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.

My New Favorite Tool

As a tool store, we have the advantage of seeing new products before the general public. We also have the advantage of comparing tools side by side. So when the new Makita 14.4v Lithium Ion BDF440 came in, it quickly found a place on top of my favorites list.

This beauty of a tool is comparable in size to the Bosch pocket driver. It is only about a half inch longer, but it has a 1/2" chuck! It is about an inch and a half taller because it has a larger battery pack, which I actually prefer because it is balanced very nicely and can 'stand' upright on its battery instead of having to lie it down on its side. Having to lie it down is a personal pet pieve with power tools because I hate marking up the sides prematurely.

As for power, it has tons! One of the Makita Sales Reps left his model here for the week to let us try out. As it turned out we were doing some in-house renovations and decided to use this little guy. We were using 17" long 5/8" auger bits bits into pressure treated wood without a problem. Very impressive for a machine thats only 3.5lbs. It has wonderful feeling hand grips, and that little L.E.D. light at the front to help light up your workplace.

If you're looking for something compact yet powerful, you'll want to check this guy out whenever he becomes available.

This article has been submitted by Chris of KMS Tools.