Hitachi's new nailer blows!

Quite literally, the new Hitachi NT65MA3 blows. That's not quite how Hitachi wants us to view it though.

From their features list:

Integrated air duster can be used to clear away debris and dust from the work surface in preparation for nailing or gluing.

A very interesting idea to say the least, and something that I could actually see myself using. Of course it has all the bells, whistles and quality that the previous versions of this tool have been known for, along with a sleek new design and a decent price. But the air duster is the one truly new feature that I've not seen on competing guns.

More info can be found on the Hitachi NT65MA3 air nailer product page.

Hitachi Miter Saw - Perfect Holiday idea.

It's almost a crime that we're selling the Hitachi C10FSB for $399 when our competitors are at least $50 higher. What's even worse is that Hitachi is picking up ground shipping charges through the holidays, meaning $399.01 can get it delivered to your door. That's a great deal, since a 60 pound saw is pretty expensive to ship. The only thing we can't do is gift wrap it and put it under the tree for you.

This is a great miter saw with all the features you could want in a 10" dual compound sliding miter saw. Ok, so that's a big name for this tool. Basically, that says it has all the bells a whistles that you could possibly want except a laser, and you can always add a laser for $30 by buying the Irwin add-on miter saw laser, and then you'll get a free ($4 shipping) Irwin Marathon blade by mail for the saw to top it off.

Hitachi will even let you try this out risk free. If you don't like it, just send it back and they'll let us issue a full refund for the tool. What better way to do some great bargain shopping this holiday season? I may have to show my mother this saw. Oh, that reminds me, Dad - don't read this post.

Rotary Hammer Tests

A few months ago, we broke out a few of our D-Handle Hammer Drills and put them to a test. The lineup included the Makita HR2455, Hitachi DH24PF3, Bosch 11224VSR, Bosch 11255VSR and the Dewalt D25203K. The test was pretty simple. We grabbed some 3/8” SDS bits and went to this big boulder we have in our back lot. I am not too sure what kind of rock it was, but it was pretty hard stuff. We drove the bits in four inches and timed the results.

We had one guy doing the drilling and one guy on the stop watch to try to keep it as consistent as possible. Each drill got its own fresh bit to start with, and we did five holes each to get an average time.

The Results (with current prices):
Hitachi's DH24PF3 average time of 17.04 seconds ($185)
Makita's HR2455 average time of 19.86 seconds ($200)
Bosch 11255VSR average time of 22.08 seconds ($280)
Dewalt D25203K average time of 22.98 seconds ($200)
Bosch 11244VSR average time of 23.74 seconds

Granted its not the most 'scientific' way of doing things, but it does give you an idea how these guys perform. I did think its worth mentioning that while the Hitachi was the fastest, it also had the most vibration of the group.

Article submitted by Chris of KMS Tools.

Li-Ion Tool Sales History - Canada

With Li-Ion tools being out in North America for over a year now I think its time to take a look back and see how it went. What has been selling well, and what has not.

Disclaimer

First a disclaimer, this article by no means is reflecting on the actual quality of any of the products, just the sale history in my geographical area (West Coast Canada, Vancouver Area). I fully realize that other geographical areas may have completely different sales track records, which I would find very interesting to look at also. In fact, I would love to hear some of Brian's comments on how things are going in his part of the world.

History

First a little history. As we all know, Milwaukee Power Tools was the the first to introduce Lithium Ion Technology in North America with their V28 line, and they did so with a big splash. However, they had a very hard time keeping production up with the demand of the product because they couldn't make the batteries fast enough. What happened then is America gobbled up all the available product for about the first 8 months, which meant Milwaukee Canada simply had no units available for the northern distributors.

Product Arrival

By the time we finally got Milwaukee Li-Ion Products, Makita LXT showed up that same week, which was early January 2006. We made a very impressive display for both, having them side by side. On one side we had the larger, more powerful, more expensive 28v Milwaukee tools, and on the other side we had the more ergonomic, lighter, compact and less expensive 18v Makita tools.

Outcome

What happened? Makita 18v Li-Ion so far has completely out sold the Milwaukee 28v tools to the point where our stores will no longer be stocking the 28v series on a regular basis. It seemed the paying customer preferred less expensive lightweight ergonomic tools over the impressive brute power of the bigger tools.

More Choices

When the Bosch 10.8v pocket drivers arrived they to had very good response. The first 50 we got lasted barely a month. Dewalt 36v arrived shortly afterward, and has had very moderate positive response so far.

Current Trends

Right now, it looks like the consumer is leaning towards lighter, compact tools over the big heavy power houses. Milwaukee and Hitachi 18v Li-Ion has also just arrived into stock, but haven't been around here long enough to analyze the demand for them. I would like to know how other areas are responding to the Li-Ion tools. If anyone has information on the subject I would like to hear about it.

Article submitted by Chris of KMS Tools.

