Great deal on a Hammer Tacker starting Monday

We've got a great deal on a Duo-Fast hammer tacker and a box of 1/4" staples that was supposed to start Monday, but since I'll be in New York to speak at Search Engine Strategies (I won't be posting here next week either), we went ahead and started it today. This deal will run through the next two weeks, ending on the 12th.

Less than the price of a box of staples
For just $15.98, you'll be able to get a hammer tacker and a box of 23,000 staples. The staples alone normally sell for $26.20 per box and the hammer tacker is a steal for $14.59, so the price for the combo is truly incredible. If you'd like to get it along with some tool parts, use this link instead.

How does it work?
It works well. Thanks for asking.

The answer you were more likely looking for is that it is a stapler with a heavy head. When you slap it against your material, the weight of the head behind the staples, utilizing inertia, will cause it to drive the staple into the material. You're just doing a hammering motion, taking frustrations out on your work and the result is stapling. Or, you could do it a bit more delicately so you don't break what you're working on. It's really up to you.

What's a Hammer Tacker for?
Hammer tackers (sometimes called slap tackers) can be used for a wide variety of jobs. Ever have a garage sale? Staple the signs up easily with this tool. How about posters on a wall? Slap and you're done. Insulation can easily be slapped into place, and upholstery can be easily held in place with just a few swift blows.

Carpet laying is yet another use, especially for stairs and outdoor carpet applied to wood. Light wood assembly, display and sign work, luggage construction, silk screen assembly, installing screen wire, building papers and permits, in-plant shipping departments, applying drapery fabric to cornices, sign shops, box spring and mattress dust covers or even automobile interior trim. Anywhere you'd use a stapler in the wide open position you can use a hammer tacker instead.

Quick Work of Repetitive Stapling
If you staple a lot, this can really save you some time. Over the course of building a rabbit cage, my nephew figures he saved 30 to 45 minutes versus using a squeeze type. The whole job was done in just over an hour, so that's quite a savings. He's literally used his father's hammer tacker to death. I'll probably be buying them a new one pretty soon so he can have one and his dad can keep his. Hopefully we'll still have some left when I get back from New York.

New V28 Tools Coming Soon!

Our Milwaukee rep was in again today, and he let me know that there are some new V28 tools on the way. Four to be exact.

1) 1" Rotary Hammer
How cool is this? A cordless SDS-Plus rotary hammer! Just what I've never needed. Then again, I've never needed a rotary hammer anyway. If I did, cordless would sure be a nice option. These should be cool for demolition crews like Matt used to work on.

2) Right-Angle Drill
There are a lot of times that I've thought a right-angle would be nice to have. I'm glad they're changing this one over. Milwaukee has always made nice right angle drills, so this could be a huge seller for them.

3) Metal Cutting Saw
I wasn't exactly sure what the difference between a regular circular saw and a metal cutting circular saw was, so I asked. It seems that a metal cutting circular saw has a housing to collect metal shavings and runs at a different RPM. A regular circular saw with a metal blade will send metal shavings at the user, so it's more fun to watch from a safe distance, but much lower on the safety ratings.

4) Jobsite Radio
The Milwaukee radios have always sounded nice with their Rockford Fosgate speakers. By having V28 power, they should be able to bump up the wattage and really have a good sound to them. It may seem ho-hum to most people, but I'm thinking the sound could be almost to the point of good on these, unlike most jobsite radios that are more on the "I can live with it" level. I guess we'll know soon enough. The official statement from their website is "With up to 44 watts of total system power and upgraded amplifier and speakers, this unit will accept 12 to 18 volt Ni-Cd and V18 to V28 Li-Ion Milwaukee battery packs. Under V28 power, the unit will run 50 percent longer." Sweet music to my ears.

More on the way in the not-so-distant future
He also assured us that, among others, the V28 powered jobsite microwave was still going to be coming out in the near future. That'll be the fun one. I'm going to see if we can make him use a cordless microwave to make TV dinners and microwave popcorn for everyone here when they get released. Fun for the whole family!

Trimming Dog Nails - The Power Tool Way

We've got pugs at home. One thing that I can safely say about them, their nails grow very quickly. The general rule with pugs is that if you can hear them on a wood floor, their nails are too long. Understanding that and having our 2 little boys running around the house means my wife is constantly trimming nails. But what's that have to do with power tools? Well, for us - a lot.

Dremel Sanding Drums
Yes, I'm bringing up a Dremel here. Those rotary tools are excellent for many jobs, and this just happens to be one of them. By using a sanding drum, my wife is able to hold each dog on her lap and quickly buzz each nail. They jump the first few times, but it only takes a few minutes and gives them a nice pet-icure. Ok, so that was a bad pun, but their nails are neatly trimmed and smooth from the sanding, just like a pedicure. The only thing she doesn't do is add nail polish. Hopefully she doesn't read this and decide to try that next.

Watch the RPM
We've got two Dremel tools at home. One is cordless, the other is electric. I had the cordless from a long time ago. The maximum speed on that one is only 10,000 RPM. That seems fast compared to my car motor, but it isn't fast enough to buzz our dog's nails without grabbing the nail and bumping their foot to the side. The other we have is an electric. Maximum speed on that is 35,000 RPM. At that speed, the buzzing is done before our dogs even know that my wife had selected a nail to trim. Someday soon I'll have to surprise my wife with a new cordless model that has the speed to trim nails cleanly.

