This week, Milwaukee and Makita have new tools. We get to see a groundbreaking new router in action, and measure the torque, in LED shop lights. This is your Power Tool Week In Review!
Workshop Addict | Metabo HPT Plunge Router
We have several tool stories for you this week, starting over at Workshop Addict, with a new ½” plunge router with a clever trick. The Metabo HPT 36V MultiVolt ½” Plunge Router, or M3612DA if you’re into that, is the first full-sized cordless plunge router on the popular multivolt system, which means it can be powered by either a 36V battery, or use an adapter to use a cord and plug this green machine into the wall. The router is full of other features including a soft start motor, electronic brake, and a micro adjustment system that makes it easy to get this dialed into the work. Brian says he doesn’t do a lot of fine woodworking, and he normally uses a small Ridgid trim router, but after using the Metabo HPT for a while, he said he was more comfortable with it, and felt more in control. For the full review head over to Workshop Addict.
Philly Fixed | Best Hammer Drills
Jim over at Philly Fixed continued his search for the worlds best hammer drill this week, putting the new FLEX Turbo Hammer Drill into the mix with it’s Kobalt XTR cousin, and the 36V contender from Metabo HPT. Jim is trying something new by establishing a standard test for each class of tool, so over time he can build up a leaderboard, effectively making a top Drill list spanning many different tool test videos. Something we think is a very good idea. Jim puts each drill through a 5 ¾” hole test, 2” hole saw, 2 and 9/16” auger bit, 1 ½” auger bit through 4×4 pressure treated boards, ¼” lags, 8in timberlocks, and finally 6 and 10” lags into a stump. I guess that’s good enough Jim. Don’t forget you have a family bud. So far his growing leaderboard includes FLEX, Makita, Milwaukee, DeWALT, Metabo HPT, and Kobalt, with several others already awaiting their turn. To keep up, head over to Philly Fixed.
Scott Brown Carpentry | PPE
It’s easy to get caught up in using power tools to change the world, but once in a while it’s a good idea to pause and take inventory of the proper PPE, and the reasons you use them. Scott Brown himself decided to do this earlier this week, and fortunately decided to bring us along with him. Scott specifically takes a look at proper safety glasses, hearing protection, masks and respirators, Gloves, kneepads, and even the proper trousers. It’s easy to lose sight of just how important these safety precautions are, so Scott reminds us that you’re gonna need to take care of yourself, if you want to see, hear, and play with your kids and grandkids for years to come, which we think is some great advice. You can share your own favorite PPE over at Scott Brown Carpentry.
Torque Test Channel | Lumens
Just a short 7 months ago, Torque Test Channel was created on YouTube, with the goal of testing tools on a level playing field, and immediately captured our hearts with their detailed testing procedures and addictive graphics. Since then we’ve learned a lot about Impact wrenches, air hammers, batteries and the clever way marketing makes anything look good. But this week, the TTC crew aimed their over critical eyes to the world of jobsite lights, and more specifically, the lumens they claim to produce. And how do you test such a thing? They built their own dang integrating sphere. And if that’s not good enough for you, they sent 3 light examples into a lab for professional testing, to create a baseline for their own testing equipment. I’m gonna be honest, I’ve never been more excited to watch a flashlight video. They’re just getting started here, but now that they’ve built and tested their sphere, they plan to bring in many more flashlight and job lights to see if the marketing adds up. You can see how they built it, and how it works over at Torque Test Channel
Tools and Stuff | Cordless Nail Guns
Over at Tools and Stuff, they decided to see who has the best battery-powered framing nailer, DeWALT, HiKOKI, Milwaukee or Makita. And Makita almost instantly loses, by not making one. And the T&S guys don’t seem too happy about that, claiming Makita promised them a zero-gas cordless framing nailer for years, but still hasn’t delivered. Hey, be happy guys. At least you HAVE Makita tools in New Zealand. Here in the states we just get to stare across the border and watch Canadians use them. Fortunately, they DO have the DeWALT 20V Max, Metabo HPT 18V, and Milwaukee M18 FUEL Framing Nailers, which are all very capable tools, but after all of the rigorous testing, there can be only one. And they go out of their way to remind us, that it wasn’t Makita. For the full review head over to Tools And Stuff.
New Tool Announcements
We had a few new tool announcement this week, including a long awaited first aid packout kit, which now comes in two sizes,
and a few new additions to the Makita XGT platform, including an 80V XGT Demolition Hammer, a pair of 6” angle grinders, an XGT dual bevel sliding compound miter saw, some OPE additions, a fan, a radio, and a bigger 5ah battery. We have all the details right here on Belts and Boxes.
Metabo Comes Back to YouTube.
So do you guys remember 10 years ago when Metabo launched their YouTube channel, posted 6 videos, and then went out for a pack of cigarettes? Well they’re back! And in the last 5 days they’ve posted 27 videos, making the rest of us look bad. Metabo, do you really think you can run out on us for 10 years, come back unannounced, post a ton of videos and pretend like nothing happened? And for now I’m willing to tell myself you won’t leave again. If you’re a Metabo fan and ready to start over with their marketing department, you can be one of the first 1000 subs on their 10 year old channel, which is saying something! I’ll put a link below.
This Week’s Tool Talk
That brings us to Tool Talk, where last week we asked you to talk about robots invading the jobsite, and you had a lot to say.
RaggedsEdge said “Robots won’t replace our jobs. The AI running them will kill us long before that’s a concern.”
The Construction Junkie had a more nuanced view, saying “I trust and love my robot overlords and they promise that they love me back. Having said that, there will need to be a revolution in architecture and engineering, as well as the pre-planning process in general, before robots have a widespread impact on tradespeople. We’ll be working alongside robots for a long time before they start takin’ our jarbs.”
There were a TON of fantastic and insightful comments last week that are just too long to read here, so I highly suggest you go read them for yourselves.
For this week’s Tool Talk, we’re turning to HART. Full disclosure, HART is a major sponsor of our Maker Break show which is on it’s own channel. On that show Sarah and I use HART tools to build DIY projects, which if you haven’t watched, you should.
Anyways, the reason we chose to work with HART on that project, was because of a unique promise they made when they first became available. Their plan was to build a robust battery platform that would not only power your DIY tools, but also your automotive tools, a full line of outdoor power equipment, and a bunch of lifestyle items like radios, air pumps and more. But that was just to start. Their unique approach was based on the only store you could buy them in. Walmart. The way they saw it, a battery platform in Walmart would be able to slowly work it’s way into other departments, and last month, they did. They started with a line of battery powered vacuums, which we’ve been using in our home for a few months, and we love them. We literally tossed out our dysons and replaced them with a pair of brushless stick vacs, one for each floor of the house.
But there’s more. They also launched some interesting new tools including this cordless soldering iron, a portable shower, a battery-powered air compressor, super portable 2 gallon wet dry vacs, and more. This tool line is quickly expanding into areas we’ve never seen before, and they’re doing it right under our noses. The idea of a battery powered bike, blender for the beach, outdoor lighting and more seemed like a nice thought last year, but now, It’s all sounding rather plausible. HART is trying to build a battery platform for the HOME… and it’s starting to look like it could work. So for this week’s tool talk, let me know in the comments, is this really happening? Do you think we’ll start seeing HART batteries laying around your aunts house, and could this be the gateway to more DIY, and even more people finding the trades? Let me know what you think.
Last week we took a look at a crazy trackless track saw which you can watch right here. We want to thank FLEX 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.