THIS WEEK we have Drills for electricians, Drills for everyone else, Bosch’s new table saw, FLEX is in the zone, and we get a peek at the future of Makita. This is your Power Tool Week in Review.
Welcome back power tool fans, and we start this week at Electrician University, where Dustin takes a shocking look at Milwaukee.
Electrician U | Explaining M12 and M18
An electricians life calls for a wide range of both power and hand tools, but when it comes specifically to a drill, Dustin knows exactly how important they can be to a sparky.
Fortunately, Milwaukee thought to ship him a custom packout tool case, pre-packed out with their latest gen 3 M12 drills and their Gen 4 M18s. So Dustin uses the opportunity to shoot a full introduciton to drills and impacts, walking you through all of the basics including design and use case. So if you’re just purchasing your first tools on your way to electrician greatness, or if you’d just like to know more about the drills you’re already using, Electrician U is always a great place to start.
Torque Test Channel | DeWALT Mid Torque Impact
Back in April before DeWALT launched their DCF891 Mid-Torque Impact, The Torque Testing Trio at the Torque Test Channel happened to get their hands on one early, and the results were literally chart topping. So when word got out that their new High-Torque Impact was on the way, we all took a collective breath and waited for it to arrive at TTC. Well, it’s here.
And the wait was well worth it. That is the all new DeWALT DCF900 ½” Impact Wrench, and while it looks nearly identical to the 7 year old DCF899, on the inside, there’s something completely different. The 899 claimed 1,200 ft-lbs of breakaway torque, while the new 900 boasts 1,400, and also enjoys a jump from 700 to 1,030 ft lbs of tightening torque. Which as TTC points out, is 30 ft lbs over the Milwaukee. But as we all know, marketing departments have proven that they can put just about anything on their boxes, so we leave it to the torque testing crew to reveal the truth. And this time, the truth is very revealing. The new DCF900 proves to be the most powerful ½ cordless impact they have ever tested. And at this point, they’ve tested a lot. DeWALT, as it turns out, has made something really special in the DCF900, and it’s worth a look over at Torque Test channel.
Man Caver Tools | Crowning Cordless
Speaking of the very best, Dave wanted to know who deserved the current crown in cordless, brushless drill drivers, so he grabbed the usual suspects, and put them to the test.
His competitors included examples from Hilti, Milwaukee, FLEX, and DeWALT. To decide which is best, Dave took a deep dive into features, including LED light timing, weight, temperature, and price. But it wouldn’t be a Man Caver tool test without several power tasks including the usual lag bolts and screws, but just for fun he brought back the baby chainsaw attachment to see which drill handled it the best. He also did some drilling with ¾” bits and even a 1 ½” speed bore. But after giving each tool the attention it deserved, two really stood out, and one is actually awarded the crown. I’m not going to spoil it, but the brand rhymes with “yellow”. You can see for yourself over at Man Caver Tools.
Electro Mechanician | M18 Air Compressor
Every Monday night we meet with our Production Crew channel members to look for new content to feature on our show, and this time, it was a member who got our attention.
ElectroMechanician has been posting tool and mechanic videos off and on over the last 4 years, but this week shared a great review of the Milwaukee M18 FUEL 2 Gallon Cordless Air Compressor. And when it’s equipped with an M18 XC8.0 battery, it turns out to be a very useful tool. It tops out at 140psi which is more than enough for most nailers, it’s in a very small, yet rugged form factor, it inexplicably isn’t packout compatible, but most interesting to the ElectroMechanician is just how quiet it is. To test it he hooked up a Freeman framing gun, and ran a series of tests, not only testing the power, but also determining how many shots it takes to start the compressor back up. If you’re still using pneumatic tools and could use an ultra portable solution, you should check it out at ElectroMechanician.
This Week’s Tool Deals | Ohio Power Tool
If you’re looking to do some tool shopping this week, we have a few deals you won’t want to miss.
Starting with A Milwaukee Labor Day FLASH Sale. You’ll be able to pickup a FREE Packout Crate with a $199 purchase of either Milwaukee packout, accessories, hand tools, apparel or safety equipment.
For our Bosch fans we have 15% off of 3 or more Bosch Accessories which OPT arranged on a single page to make it easy to shop. And there are also several Milwaukee BOGO deals for bolt cutters, and stainless steel tapes.
Tool Review Zone | Milwaukee Vs FLEX
Anyone who’s been a fan of Tool Review Zone over the last 2 years, knows he has an uncomfortable aversion to FLEX power tools.But this week, Clint’s evil twin showed up, and brought the FLEX Hammer Drill with him.
So he took advantage of the situation, and finally agreed to test the FLEX Turbo Hammer Drill against the brand new Milwaukee Gen 4 Hammer Drill, and it’s pretty fun watching Clint begrudgingly give the FLEX its moment on his channel. And to FLEX fans, the results won’t be too surprising. There’s a lot to love about their hammer drill, especially when paired up with their new Stacked Lithium batteries. Clint isn’t ready to throw out his collection of Red just yet, but this isn’t the last you’ll see of FLEX in the Tool Review Zone. He also purchased their flagship impact and the ridiculously overpowered rear handle saw. Only time will tell if FLEX will find a permanent home in the Tool Review Zone.