What makes a good Diamond Blade?

What is it that makes one diamond blade better than another? I've wondered that from time to time, but I hadn't ever really taken the time to find the answer until recently. It seems that Diamond Blades are much simpler to understand than I expected, and brand names don't mean as much as I thought they did. While names like MK Diamond are still considered to be some of the best, the generics are getting to be very competitive in performance and priced much better.



Segment Color
Pictured above, you can see 2 diamond blades, one on top of the other. What isn't necessarily obvious is that the segments are different colors. If you look at the edges of the blade where the diamond is contained, you will notice that one is very silver and one is a bit more copper colored. This is due to different materials used in creating the blade. The silver colored ones are much harder and will last longer, while the copper colored ones actually contain bronze or copper. Bronze and copper are softer metals which will wear out much quicker. The difference in price can easily be 4 times as much for the silver colored blade, but the tougher materials are well worth it in many cases.



Segment Size
In the above picture, you will notice that the segments (both blades are copper colored) are very different in thickness. Obviously, having more material will make it last longer. But does that mean that the blade with the wider segments is more expensive? In the same brand, yes. However, these 2 blades are not the same brand. In fact, one is a generic which we have found to be very good quality. If you look at both 4-1/2" diamond blades in a comparison chart, you can see that the specs are identical. Our testing has shown that the performance is pretty close, too. The only difference is the life of the blade due to the thicker segments, which actually favors the less expensive generic.

Green Concrete
Green concrete is a very special animal. Freshly poured concrete is much more abrasive than concrete that has been sitting for a long time. We've brought in a generic diamond blade for green concrete as well which fits the leading green concrete saw. The unique opening works with that triangle arbored saw which we can't say by name due to trademarks and patents. We've tested these and have found the generic blades to be at least as good as the much more expensive name brand blades. Again, the name brand ones are good, but the price vs. performance really favors the generic.

What's not a factor in quality?
The main things which I found to not be important in choosing a diamond blade are the brand and the price. In that comparison example earlier, even if the generic lasted 1/2 as long it'd be a better value, but it actually lasts longer for less than 1/2 the price. Quality and a bargain at the same time... that's a very good combination if you ask me.

Buying Advice - Cordless Drills for Women

At Seach Engine Strategies Chicago in 2004, we had someone stop Matt and myself as we were leaving the ballroom after lunch because she noticed the Makita logo on the sleeve of our shirts. It was Shari Thurow (pictured to the right), well known author, successful busnesswoman and speaker at those conferences. She just had to tell us how much she loved her Makita drill - not because of the power, not because of the longevity, not because of any of the reasons we normally hear. She loved it because of the weight and the fit. It seems Makita makes a drill that fits smaller hands better, and this got me thinking.

Addressing Ergonomics
Makita has long been a leader in addressing ergonomics in making tools. I knew I couldn't pick out the best tools for women, but now that the number of employees here has grown substantially and we have quite a few female employees, I've been able to have them address what's comfortable to them and what isn't. In compiling this data, I now have enough information to put together a cordless drill buying guide specifically for women based upon the unique ergonomic needs of our female employees.

Our Panel of Judges
Our panel of judges consisted of our purchasing agent, our Human Resources director and our customer support team leader. Three ladies in very different jobs and age groups, so this seemed like a nice mixture of opinions to compile for this exercise. I didn't feel it necessary to drag all of our female employees out for this, especially when the first 3 opinions were nearly identical.

Tools to Avoid
The general feeling was that 18V and higher tools, especially the Ni-Cad models, were too heavy. Most of these also didn't fit smaller hands well, specifically the trigger. The handles were a bit too deep, making fully outstretched index fingers fall short of pulling the trigger easily. Weights range here, but some are as much as 6 lbs. in an 18V, making for a heavy drill.

Battery Removal
As a general rule, buttons on either side of the battery are tougher to use. Some brands. such as DeWALT and Panasonic, have the spacing far enough apart that our panel couldn't easily remove the batteries. Others, like the Makita BDF451, have a single button to make it much easier to remove. The Porter Cable 9824 was a single button on the side, which made for fairly easy removal.

The Hitachi DS14DVF3 wasn't overly tough like some of the drills tested were, but the 2 buttons were still more difficult than the Makita and Porter Cable. We also noticed that the higher Amp Hour rated Hitachi batteries were difficult to remove. In fact, when I went back to the call center they had just finished removing the battery from a Hitachi Impact, and it took two people. That's not exactly practical.

Variable Speed
If you're wanting something easier to start a screw / hole with, then the smoothness of the variable speed trigger is important. The Hitachi had a sudden jolt of power when it started up, as did the Milwaukee models we tried. Makita and Porter Cable seemed to have the smoothest triggers. It may not be a huge issue for you, but the less you are able to put your weight behind it the more important the slow startup speed becomes.

Decent Choices
There were two that were considered by our panel to be decent choices - mostly as a backup if one of the two ideal choices below weren't available. The first was the Porter Cable 9824. The balance wasn't too bad, but the weight was a little too much towards the top of the drill. The other decent choice was the Makita 6337DWDLE, which was 4.6 lbs. with battery. The weight seemed to be a bit more towards the front, making it top-front heavy. Again, the grip was a lot better fit than most of the drills we carry. With a little better balance, the 4.6 lbs. wouldn't have been an issue at all.

