Maxxeon Workstar 1200

Maxxeon, a company that specializes in work lights geared towards auto mechanics and other professionals, offers a little light called the WorkStar 1200.

Its features include a retractable hook; two magnets in the body so you can stick it against the hood of the car while you work; and an interesting head with two swivel points, allowing you to position the light in just about any way imaginable. The light also has a squared off body, so when you're not using the magnets, you'll be able to easily stabilize the light on it's side. The Workstar is cordless and can go for about five hours on a charge.

From the features, it's easy to see that although it would be a great light for a mechanic, it would also be a nice light for anyone in the trades (we're thinking plumbers and electricians), as well as any serious DIYer. It looks like a quality item and, because of that, it's going to cost you quite a bit more than your average work light. The Workstar retails for just under $100 at Amazon and almost $140 if you get it straight from Maxxeon.

For more information, there is a video here.

At Maxxeon and Amazon.com

Northern Tool Milwaukee Giveaway

The guys at Northern Tool are giving away a Milwaukee V18 Li-Ion 4-Piece Combo Kit and all you have to do to get in the running for it is to rate a product on their site. It looks like a simple three step process; find an item you know about, create an account (it only takes a sec, we've done it), and then rate the product.

The combo kit comes with a circular saw, a hammer drill/driver, a work light, and a reciprocating saw. It's got a value of about $600. If you're not lucky enough to get the combo kit, you could still walk away with one of five $50 gift certificates to Northern Tool.

The best part about the contest is that it started yesterday (Oct. 29th) and it ends Friday (Nov. 2nd), so there's not a whole lot of time for people to hear about it and enter. That translates into higher chances of you hitting the jackpot.

More information at Northern Tool.

Ridgid R4121 12" Dual Bevel Miter Saw

Ridgid has just released a new 12" miter saw that looks like it's outfitted with some nice features. The blade has a side to side bevel capability of 48 degrees and the saw has a 50 degree range both left and right. The high fence (5-7/8") can support 7-1/2" crown molding and the saw comes with a quick release work clamp to stabilize whatever it is you're cutting.

The Ridgid saw is plenty powerful with a 15 amp motor and a blade speed of 3800 rpms. It also projects a laser line onto the work piece. The line is somehow adjustable, unlike other laser systems, and it only turns on when the blade is in motion.

We can't find any specific pricing info, but similar saws sell for around $300.

At Home Depot

Dremel Duo (Stylus & Driver) – Review

Dremel has just released a new lithium-ion powered screwdriver, the Dremel Driver, and they've bundled it with their Dremel Stylus, which has been out since 2006. We were curious to see how Dremel was going to handle the whole lightweight lithium-ion screwdriver thing and we jumped at the chance to test out the little guy and as a bonus, we got our hands on the Stylus as well.

The Dremel Driver and Stylus come nicely packaged together, but are also available as stand alones (more on that later). They come with a stand/charger that fits both tools, charging one at a time. There is also a nice little compartmentalized case for your rotary bits and driver bits as well as an expansion piece for the stand that clicks onto the side and provides a space to store your bits for easy access. This last piece isn't pictured, as we lost it somewhere along the way during our test phase. We're pretty sure it's in the truck somewhere.

The system has no removable battery to charge. Instead the entire unit clicks into the stand and it does its charging there. This situation presents no bench top space issues, seeing as both of these tools combined are hardly any bigger than the standard 18-volt battery and won't be taking up much space at all.

Continue reading: "Dremel Duo (Stylus & Driver) – Review"

Skil 7.2-Volt Lithium-Ion Power Wrench

Skil has recently released an interesting little tool called the Power Wrench. It's essentially a 7.2-volt ratchet that fits a 1/4" socket and can also be used as a low-clearance screwdriver.

The wrench has a forward/reverse switch and a soft grip handle. The tool comes with a 17-piece accessory set which looks like it includes a standard collection of sockets and driver bits. Like the Dremel Duo, there is no removable battery, but a charging stand instead, which can either sit on a counter or get mounted on the wall. The tool weighs just over 1-1/2 lbs.

We're sure this is going to be a big Christmas item for Dad's and DIYers everywhere. It could also be a nice gift for someone who is getting on in their years and is losing hand strength.

Skil's Power Wrench sells for about $60.

At Amazon.com

Black & Decker VPX Website is Live (for real this time)

Well, after over almost two weeks of looking at that spinning battery, the Black & Decker VPX website is up and running. It looks very cool too. There's good info on all the tools, a bit about the battery system, and a neat page devoted to the team and some of the concepts they came up with during development.

Go and check it out at www.vpxsystem.com.

