Welcome back tool fans, this week, we’ve got new tools announced from Milwaukee, DeWALT and Ryobi, A deep dive into DeWALT’s newest power stack battery, Technology takes on torque sticks, The ultimate mega volt recip head to head, and our first Platinum Tool Deal for the all new Milwaukee Track Saw. THIS is your power tool week in review.
Tool Box Buzz | Recip Head to Head 2.0
Welcome back guys, today we’re starting with the boys at Tool Box Buzz. Rob Robillard and his band of building brothers recently tested a staggering 17 cordless reciprocating saws in a mega head-to-head, that left the FLEX the new reigning champion. But that was only for 18v to 24v models.
So this week, they brought out the big boys, including the 60V DeWALT, 36V Makita, 40V Makita XGT, and the 36V Metabo HPT. They ran them through the same tests they designed for the lower volt models, and measured power, weight, ergonomics, vibration, features, and even the rafter hooks. This time, the winner didn’t surprise us, but it did reinforce our personal views of the brand. To see what we’re talking about, head over to Tool Box Buzz.
Shop Tool Reviews | Milwaukee One Key
The Milwaukee One Key system is still a mystery to many, despite this amazing video I made about it 2 years ago when I was still wearing a grey shirt. But one of the most important features, is the ability to access extra features in your tools.
Tim over at Shop Tool Reviews wanted to know if the ability to adjust your Lug Nut Control would work just as well as a set of torque sticks. Using ONE KEY he was able to connect to his Milwaukee 2769 Extended Anvil ½” Impact Wrench, and limit the output to 75 or 150 ft-lbs. Then he opens up a set of torque sticks, which are designed to limit the torque you put on a lug nut, based on the color of the stick. The real test, was to see just how consistent each option was. Tim also lays out a full review of the 2769 while he’s at it. I think a lot of people are still trying to understand all of the benefits of ONE KEY (Despite my video) and Tim does a great job revealing them. You can find the full review and results, at Shop Tool Reviews.
Torque Test Channel | DeWALT Lithium-Ion Pouch Battery
This week DeWALT announced their second Power Stack Lithium-Ion Pouch battery, this time in a whopping 5AH size. And the battery comes with a whole bunch of pretty impressive claims from DeWALT.
So who better to test those claims, then our friends at Torque Test Channel. But before they could test it’s power output, they noticed something that other channels have as well. Unlike the 1.7ah version that came out last year, this one is thicc. He’s a thicc boy. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Maybe a thick power stack battery comes with thicc power. To find out they strapped them into some DC battery testers, to simulate what the battery would experience on a running tool. You know, to measure voltage sag. How embarrassing. The battery definitely turns out to be a better version of it’s former self, but the real question is, at what cost. To find out, head over to Torque Test channel.
Mark Thomas Builder | Ryobi Airstrike Framing Nailer
Recently Roybi announced the actual arrival of the most requested Ryobi tool of all time. The framing nailer. And this week, Mark got a hold of one early.
That is the Ryobi 18V ONE+ HP Brushless Airstrike 21 degree framing nailer. Why can’t all tools have names like Airstrike? This new nailer comes with a bunch of great features, but the biggest being the AirStrike Technology that completely eliminates the need for noisy compressors, bulky hoses and expensive gas cartridges. And it doesn’t skimp on the power either. It can sink up to 3 ½” full round head nails, 750 of them on a single 4ah High Performance Ryobi battery.
It has single, sequential and contact actuation modes, tool-free depth of drive adjustment, and a shock absorber to protect both you, and your battery from the business at hand. Mark is quick to put the nailer to work, testing the dry fire lockout, and even seeing just how fast he can bump fire, and yeah, it’s pretty fast! Mark walks you through each feature, and demonstrates how to clean up a jam. If you’re a Ryobi user, and you’re ready to toss out your compressor, head over to MarkThomasBuilder.
Production Crew Update! FINAL GIVEAWAY
What are you doing this Monday? Because on December 12th, at 8pm EST, Rob and I are going to give away our final two shelves, each loaded with $2,000 worth of power tools. But that’s not all, we’re also got prizes to give away to people in the live chat, from Milwaukee, FLEX, and many more! I’m keeping the FLEX rear handle. No you’re not! So set a reminder to join us this Monday night at 8pm EST for your chance to win something great, just before the holidays.
Milwaukee News!
Milwaukee just announced A few new accessories this week, starting with customizable accessory cases for drilling and driving sets.