Best Choices
Two drills emerged as the best choices for women looking for a cordless drill. The first is the Hitachi DS14DVF3, which is a 14.4V Ni-Cad model. This was the best overall feel, is 3/4" shorter from the chuck to the back of the drill than the next model they liked, and has a reasonable amount of power for most jobs around the house. Best of all, it weighs in at just 4 lbs. with battery. The only real concern is that the battery is only 1.4 Ah, so runtime will be less than many of the heavier models.

The second is the Makita BDF451, which is an 18V Lithium-Ion drill. It weighs 4.6 lbs. like the 14.4V model mentioned above in the "Decent" section, but the balance is much better. It is ideal for jobs where power is essential. The Hitachi has 300 in. lbs. of torque, but this model has 560 in. lbs. without a lot more weight. With 3.0 Ah batteries that last twice that of Ni-Cad and Ni-MH models, the runtime will also be a consideration point - it should be nearly 4 times that of the Hitachi on the conservative side.

This model also includes some nice features in the dual LED lights just above the trigger, easy battery removal, very smooth trigger, 3 speed transmission and a removable side handle for added stability when putting your weight behind it. The belt clip was also a nice touch, even if it probably doesn't get used all that often.

Price Considerations
Price is always a consideration when buying tools. Clearly the best value is the Hitachi, which is priced around $100 with 2 batteries, charger and a flashlight. The Makita is over 3 times as much, making it only an option when the power or runtime are essential. If you have need of more cordless tools to go along with this one, the Makita LXT400 kit has a more attractive price when considered on a cost per tool basis, and each has similar ergonomics and weight to the BDF451.

We'll Take Requests
Got a specific tool that you'd like to get our judges to review? Leave a comment and I'll have them take a look at it. If they warrant individual reviews (such as completely different tools), I'll post them that way. If you're asking about a specific drill, I'll add that to this article. Either way, we will address any requests to assist you in selecting a power tool.

Hitachi's unusual look - distinction by design

Hitachi makes some great power tools. They're probably best known for their pneumatic products. Their plasti-tacker is almost an industry standard for roofing. In an effort to stand out from the pack, they've recently changed the styling of their products. The latest product to get a facelift is their EC79 pancake air compressor.

More safety styled into the design
Hitachi isn't just following the pack and doing what's worked for everyone else. They decided to take innovation in power tools into the fashion realm and use the styling of tennis shoes on their tools. But they also saw a way to use this style to do something else unique. They are able style in safety and durability.

Instead of having the motor and pump sitting on top and exposed, the stylized additions actually cover these essential pieces and protect both the compressor and the user. Sure, the style is something that'll make you look twice, but it won't be to make sure you're not touching a hot surface. You'll be looking to either admire the look or question the sanity of the designer.

Bold look AND serious performance
Hitachi has some of the best air tools on the market today. Their NR90AD clipped head nailer has a great reputation on the job site. With the racing flames on the newest models, they're sure to turn heads as well. I don't normally care what a tool looks like, but when it's a high quality product with a cool look that's a huge bonus. Air tools don't have to be boring, and Hitachi certainly took that to an extreme level.

They also make a mean siding nailer as well as a nice fencing nailer, but those are still waiting to meet with their make-up artists. I'm sure that the rest of the line will be seeing the plastic surgeon soon enough. It's all about branding and consistency in look. Nobody else makes a tool looks anything like this, so the Hitachi brand will get more recognition just because it's recognizable.

Interesting marketing strategy
It'll be interesting to see how long it takes for other manufacturers to take a bold look and how the public receives these striking new tools. The nailers have been doing well, but the compressors look much less like a conventional compressor.

Will the look become as important as the product's function? I certainly hope that the American public is smarter than that. However, I do agree with Hitachi that power tools could use a makeover. There are way too many of the flat surfaced chrome tools and not nearly enough manufacturers that are willing to invest some money in designing the outside along with the inside. This style will be much easier to spot as the one that other guy was using when you get to the tool store, so it may be an absolutely brilliant move. Only time will tell, but it's certainly going to be interesting to watch.

Cool remodeling product - Saw 'n Sand

The Saw 'n Sand from BH Innovations makes my list today as a cool remodeling product. As you can see from the image to the right, it's got a lot going on for just being a saw blade. But, it's not just a saw blade. It's a saw AND sand blade.

What does Saw 'n Sand really mean?
With a standard blade, you're going to need to do some sanding when you're done cutting. The edge of the board will have a pretty distinct texture, and you'll probably be able to tell what direction the board was cut. By contrast, when the Saw 'n Sand is used you end up with a much smoother finish, and you can't see any distinct cutting direction because it's smoother. Some finishing may still be necessary, but in most cases you won't need to do much if any.

Precision ground premium C4 micro carbide tipped blade
This is a bunch of geek talk to most people, so I'll try to break that down for the rest of the world. Precision ground isn't tough to understand - the carbide is ground under very precise conditions, using premium C4 carbide. C4 micro carbide tipped is more difficult to decipher the meaning and importance, though. C4 is a type of carbide (no, we're not talking plastic explosives here) that can be applied to the tips of the blade to make the teeth stay sharp longer. There are grades from C1 - C4, with hardness ratings of 1400 - 1660. Basically, C4 is the toughest carbide available. The micro part comes in when it's a small carbide particle, which makes it last longer yet. If you envision a bowl of large marshmallows vs a bowl of Rice Crispies, the smaller particle bowl will take much longer to empty when removed one at a time. So they're just saying that this is a long-lasting blade.

