In 2009 it was reported that the Dremel Multi-Max was the most popular power tool sold in the United States. So naturally it makes sense in 2010, right before the holiday gift season, a cordless Multi-Max 8300-01 ($138, Ohio Power Tool) might make its way into stores. In the oscillating tool world there is definitely a need for both cordless and corded versions of these tools although most of the time we would favor the corded tool.

The first thing to consider when looking at any cordless oscillating tool is battery life. With so many tasks for 1 tool you will need to make sure you will have the battery life for whatever it is you plan on doing. We were actually pleasantly surprised at the battery life for the cordless Dremel Multi-Max 8300. With a fully charged 12V battery we got 21:32 minutes of run time. The battery gauge lasted 8:11 with 3 bars, 16:00 with 2, at 20:12 the last bar started blinking and at 21:32 minutes the tool shut off completely. This test was at the highest setting (10) so it could potentially go longer in lower setting; it could also last far less time with heavy use such as using the grinding accessories.

The good news is the only time you would normally run an oscillating tool for 21 minutes strait would be in a sanding application and if you think that will be one of the main tasks for the tool we would recommend going with the corded Multi-Max 6300-05 ($99, Ohio Power Tool).

Cordless tools definitely offer much more freedom when you are working outdoors, on a ladder, in tight spaces or pretty much anywhere else. In terms of overall power we were also surprised to see the cordless and corded Multi-Max tools had pretty similar performance. For everyday professional use there are certainly better oscillating tools available but the price on the Dremel units and overall quality are very good. The cordless Multi-Max does come with 2 batteries which is very important for uninterrupted use.

One of the closest competitors for the new cordless Dremel will be the Bosch Multi-x PS50-2B ($179, Ohio Power Tool) which is interesting because they are both owned by the Robert Bosch Tool Corporation. Although you certainly wouldn’t know it as the accessories and batteries are not compatible. In use these tools are very similar. The Dremel offers a slightly wider range of oscillation speed with 3000-20,000opm vs Bosch with 5000-20,000opm. The Dremel is also 1/3 lbs lighter and the new Dremel batteries do last several minutes longer than the Bosch BAT411 (although we have not tested the runtime on the new BAT412). Where the Dremel 8300 has a disadvantage is with the Multi-Max Accessories, they are lower priced but fewer of them and lower quality as compared to the Bosch. Check out the different Bosch Accessories. The PS50-2B also comes with many more accessories in the case vs the Multi-Max bare bones kit. Another advantage the Bosch Multi-X has is it compatible with all the Bosch 12V Max tools, which you very well may already own. The Dremel only shares batteries and chargers with the Cordless 8200 Rotary Tool.  

For the money the Cordless Dremel Multi-Max is a great deal and a great tool! At only $39 more than the corded Multi-Max version it will be very hard to pass up. The accessories with the unit are pretty skimpy so if you are picking it up for yourself make sure you get exactly what you’ll need. I have no doubt this will be on a lot of holiday wish lists this year and for your weekend handyman we think it’ll be a real nice tool.
   

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 06:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Milwaukee Tool has launched the first wave of their new hand tools over the past year or so and surprisingly there have been some really innovations in several common place tools. It’s a close call between a few of the new Milwaukee Hand Tools but our vote for the favorite one thus far looks to be the Folding Sawzall Jab Saw 48-22-0305 ($19, Ohio Power Tool).

So what makes this Jab Saw so special? To start it’s very well built tool, metal interior with a nice contoured rubber grip. Second the blade folds up, which is a great feature when throwing it in the tool box or tool belt. Third it works with ANY Sawzall Blade or other brand of recipe blades! So basically you can always have a fresh blade, when it goes dull you simply throw it away and switch the blade which takes about 2 seconds thanks to the quick release feature. The versatility is incredible, because you have so many options of Sawzall Blades for cutting plywood, copper pipe, drywall, metal, PVC, pruning tree limbs, ceramic tile, fiberglass or anything else you can cut with a Sawzall blade. Obviously with 9” or 12” blades they won’t fold but it’s just as easy to take them out so no biggie.