More on the VPX System here.

VPX tools at Amazon.com

Wagner Paint Crew Plus Arrives for Review

Wagner is really carving out a nice market for themselves by taking professional grade painting technologies and reworking them into user-friendly, non-intimidating packages for the DIYer. They did it with their PaintEater and their Power Tex and now, they've created the Paint Crew Plus.

The Paint Crew Plus is a paint spraying machine that has uses for both interior and exterior painting. It looks like it's loaded with some nice features including a roller arm accessory, and an adjustable pressure selector.

Wagner was nice enough to ship us one, and we're looking forward to testing it out and letting you know how it goes.

At Amazon.com

How-To Clean a Chimney

A clean chimney is important (ever heard the sound of a chimney fire?) and if you've got a manageable roof, there's no reason why you can't do the cleaning yourself. It's easy, relatively quick, and you can get all of the equipment you need for about $75 dollars.

Of course, if you've got a steep roof, don't do it yourself. Hire a professional; he knows how to get up there and how to not kill himself. We repeat. If you're not comfortable on your roof, DO NOT TRY TO CLEAN YOUR OWN CHIMNEY.

We've assembled a few articles that can give you some help with this yearly clean-out.

A Clean Chimney is Essential for Safety and Efficiency - doityourself.com
How to Clean a Chimney - Northline
How to Clean Out a Fireplace and Chimney - eHow

Chimney brushes at Amazon.com

SquareONE

The guys at Generation Tools appear to have crammed a lot of functionality into their unique SquareONE. The tool is an interesting idea; part drawing surface, part tape measure, and part speed square. In addition to all of that, it's got a pencil sharpener, a pencil holder, a level, a protractor, and a removable squaring edge.

The SquareONE is rubber coated for durability and the tape measure tip is a three rivet design for added strength.

Although it looks a bit silly at first, it could be a cool thing to have, particularly for the writing surface. Just think how nice it would be nice to sketch out an idea and not do it on a scrap of drywall.

The SquareONE comes in a variety of models, each with a different cost. As far as we can tell, the difference is primarily in the length of the tape measure. There is no indication exactly how big the SquareONE is.

• 10' SquareONE - $7.99
• 12' SquareONE - $9.99
• 16' SquareONE - $10.99
• 18' SquareONE - $11.99
• 25' SquareONE - $19.99

At Generation Tools

Home Depot Holiday Gift Cards

If you're one of those people who is desperately trying to get all of your Christmas shopping done by November, you should investigate Home Depot Gift Cards as a way to knock at least a few people off your list.

They've just rolled out all of their holiday designs and there are a few different types of gift cards to choose from. They've got the standard card, one that comes with a free coke, one that has an added security feature, one in Spanish, and one that comes with a little DVD filled with DIY tutorials.

So head to Home Depot, throw them some cash, and walk away with no more Christmas shopping to do until October 2008.

Milwaukee V18 Vs. 18V?

A while back, we told you about Milwaukee's new Compact 18-Volt Drill, but what we didn't know is that the li-ion battery that comes with it is not the same as Milwaukee's standard 18-volt lithium-ion battery. As it turns out, the differences between the two batteries are significant. For one, the new compact batteries only work with other Milwaukee compact li-ion tools as opposed to the larger batteries, which are compatible with all of your old Milwaukee 18-volt tools.

But don't worry, there's a real easy way to tell them apart. The new ones are called 18V Lithium-Ion Batteries and the older ones are called V18 Lithium-Ion Batteries. Simple, right?

Our buddies over at Toologics have the complete run down of the two batteries here.

Proxxon Oscillating Detail Sander

UPDATE: Our review of the Proxxon Oscillating Detail Sander is here.

So everyone knows that the Fein MultiMaster is an outstanding tool and there is a lot of buzz right now about Bosch's similar PMF 180 E Multi and whether or not they'll be releasing it in the states, but did you know that there is another oscillating tool out there? We sure didn't, until we were flipping through the latest Garret Wade catalog. It's made by a company called Proxxon and they refer to it as their oscillating detail sander.

Strangely, the only place we could find any real information on the tool is at the Garrett Wade site, Minicraft, and ToolsAndMore.us. It's not on Proxxon's website and although it does show up in a hobby message board, no one who wrote about it seems to have any first hand experience with the tool.

Continue reading: "Proxxon Oscillating Detail Sander"

Maxus X-Lite Air Compressors

Maxus, makers of pneumatic tools and equipment (and also welders), are in the process of releasing three new air compressors in their X-Lite series. The X-Lites were launched this past spring and look to solve two of the nagging problems that all compressors have; the weight and the corrosion.