10" 60 tooth industrial polished blade
Again, 10 inches isn't difficult to understand. 60 tooth isn't too bad either, but the result is a bit less clear. Table saw blades normally are available in 24, 40, 60, 80, and 120 tooth models. There are also some specialty blades that have other numbers of teeth. The more teeth, the less each cut does and the smoother the result. This also makes the cutting slower, so 60 is a nice medium. But since we're also sanding, we're not as concerned with a high number of teeth to keep the finish smooth so much as having something that cuts reasonably quickly so we can sand it with the sides of the blade and be done.

This is an industrial grade blade, which means it can be sharpened, if necessary, down the road. Better materials are used so it doesn't wear out as quickly and is less likely to break, so the blade itself can last quite some time. Finally, it's polished so there is a nice smooth surface for your sticky back sandpaper to adhere to.

High quality aluminum oxide grit
This is simply saying that we've got a reasonable quality sanding disc on the sides of the blade. But simply sticking a piece of sandpaper on the side of the blade won't make it work very well. First off, that increases the thickness of the blade, and the edge of the sanding disc will be very vulnerable to being peeled off of the blade itself. Instead, this blade has a very specific convex surface (bowed out in the middle) and a recessed area just inside the cutting tooth area. This keeps the disc stuck to the blade while also keeping the thickness of the blade down a bit.

Great, but how well does it work?
Not having had the chance to use it myself, I decided to ask Chris. He had received some feedback from one of our customers on why he didn't think it was a good blade. The customer said he was only on his 3rd house when the sandpaper started to clog. Well, once he thought about it, it was great for two full houses worth of trim, and he didn't realize that there were replacement sanding discs available. His impression of the blade changed drastically once he learned about those, and he now thinks it's a great blade.

There are a couple of words of advice that I can also pass along from customer experience. Make sure your table saw has plenty of horsepower, because the extra friction of sanding can bog down an underpowered unit. If your table saw has any sort of an issue with harder woods, you probably don't want to use this blade. Also, best results occur when you have a slow, even feed of the material. Too fast doesn't allow the sanding to occur nearly well enough. But it is a cool blade that will last you quite a while and a real time saver for anyone doing a lot of trim work during construction or remodeling.

Cool remodeling product alert - Curved Shower Rod

As we're doing our bathroom remodel, I've been looking at cool products that would make the end results even more spectacular. We're upgrading to a granite counter with a built in sink (pink & white tile shall be banished forever), replaced the areas of the walls that we removed with greenboard (no more rotted standard drywall), installed a tub and enclosure that attachs directly to the studs (again, no more rotted drywall to worry about) and got a Posi-Temp shower faucet, but those are all just ho-hum type of items.

I wanted something more unusual, yet practical and not a focal point. I don't want to it look weird or make the house hard to sell because it's too unique, but I don't want everything to look like a "Been there, done that" either. I think I found a perfect example of what I'm looking for today.

Curved Shower Rod
Yep... it's a curved steel shower rod that I found through Vintage Tub & Bath. When I first saw it, I thought it was drooping or bent, which of course made me question what was wrong with it. But it's not. If you look at the drawing, you can see what it's really doing. By curving out from the center of the shower, there's actually room to move without having the curtain sticking to you all the time. Why aren't they all this way?

Any other products?
Are there any other cool bath products that I'm missing? They don't have to be something that gets noticed as "Wow, look at that". I would also consider function important. Share your best ideas with me. I may even have something to kick back your way in return.

Dual Drill - Two Heads Make One Bad Idea

Brad, one of our Customer Service Reps (if you've called us, you may have talked to him), asked me if I had seen the infomercial with the gimmicky drill yet with the flip around head. I hadn't at the time, but now I can say that I have. They called it the "Dual Drill", and I've got to say - it's revolutionary. Well, if you consider a very bad idea revolutionary.

Drilling Power
Let's start out with some basics of drills. They spin, and to have power in doing so will need a solid connection between the motor and the chuck. Anything that can flip and use a different chuck with minimal effort doesn't have a solid connection between the two. That means you'll have limited power at best. It may not show up when drilling small holes like they show on the infomercial (appeared to be 1/8" or less), but if you're trying to use a wood spade or a holesaw, you're going to want a different drill.

Drilling Speed
According to their site, this drill is "0-550rpm". What's my Makita 18V cordless drill run? 0-450 on the low setting, and 0-1400 on the high speed setting. Making holes on the slow speed is pretty annoying. The high speed is much better for drilling. The newer models are 0-1700 rpm. I also noticed they don't have a clutch for the screwdriving chuck of the dual drill. That's not even a true drill/driver. It's just what they called it, a dual drill. So why do they show it driving screws? They probably figured nobody would notice.

Chuck Quality
A quality chuck alone runs around $30 each. If you have 2 of those, there's no way they can make a decent drill with the cost that's left. Adding in a charger and a battery doesn't leave much, then a case and the included bits? There is no way that the chucks are of a reasonable quality, let alone the rest of the tool.