Also now with the new Sawzall Scraper Blade ($7, Ohio Power Tool) and the Sawzall Grout Removal Blade ($11, Ohio Power Tool) you can get even more done with this one simple hand tool. For more pictures of the Jab Saw and Scraper Accessories check out this Photo Album.

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 04:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

About a year ago the dual 360 degree laser line Bosch GLL2-80 ($269, Ohio Power Tool) was launched and right away it was a huge success. Many of the interior jobs that were previously done with much larger, more expensive rotary lasers could easily now be done with this very easy to use Bosch unit. Working with the LR2 Detector/Receiver ($167, Ohio Power Tool) it extends the working range even further up to 265 ft and can be used outside where the actual line becomes very hard to see.

Mount Prospect, Ill. – Building on the success of the revolutionary GLL2-80 360-degree line laser earlier this year, Bosch Measuring Tools introduces the GLL3-80 3-Plane Hybrid Line Laser. The new laser is nearly identical to the GLL2-80, except the GLL3-80 utilizes an additional laser diode to deliver full 360-degree coverage on two perpendicular vertical planes and one horizontal plane. 

By providing five cross points and self-leveling lines in 360 degrees, the GLL3-80 makes layout, leveling and squaring a breeze for cabinet installers, finish carpenters, remodelers, electricians and others.  Unlike traditional cross line lasers, the GLL3-80 allows the operator to position the unit over one reference mark and provide two 90⁰ layout lines from one setup point. Because the GLL3-80 projects in three axis planes simultaneously, and the tool can be quickly switched between triple axis-plane, vertical-only and horizontal-only modes, the user can complete an entire room from a single setup point.

An interesting press release from Milwaukee Tool popped up last Friday (see below) announcing they would be sponsoring MMA fighter, Cain Velasquez through 2011. At the time it seemed to us like it could be a pretty risky partnership as the following day (Saturday the 23rd) he would be the underdog fighting heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar in UFC 121. What would happen if he lost?

Well the gamble paid off, Cain Velasquez beat the odds and now Milwaukee Tools gets to put their logo across the ass of the UFC Heavyweight Champion for at least a few months. Is it a good fit? We think so (of course that’s now that he is champ) but we are also big fans of UFC & MMA in general. It looks like Cain will also be making some appearances at Milwaukee Tool Distributors but unfortunately none in Ohio.  

Milwaukee Tools – Ohio Power Tool
Cain Velasquez on MMAfighting.com
Cain Velasquez - Website - Twitter  

10/22/10 (Day before the fight) MILWAUKEE, WI – “Heavy Duty” meets “Heavyweight” as Milwaukee Electric Tool announces a new exclusive partnership with Mixed Martial Artist, Cain Velasquez. With a shared commitment and respect for the trades, Milwaukee® and Velasquez have united to represent hard work, determination and a passion to win; core values of both Milwaukee users and MMA fans alike.

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 05:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Several months ago we got the first look at the M12 Palm Nailer 2458-21 ($129, Ohio Power Tool) and it would be hard for me to express the level of skepticism we had before getting our hands on it. This is because we had tested out the Craftsman Auto-Hammer previously and seen a few other automatic hammers from Ryobi and Ridgid, all of which were significantly underpowered to be called “Palm Nailers”. In the defense of these other hammers they were not claiming to be palm nailers and for smaller nails do an ok job. These units could certainly not drive the 16D nails we think of when using a pneumatic palm nailer to perhaps frame a deck.

After about 5 seconds with the Milwaukee M12 Palm Nailer our whole view on cordless “Auto Hammers” had changed. Apparently it is possible to get all the power of a pneumatic palm nailer into a cordless unit. It is also much more effective because the main purpose of the palm nailer is to get into tight spaces, dragging a long air hose only makes that more difficult. Also in confined spaces it is often dark and hard to see the work space. The LED light built into the cordless M12 unit is very handy in these situations. The 2458-21 kit is one of the first tools to come with the new M12 Red Lithium batteries for added power and battery life. You can expect up to 100 nails per charge, which is very impressive for such a compact tool. For more info read the Milwaukee Press Release Below.