These issues are tackled with the simple fact that the X-Lite tanks are made out of aluminum as opposed to steel. Since aluminum doesn't rust out like steel, you won't be dealing with a blast of rusty water every time you drain the tanks. Also, because of the lack of corrosion, the compressor should last longer, seeing as it isn't rusting from the inside out.

Continue reading: "Maxus X-Lite Air Compressors"

iRobot Looj Gutter Cleaning Robot

We were just getting ready to write a post about the new iRobot Looj gutter cleaning robot when we saw that the guys over at The Hardware Aisle have already done the work for us. Since the Looj is such a cool idea, we're going to go ahead and add our two cents about it anyway.

The Looj is a battery operated gutter cleaner that looks sort of like a Constructicon in mid transformation. The idea is that you plop it in one end of your filthy gutters and, using the remote control, you drive it down to the other end, watching as it blasts out all sorts of leaf debris and other accumulated junk.

Continue reading: "iRobot Looj Gutter Cleaning Robot"

Black & Decker VPX3101 VPX Inverter

Continuing our coverage of Black & Decker's new VPX line of lithium-Ion tools, we're now going to take a look at the item we think is the most interesting of the bunch, the VPX Inverter.

What this little li-ion gizmo does is provide you with a mobile power source good for giving a little juice where needed. It seems tailored to small electronic devices like cell phones and MP3 players. Because it's no bigger than the average flashlight and weighs less than a pound, it looks like a good thing to throw in the backpack for a camping trip or a long vacation.

Continue reading: "Black & Decker VPX3101 VPX Inverter"

JLC Turns 25!

We just got the latest issue of the Journal of Light Construction in the mail and it looks like they're celebrating their 25th anniversary. For the special issue, they've decided to "recap some of the recurring issues [they]'ve covered in the last quarter century." There's a great forum on energy and moisture issues as well as the only article on roof venting that you'll ever need. There's also a funny cartoon series about what it's going to be like being a carpenter in the future.

If you're unfamiliar with JLC, you should rectify that immediately. Even though the magazine is geared for the small contractor, and each issue has a number of articles on legal issues, the building articles are the best out there and would be helpful to even the most basic DIYer.

Their website is here

Subscribe to JLC here

Milwaukee Hatchet Reciprocating Saw

Milwaukee apparently isn't content to coast on their reputation of making the biggest, baddest reciprocating saws. Nope, they've got to keep innovating and coming up with new features for the mother of all destruction tools. This time they've tinkered around with the handle design and the resulting tool is called The Hatchet.

They've removed the standard D-handle that has been a consistent part of every reciprocating saw ever made and replaced it with a pivoting pistol grip. When the handle is at full pivot, the tool is only 13-1/2" long, which means the tool can get itself into some tight locations such as joist bays and that mess of copper pipes behind your water heater.

Continue reading: "Milwaukee Hatchet Reciprocating Saw"

Black & Decker VPX Website is Live

UPDATE: It really is live now. Details here.
Looks like Black & Decker is finally catching up to the buzz that's starting to emerge around their new VPX line of tools. Sometime yesterday, they put up a website just for that set of tools. At the moment, it's just a placeholder with a swirling battery, but if you're into staring at that for a while, the page is at www.vpxsystem.com.

Earlier postings on the VPS System here and here.

Black & Decker VPX Starter Set

Last week, we told you about Black & Decker's VPX Lithium-Ion Tools, their new line of affordable cordless tools. Now, we're going be highlighting the individual tools in the series to give you a closer look at what's available.

Because a lot of the tools in the line are available in tool only-format (no battery included), once you have a few batteries, you'll be able to pick and choose your tools in a relatively inexpensive manner. But, you have to get the batteries somewhere, so why not start collecting the line where Black & Decker advises, their VPX Starter Set.

Continue reading: "Black & Decker VPX Starter Set"

DeWalt Nano Hammerdrill Sweepstakes

DeWalt is giving away one of their new Nano-powered hammerdrills. All you have to do to get in on the action is go to their website and enter to win. It's pretty easy.

Entries will be accepted until December 31, 2007 and the random drawing will be held on or about January 10, 2008. The winner has a choice between a 18-volt hammer drill, a 28-volt hammerdrill, or a 36-volt hammerdrill.

Enter the contest here.

Snowblower Buying Guide

We hate to say it, but it's time to start thinking about snow. Oh sure, you're sitting there thinking of idyllic snow, the kind that you play in with your kids, you make snowmen with and that you sled on, but don't forget, it's that very same snow that'll be sitting 2' deep on your driveway when you wake up in the morning and you've got to get to work. We used to hand shovel everything, thinking it made us more macho, but then last winter we went and got ourselves a snowblower and man, oh man what a difference. Now we can enjoy the snow rather than look at it as some sort of sub-zero Sisyphean task.

