September 30, 2007
September 28, 2007
Ryobi 12-Volt Compact Lithium-Ion Drill
So there's a lot of talk about Ryobi's new line of 18-volt lithium-ion tools, but did you know that around the same time, they're going to be releasing a little 12-volt drill as well? Unlike the 18-volt tools, it will be available as a stand alone (no word on when that will happen for the 18-volts). The new drill looks pretty cool and there's no doubt that it will be able to fit in some tight spots, and as with all of Ryobi's lithium tools, the price tag is very affordable.
It's very light, weighing in at only 1.8 lbs. That's 33% lighter than their current 12-volt battery. It's got a 3/8" keyless chuck and something called the MagTray, which is one of those magnets that's somewhere on the tool (we're not sure where), where you can stick a few screws while you work.
Continue reading: "Ryobi 12-Volt Compact Lithium-Ion Drill"
September 27, 2007
Ridgid R4330 13" Thickness Planer with 3 Blade Cutterhead
Ridgid has recently released a new 13" Thickness Planer and it looks like it's got all the right standard features, as well as a few new ones.
The planer has a 15 amp motor, nice fold down infeed/outfeed platforms, a chip diverter, as well as a place to plug your ShopVac – either 2-1/2" or 4" - to minimize dust (and there will be a lot of dust). Also included are some tools to help you change out the blades, or rather, flip them over, as Ridgid is thankfully using two sided blades. And don't worry about trying to index them, that's taken care of too.
Continue reading: "Ridgid R4330 13" Thickness Planer with 3 Blade Cutterhead"
September 27, 2007
C.H. Hanson Unveils New Website
Our pals over at C.H. Hanson have recently redesigned their website. The new site has better navigation, videos, and a bunch of other cool stuff. There's even a video of the Pivot Square, a tool that we obsess over more and more with each passing day. SuperPencil fans should prepare themselves for some disappointment though...no video.
Check out the new website here.
September 27, 2007
Husky 2-In-1 Ultra-Thin Combination Knife - Review
Husky, the makers of solid, innovative hand tools, have recently released their 2-In-1 Ultra-Thin Combination Knife. The Combo Knife has a fully-retractable standard razor blade as well as a folding drop point knife, both stowed away in a package that's about 4-3/4" by 1-3/4".
Both of the blades extend out of the same end of the tool making for safe and easy usage. The razor blade is extended with a sliding thumb tab, similar to any standard utility knife, and the drop point blade extends with a flick of a little nub that's on the blade itself, also like many standard flip knives. The folding blade has a nice locking mechanism so it won't flip back and close over your knuckles.
Continue reading: "Husky 2-In-1 Ultra-Thin Combination Knife - Review"
September 26, 2007
New DeWalt Nano Tools
The guys over at Toologics have just uncovered DeWalt's plans for two new battery tools to coincide with the launch of their Nano Battery next month. The tools look nice (and expensive). They are...wait for it.....wait for it....
It looks like they will be available individually as well as in a kit. Also, if you're unfamiliar with the whole Nano thing, DeWalt has a nice new presentation of the technology on their website here.
September 25, 2007
World's Strongest Glue
It's not Titebond III, or Gorilla Glue, or even PL Premium, it's some gunk that helps a bacteria stick to river rocks. According to an article at LiveScience, scientists are examining the substance and trying to simulate it into something that we humans can use.
According to the article, the natural goo can withstand the stress...
"equal to the force felt by a quarter with more than three cars piled on top of it."
Pretty impressive. The gunk is made up of sugar molecules, which explains why that soda can has been stuck to the coffee table for three weeks now.
Read the article here.
New Bosch/DeWalt Table Saw Guards
The blade guards that come with table saws are junk and everyone knows it. They are awkward, a drag to remove for rabbets, and they prohibit the rip fence from getting anywhere close to the blade. No one we know uses theirs, but it doesn't take a genius to realize that using a table saw without a blade guard increases your chances of becoming known as "Old Eight Fingers."