Cordless Nailer Technologies

I was doing some searching today on Google and noticed something very interesting about the way people name products online. Items which we call Gas Charged Framing Nailers have been called Cordless Framing Nailers by many of our competitors. This brings up the question, what is a true Cordless Nailer and what isn't, and what technologies in "Cordless Nailing" actually work?

Gas Charged Impulse Nailers

Gas charged nailers, while not having a cord, aren't normally considered a "cordless" item. Even though Paslode calls them cordless on their own website, they aren't run entirely by a battery. In fact, the battery only acts to create a small spark to ignite a gas charge and drive the nail.

I used one of these when doing some framing at our last house during a bathroom remodel, and it worked fairly well. Since I didn't have access to an air compressor at the time, this really simplified things. This type of gun isn't recommended for extended use, but it works good enough when you're in a pinch.

The consumables are Paslode rechargeable batteries, gas charges (fuel cells), and the nails themselves. Regular maintanence also requires the Paslode degreaser / cleaner for impulse tools (see note in next paragraph).

Paslode isn't the only one making gas charged nailers. Hitachi has a gas charged nailer as well. It's very similar, but green. They have a cleaning document outlining the 30 steps to cleaning a gas charged nailer, which really illustrates why you don't want to use these for your everyday nailing needs.

Porter Cable also made one that they called the "Bammer". I assume that the "BAM" part was in reference to the small explosion from the gas charge.

Cordless Nailers with On-Board Compressors

A couple of years ago, Porter Cable had a unique idea. They built a small air compressor, strapped it onto a pneumatic nailer and ran the whole thing off of a 12V battery. The idea was pretty cool, but it didn't end up working all that well for extended periods.

From what I have read in forums, it appears that there were some issues with seals in the compressor and the tool itself. All that I know for certain at this time is they don't make it any longer. It happened to be somewhere around the time where DeWALT aquired Porter Cable, so many in the industry wrote it off as DeWALT wanting to promote their cordless nailers and not that there were service issues with this model. Regardless the cause, it was a cool idea at the time that isn't currently in production.

Clockwork Spring Mechanism

Senco decided to make their attempt at a cordless nailer much more memorable. (Insert whirring noise followed by a clunk here.) We have sold these in the past, but the time between nails (greater than 2 seconds) makes for a poor user experience. The design is fine, it actually drives the nails ok, but the time savings using a nail gun should be substantial and with these it just isn't.

The concept is cool and I happen to like it a lot. However, winding a spring for a couple of seconds before firing a nail makes it rather difficult to drive that nail exactly where you want it. The odds of moving the nailer go up the longer you have to wait, so quick firing is a very good thing. After listing this as a failure, I'll move on to what we at ToolBarn.com consider to be a good design.

Nail Pitching Machine

When DeWALT decided to enter the cordless nailer market, there were a few chuckles. With the prior failures, the general thinking was that they would also fail. However, the DeWALT cordless nailers have turned out to be amazing in comparison.

Their cordless nailers are designed with a flywheel engine, creating a “readiness to fire” that allows the tool to work as fast as the end user – firing up to 4-5 nails per second. If you've ever been to a batting cage with a pitching machine, their nailers work essentially the same way. This design provides the user with a cordless finish nailer solution that no other manufacturer has been able to deliver in the past. Quite honestly, there are a lot of jobs I'd rather use one of these than have a hose in the way.

At this time, they're all finish nailers. One is angled, the rest are straight. It seems that the emergence of Li-Ion has sort of put new cordless tools on hold, so it'll be interesting to see what they come out with once their "Nirvana" line is released. I'd think that a framing nailer and perhaps even a roofing nailer should be possible with 36 volts to play with, but the heads on the nails will cause problems with this design.

Limited Use - For Now

For now, it appears that cordless finish nailers are the only good solution for regular use. As battery technology gets better and tool manufacturers get more innovative, I'd expect to see more cordless nailers available. The nailers themselves have been slowly getting better and batteries are taking a huge step forward this year, so it should be just a matter of time before someone hits the nail on the head and gives us a full line of cordless nail guns to play with.

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.

Anti-Vibration Technology - Jackhammers

Jackhammers, also called demolition hammers or breaker hammers, are best known for breaking up concrete roads and driveways. I usually think about the scene in Total Recall where Arnold is using one when I see a picture of one. In Hollywood, having the vibration shaking him silly is a good thing. In everyday life, that's not so good. In fact, it can be downright harmful.

Combatting Vibration
Fighting the harmful effects of vibrations from jackhammers is not only a good thing to do, but Europe will even have a standard in place soon for the amount of vibration that tools are allowed to pass to the user. Less is better when it comes to vibration, and the latest AVT (Anti-Vibration Technology) from the manufacturers is really pretty cool.

Each manufacturer has a different strategy at the moment, though. There are a ton of options, so looking at the technologies is interesting to a geek.


I'm going to have to ask about this, but it appears that Milwaukee hasn't embraced Anti-Vibration technology yet. Hey Dave, is that so? (The answer will be here when he gets it to me.)