Crafty Camera Angles
They show a "Contractor" drop one of these out of the 4th story window. It falls, the battery comes off, but it still works once they put it back on. Well, as it's falling we see it turn on its side. Let's just say that it was carefully dropped at a specific angle to do the least damage. They also don't show it actually hit the ground, so who knows if they cut away and have a different drill or not. They also drop it onto material that will reduce impact. They're not dropping it onto anything as hard as concrete or even packed dirt. It was dropped onto a loosely packed rubble pile. At the angle it was dropped, I'd venture a guess that any drill could handle that fall into a pile of soft materials.

Google Shows Deceit
Not that most "Only on TV" products don't have that problem, but I wanted to point out that this one is no exception. Some are even as bad as this customer comment on HSN's site about the infomercial itself:

Customer Reviews

What a deal! (Dana, GA)		01/27/2006
My husband is a tool junky. He saw the info on this and had to have it. We ordered off the infomercial and 3 weeks later had heard nothing and they hadn't taken the money from the charge card. He was very upset. I decided to look on HSN. Found it and ordered it. He had the drill in hand within a week. 2 weeks later we got the charge from the infomercial order. Needless to say . . . HSN is great!

There were some others that came up on the first page of results for this product as well. Sites like www.infomercialscams.com had several complaints already listed, which isn't good for a newer product.

Other Clues
There are some other clues that this company doesn't intend to be around long. If you go to the official site, which is listed as dualdrill.com but redirects to tvgoods.com/carts/dualdrill/index.php?t=tv&m=tv&c=na&k=www.dualdrill.com, you'll quickly see that clicking on the "Customer Care" link shows their other "quality" products, and a different phone number for each. However, the Dual Drill has 2 phone numbers depending on when you placed your order. Nice. The page for the Dual Drill also doesn't look like the rest of their website, which is a sign that it isn't a reputable company.

The Dual-Drill® is the perfect gift, but the manufacturer has only allotted us a limited amount. This is an amazing offer you need to jump on right away!

Nothing says I'll be around tomorrow like the terms "Limited amount" and "jump on right away"... especially on the "Official" website.

As part of this introductory offer we're adding something nobody else does. Order the Dual-Drill® now and we'll give you free replacement batteries for life * - just pay the shipping!

Let's face it - every battery quits working eventually. Offering free replacement batteries for life, with the "Life" having the * next to it, sort of implies that there is a weird condition here. If it were free with the *, that'd be a different story. They do have a note saying "* When your Dual-Drill® battery wears out, simply send it back to us and we'll send you a new battery, and all you pay is shipping and handling." They don't say how much that shipping and handling is, nor do they say what "life" implies. If that's the life of the battery, then it's worthless. If that's the life of the company, it may be worth even less than that.

One Final Clue
For those of you not familiar with "Search Engine Optimization" (I'd assume most of you here aren't), the use of hidden text is something you'd do for a short term gain if you don't care about keeping the ranking for a long time. They included hidden text of "Home of the Dual-Drill, also known as dualdrill, duel drill, dueldrill, and dual drill." on the homepage of the product (scroll to the bottom of the page and press CTRL+A to see it). Hidden text is a spamming technique and is generally considered a very bad idea if you're running a legitimate company that intends to be around for a while. Most search engines will find that and penalize the site, although not usually for a short while - which is where the short term gain comes in as well as the long term loss.

Bad Idea and a Shady Looking Company
Not only do I find this to be a bad idea if you really want a drill and not just a glorified screwdriver, this also seems like a very shady company for the reasons I've listed above. If you don't want to get taken to the cleaners, I'd avoid these people and buy a quality drill from a leading manufacturer of cordless drills. Adding a quick-change set will allow you to switch the bits out easy enough that you wouldn't see much of a benefit from this drill from an ease perspective, but you'll also have a lot more power and a much faster drill from a company that has been around this industry for quite some time. If this "Dual Heads" were really a good idea, one of the current manufacturers would have purchased that patent.

Do Your Own Research
Don't take my word for it. These were just my observations on this product. Do some searches on Google. Watch the crafty angles of the commercial. Do some research, check out the reviews, and remember that good tools will be available from an industrial supplier.

Rapid-Load Bit Set with Screwdriver

For the next 2 weeks, we're featuring a DeWALT 30 piece rapid-load set with a bonus screwdriver for just $14.99. I got one of these for my father and my father-in-law for Christmas this past year and they both love it.

What's Included?
There are 13 of the most common screwdriver bits, 5 of the longer "Rapid Load" screwdriver bits, 1/4" and 3/8" socket adapters, the rapid load holder, a magnetic drive guide, 6 rapid load drill bits, a carrying case and a 7-in-1 screwdriver.

What is Rapid-Load?
Rapid-load bits lock into the holder and change quickly with just a tug. The key is that there is a notch at the end of the bit which is held on to by the holder. To release, you just pull the outer ring of the rapid-load holder and the bit is released. Do the reverse to quickly install a new bit. I've got a few and feel lost when I don't have one handy now. I also keep most of the commonly used bits on my drill with a bit band so I don't have to search for them.