So what are we supposed to do? Not everyone can just run out and drop $1500 on the new SawStop jobsite saw, the most freakishly safe saw on the planet (see our buddies over at Toologics for more info on that one). What about those of us who can barely scratch together $500 For a Bosch or DeWalt? Well, we were reading the latest Fine Homebuilding and we see the answer in the future.
Continue reading: "New Bosch/DeWalt Table Saw Guards"
September 24, 2007
Milwaukee Compact 18-Volt Drill
It must have been a busy few months in the R&D lab of Milwaukee Tools. Not only are they on the verge of releasing their new 12-Volt Sub Compact Driver, but they're also about to launch a new Compact 18-Volt Drill. The Drill's got a good selection of standard features and with Milwaukee's name on it, it should be a very durable item as well.
It comes equipped with a LED light, on-board bit storage, 22 position clutch, a belt hook, and a fuel indicator. Because of the lightweight lithium ion battery, the whole package comes in at about 4 lbs. The drill comes with 2 batteries and a 30-minute charger.
Like Ridgid's similar compact 18-volt drill, we're thinking this is going to be popular with a wide range of people. Because it's so lightweight, it won't be intimidating to those who don't use tools all the time and because of its power contractors should love it.
Like the Sub Compact Driver, this tool will be available in October.
September 21, 2007
C.H. Hanson Speedrocker SS
C.H. Hanson is about to release yet another inventive little tool. It's called the Speedrocker SS and it's simply a utility knife designed with the specific purpose of cutting sheetrock and blueboard.
What makes it unique is a little tape measure slot directly above the blade. You just hook the tape in and cut away, always cutting the board at the desired line (or at least close enough for sheetrock). The knife looks little enough to easily fit in a pocket or any tool belt (we can't tell if the blade is fully retractable), but it is designed so that when your thumb is holding the tape measure in, it is also applying direct pressure on the knife blade, making for an easy cut.
The tool has on board blade storage and comes with three blades. It's not yet released, so we don’t know how much it will cost, but of you do a lot of board hanging, whatever the price is, it'll probably be worth it.
September 20, 2007
Ryobi Lithium Tools Available Now
UPDATE: Our review of Ryobi's 4-Piece Lithium-Ion Kit is here.
We had thought that the new 4-piece Ryobi Lithium Ion kit wouldn't be available for another week, but we were in a local Home Depot today and saw a bunch of them on display. So there you have it. Go out and check them out an let us know what you think. They looked pretty nice to us.
PlugGrip and SwitchGrip
Here's an interesting idea for anyone who has ever had trouble installing an outlet or a light switch. The
PlugGrip is a little all-in-one electrical helper for just that task. Not only does it grab and hold the outlet, making it much easier to deal with the wiring, but it also has a current indicator light (with buzzer), built-in wire strippers (12g-14g) and an on board wire bender. The SwitchGrip has all the same features, but fits over a switch as opposed to an outlet.
The PlugGrip and SwitchGrip have been approved by the Handman Club of America as well as the Do-It-Yourself Retailing Magazine.
This looks like it could be a nice little item to have in the tool bag. Recently, we wired an outlet with 12g wire and having the extra handhold would have been useful, particularly when we had to straighten the outlet in a box jammed with stiff wires.
The items retail for about $10 each. There is more information and plenty of videos over at the PlugGrip website.
The PlugGrip and SwitchGrip are available at Lowes as well as a special order at Ace. Also at the PlugGrip website.
September 19, 2007
Ryobi One + Lithium Ion Tools
UPDATE III: Our review of Ryobi's 4-Piece Lithium-Ion Kit is here.
While we were off on vacation, Ryobi opened their mysterious green box and revealed a new line of lithium-ion tools set for a late September release. Ryobi says the tools have twice the performance, twice the run time, and are 20% lighter than the old fashioned 18-volt tools.