&
One of the simple ways to dampen vibration is by making the handles shock mounted. Essentially, the handles have a little bit of give, making the vibrations that the tool is giving off stop in the handles and not pass the full force to the operator. Very simple, but not totally effective. There still has to be enough force in the handles to keep the tool going in the right direction, so making them totally independent wouldn't work. But, it does indeed reduce the amount of vibration passed to the user. For an occasional user (such as a rental tool), this will be sufficient.


For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Essentially what's tough to stop is the opposite reaction. Using a counterweight, it is possible to time the movement of the counterweight with the force of the hammer and greatly reduce the vibration. In one very impressive video that Makita uses for product training, they have a competitor tool with half full water bottles taped to the handles and the top. Once power is applied, the bottles have enough vibration getting to them that it looks like a nice frothy head on top of the water. Same test on the Makita HM1810 with AVT shows very little disturbance to the surface of the water. This looks to be a huge improvement for the end user, although I've never actually tried a jackhammer.

Still in the early stages
Anti-Vibration technologies are still in their early stages, so I'm sure new things will be coming out in the near future. But for now, it's a matter of how much getting rid of the vibration is worth to you. But then, if you use it a lot it becomes a question of what's your health and safety worth.

Belt Driven and Direct Drive Miter Saw Scorecard

After my post on direct drive miter saws with electronic speed control, Matt and I decided to take a look at the different miter saws we had on display and make up a "Scorecard" of who had what technology in place on their current lineup of saws. This ended up being a pretty interesting exercise in tool analysis. Unfortunately, we don't have quite a few on display as we prepare to move to a new building, so here's the abbreviated version of what I'll be expanding on later.


The Bosch 3912 and 3924B-24 are both direct drive models. The newer 4410L is belt drive, but adds in the laser. Of course, you've already read my other post to know why lasers are great for geeks but not for carpenters, right?


The DeWALT DW718, DW716, and DW708 were all belt driven. The older DW705 (and DW705S) as well as the DW712 were found to be direct drive.


The Hitachi C10FSH and C12LSH were belt driven. The C15FB and C12LCH were both direct drive.


The Makita LS1013, LS1214, LS1013F, LS1214F, LS1013L, and LS1214L were all angled direct drive. I'll have to explain the benefit of angled in a future post as well. The older LS1030N was a straight direct drive model, as is the LS1040. The models with F add in a flexible light, while the L models have the laser. Both are pretty cool for geeks.


The Milwaukee 6490-6, 6494-6, and 6497-6 were all direct drive models.


We didn't currently have any Porter cable models on display. Again, we're getting ready to move so we're trying to cut down on the number of open box products to relocate.

Final Tally
Direct Drive
Bosch 3912 and 3924B-24.
DeWalt DW705 and DW712.
Hitachi C15FB and C12LCH.
Makita LS1013 (base, F and L), LS1214 (base, F and L), LS1030N, LS1040.
Milwaukee 6490-6, 6494-6 and 6497-6.

Belt Driven
Bosch 4410L.
DeWALT DW718, DW716 and DW708.
Hitachi C10FSH and C12LSH.

I find it interesting that there are several manufacturers that have saws available either way. I have a strong personal preference for direct drive, but the belts aren't too bad to change out.

It gets even more interesting when you look at consumer grade. I may have to wander down to my local [insert big box store name here] here sometime and jot down some additional notes.

Single linear ball bearings?

My post yesterday on dual linear ball bearings prompted Matt to look at some of the schematics for the other manufacturers. He didn't seem to believe that some of our manufacturers would be so cheap as to only use one linear ball bearing like Makita was implying. We did a little research, and the results were astonishing.

DeWALT DW708

This particular model of DeWALT has single bearing on the lower of the sliding rails. It's not possible to tell if it is a sleeve or a ball bearing, just that it is a bearing. However, it can't be purchased independently. It's part of an assembly (reference #121, although the 12 got clipped) for $370. Ouch.

DeWALT DW718

Admittedly, the DW708 isn't their newest model. The DW718 is probably a fairer test of their current manufacturing practices. What do we see here, then? One bearing, can't tell if it is sleeve or ball bearing, and it is still part of an expensive full assembly.

Hitachi C10FSH

To stop picking on DeWALT, I'm going to show a Hitachi now. Part #106 in the diagram is a bearing. They call it a "Ball Bushing". Just one, but we know for sure this is a ball bearing type.

Milwaukee 6497

Milwaukee has 2 ball bearings. WOOHOO! Wait just one second, though. That's part #6, and they don't go on both rails. They go on one rail. That's not exactly how it should be done. One rail is just sliding through a hole, the other has 2 ball bearings. Interesting.

I'll have to add in the Makita version as soon as I locate a schematic for it. This should be interesting.

EDIT: I finally got a solid answer from Makita on where the second ball is located. I have this entered in another post titled Makita's Mysterious Dual Linear Ball Bearings. It was a bit much to add to this already lengthy article.