A Screwdriver?
Yeah, it isn't really used with all of the bits included in this kit (well, it could be, although drill bits are a bit tough to use with a manual screwdriver handle), but it's still a cool addition. It's got several bits and a switchable holder so you can keep phillips and slotted on the screwdriver at all times. In fact, since the bits reverse as well, you're essentially keeping 2 sizes of each type with you. There are also a few nutsetters included on the ends of the bit holder and one on the handle itself. I normally keep a screwdriver like this in my trunk just in case I need one.

Once again, also available with parts
We're also making this one available with parts - just click here for the kit, then add your parts to your shopping cart as you would normally. You can always call and place your order via the phone if you'd prefer as well. We're not picky.

First day of deconstruction

On the first day of deconstruction, I got to use the Makita HG1100 some. I was impressed with how quiet it was. It's not nearly as loud as a hair dryer, yet pushes a whole lot more heat. The weight was just right. I had already stated some of my physical observations on this model before I took it home, but now I got to actually use it on a job that it's intended for.

Even though the cord was in the way at times, I don't think I'd nominate it for a V28 cordless model for most jobs. The benefits of lightweight outweigh the coolness of cordless for this application. Even so, I'm sure that there are times where lack of cord would make for a better heating experience, so I may still have to suggest that to our rep as a future tool. It's not going to be a huge seller as a cordless.

Removed tile easily
Yes, we had pink tile in our bathroom on the walls. That was a factor when deciding to remodel, but there was also the fact that the tile in the shower was cracked and was leaking enough to cause some of the wood around the tub to rot. But that doesn't mean we want to replace everything. It's much easier to take tile off in smaller areas than replace the drywall.

By using the HG1100 on a setting of 4 (scale of 1 - 5) the adhesive quickly softened and we could peel off the tiles fairly cleanly by prying with a screwdriver, although a chisel or some other wide scraper would have probably been preferred. We just don't sell those yet, so I had to settle for a screwdriver (we'll be adding more hand tools to our inventory after we get moved into our new building.) It'll just take some solvent to remove the glue and we're in business on those walls without a lot of extra sanding. That'll make me happy.

Large areas were easier with a hammer
Since the removal of the glue is rather time consuming, large areas of tile were easiest removed with a hammer. Not only does this save some time, but it's also fun taking my frustrations out on this stupid pink tile. Ahhh... I should have done this ages ago. I used my Makita cordless circular saw to cut a nice straight line (I put the guide along the top of the tile) and we pulled a couple of walls down.

Next up: Flooring
Well, we peeled all the tile I think we'll be peeling for a while. Now that many of the walls are cleared out, we'll be removing the linoleum from the floor, which is one more use for the heat gun. We tried a little of the linoleum and it seems to be coming up pretty easily with a little heat, but I'll let you know for sure when we get it all out of there. Until then, I'll keep enjoying all the tools I'm getting to use for once instead of just creating a website about.

Makita Heat Gun HG1100 - A closer look

I gave a general overview of some of the nifty things that the Makita HG1100 can be used for back in December, but now that I'm getting ready to use one there are a few nice things that I'm seeing here that I thought could use commented on. There's more engineering to these than just making a heavy duty hair dryer as I've heard referenced at times.

Cyclonic Action
You won't see this listed anywhere in the owners manual, but the air outlet has fins to make the output have a swirling effect. I'm sure it has some use that I don't know about, but I just really wanted to say cyclonic. I could imagine that it creates a much tighter air pattern, directing the heat more where you're pointing it and less to the sides. Maybe I'll have to fire off an email here shortly to find out for sure.

Swiss Made
One of the first things that caught my eye on the product ID tag were the words "SWISS MADE for Makita U.S.A." This one isn't Korean or Japaneese - but I can't say that they're all that way. This one has a 2004 date on the side, so that may have changed since then, but I thought it was interesting that it was built by a country normally associated with precision and accuracy and not the home country (well, either one - Japan or the US) of Makita.

Large Adjustment Dial
Simply saying "Variable temperature control 250 - 1,100 degrees F to get the correct temperature for the job" doesn't relate to you just how huge the dial for the temperature is. Granted, you can't dial up 750 and press go, but there is a lot of room to move the adjustment if you need a little more or a little less heat.

Very Lightweight
Again, their literature just says the basics of the concept. "Compact and lightweight for easy handling" doesn't relate that at 1.3 lbs, the cord weighs almost as much as the tool itself. I wasn't sure if that 1.3 was just the tool or if it was with the cord as well, but a scale confirmed that it was 1-1/4 lbs (that's all the more accurate this particular scale could do) with both the tool and the cord. Not bad at all.

Decent Balance
I won't say it's the best balance I've ever felt. Their LXT line has a much better balance in my opinion. But with the weight being just over a pound and the cord offsetting much of the tool's weight, the balance isn't bad at all. I guess I should also keep in mind that this was designed quite a while back, before ergonomics were as much of a science in the tool industry as they are now.

Eagerly Awaiting Tonight
Yeah... I don't have to wait long to use this. I get to start removing tile from our bathroom wall and the linoleum from the floor tonight. It's well out of my normal evening routine, so it sounds like fun. I guess I'll know tomorrow just how much fun it was. If I quit posting here, someone check the hospital.

V28 Jobsite Microwaves?

