Toolamanjaro

News, Reviews, and Comparisons about Tools.

Rumor: Festool’s New CXS 12V Drill / Driver

August 10th, 2010 6 comments »

Although not yet officially announced, pictures have started popping up of Festool’s new CXS 12v cordless drill / driver. It looks to combine the light-weight and easy to use features of most other brands 12v li-ion tools, with Festool’s typical array of goodies. These include a great ergonomic design, excellent durability, as well as the multiple interchangeable chucks. Festool includes with the CXS a quick-change hex chuck, a 3-jaw drill chuck, and a right angle chuck for getting in tight places. The CXS also has a LED light, and a belt clip that are quickly becoming standard on cordless drills. No word on availability, but I wouldn’t hold your breath. Pricing should be typical Festool, we’d guess in the $200-$300 range.

Update 8/30/2010: We have a new post up with a bit more information and a short video here

6 comments »

Posted in Drills

Tags: Festool

Recall: Hitachi Coil Nailers

August 5th, 2010 No comments »

Hitachi has issued a recall on their coil nailer model NV83A2. Some of these nailers have a faulty feeder that can let the nail eject sideways, possibly causing injury. Eyes are the primary injury site, which is just another reason why you should always wear safety glasses when working with air tools. The Hitachi coil nailers were sold between November 2002 and March 2006 at stores such as Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Amazon. If you have one of these nailers, contact Hitachi at (800) 706-7337 or go to their website.

Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission

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Posted in Air Tools, Recalls

Tags: Hitachi

Milwaukee Transitioning from V28 to M28 Batteries

August 4th, 2010 No comments »

Milwaukee has announced the new M28 Lithium-Ion batteries will soon be standard across their product line. The M28 batteries will replace the 5 year old V28 battery line, and will be backwards compatible with the old batteries, which means you’ll still be able to use the old ones in your new tools. Both batteries have the same capacity at 3.0 Amp-hours so you won’t get any inherent run-time, however the new batteries feature more sophisticated charging electronics, so that should allow the batteries to keep their peak capacity for longer. In addition Milwaukee claims that the new batteries are more durable than the old V28′s, although the rated drop height is still 10 ft. Prices should stay the same, and the new batteries will be available this summer.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Tags: Milwaukee

Hilti’s New DSH 900 Hand-held Gas Saw

August 3rd, 2010 1 comment »

Hilti has a new gas powered hand-held saw for masonry applications. The DSH 900 features a 16″ diamond Equidist blade and a 87 cc two-stroke engine. The engine puts out 6 hp, which should be enough to easily power through the toughest concrete, brick or metal. It features an integrated water cooling system, and its best in class power to weight ratio makes it easy to use. The saw also features a primer bulb and a simple starting procedure to get you up and cutting faster. Details on price and availability should coming soon.

1 comment »

Posted in Saws

Tags: Hilti

Ridgid’s New Tile Saw, ‘The Beast’

July 30th, 2010 No comments »

Ridgid is calling their newest tile saw, Model #R4090 ‘The Beast’ and for good reason. This 125lb wet saw can cut rip tiles up to 34″ long, and cut on a diagonal at 24″. The 10″ diamond blade is powered by a 15 Amp variable speed motor. This lets you match the speed of the blade to the material you are cutting. The saw is mounted on a fancy head that allows it to adjust to any angle between 0-45 degrees, and it easily moves across the table to let you cut where ever you want. The Beast sits on its own collapsible cart, and has 8″ wheels to make getting it up and down stairs easier. That’s a good thing considering its 125lb weight. All that heft doesn’t come cheap though, as the saw retails for $899.

Source: Ridgid

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Posted in Saws

Tags: Ridgid

Dewalt Miter Saw LED Worklight Review

July 29th, 2010 3 comments »

Lasers are all the rage these days showing up on everything from miter saws, to drill presses, to even scissors. Anyone who’s seen the New Yankee Workshop has looked at Norm’s miter saw with its fancy laser system and wanted one in their shop. However in practice they aren’t nearly so useful as they can be difficult to see, and don’t always stay aligned with the blade. Dewalt’s miter saws are designed to accept a laser, but Dewalt also makes a LED light that uses the blade’s shadow to mark the cut. How well does it work? Find out after the jump.

3 comments »

Posted in Saws

Tags: Dewalt

New Ryobi Door Lock Installation Kit

July 26th, 2010 No comments »

Ryobi has started offering a new door lock installation kit. The model #A99DLK2 Kit runs just $30 but has some nifty features. Like most typical door lock jigs, this one properly aligns the handle holes and the lock so that everything fits properly. What struck me as unique about the Ryobi one however is the ‘Auto-strike-locator’. This little tab hangs out for the jig, and with the door almost closed rests in the strike plate. The holes can then be drilled and the lock will align perfectly with the strike plate. A nice simple way to eliminate any need for measuring.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Tags: Ryobi

Paslode’s New Fuel-Cell Adapters Work with any Paslode Nailer

July 21st, 2010 No comments »

Paslode has recently started including two fuel cell adapters in each Fuel + Nail combo pack. This is great news for folks who use an older style of Paslode nailer, as it means that the combo packs will work with your nailer, not just the newest Paslodes. It’s also great news for crews that have a mix of nailers, as you no longer have to worry about which fuel goes with with which gun. The new combo packs should be available now, with prices at about $35 for a 1000 3″ nails.

Source: Paslode

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Posted in Air Tools

Tags: Paslode

Manufacturer Profile – Craftsman

July 19th, 2010 No comments »

Craftsman was originally introduced in 1927 as the tool brand of the Sears and Roebuck. Since then the line has continually grown, and now makes tools, lawn and garden products. They produce both hand tools and power tools. Originally sold exclusively at Sears stores and catalogs, they are now available at a number of different outlets including Kmart, Fastenal and Ace Hardware.

Hit the Jump to read the rest of the profile

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Posted in Manufacturer Profiles

New 1.5 HP Delta Dust Collector 50-786

July 19th, 2010 1 comment »

Delta has launched a new dust collector. The 50-786 is a pretty typical 1.5 HP dust collector. In fact its not much changed from the old 50-760 dust collector. Its got a snazzy new paint job, and a redesigned cart, but the 11.5″ impeller and the 1 micron bag remain the same. The new cart does appear to make changing the bag a bit easier, but other than that there doesn’t appear to be much reason to upgrade. The price also remains a bout the same though at $410. It should be available in August.