless Auto Hammer just in time for the 2009 Christmas Holiday Season. Since this tool seems to be a popular gift item this year, and just about every Home Depot store has a sample station set up so you can test it before you buy it, we decided to put it through our own battery of tests. In the past we have been pleasantly surprised by the balance of quality, features and price of the Ryobi brand products. Read on to see if this tool lived up to our expectations.
When you hear the name Porter Cable, thoughts of quality tools usually come to mind; so when we heard about the new PC180DK-2 18V cordless Drill/Driver Kit we were pretty excited to check it out. This cordless drill/driver kit comes complete with two Ni-Cad batteries, a “fast” 60-minute charger, carry case and double-ended bit. As we began to remove the drill from its packaging we quickly noticed its quality, like the gray hard-molded ABS plastic body with black overmolded rubber grips. The tool has a decent heft to it that seemed to convey a rather robust build quality. This is a tool that is ready for business.
We got to take a look at the Milwaukee M18 Cordless Work Light (49-24-0171). Initially we liked the basic design of the work light, but had to complain, respectfully, that any stand-alone light in this day and age should include a new super-bright LED bulb. Milwaukee sells both an LED-based Work Light 2735-20 ($55) and a 50,000-hour stand-alone LED upgrade bulb 49-81-0090 ($30).
Having a cordless circular saw is like having the keys to your parents’ sports car and a full tank of gas […]
The Milwaukee M18 Sawzall (2620-22) is just plain fun to use. It’s cordless, which opens up a wide range of opportunities for use, and weighs just shy of 8 lbs with the battery. The weight puts it surprisingly close to its corded brethren. What it gives up in power (and lack of orbital action) it makes up in strokes per minute. In fact, it has more SPM than the corded 11-15 amp models Milwaukee offers. Since it lacked orbital action (which reduces its effectiveness at demolition work) overall cutting progress was considerably slower than a corded or even cordless orbital model.
When we picked up the Milwaukee 2601-20 M18 drill we immediately noticed its serious heft. Weighing in at 4 lbs, this is not a light-duty model that you’ll want to reserve for assembling furniture and pre-drilling holes for shelves. This is a heavy-duty tool that can certainly hold up to commercial use. It also weighs much less than Milwaukee’s V28 line of tools – which makes it a good fit for professionals who want as much power as they can get without having to look like circa-1984 Arnold Schwarzenegger to carry the tool around all day long.
The Craftsman Nextec Hammerhead Auto Hammer was the first battery-powered nail hammering device to come on the market a while back and […]
Outback Flashlights just came out with three new models of super power flashlights; Big Stick, Mongo & Joey. These lights feature Cree LED light sources and put out up to 120 Lumens of light. Not only do they really shine bright, they also feature quality anodized aluminum construction, gasketed joints and will not break the bank.