Yes, I said V28 Microwaves. Our Milwaukee rep is so pumped about the future widening of the Milwaukee cordless line that he's predicting things as wild as jobsite microwaves, outdoor power equipment, table saws, miter saws, bench grinders - you name it, they're looking at making it cordless. I suppose that any company that is crazy enough to make a cordless tool battery powered car that runs 100MPH in the 1/4 mile is bound to come up with some oddball products with their cordless line, and it should be exciting seeing the races as the other manufacturers try to keep up in making everything cordless.

I'm looking for comments on the craziest cordless tool concept.

A cordless jackhammer comes to mind.

Cordless concrete saw? Could be possible.

Cordless drywall lighting system? Sure, why not?

How about a V28 powered electrical generator? (Actually, that was something our rep threw out, so it may not be so crazy.)

V28 powered charger for an 18V battery? Ok, that's just silly.

How about a V28 powered forklift?

What can you imagine?

Milwaukee V28 Price Drops and Free Tools!

Milwaukee has given us the green light on some price drops on the V28 line of tools. Now that stock levels are where they need to be to keep us supplied, we dropped the prices to make them more attractive. I'm not sure if it is coincidence with the recent article in The Journal of Light Construction that Milwaukee placed on their site or not, but the timing seemed a little suspicious.

Ripe for the picking
Couple the price drops with the fact that Milwaukee has an aggressive rebate program right now where you get your choice of another V28 tool (tool only, no extra batteries, charger or case) by mail when you buy any of the individual tools and they're ripe for the picking. I've been sticking with my Makita 18V kit, but this really has me thinking.

Power to spare
I've been wanting to get a cordless impact for a while. Of couse, I already mentioned how much power the Milwaukee model has. But when I can get a porta-band and the impact for the price of a porta-band, it gets more tempting. I know I don't need that much power, but Makita doesn't make one that'll work with my 18V batteries anyway and I can't justify moving up to the LXT Lithium-Ion models when I have so many of the 18V Ni-MH models (and batteries) already.

Lead me not into temptation
There's no need to lead me into temptation. I can find it myself, thanks. So why hast thou forsaken me, Milwaukee? I hear the call of the wild, and it says buy one so I can get one. It's just not fair. Please, Milwaukee, hide these offers from me in the future.

Inexpensive Brad Nailer

This week, we're featuring the Unicatch UB1832 on our site for just $14.99. It's a simple brad nailer at a great price, but what can you do with an inexpensive brad nailer?

Trim nailing
Trim is one of the most obvious things that a brad nailer can do. Trim around windows or doors can easily be handled by the 1-1/4" brads that this model can handle, but baseboards can't. The reason for that is that doors and windows get 1/2" or 5/8" trim nailed directly to the wood frame while a baseboard gets nailed to studs through the drywall. Add 5/8" drywall and 1/2" baseboard and there isn't much left to hold on to the stud behind the wall.

Picture frame assembly
For creating some simple picture frames, this tool is quick and easy. My wife enjoys making her own frames for and stretching her own canvas, and this tool is perfect for making the frames she uses.

Bird houses
Yes, I said bird houses. Other small craft projects are also perfect candidates for this tool. Doll houses, shadow boxes, shelves and attaching wooden letters to toy boxes can all be handled easily with this one.

Adjustable depth of drive
When you're doing finish work, you'll want to slightly countersink the head of the brad. For most jobs, fairly flush to slightly recessed is what you'll want to dial the depth to. Occasionally, you'll want to drive it pretty deply. A simple thumb adjustment can create whatever finish you'd like. The adjustment is also perfect for adjusting based on the type of material you're using. Oak trim needs much more driving power than pine, for example.

Shorter brads when needed
I purchased a couple of them so I can keep a couple of sizes loaded at all times. This model can handle as short as 3/8" brads up to 1-1/4". For the price, it seemed to make sense just to keep a couple loaded up with the sizes I'll be using.

No-mar tip
On many of the more expensive nailers, the no-mar tip is an optional accessory. For whatever reason, Unicatch decided to include it with this model. That means you don't have to worry about marking up the trim as you're attaching it.

Tool-free jam clearing
Not that it happens too often, but when you do get a jammed brad you don't have to get out any allen wrenches or screwdrivers to clear it. You simply flip a lever and the whole nose assembly will come apart to allow you to clear it.

Adjustable exhaust
When you're working in a corner, you don't want to blow the exhaust up against a wall. It could contain oil, moisture or even grease. By turning the orange cap at the top of the tool, the exhaust can be aimed an any direction - away from what you're working on. After all, who wants to scrub things after you get done assembling them?

A ToolBarn first
As a ToolBarn first, we'll even allow you to purchase this tool with parts on the same order. Normally, we don't allow this due to distinct warehouse locations, but we're making an exception on this one. We're going to work on allowing this more down the road, but this is our first one. Let me know (comments / email) if you like this idea and I'll work on making more and more work this way.

Fixing scratched CD's

I've had many CD's get scratched over the years. It really annoys me when one of my favorite CD's skip, because it's always during my favorite song. I think that's part of Murphy's law - a CD will only skip during the best song of the album.

Rotary tool purchase
I originally got a cordless Dremel rotary tool in the mid 90's because it was on sale. I didn't really know what I'd use it for, but it looked fun. At some point, I noticed the felt wheels that were available and picked a few up. I didn't know how useful they'd be at the time, but looking back it was a great purchase.

