Do you own Bosch Cordless Power Tools? Is it time for a battery upgrade? Take a look at Bosch’s new CORE 18V batteries. They have gone in and completely revamped their 18V batteries! They are now smaller, lighter, more powerful, have a longer life, and allow for more cuts and drives. Bosch has been able to achieve all of these benefits while also delivering corded performance in high-load applications.
Read moreNew Drill Attachment Can Cut Square Holes
Once again technology has made our old proverbs obsolete, take the old “square peg/round hole” saying, for instance… I’m sure there’s a joke in there somewhere, but I can't find it. Currently your choices for hole saws and drill bits are round and more round, so those pesky square holes that need cut for electrical boxes require a jab saw or a router. It’s not terribly difficult to cut square holes using those methods, but, one company has taken it upon themselves to make the process much quicker.
Read moreMakita Just Released the Lightest, Most Compact 18V Tools on the Market
As tools are continuing to drop the cords and move more towards battery power, the race is on to not only have the battery with the biggest runtime and most power, but also the lightest and most compact. Milwaukee and DeWalt seem to be battling it out at the top for the power and runtime category with the release of DeWalt’s 20V/60V FLEXVOLT battery and Milwaukee’s 9.0Ah 18V battery, but Makita has recently emerged as the company to beat in the light and compact 18V competition.
In the past, the compact tool market was dominated by 12V tools, offering a lot of convenience, but less power than some of your tougher jobs may require. With Makita now creating a new class of compact and utilizing their 18V batteries while doing it, tool users will get the benefit of using the same 18V battery that their other favorite Makita tools use, but the size and convenience of the 12V tools. That reduces the need for different batteries, different chargers, and even a different size of the same tool.
The first two tools released in Makita’s new LXT Sub-Compact Brushless tools, as they are calling them, are the 18V LXT Sub-Compact Brushless ½” Driver-Drill (XFD11ZB) and the 18V LXT Sub-Compact Brushless Impact Driver (XDT15ZB). Here’s the quick specs:
18V LXT Sub-Compact Brushless ½” Driver-Drill (XFD11ZB)
- Weight: 2.8 lbs with 2.0 battery
- 6-3/8” long
- 0-500 & 0-1,700 RPM
- 350 in-lbs of Max Torque
18V LXT Sub-Compact Brushless Impact Driver (XDT15ZB).
- Weight: 2.6 lbs with 2.0 battery
- 5-5/16” long
- 0-1,300/0-3,000 RPM & 0-1,600/0-3,900 IPM
- 1,240 in-lbs of Max Torque
Compared to the 12V versions, you’ll get roughly the same tool specs, but in a new black color. Makita currently only offers a 3/8” Drill/Driver in the Brushless 12V variety, so it’s not quite an apples-to-apples comparison. The tool lengths are roughly the same (18V drill/driver is 5/16” longer, impact driver is the same) and the 18V are a tad heavier (18V driver-drill and impact driver are each ½ lb heavier). The 18V driver-drill does have a higher RPM (0-450 & 0-1,500 vs. 0-500 & 0-1,700) and more torque (280 in-lbs vs. 350 in-lbs). Utilizing the 18V system will definitely increase the wattage of the tool, however.
The cost of the new tools falls between the 12V line and the full size 18V line. The combo kit, which includes the drill-driver, the impact driver, (2) 2.0Ah batteries, charger, and bag retails for $229 (you can get it here on Amazon). It also appears to have replaced Makita’s 18V compact line, which came in white, as they are shown to be discontinued on Makita’s website.
While you may not be able to toss your current full-size 18V drill-driver and impact to the side just yet, these new sub-compact tools are a step in the right direction, especially since it can eliminate the need for the 12V battery platform.
What do you think? Will you be investing in Makita’s new sub-compact tool class?
Featured
SKILSAW Announces Release of Revolutionary Concrete Cutting Saw
courtesy of SKILSAW
SKILSAW, the brand name synonymous with wood cutting circular saws, is branching into new territory and it has concrete shaking in its boots. In the past, the user of a concrete saw would be responsible for finding third party attachments in order to make accurate concrete cuts, but SKILSAW’s new tool has several important features already incorporated, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars and tons of time.
Read moreMilwaukee Tool to Release Supercharged Battery to Cut Down on Cords on the Job Site
Image courtesy Milwaukee Tool
There’s no denying that cordless, battery powered tools are super convenient to use on any job site. The problem with cordless tools has always been whether or not they can provide the necessary power to complete the tough jobs or last long enough to keep them efficient. We’ve already come a long way with battery technology, as well as deigning tools to use less battery power. The brushless technology that has taken over the tool industry in recent years helped cut down on the friction and heat tools produce, making them less draining to use. Whereas construction technology companies are trying to create a paperless job site, the ultimate goal right now for most tool companies is to create the cordless job site.
Milwaukee Tool has officially announced their intention to release a high demand, M18 9.0 battery pack that can provide up to 2 times the performance of their current high powered, extended capacity 5.0 battery and up to 5 times better performance versus standard lithium ion batteries. That’s less trips to the charger, more power to cut through tough materials, and more speed.
Image courtesy Milwaukee Tool
The nice thing about this battery upgrade is that it’s fully compatible with all 100+ Milwaukee M18 tools, but you get all of the added benefits of the new battery. Available to the public next month (September), the M18 REDLITHIUM HIGH DEMAND 9.0 Battery Pack will retail for $199, which is definitely a step up from the cost of the 5.0 battery, which retails for around $129.
You may also be aware that DeWalt has announced the release of their own high capacity batteries, the 60V/20V FLEXVOLT batteries and a new line of 60V tools. While Milwaukee’s batteries are only 18V, they’ve released a side-by-side comparison of the battery performance, which aims to show that voltage is not the only measure of power. Of course, the source must be considered and the actual performance will need to be tested once the tools are formally released, but it’s an interesting comparison. As far as brand loyalty goes, it seems that both Milwaukee and DeWalt users will end up being the winners because of these batteries.
Image courtesy Milwaukee Tool
Featured
Cool Tools: New Smart Tape Measure is All of Your Favorite Measurers Rolled into One
Courtesy of Bagel
Tape measure, wheel measure, and laser measures are all great tools for their own situations, but why isn’t there one that can do all three of those jobs? That doesn’t have to be a question anymore, because there’s a new smart measure hitting the market that can do it all.
Read moreNew Craftsman Hammer Comes with Adjustable Claw For Superior Prying Ability
Craftsman Flex Claw Hammer
Hammers haven’t changed much in hundreds of years, save a few minor tweaks with materials and aesthetics for branding. But, though they haven’t changed, the old saying still goes, “hammers are the hammers of the construction industry.” Don’t quote me on that. Everybody has a hammer, even people who can barely even hold a hammer. Hammers are even used to make other hammers, here’s proof. So, when a new hammer hits the market, it’s not really that big of a deal, unless, of course, it’s the only one to provide an adjustable claw.
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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.