Coming up next, The Kite Army declares war on their weeds, Tool box buzz goes back in time with Dewalt and the Toolaholic plays name that tool. This is your Power tool week in review. It is Friday, April 24th, 2020, and today I’m going to do the power tool news, and share some tool videos you won’t want to miss. Let’s get to it.
If Vince and the VCG gang are known for anything, it’s listening to his audience. And apparently they’ve all been telling him to go shop at Lowes. This week Vince procured himself a brand new Kobalt tool kit, from their all new XTR series, which features bigger badder tools, while still keeping prices reasonable. Vince has a history of taking entry level tools and beating them into next Tuesday. But this time around he thinks Kobalt has built a new series that could put a dent in commercial work. Now that VCG has them in house, I’m sure we’ll be seeing all of the tools put through their paces in upcoming tool test raw events. Make sure you don’t miss them over at VCG Construction on YouTube.
Commander Andrew of the 501st Blower Division in the Kite Army, posted another blower review this week, except he reviewed a Makita string trimmer instead. Making it not a blower review I guess. The Makita 18v LXT lightweight string trimmer really lives up to it’s name, coming in at only 7.5 lbs. I’ve got heavier batteries than that. It’s also really affordable. But beyond those two benefits, Andrew didn’t find many more positives to focus on. He was frustrated by the lack of power, and straight up hated the string management. But if you have a small lawn, and an investment in the Makita platform, this might be the perfect strimmer for you. (That’s what the aussies call it) I’m cultured. Catch the video at Kite Army on YouTube.
How did I become so cultured? I have friends in low low places. That’s right, and the Oz Tool Talk boys are doing some nut busting with Metabo! This week they got a hold of the Metabo SSW 18 LTX 400 BL Brushless Impact Wrench OH oh oh! This monster features 295 ft lbs of fastening torque, 420 ft lbs of loosening, or nut busting torque. This solid bit of German engineering left both of our wallabies impressed, after they each brought it to work on the job site and in a garage, calling it “crack’n” and a “banger”, both of which mean “awesome” or “Radical”, probably. For the full review, you’ll need to flip your phone upside down and head to Oz Tool Talk on YouTube.
And finally, Rob Robillard of Tool Box Buzz published a very rare type of tool review, looking back after a few YEARS of use on the job site. Something that makes the TBB team different, is that they’re made up of working pro tradesmen, who review tools by putting them to work on actual job sites. But you can only learn so much about a tool by using it for a few days or even weeks. This week Rob looks back on the First DeWALT Flexvolt circular saw, which he’s now used to frame 3 homes, and on countless remodeling jobs. The review just seems to carry far more weight now that he’s so familiar with the tool, and you’ll see immediately in the comments that the viewers are thrilled with this format. We can only hope Rob starts posting more 2 year later videos in the future. For now, you can find this one at tool box buzz on YouTube.
It’s time again for our construction industry news, courtesy of the Construction Junkie. Trimble’s got a new toy that turns your phone into an AR BIM projector with location accuracy unlike anything I’ve seen before. How accurate, they claim it’s to the cm. WAY better than GPS. This allows you to walk onto an untouched job site, and virtually see the building before you even break ground. Combine that with installation schedules, you can skip around a calendar to see how the site will look at any step of the upcoming build, finding problems before they even exist. The device is available for only $3,250, and the software licence will run you $2k a year. But then again, how much would you pay to see the future?
OxBlue, a job site camera technology company, is using Artificial Intelligence to analyze their data, and give us a more detailed picture of the cost the corona virus is having on the construction industry. Their analysis is based on 150,000 images taken on thousands of job sites across all 50 states. Analyzing these photos has helped them identify the states where construction has been effected the most, including Washington, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York, where their state governments have placed strict orders against any and all unnecessary construction. Michigan has seen the largest drop in activity, 81%, since the state labeled construction non-essential on March 24th. For more information, and the rest of your construction industry news, visit Construction Junkie dot com.
Swinging over to Instagram we find Stan the dirt monkey goofing around on a Skidsteer. You thought I was going to say monkeying around right? WRONG. YOU DON’T KNOW ME!…. Sorry. This lockdown might be getting to me.
Travis is celebrating earth day this week by showing off his collection of electric tools and planting a maple tree. I decided to boycott earth day, until the earth stops trying to weed us out with viruses. Come at me bro.
Keefer played a game of name that tool, showing off this wicked wheel of teeth. The general consensus was that it’s either a tree stump remover, trencher, or a back scratcher.
And finally, Greengardenman shared before and after photos some trimming he did with his Ego trimmer. I had no idea I needed this in my life, but here I am staring at it. Thanks bud.
Ohio Power Tool has a new list of tool promos this week, including up to 25% off of any Skilsaw purchase, 15% off Freud blades, and a free Quick Lok attachment from Milwaukee! Link to Promos here.