This week, We find new tools from Milwaukee, Ryobi, and Ridgid. We also push over trees with Kyle, dive into 6 different tool reviews, and try to make sense of this logo. This is your Power Tool Week In Review!
Milwaukee New Tools | Belts And Boxes
Welcome back Power Tool Fans, we have several tool stories for you, starting with Milwaukee who announced the arrival of a few more new tools this week, … because it was Monday I guess. Starting with a new 72” tripod for their levels, a pair of ONE-KEY equipped breaking grinders, and their long awaited 14” M18 Chop Saw, which we’re all going to need, just as soon as we all start building with metal studs, because 2x4s are being sold in dime bags on the street . You can get all of the details right here on Belts and Boxes.
Ryobi | 25 New Tools
Ryobi, decided that 225 different ONE Plus tools wasn’t enough, so they added 25 more this week. And the lineup ranges from the obvious to the typical Ryobi randomness. There is a new HP Impact Wrench, HP Right Angle Die Grinder, a pair of extended reach ratchets, a polisher, a 5 ½” flooring saw that looks awesome, 3 nailers, a new miter saw, glue gun, clamp fan, area light, flashlight, dethatcher, of course, a power cleaner, cultivator, patio cleaner because, why not. A power inverter with solar panels and more. All normal stuff that Ryobi fans will buy whether they need them or not.
Ridgid Pipe Saw | Belts And Boxes
Do you know what that is? I didn’t either. But that fancy bit of engineering goodness is the all new Ridgid Pipe Saw, and you’ll never guess what it does. It cuts pipes. And big ones at that. It will cut through 1” to 12” pipe with up to ½” wall thickness. It’s configured to cut steel and stainless steel, and with a quick switch to one of the optional blades, it can cut plastic and cast steel. Whether you’re in the fabrication shop or the field, this portable pipe saw is up to the task. Conveniently placed handlebars and feed rate speed monitoring with LED interface, enable easily controlled rotation while remaining comfortable to use. Just like I like it. You can find more details on the new saw right here on Belts and Boxes as well.
Lenox | Always Hungry
Lenox, the company that makes reciprocating, jig saw, hole saw and bandsaw blades, right here in the good’ole US of A, has always been easily identified by the wolf head just to the right of their logo. But apparently, that wolf is always hungry. Because in their new branding they revealed this week, it apparently ate the “O”. Lenox launched a PR campaign to announce the branding update, that includes a new word mark and the tag line “Always Hungry”. According to their new website, their blades now feed your appetite for excellence with superior-performing tools and accessories. They’re Fast, Fierce, Powerful, Precise, always strong, always hungry, and always adorned with at least 12 adjectives. Now Sarah and I have been out to visit the Lenox headquarters and toured their factory, and they are indeed doing great things, worthy of all those adjectives. If you’re new to Lenox, or just want to know more about what makes their new logo so hungry, we’ll link to their new website here.
RR Buildings | DeWALT Chainsaw
It’s been a bit since we checked in with Kyle at RR Buildings, and this week he’s got a problem. That huge tree behind him is dead, and needs to come down. So Kyle decided this was a good time to drag out his Milwaukee and DeWALT battery powered chainsaws, and see how they stack up against their gas competitors. Kyle isn’t an Arborist, but he does have a ton of awesome tools and lifts, so he made quick work of the dead tree, burning through batteries at an alarming rate. He eventually decides that while these examples may have the power of a gas saw, the batteries will be the limiting factor for many users. Honestly, the most fun is watching them push over trees with heavy equipment. You can watch the whole event for yourself over at RR Buildings.
Makita 40V Rear Handle | Tool Review Zone
Our buddy Clint over in the Tool Review Zone confusingly continues to burn every teal painted bridge he can find. At the same time, showing off their new 40V XGT rear handle saw, and comparing every detail against the popular and capable Makita LXT 36V rear handle. After putting it through test after test, Clint almost reluctantly admits…“It’s a fantastic saw”. The new XGT platform continues to both excite and frustrate Makita fans. Choosing one or the other is not at simple as they make it sound. Fortunately, we have guys like Clint working overtime to help us work it all out. You can watch the full review at Tool Review Zone.
Tool Review Roundup
There are several more tool reviews you should catch up on, starting with my favorite Aussies who put together an entirely thorough round up of 7 different sabre saws over at Oz Tool Talk.
Todd at Project Farm dives into drills, ranging from a $50 model to a $500 Festool.
Shop Tool Reviews digs into the new Ryobi 8in Auger.
And Mr. Mark Thomas gives the Milwaukee Barrel Grip Jig Saw a go, admitting he too prefers to pass on the historically flawed D-Handle style in favor of the perfect barrel grip, which you can watch over at Mark Thomas Builder.
Tool Talk | Tool Shows
For this week’s tool talk, we’re going to look to tool shows.
For as long as we’ve been doing this, the big tool brands have used tool shows to launch their biggest new tools of the year. Makita and DeWALT both made huge showings at World of Concrete, So did Bosch for that matter, Milwaukee held their own event called the Milwaukee NPS, or New Product Showcase, a lot of OPE tools would show up at GIE from EGO, and just about everyone made a strong showing, and threw a huge party, at STAFDA. But of course the big Rona rolled into town, and tool brands have had to be… creative. We’ve had online streaming events from Milwaukee, Bosch, Makita, FLEX, Ryobi, Hilti and more. And while in a few weeks, the World of Concrete will be the first major tool show to come back live, we here at Belts and Boxes won’t be attending. Mainly because so many of the tool brands we work with, said they either weren’t going, or were only bringing a small team, and wouldn’t be demoing tools. So we’re not quite out of the woods.
So that means we’re likely to see more of these digital, online, streaming media events. Several have been open to the public for the first time, which leads us to this week’s question. How do you want your new tool news? Have you attended any of the streaming events yourself? If so, which one, and what did you like or dislike about it? Has one brand got it all figured out, while another just struggles? What’s your perfect tool brand event look like. Let us know in the comments below, and I’m willing to bet they’ll be read by your favorite brands.
Last week we revealed the secret sauce behind the HART line of tools, which you can watch right here.
We want to thank EGO and Ohio Power Tool for sponsoring this episode. Guys, we couldn’t do it without you. If you liked our show give it a thumbs up, and if you loved it, we hope you subscribe. Have a restful weekend, and we’ll see you next week.