Welcome back Power tool Fans, THIS week… We have a new belts sander, a super tiny impact wrench, An ultra-bright Makita, M12 batteries that do things they shouldn’t, and Rob shares one of his favorite things. This is your power tool week in Review.
Tool Box Buzz | Milwaukee Belt Sander
THIS, may just be the cutest belt sander I’ve ever seen. That is the all new M18 FUEL 3×18” Belt Sander, recently announced at PIPELINE 2022, and the moment we saw it we were hooked, belt, battery, and handle. And it looks like Rob Robillard was too. He took the time this week to review the new belt sander, carefully reviewing every feature from its belt changing, belt tracking, led lights, dust collection and more. This is not a fine finish sander, but an overpowered material remover and Rob knows better than anyone else, if you should buy one. To see if a new $280 super cute sander is in your future, head over to Tool Box Buzz.
Philly Fixed | DeWALT Atomic Impact Driver
My buddy Jim Davis, and I use that title loosely, decided that the super tiny DeWALT DCF850 Atomic Impact Driver would make a really good super tiny impact wrench. All he had to do was find an anvil, and then make it fit, which looked… easy. But if anyone can do this, Jim can, and he did, effectively producing the worlds smallest cordless impact wrench. Eventually, he modified two DCF850s, one with a ½” and another with a ⅜” anvil. And once they were all working, he of course put them through a series of tests to see if the Ultra tiny DeWALT Impact, would make a good ultra tiny impact wrench. To find out if he succeeded, head over to Philly Fixed.
Torque Test Channel | Milwaukee’s High Output M12 Batteries
When Jim was done testing his new creations, he sent them over to Torque Test Channel where they did some testing of their own. But while we were there watching that, they published this fantastic look at Milwaukee’s brand new High Output M12 batteries. A lot of people thought Milwaukee would never make one, but at PIPELINE this year, well, there it was. And they were claiming a 25% jump in performance, so who better to test that than the team at TTC. And while they’re at it, they had a viewer send in their own modified M12 battery, with a set of three 21-700s crammed inside, and decided to see if those super big cells would beat even a new HO battery. You’ll find out at Torque Test Channel.
Rob’s Favorite Tools
I told Sarah I wanted a segment on the show called Rob’s Favorite Toys. She said that was ok, as long as we called it Rob’s favorite tools, and I was only allowed to show you tools. Fair enough. This week, I have a very special wrench, that should still be resting dormant in a annals of the patent office. The design for a clever monkey wrench from 1927, was picked up and reengineered by the creative builders at MetMo. And this is the result. This is the MetMo Grip. It’s a quick adjust wrench, bottle opener, box opener, Hex driver bit holder, and even a hammer. Then again, everythings a hammer so that’s not so special. The action on this work of art also makes it a fantastic fidget toy. I’ve had this thing for around a month now, and I can’t stop playing with it.
I’ve used it on my motorcycle, opened boxes, and played with it for hours at my desk. It’s functional, fun, and without a single mark or branding on it, it’s absolutely beautiful. If you’re looking for a creative gift for the tool fan in your house, I couldn’t recommend it more. Full disclosure, I didn’t find MetMo myself, they found me, and offered to send me one with no obligation. But I would 100% buy another. It’s made and ships from the UK for about $128 with shipping to the states. If you’re interested, here is the link to their site. If you have a cool tool you think I’d like please tell me about it in the comments below.
Deals of the Week | Ohio Power Tool
It’s time for our Tool Deal of the week. For our Bosch fans, you can get a free 8.0AH Starter Kit with one of 11 different PROFACTOR Tools. That kit is worth $229, and to make it easy, our friends over at Ohio Power Tool have put all 11 tools on a single page to help you make your decision. You can find that promo here.
Production Crew Live Reminder
Before we get to our last few videos, just a reminder that tomorrow is our monthly Production Crew giveaway! You can Join Sarah and I right here on Belts And Boxes on Saturday, October 1st at 3pm EST where we’ll be calling a random channel member, and letting them choose from one of 4 different shelves, each filled with over $2,000 in power tools. We also give away gift cards, tools, and accessories to people who just show up and join us in the live chat, so we hope you stop by.
Tools & Stuff | AEG Nailer Review
Tools And Stuff makes a point not to review RIDGID Tools. But he does review AEG, which is RIDGID in New Zealand. And this week he picked up the AEG Framing Nailer and actually did a bit of framing! It’s a great review, a good nailer as it turns out, and you get to learn something new. Like, the blocking we put between studs here in the states, are called Dwangs in New Zealand and Scotland, and Nogging in the UK and Australia.
Pro Tool Reviews | Ryobi One+ Circular Saw
Ryobi is still insisting we take their tools on the jobsite, by expanding their powerful and capable line of ONE+ HP tools, and this week, that boys at Pro Tool Reviews took a detailed look at the Ryobi 18V ONE+ 6 ½” Circular Saw, running a bunch of rip cuts through OSB, and crosscuts through 2x4s in various angles.
Shop Tool Reviews | Milwaukee M18 Carry On
Tim Johnson over at Shop Tool Reviews got the all new Milwaukee M18 Carry On, threw on his testing hat and proceeds to put it through a series of test. He discovers it can power a lot of different tools, but in the midst of his testing, he makes this statement. “Jesus is not in there making electrical pixie dust out of thin air. It’s just not happening.” I’m sorry Tim, but if Jesus isn’t in there making electrical pixie dust, where is he? What did you do with JESUS Tim? Essentially using 4 M18 batteries at a time means you can get a lot of things done even when an electrical outlet is out of reach. But as Tim finds out, it’s not a perfect design, and Milwaukee seems to have left out several features he really wanted to see. And Jesus isn’t in there, so I’m not sure anyone should buy it. But you be your own judge over at Shop Tool Reviews.
James Almeida | Tool Mods
Earlier in the show we showed you Jim Davis’ video from Philly fixed, where we put an anvil on an impact, which was “cool” I guess. But earlier this week, I got an email from a guy named James Almeida. He had just published a video detailing a mod of his own. He decided to build a custom drill attachment for his Milwaukee Installation Drill/Driver, that accepts Centrotec bits! Centrotec is Festool’s ultra light, ultra short, ultra secure, Ultra expensive, but ultra cool drillbit and driver bit system.
And now, after designing and 3D printing 2 plastic parts, and one 3D printed metal part, James can use them on his Milwaukee Installation drill, effectively claiming the crown of “snobbiest guy on the jobsite”. Not only is his project video really fun to watch, but he even shares his 3D models for FREE, and even added his metal part to Shapeways, which will print you one for only $40. This guy is doing some really cool things, sharing it with the community at no charge, and I hope he does more.
So do me a favor and head over to his Youtube channel, give it a watch, and if you think he deserves it, give the guy a thumbs up, leave a comment, and drop him a sub so you don’t miss his future projects. As of today he’s at 29 subs, and I think we should give him his first 100, to encourage him to share more great projects like this one. You’ll find him at James Almeida here on Youtube.
Thank you to our sponsors
I want to thank SKIL and Spyder for sponsoring this episode. We couldn’t do it without you. Speaking of Spyder, we’re going to have more Spyder pro accessories to give out to people in the live chat so don’t miss it! Alright guys, if you can, do something kind for someone else this weekend, and we’ll see you tomorrow at 3PM!