Putting it to use
When I had a CD that was annoying me, I grabbed the rotary tool and put a felt wheel on it. I found that by going overboard, it was possible to actually melt the plastic on either side of the scratch and smooth it over the scratched area. Even some of the really deep scratches could be fixed this way. I don't recommend this for a simple "surface scratch", but something that won't play any longer and is going to the trash anyway can't be damaged any worse in my opinion.

Bare felt for best results
I've tried some of the polishing compounds at times, but it seems that the lack of friction makes it impossible to actually smooth over the scratch. I get the best results using it just as a bare felt pad. I use the polishing compounds only after I get the scratch pretty well smoothed over, just to make the surface shiny. When finishing it up, I have heard that linear cleaning (from the middle to the edge) is the way to go. I haven't paid much attention personally, but it makes sense.

Use at your own risk
I'm not going to replace any CD's you ruin with this method, but I have found it quite effective for my personal use. I'll have to see if I can do some before & after photos here next time I fix one.

Questions to ask to choose the correct voltage of cordless tool

9.6V, 10.8V, 12V, 14.4V, 15.6V, 18V, 19.2V, 24V, 28V, 32V, 36V - So many options. How do you go about selecting the correct voltage when buying a cordless drill (or other cordless tool for that matter)? Well, there are a few simple questions to ask yourself to get to the correct answer and not break the bank (or your wrist) at the same time.


How much power do you really need?
Higher voltages give more power. But how much power is really necessary? If you're only drilling some pilot holes or driving screws into drywall, then power makes no difference. If you want to drill into concrete, you'll need more power. Our EVP still swears by his Makita 9.6V cordless drill for pretty much any job he does, and he's remodeled quite a bit of his house now. More voltage isn't always needed.

Do you already have other cordless tools?
If you already have some cordless tools, getting something that matches up will be useful. By doing that, you'll end up with more batteries for each of those tools. That can be a big plus and certainly something to consider. You may also think about what other people you know have, in case you borrow a tool or loan one to them.

How often will you be using this tool?
If you're using the tool infrequently, the weight may not matter much. Larger voltages are achieved by using more cells, so the batteries get much heavier as the voltage goes up. The exception is that Nickel Metal Hydride batteries are slightly lighter than Nickel Cadmium, and Lithium Ion is lighter yet. There is also the Amp Hour rating to look at. More Amp Hours means the battery will be heavier as well.

How long will you be using this tool at one time?
If you need a long runtime, the Lithium Ion tools are going to be more attractive. Also, by having more power, higher voltage tools don't need as much of the potential energy for each task, making them last a little longer. Amp Hours will again play an important role here. Higher is good for runtime, but for Ni-Cad and Ni-MH batteries that reduces the number of charges in the battery's lifetime.

What types of jobs will you be doing with this tool?
Are you going to be doing jobs over your head? If so, light weight is going to be important. Material will be important as well. Drilling through pine and drywall doesn't take much. Oak and concrete takes a whole lot more. Carefully considering all of the jobs you'll be doing will help decide what exactly you'll be needing.

What other cordless tools would you like to have?
If you want a cordless impact or some other specialty tools at some point down the line, take a look at what voltages those are available in. Some will only be available in 12 or 14.4 versions. Others will require Li-Ion to get the full line of tools available, such as a cordless porta-band. With so many cool tools to choose from, plan carefully for future purchases before you commit to a battery voltage and technology.

How much do you want to spend on this tool?
Lower voltages are still incredibly useful, yet the cost will be significantly lower. If you want to save on cost, 12 or 14.4 may be your best option. 9.6 may even be the best option in some cases. Just remember that buying too little could mean problems down the road with too little power. Buying too much may be too heavy and make the tool less usable in that way. Pay attention to the tool weight, battery weight and torque, then balance them so you can get what's important to you in a tool. Keep in mind that bigger isn't always better, so buying for the biggest numbers is pretty silly.

Get a grip

When I first saw the Irwin Quick-Grip clamps several years ago, I thought they looked interesting. I think I was working at Radio Shack at the time and we got some in that were the right size for electronics. Now, of course, I have access to many additional sizes.

Truly one-handed operation
When I try the standard clamps, I find that I can't really use them all that well while positioning large material. The Quick-Grip is very usable with one hand, so it's no problem holding some material in place while I tighten the clamp.

Doesn't mark up the material
What I really hate about standard C-clamps is that the metal surfaces can mark up what I'm working on. The Quick-Grip clamps have rubber coated clamping surfaces to prevent this from happening. That's a big improvement in my book.

Reasonable pressure
Sometimes a standard C-clamp will allow you to put so much pressure on the material that you can actually break it. I don't think that's the intention, but it can be pretty easy to do. The Quick-Grip clamps haven't ever done this for me.

I still have some C-clamps
I still have a few old-fashioned C-clamps around, but I don't use them much. The built-in clamp on my Miter saw is the older style, so I use them there quite often. If I really need to hold something tight and can't allow it to move, then I get out the C-clamp. For most jobs, I use the Quick-Grip. Nailing or screwing pieces together is handled just fine by this easier to use variety. Cutting is normally fine with the one-handed model as well. If I am trying to cut a couple layers of 2x4 or plywood at the same time, I'll get out the C-clamps, but I find myself holding them together with a Quick-Grip while I position the other.