We did some research and found these helpful snowblower buying guide.

• Lowes - A good summary of the two main types of snowblowers.
  
• Consumer Search - Detailed ratings of what they found to be the six best snowblowers, with prices ranging from $120 to $1500)
  
• Consumer Guide - It looks like the product list on this guide is automatically generated, and thus a but funky, but aside from that, it has a very detailed glossary of snowblower terms and a good summary of things to look for when buying one.

Mug Boss

If you like the Bucket Boss - that canvas bags that fits over a five gallon bucket, providing you all sorts of pockets for your tools - then you might like the Mug Boss. It's the same thing, but for a standard sized coffee cup. You can bring it to work and it'll be good for those days when you're completely beaten down by the man and need a reminder that there's more to life than Excel spreadsheets.

It's only $6, so why not?

At Amazon.com

Woodfinder.com

We just stumbled on Woodfinder.com and couldn't be any more impressed. It's an online database of wood suppliers and it's got a lot of them. You can search by type of wood, by your zip code, or by any other number of specifics that you're looking for (i.e. boatbuilding, moldings, reclaimed lumber, mail order sales only, and on and on and on). Once you isolate a company, they've got all the right information on them; what payments they accept, what exactly they sell, and if they're willing to ship it.

We recommend going to the site and poking around for a while. We plugged in our zip code and found two suppliers that we didn't even know existed.

Woodfinder.com

Handi-Shim's New 1/32" Shim

A while back we reviewed the Handi-Shim, a very nice reusable shim. We found them to be indestructible, accurate, and extremely useful. Since the review, we've kept them in the truck and can't tell you how many times they've come in handy. They come in three color-coded sizes; 1/16" (red), 1/8" (white), and 1/4" (blue). Well we've just gotten word that they are on the verge of releasing a 4th shim that is 1/32" thick and will be nice shade of green.

The shims are good for tiling, windows, doors, scribing, stonework, and just about anything else you can think of.

The new green shim will be available sometime in October.

Read our original review of the Handi-Shims.

At Handi-Shim

Bosch Rapid Repair (and a chance to win a Bosch PS10)

Bosch is offering a new repair service that they call Rapid Repair. The 'Rapid' part is a guarantee that your tool is back in your hands within five business days or the repair is free. It's a cool setup that they've got. First, go to their website and find the location of the nearest Bosch Rapid Repair partner near you. Many of the stores that sell Bosch tools are partners, so it's likely that where you bought the tool is where you'll be heading to. Then, you go in and drop off the tool, getting an on-site estimate (which they guarantee you'll never pay any more than). And that's it. Five days later, you should be able to go and pick the tool up and if it takes any longer, then the repair is free.

The service is all factory authorized and comes with a 180 day warranty.

Keep reading to watch Bosch's Rapid Repair video and to get a chance to win a Bosch PS10.

Continue reading: "Bosch Rapid Repair (and a chance to win a Bosch PS10)"

Black & Decker VPX Lithium-IonTools

UPDATE: More info on the VPX starter Set here.

UPDATE II: The VPX website is live. Info here.

UPDATE III: More info on the VPX Inverter here.

UPDATE IV: This time, the website is really live. Details Black & Decker is getting in on the big lithium-ion frenzy. They've decided to call their battery system the VPX and they have a new and interesting twist on the whole cordless tool idea.

The deal is that each VPX battery is 7-volts and they work in just about all of the tools, but some tools are capable of taking two batteries to up their juice to 14.4-Volts. It's a neat idea to standardize the batteries for different voltages. As far as marketing goes, it's similar to the Ryobi One+ system, where you're encouraged to buy a starter kit with a battery and charger and then from that point on, you only need to buy the stand alone tools which don't come with batteries, and are thus much more inexpensive.

Continue reading: "Black & Decker VPX Lithium-IonTools"

Northern Tool's Preseason Heater Sale

Northern Tool, one of our favorite online tool stores is having a preseason sale on all types of heaters. They've got portable jobsite heaters, larger ones for the shop, and even wood stoves. Pretty much anything having to do with heating an area is on sale over at Northern Tool. Just think, it's better to buy them now, then to be scrambling around in late November when you really need it and everyone is sold out. The sale is for a limited time (we're not sure how long).