Ryobi is initially going to offer two kits (with no indication if the tools will be available individually):
- 4-piece kit - Drill, work light, reciprocating saw, circular saw.
- 2-piece Kit - Drill, work light
Continue reading: "Ryobi One + Lithium Ion Tools"
September 18, 2007
Milwaukee 12-volt Sub-Compact Driver
This October, Milwaukee is getting into the mini Li-Ion market with their 12-volt Sub-Compact Driver. It looks like a nice tool with some good features. It's got a variable speed trigger, a little LED light, a easy-to-use chuck, and a little fuel gauge so you'll always know how much juice you've got left.
According to Milwaukee, the Sub-Compact Driver can drive 130 3" screws on a single charge. Not bad for something that weighs two pounds. The tool comes with a soft case, a 30 minute charger, and two Li-Ion batteries.
Up until this point, Bosch has really been the only player with this type of tool so we're looking forward to seeing what Milwaukee has to offer.
We're Back!
Hey all, we're back from our vacation. It was a great time and now we're all rested up and looking forward to this fall's new tool releases. In addition, we've got a few tools here that we'll be reviewing soon, including Cadex's new CPB23.50 Headless Pin and Brad Nailer. We're pretty thrilled to test that one out and see if all the good things we've heard about it are true (and we thank Cadex for letting us take a look at one).
We've also got some stuff to give away, but more on that later.
September 14, 2007
Will It Blend
This is, well, sort of tool related. A blender is a tool, right? Whatever. Anyway, Will It Blend is a website where this cheerful fellow, Tom Dickson, puts literally anything in a blender to see how it holds up. The site is divided into two sections; Don't Do This At Home and Do This At Home. We'll let you figure out which of the two sections is lame and which is worth checking out.
We killed about 30 minutes watching videos. So far our favorites are the blended Bic lighters and the glow-sticks.
Check out the site here.
We actually just noticed that the site is sponsored by Blendtec, a blender maker. Buy their blenders here
September 12, 2007
Rockler Jig Parts
If you're at the stage of your woodworking career where your workshop is filled with bizarre handmade jigs, mostly constructed out of plywood and 2x4s, now might be the time to step things up a bit. Rockler, one of our favorite stores, has a good supply of jig hardware, ranging from clamps to t-track accessories. They're handy to have around and with a little creativity, you can do just about anything you want with them.
For about $20-$30 you can get a great assortment of this, that, and the other thing.
At Rockler.
September 10, 2007
Top Ten Technologies of 2007
Fine Homebuilding has an interesting article on the top ten technologies that you can use right now to improve your house. The items on the list range from mold-resistant drywall to single-unit washer/dryers. Check out the article here.
September 6, 2007
Vacation
Like everyone else this time of year, we're going on vacation. We'll be doing a bit of posting here and there for the next week and a half, but probably not as regular as you're used to. We're going to a place with no computers and no tools. When we get back, we'll be giving away some stuff, so keep checking in.
September 5, 2007
C.H. Hanson SuperPencil - Review
C.H. Hanson continues their
Signature Series with the new
Superpencil, a pencil so blatantly powerful that other pencils warp when it comes near. What it is is a regular looking carpenter's pencil that is made entirely of a graphite composite. The result is a pencil that has a ridiculously long life and always has a variety of edges to choose from.
C.H. Hanson says that the SuperPencil lasts seven times as long as a normal pencil. From our experience with it, this might be a low number. As they advertise, you really don't have to sharpen it because, somewhere, there is always an edge. Sure, we had to get a bit creative from time to time and hold the pencil at an odd angle, but still, it's impressive. With rough framing, we opted to just use one of the thick edges, but as things got to finish work, we went ahead and sharpened it to a point and used that.
Continue reading: "C.H. Hanson SuperPencil - Review"
September 4, 2007
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Craftsman 10" MiterMate - Review
