In the ever evolving power struggle for the major tool manufacturers, converting users to their personal cordless battery powered platform is paramount. With new battery technology hitting the market, we’ve seen tools that we never imagined would ever be able to be run off of a battery platform even outperform their corded version. DeWalt has recently made another huge advancement in battery technology with the announcement of a new 12.0Ah battery.
As rumors have swirled about Milwaukee announcing their own 12.0Ah battery at next week’s annual New Product Symposium, DeWalt has gotten ahead of the game by issuing a press release for their own.
The new 60V FLEXVOLT battery will operate both 20V tools and 60V tools just like the other FLEXVOLT batteries. When running 20V tools, it will operate at a 12Ah capacity, but when run on a 60V tool, it will operate at 4Ah, giving users better runtime and increased performance.
The best part? The battery will be the same size and weight (2.8 pounds) as the 9.0Ah battery. That means it will be able to fit in every tool you have already been using 9.0Ah batteries on. This is great news for users of DeWalt’s higher powered tools, like the 60V 7-1/4” Worm Drive Style Framing Saw (DCS577), the 120V 12in Dual Bevel Compound Sliding Miter Saw (DHS790), and the 60V 8-1/4” Table Saw (DCS7485). When I upgraded batteries from the 6Ah to 9Ah on my table saw, there was a noticeable performance increase.
The 20V/60V MAX FLEXVOLT 12.0Ah Battery (DCB612) is set to be available for purchase in summer 2018 at $249 MSRP. The 9.0Ah battery is currently available for $199 on Amazon. The new battery also comes with a standard three-year limited warranty, three-year free service contract and 90-day money-back guarantee.
More info: FLEXVOLT 20V/60V MAX 12.0 AH BATTERY | DeWalt
Cat Phones is known to make some pretty rugged smartphones, the kind of phone you don’t have to worry about on the jobsite – even without a case. Licensed by the construction equipment giant, Caterpillar, the phones are made by the UK-based Bullitt Group. The company recently announced the release of their new flagship smartphone model, the CAT S62 Pro.
Father’s Day 2021 is June 20, so you better get started on gift ideas if you want to impress dad this year. Whether your father is contractor, handyman, or DIYer, we’ve got a lot of great ideas for him this year.
For more more gift ideas, be sure to check out our past Father's Day Gift Guides from 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 or our Ultimate Construction Holiday Gift Guides from 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020
Lithium battery technology is being pushed to new heights in the tool world seemingly every month, as more power hungry tools continue to drop the cord and join the battery revolution. DeWalt is the latest in the game to up the ante with the release of the first 15 am hour 18V battery on the market.
While still new in the construction industries, robots are typically designed to perform a specific task in a highly precise and efficient way, like the rebar tying robot, Tybot or the brick-laying robot Hadrian X. More recently, though, robots are being imagined as platforms for 3rd party companies to develop hardware and accessories to attach to the base robot, like the Boston Dynamics robotic dog, Spot. I recently came across a new robot, called Baubot, which hopes to one day perform tasks using every tool on a typical jobsite.
Those that follow tool news may have heard about a new Makita tool platform that launched in several other countries a few months ago and have been waiting for the news of it finally being released in the United States. Well, the wait is over, as the teal tool brand has finally announced the release of their 40V and 80V XGT system in the US.
“You make a better door than a window!” is what I imagine loader operators constantly yell at the bucket in front of them (or maybe I’m just projecting based on my experience of having the habit of sitting right in front of the TV as a kid). Either way, operators may not be yelling that in the future, as equipment manufacturer, Doosan, has introduced what they claim is an industry first “transparent” bucket.
Reducing dust when cutting tile is important for many reasons (including safety and cleanliness), but wet tile saws can be a pain to use, with the slurry created spraying all around the work station and cold weather making the saw much more difficult to use outside. iQ Power Tools has a solution for that: the world’s first 7” portable dry table saw with integrated dust control.
Just over a year ago, I was introduced to an early prototype of the SkyMul SkyTy, which is a robotic drone with a rebar tying attachment designed to autonomously locate and tie rebar on the jobsite. After a year of tweaks and advancements, SkyMul is now on their third prototype and they showed off those improvements in a new video.
Like most of the other electric machines that have been announced previously, Volvo promises that this midsized, 14 metric ton excavator will have the same performance as a similarly sized diesel version. The X03 is currently in the concept stage, so Volvo does not have immediate plans to bring it to market, but it shows the possibilities that electronics on heavy machinery can allow for.
Last summer, Hilti announced that they had developed their first exoskeleton designed for construction tradespeople in a partnership with Ottobuck, a prosthetics, orthotics, and exoskeleton provider. Earlier this month, Hilti officially released the exoskeleton, announced more details, and published its retail price on their website.