Check out Northern Tool

Dremel Duo Arrives for Review

Dremel has just released their first cordless screwdriver, and they were nice enough to send one over to us so that we can check it out. Like all Dremel tools, it's not only compact (about 5" in length), but it's also so ergonomically thought out that we think you could spend days using it and hardly even know that you had it in your hands. The tool can be purchased by itself or bundled with the cordless Dremel stylus in a package called the Dremel Duo. We've got the combo pack, so we'll be using both tools and letting you know how they are. Stay tuned.

Husky 84-Watt Portable Tripod Fluorescent Work Light - Review

Husky has just released a new tripod work light and they were nice enough to let us try out. It's an interesting design, and one we've never seen before.

The light comes folded up, looking sort of like a camera tripod with a very large central shaft. At the end of the shaft is a small light. Once the legs of the tripod are set up, the shaft stands upright with the light on top. When you plug in the light (which is made easy by a nice 12' cord), the light on the top lights up (it's blue). Now, here's where it gets interesting. At this point, you find a little locking tab that you press and once that's done, you can now grab the little blue light and pull the main light out of the central shaft, where it's been nicely protected. Once the light slides up to as high as it will go, it locks into place and automatically turns on. This, we weren't ready for.

Continue reading: "Husky 84-Watt Portable Tripod Fluorescent Work Light - Review"

Cadex CPB23.50 23 Gauge Pinner and Brad Nailer - Review

Pin nailers have been around for a bit, but only in the past few years have they started filtering down into the hands of the non-specialist and the day-to-day carpenters. They're little guns (smaller than a brad gun) and they shoot very small pins that don't even have any heads. Because of the size of the fastener, the guns are ideal for some very delicate operations. At the moment, most of the major pneumatic brands have pinners available. We had read good things about the Cadex CPB23.50, but weren't ready for just how nice of a tool it is.

Awhile back, we reviewed Grizzly's H5527 Brad Gun and gave it some high marks for being a solid no-frills gun at an affordable price ($25), well now we're on the other end of the spectrum; with Cadex's new gun they've created a perfectly tuned, versatile nail gun that manages to raise the bar on all pin nailers.

First, the stats. The Cadex CPB23.50 shoots both 23 gauge headless pins and 23 gauge slight headed pins (an unusual feature in pinners – most just shoot headless). It can handle lengths from 5/8" up to 2" (another unusual feature). The gun comes with two no-mar tips that easily fit onto the nose of the gun as well as a small container of gun oil and three different hex wrenches that fit the various fittings on the tool. There is a dry fire lock-out feature and a nice little viewing window to see how many pins are in the gun. It's got a built-in belt hook, a swivel coupling, and a little thumb operated blow gun that you can use to clear your work piece of dust and debris. The whole package comes in at just a hair over 2-1/2 lbs.

Continue reading: "Cadex CPB23.50 23 Gauge Pinner and Brad Nailer - Review"

September 2007 Monthly Roundup for Tool Snob

It was a funny month here at Tool Snob. We took the first part off and went on vacation, so things were pretty quiet for a couple weeks. Then we got back and really had to hit the ground running. It's shaping up to be a busy fall in the tool world and at the moment there's quite a lot going on. Probably the biggest news is Ryobi's Lithium-Ion line of tools. It looks like they've managed to wrap the benefits of the li-ion battery in a very affordable package. We've got a lot of info on those tools, here, here, here, and here.

Because of our vacation, we only reviewed two tools in September. Still, we don't think that should detract any of the glory from Husky's 2-In-1 Combo Knife, our Tool of the Month. It's a great little knife that belongs in everyone's pocket.

So keep checking in, because we've got a lot in store for you in October...starting tomorrow with a review of one of the finest tools we're ever used.

Tool of the Month
Husky 2-In-1 Ultra-Thin Combination Knife - Review

Reviews
C.H. Hanson SuperPencil - Review
Husky 2-In-1 Ultra-Thin Combination Knife - Review

New and Interesting Power Tools
Ryobi 12-Volt Compact Lithium-Ion Drill
Ridgid R4330 13" Thickness Planer with 3 Blade Cutterhead
New DeWalt Nano Tools
Milwaukee Compact 18-Volt Drill
Ryobi One + Lithium Ion Tools
Milwaukee 12-volt Sub-Compact Driver

New and Interesting Hand Tools
Stanley FatMax Xtreme 55-120 FuBar III
C.H. Hanson Speedrocker SS
PlugGrip and SwitchGrip
Rockler Jig Parts
C.H. Hanson Unveils New Website

Safety
New Bosch/DeWalt Table Saw Guards

Guides
Top Ten Technologies of 2007

Distractions
World's Strongest Glue
Will It Blend