(Hal, ExtremeHowTo.com & Doug, ToolSnob.com)

MILWAUKEE, WI – Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation continues to expand their M12™ LITHIUM-ION system with the introduction of the industry’s first cordless palm nailer. This ground-breaking advancement in technology delivers the performance professionals have come to expect from pneumatic nailers without the burden of hauling a hose and compressor.

“A revolutionary impacting mechanism and new cutting edge battery technology combine to deliver unmatched performance,” says Corey Dickert, Associate Product Manager, Cordless for Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation. “Not only is this tool capable of driving a 16D 3-1/2” nail in under 2 seconds, it will also deliver impressive run time at up to 100 of these nails per charge.

At only 3.4lbs and 6.5” from palm to tip, the M12™ Palm Nailer easily operates in tight spaces, providing a unique solution in places that are unreachable by a traditional nail gun. The palm nailer also features a 6D-16D industrial magnetic collet to securely hold framing nails for one-handed use and all metal gear housing for jobsite durability.

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 02:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A little while back we took a short online survey for Tools of the Trade along with 1,800 other individuals which was all about power tools. Some good questions in there about what defines “quality”, what features people look for, what they will pay for them, are tools getting better or worse, what country makes the best tools, etc. In addition to informative statistics on each question there are also lots of comments people made which you can view. See the Survey Results

David Frane, Tools of the Trade Editor, compiled all the results and wrote an article on his take which you can read here, SSSSSurvey Says! Overall we thought this was a very informative survey and useful whether you are the product manager designing a new 18v cordless laser cutting tool (please) or possibly in the market for a new cordless combo kit in the next 12 months, which apparently is about 33% of their audience according to this survey.     
     

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 08:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Over the years we have seen lots of “programs” from various tool manufacturers working to promote different tools or accessories with varying success. One thing we can safely say is we have never seen a program with this much bit. The BSS program has a lot of elements all working together to provide Bosch customers the best possible experience with Bosch Tools through the lifetime of ownership. The program includes the setup of a fantastic looking Bosch section of the showroom, creating basically a store with a store (think Rockler within a woodworking store) but that is just the tip of the iceberg.

The real teeth of the Bosch System Specialist comes with all the individual components behind the scenes including ProFinancing a lease program with $1 buyout (unlike Hilti’s huge buyout lease programs), exclusive BSS deals and promotions, special repair & tool loaner programs, 30 day advanced store placement on new product introduces and much more. This also marks the first time Bosch has openly endorsed specific dealers above all others including home centers. The BSS dealer also commits to stock a very broad range of Bosch products and parts as well as annual training for their employees but for a company like Ohio Power Tool they were already doing that anyway. Currently there are about 20 BSS dealers across the US (listed on their site) with many more planned by the end of 2011. The end goal being wherever you are in the country there should be a BSS Store within reach or simply shop online at www.ohiopowertool.com and you will know you are getting one of the top Bosch dealers in the country with all the benefits of the BSS program.

To kick off the Bosch System Specialist program at Ohio Power Tool there will be a weeklong grand opening event at their Columbus, Ohio store from November 1st – 5th with big instant rebates, tool give aways, free Bosch gear, free Breakfast (coffee & donuts) with Bosch Reps and much more! There will also be online specials that week only on their website so if you can’t make it in at least put it on your calendars to check the website.

You don’t have to take our word on what the Bosch System Specialist program is all about, Bryan Wright (beWright & Associates) one of the power tool industry’s top strategy & public relations consultants was in for a visit to Ohio Power Tool last week and here is what he had to say on the subject at Home Construction & Improvement.   
     

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 09:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Check out this new video on the Milwaukee M12 ProPEX 2432-22 ($399, Ohio Power Tool) which our Milwaukee contacts promise will be out very shortly! Don’t worry we will hold their feet over hot coals if it doesn’t happen soon! For more details checkout our original post on both the Milwaukee M12 & M18 ProPEX Tools.
  