The real news is that they’re designed for use in packout storage solutions. The cases come in small, small compact, medium, medium compact, large, and large deep. Each one features adjustable rows for customizing it to your own specifications. The rows are also designed for easy bit removal, thank you, and the rows can be removed and attached to M12 and M18 drills and impacts for on-tool storage which is super cool.
The cases will range from 6.99 to 14.99, and the rows will all cost $4.99 each. They also announced a bunch of new drill bit and driver bit sets. And finally, new Shockwave impact duty magnetic nut drivers, including a ¼, 5/16, ⅜ and a 7/16, each with an optimized shock zone that absorbs torque to prevent breakage.
Doresoom Tool Reviews | Ryobi Link System
Nate over at Doresoom Tool Reviews has been busy lately, and this week he shared a full review of the Ryobi link system, after using it for a year.
Now we’ve spent a lot of time with Ryobi Link, and we’re fans. There are a ton of features and accessories that make it incredibly versatile, and customizable. But Nate’s video caught our attention, because he took his new obsession to a new level. First he 3D printed a bunch of adapters which was pretty cool. And in his typical fashion, he decided to dig as deep as he could into the patent office, and found a TON of new accessories that may end up as Ryobi’s newest additions next year. But of course being a patent, does not mean you’ll make it as a product. Only time will tell.
DeWALT News!
DeWALT also has a few announcements this week, starting with that new power stack battery.
Yes, DeWALT was first to the lithium-ion pouch battery game. But while they launched with a single 1.7ah battery, they were quickly followed by FLEX who brought a full line of Stacked Lithium batteries ranging from 3.5ah all the way up to a huge 10ah version. But again… DeWALT was first. We all assumed we’d see more Power Stack batteries shortly after, but it took nearly a year for this 5ah version to arrive, and it came alone. And while we’re all happy to have more capacity, that price is still pretty hard to swallow. Hopefully, we’ll see some holiday deals.
DeWALT also announced a new FLEXTORQ Square Drive Modular Right Angle attachment for your impact. It’s exactly what it sounds like, except they come in either ¼” and ⅜” square drive, for getting those sockets into tight spaces. They claim the forged gears help it to handle tough applications, and provides up to 10x longer life than Milwaukee’s 48-32-2100. Someone will have to test that.
Tools & Stuff | Makita Outdoor Adventure Lanterns
At STAFDA last month, Rob and I got to see the new Makita Outdoor Adventure tools up close, and one of them stood out the most. Fortunately for us, Tools just happened to review it.
THAT is the Makita XGT 40V Lantern Radio, phone charger, bluetooth speaker, and that, is the Makita LXT 18V Lantern Radio, phone charger, bluetooth speaker. But don’t be fooled. They only look identical… because they are. With the one difference apparently being the battery mount. So think of it this way, it’s a great Lantern Radio, phone charger, bluetooth speaker, so they made one for every Makita fan, no matter which platform you’re on. They both feature a usb port, a glowy light with the perfect lumens for camping, four clever metal guards that double as antennas, and a pretty decent speaker. Tools tests out all of the features, even going so far as to find the bluetooth range. As I mentioned before, Rob and I really liked this thing at STAFDA. It was super compact, lit up well, and the speaker really did sound great, at least for a small tent. But for the full review, head over to Tools And Stuff.
PLATINUM TOOL DEAL
Alright it’s time again for our PLATINUM TOOL DEAL, and this one’s a doosey. Ever since the Milwaukee M18 FUEL Track Saw was announced at Pipeline, we’ve been waiting patiently for it to finally hit store shelves, and apparently it’ll be here any minute. Pre-orders have begun, and today’s code is gonna make this track saw, even harder to resist. Just a reminder, we’re going to give you a code that will only work for 25 people, and then automatically retire, so once I put it on screen, be ready to act fast.
This week’s Platinum Tool Deal is $100 off either of the Milwaukee M18 FUEL Track Saw Pre-order bundles available at Ohio Power Tool. And the code right here. Take it over to Ohio Power Tool dot com, choose one of the M18 Track Saw Pre-Order bundles, and you’ll get $100 off. Good luck! Now we offer an exclusive Platinum Tool Deal every week, right here on Belts and Boxes, at 8pm EST, so be sure to subscribe and click the notification bell so you never miss it.
I want to thank SKIL and SPYDER for sponsoring this episode. Guys, we couldn’t do it without you. If you can, do something kind for someone else this weekend, and we’ll see you Monday night for our final Power Tool giveaway! We’ll see you then.