Production Crew Shelf | Giveaway
Speaking of FLEX, we reached out to them this month, because we have an empty shelf in our monthly Production Crew power tool giveaway, and we thought they might want to fill it, and boy did they. To celebrate the launch of their all new Stack Pack system, our 4th shelf will include their 3 piece Stack Pack kit, $200 worth of their new Stack Pack Accessories, and $1,500 in credit for you to use to pimp out your Stack Pack however you want with FLEX tools and accessories. You’ll be able to pick exactly what you want from the FLEX website, and we’ll have it all shipped directly to the winner who picks this shelf.
The new FLEX shelf will join our other options including $2,000 worth of Makita XGT tools, A SKILL outdoor power equipment shelf with their top of the line mower and a custom yard treatment from The Lawn Care Nut, and our Ryobi shelf, with both OPE and pro level HP power tools.
And of course there’s no point using pro tools without pro accessories, so Spyder has sponsored our Production Crew, and provided a full line of Spyder pro accessories for each shelf. So be sure to join us Tomorrow, Saturday the 3rd, at 3pm EST right here on Belts And Boxes, where Rob and I will call our random winner live. So don’t miss it!
Tools & Stuff | New From Makita!
Makita continues to launch exciting new tools just about everywhere except the states, but fortunately for us we have Tools & Stuff to keep us informed, and this week there was a bunch of new tools to talk about!
He starts off with the new Makita LXT quarter sheet sander which he ordered back in January, which he actually test at the end of the video. But first, he covers several new Makita tool announcements, including a water pump attachment that can move up to 40 gallons per minute when used with the XGT power head. To put that into perspective, the Milwaukee M12 transfer pump moves only 9. He also covers a new 18V LXT Rear Handle Chainsaw, an XGT Miter Saw, and even an invisible battery, which I lost even before I bought one. He also features several other Makita tool announcements you won’t want to miss. For all the new tools Makita USA won’t tell us about, head over to Tools And Stuff.
Badger Workshop | Bosch BiTurbo Table Saw
Our Production Crew pointed to another channel, new to us, called Badger Workshop, produced by Matt over in merry old England. And this week he reviewed the Bosch BiTurbo Table Saw, which we have yet to see here in the states.
That’s the Bosch GTS 18V 216mm Biturbo Brushless Table Saw, which has exactly zero turbos on it. But of course, we know that Biturbo refers to the Bosch technology that allows their brushless motors to take full advantage of their ProCore batteries. Duh. Anyways, Matt has had the saw in his possession for some time now, and decided to share his thoughts on it. He carefully details all of the features including its fence, blade guard, riving knife, and a conveniently stored push stick. The saw isn’t particularly fast at only 4,000 rpm. To put that in perspective, Milwaukee’s M18 Table Saw operates at 6,300 rpm, and features an 8 ¼” blade compared to the 8 ½” on the Bosch. Of course it doesn’t really matter if I can’t buy it anyways, but if you DO live in a market with the GTS 18V-216, you can learn everything you need to know at Bader Workshop.
Mark Thomas Builder | Ridgid Tile Cutting Saw
I’ve never used a tile saw before. Just never had a need. So I wasn’t expecting to get much out of Mark’s review of Ridgids new tile saw, but I was wrong.
That is the all new Ridgid 10” wet tile saw. It’s the third generation of this particular model, it’s loaded with features, and over the span of 10 minutes, Mark covers every single one of them. This has to be the most thorough review of a tile saw I’ve ever seen, and quite frankly, I really need to cut some bricks.. For some reason. The saw features a huge 36in rip capacity, and can cut up to 3 ½ in thick material. It can bevel up to 45 degrees, and even make plunge cuts. And of course it includes several ways to manage water like optimized water nozzles, splash guards, and even a water tray isolation walls which separate debris out of the recirculated water.
There’s a ton of accessory storage, and it comes with this clever folding stand making it easy to move around as well. Mark really seems to like the saw, and after using it for a few projects, he makes it look easy too. I’m seriously considering a tile project just to justify the price. Unfortunately at $814, it would have to be a big project. To see if the saw is right for you, head over to MarkThomas Builder.
Production Crew Giveaway Date!
So are you guys ready for our Production Crew giveaway tomorrow? Be sure to be here at 3pm EST when we go live and call our winner. It’s always fun, and we tend to give away a bunch of fun stuff to random viewers in the live chat. I hope to see you there!
I want to thank our sponsors Spyder and Flex, who asked me to remind you that you only have until the end of this year to take advantage of the FLEX Lifetime Warranty. So get yours soon! Alright tool fans. If you can, do something kind for someone else this weekend, and we’ll see you tomorrow!