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 04:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The RH432VCQ also features the Quick Change Chuck System which allows you to easily remove the SDS-Plus chuck and very quickly switch it out for a 3 jawed chuck (sold separately). This is a very nice feature if you have a variety of strait and SDS-Plus bit but for most users probably isn’t necessary and will never purchase the optional chuck. See video below.

 
So where do these new hammer drills fit within the Bosch Rotary Hammer Drill Lineup? While the drilling in concrete capacities of the RH328VC is only slightly more than the super popular Bosch Bulldog 11255VSR ($231, Ohio Power Tool) with 1” drilling capacity it looks like the units have a nice jump in impact energy while lowering the overall RPM and BPM ratings. This results in quicker drilling and demo but with the Active Vibration Control the increase in power should actually feel like less work on the body. The tool is also about 5” shorter in length better for working in confined spaces. We see it as a very viable option for an SDS-Plus Hammer.   

From now until the end of the year you can get a free 7piece Milwaukee Hex Drill Bit Set 48-89-4431 ($18.75, Ohio Power Tool) when you purchase a 29pc Milwaukee Driver Bit Set 48-32-4401 ($19.94, Ohio Power Tool). That is almost double the value in free goods which is a very aggressive was to convert people over to the Shockwave accessories which are specifically designed for the impact tools. These bits perform significantly better under the high torque loads of an impact tool and will last much longer.  There are currently some great deals on Milwaukee M18 impact kits including the Compact 2691-22 ($219, Ohio Power Tool) or the 2697-22 ($299, Ohio Power Tool).   

The only downside of the promotion is that it is a Mail-In Rebate (see PDF here) which means you’ll have to wait several weeks for the Hex Drill Bits. Still well worth picking one up and taking 2 minutes mailing in the paper work.
       

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This time of the year lots of people go crazy for Halloween, when we were kids that meant you get to go trick-or-treating and eat tons of candy. As an adult it gives us the one opportunity a year to dress up however we want without being thrown in the loony bin. Sure you could buy some cheap one size fits all costume in a bag or you can go all out and build something ridiculous that will makes its way around the web for years to come like this guy. Now that is commitment!

Aliens Power Loader - Full Detailed Instructions on Building

If you do go all out Instructables.com has a huge Halloween section of their site with contests for not only costumes but halloween food, decorations and a lot more. Dremel is one of the category sponsors and there are some nice prizes to be won all around. Happy Building and Happy Halloween!
        

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 07:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you have spent any time drilling into concrete with rebar chances are you have ruined a bit or two. Instead of just powering through it however there is a much faster cheaper way. For repetitive drilling with a SDS-Max or Spline Hammer Drill the best setup we have found is to use a second drill with a carbide cutter. The good news is the second drill would be a much smaller drill (not in hammer mode) either a SDS-Plus Rebar Cutter or coming soon you can also use a strait shank carbide cutter and still be able to cut up to 1.5” rebar. Most people will already have one of those drills so for the price of a cutter ($30-60, Ohio Power Tool) you can save potentially hundreds in concrete bits. Read the full Bosch Press Release below for more info.

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 01:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You have been waiting patiently for 2 years to get the new Ridgid Calendar and alas the wait is over. The 2011-2012 Ridgid Pinup Calendars are shipping to Ridgid Dealers around the country this week. You could always purchase the new Ridgid Calendar ($15, Ohio Power Tool) or you can purchase any Ridgid Tools from Ohio Power Tool and simply use Coupon Code: CALENDAR in the first step of the checkout for a FREE calendar to be shipping with your order. This deal will only be good while the supply last so you may want to hurry up, not that you were planning on waiting. Shop now for your favorite Ridgid Plumbing Tools at OhioPowerTool.com.

This is the 75th anniversary for the Ridgid Calendars, a tradition that has continued through various waves of politically correctness. Hopefully it will continue on at least another 75 years! With any luck Ohio Power Tool will again be a stop on the 2011 Ridgid Roadshow Tour and we will again get another chance to have the calendars signed by one of the Ridgid Girls.
      

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 09:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dremel has been known for years for their small high-quality rotary tools, and then a little over a year ago the company launched the Dremel Multi-Max oscillating tool. Right off the bat the Multi-Max was a huge success among home owners as well as some professionals, making the Multi-Max the most popular power tool of 2009 (according to their sales rep). When the Dremel Trio 6800-01 was getting ready to launch, Home Depot locked in a 3 month exclusive deal for these units. So you may have already seem them but now they can be found all over and we were lucky enough to get a unit to test out.

When reviewing any tool we do our best to try and remember who the product is targeting, in this case it would be for the occasional home owner user. Our good friend Doug over at ToolSnob is a true construction professional who is out in field everyday and we value his opinion very highly. At times he can be pretty hard on tools especially those perhaps not up to snuff for professional use. The Dremel Trio would be just such an occasion, and the post also serves as a warning to all tool manufacturers who decide to go cheap on the case. Read the ToolSnob Trio 6800-01 Review.

Cutting

We wanted to look at each of the 3 jobs the “Trio” performed individually and see what the strengths and weaknesses were for each task. In the cutting department the Trio works the same as a Rotozip tool, spinning at speeds, up to 20,000 RPM and using the sides of a bit to shave away the material of wood, metal, drywall, plastic, etc. This style of cutting in general is less effective but can gives more control and tighter turning radius if used correctly. Here is an example of a Rotozip spiral saw Cutting Floor Tile. These cutting tools are more common for use in cutting dry wall and the Trio did a very nice job cutting out drywall. We used the same bit to cut some thin wood paneling and it did this job nicely as well. The strait / round cutting adaptor that is also included is a very nice addition, ideal for cutting out can light openings.  

The downside in the cutting department is the unit only came with the 1 bit so we couldn’t test it on ceramic tile, sheet metal or hard woods which it claims to cut as well. There are other Trio bits designed for those tasks but what is really frustrating is that the bits are a very odd size so none of our dozens of 1/8”, 5/32” or ¼” bits would work. Common collet size for Dremel Rotary tools are 1/8” and for Rotozip 1/8”, 5/32” & ¼” so what size did Dremel Make the Trio bits 3/16” of course. Basically you are limited to the 3 cutting bits available for the Trio.

Routing

The Trio again came with a single router bit in the case, this one a ¼” mortising router bit which performed very well through some pine 2x4”. For smaller routing jobs the flexibility of the pivoting handle makes the Trio easy to use. Not a powerful router but for miscellaneous routing tasks, such as installing a door hinge this would be a very handy tool.

In the routing department again what holds the tool back is a lack of compatibility with the rest of the world from the Dremel Trio Island. There are only 3 routing bits available at this time for the Trio a ¼” strait, 1/8” corner rounding and chamfer bit. Apparently they were not going after even the light woodworking market here. The telescoping base is also a little awkward and doesn't have any way to measure depth so might not be a bad idea to keep a ruler handy.  

Sanding

Finally we did find a little compatibility in at least the sanding drum paper work from our other Dremel tools. We also found the sanding drums do a nice job in smoothing out any nicks you may have caused from either the cutting or routing. Since you are using the same tool it’s very easy to switch bits and tidy up your work.

The downside to the sanding is it is very limited. The Dremel Rotary tool we have been using for years does the same type of sanding tasks but allows for much much more versatility and flexibility of motion. The Trio only offers the ability to sand 90 degrees from the base plate so other than smoothing edges it does not have very much functionality. 

The Conclusion

Overall you can do a fair amount of tasks with this one tool, if your current stash of tools is a little limited and doesn't consists of much more than a cordless drill, dad’s old circular saw and maybe a dozen hand tools you will definitely get some use of this tool. If that is the case however we would recommend checking out the Dremel Multi-Max (same price) long before this unit as it offers even more overall versatility in a tool. It also is very sad to us that Dremel chose deliberately not to make the bits compatibly with other more popular tool accessories that would have opened the doors to a much wider range of tasks. Perhaps the folks at Dremel were a bit greedy thinking of all the additional accessories they might sell, hopefully it doesn’t hinder the success of the product overall. I am sure more accessories are on the way and hopefully we will see even more good stuff from the Trio. To view more product and test pictures check out this album. 
        

Posted by Jay Amstutz at 07:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)