Wow, this issue of Tool News Nirvana is jam-packed as usual. Maybe not unlike your workspace. Awesome, congrats! Why would your horrifyingly unorganized workspace be awesome? Because it might lead to you $1000 in Bosch Click and Go gear to get that space organized, that’s why! We also have contest action from Duluth Trading and those makers of sweet pants: Blaklader. Aside from a zillion things you can win, we’re also including new tools from Makita, Milwaukee, Delta, DeWalt and Klein. And, of course, it’s Roctoberfest at Rockler. May this latest edition of HomeFixated news bring you one step closer to Tool News Nirvana. Read on for enlightenment! [Read more...]
Tool News Nirvana – Contests Galore from Bosch, Duluth Trading & Blaklader, New Makita 18v Hammer, Free Pants and More!
Tool News Nirvana – Black & Decker Gyro, Milwaukee Force Logic Press Tool & More
Leave a Commentby on September 4, 2012
in Black & Decker, Contests, Milwaukee Tool, News, Porter Cable, Tools
in Black & Decker, Contests, Milwaukee Tool, News, Porter Cable, Tools
Just like getting dressed, I suggest that for this go-round of Tool News Nirvana, you first put your feet in your pants, and then work up. Meaning: start at the end of this article with the last item: a contest from Duluth Trading Company, which could net you a new pair of their firehose work pants… and potentially cash! Good deal, if you ask me – especially since at the moment I happen to be down to one pair of work jeans and they’re starting to look more like the fashionably torn duds of a major movie actress than actual clothing. I’m thinking up a tall tale for my entry… so hurry and enter too before I outshine you with my great storytelling skills. [Read more...]
Battle Charger Clutter with the New Milwaukee Combo 12v and 18v Charger
Even if you’re relatively brand-loyal, it doesn’t take long for your shop or truck to get overrun by battery chargers. And, if you’re not brand-loyal, you could very quickly require a new workbench just to store all the chargers. Even within a single brand you can accumulate multiple chargers for the different voltages, both legacy and recent releases. Don’t worry, Milwaukee feels your pain and recently released the 48-59-1812 M18 and M12 Multi-Voltage Combo Charger. While it’s still not the Holy Grail of a universal charger that handles charging any cordless tool battery (are any manufacturers listening?), it does take what used to be two separate chargers and put them into one more compact unit. [Read more...]
Tool News Nirvana – Cute Little Gorilla Mini Glue, Sexy Bosch Surface Laser & More Milwaukee Cordless Power
Leave a Commentby on August 15, 2012
in Bosch, Milwaukee Tool, News, Porter Cable, Tools, Woodworking
in Bosch, Milwaukee Tool, News, Porter Cable, Tools, Woodworking
You know the deal with glue: you buy a normal size container, use a little bit of it, set it on the shelf, and then forget about it – and next time when you try to use it, the tip is all plugged up. Sometimes you can fashion a new opening and get to the nearly full container of glue – other times it’s too much of a hassle and you throw the whole thing away and go get another. Now Gorilla Glue has solved your life-long problems (glue-wise) with a mini version. Yay! And take a look at Bosch’s surface laser below – the first of its kind. Very cool. Plus, we have loads of additional news from the likes of Milwaukee, Klein, Porter Cable, and even LaGesse! La Who? Read up, and you’ll wish you La-invented it! [Read more...]
2012 Milwaukee and Bosch New Tools Media Event Showdown
Imagine if you will; two of the top tool companies hold independent events to unveil their latest tools and top-secret future plans to an elite cabal of the industry’s most exclusive media members (and HomeFixated). Now, imagine that these two companies hold their events the same week. OK, now imagine those companies are Milwaukee and Bosch. One event on its own could blow the mind of most tool junkies. Two events in one week could only be described as a cataclysmic reorganization of the tool/time/space continuum. The power of these two industry giants releasing information in the same week might send shockwaves through the industry that reverberate for eons. Tradespeople might cheer, or even be moved to tears. Competitors might be crushed or left scrambling to catch up. Life as we know it, may cease to exist. But how, my dear HomeFixated reader, can someone outside this inner circle get access to what’s new, exciting, and earth-shattering from Milwaukee and Bosch? [Read more...]
Milwaukee M12 Cordless Ratchet – Ratcheting Things Up a Notch
Milwaukee Tool’s growing M12 line of cordless products continues to bring more and more trades and versatility into the fold with each new model. Last year, Milwaukee added two M12 Cordless Ratchet kits to the mix (1/4″ and 3/8″). They sent us their 3/8″ model and we’ve been checking it out in and around the shop. I recently purchased a vintage golf cart (I don’t even golf, don’t ask), and, much like our older home, there are plenty of fix it up projects required on it. Unlike our house, most of the tasks require work with a socket wrench. [Read more...]
Sweet Reciprocating Blades Batman – A Review
Nothing makes my day like receiving things that cut in the mail. Not that it happens that often, but it does put a little smile my face. A couple months back my day was doubly made when I received not one but four reciprocating blades for my perusing. In the bundle was a Bosch demo blade, Milwaukee Ax blade, and two different Spyder Bore blades. All were Needless to say I was set for hours of fun. I, personally, am ecstatic about the diversity of reciprocating blades on the market. Remember when they first came out and you had two choices – wood and metal? Sure there was a litany of colors, which would wear out on the first cut, but all you could select from was wood or metal. Now there is a reciprocating blade for nearly every project and task out there. Here is a quick rundown on these four different blades. [Read more...]
Gettin’ Jiggy With the Milwaukee M12 Cordless Jig Saw
Several years ago, if you had asked me if I had any interest in a cordless jig saw, you probably would have received a very skeptical look. If you told me it was from a 12v product line, laughter might have followed. Last year at a media event for Milwaukee Tool, my thoughts on the feasibility, or even desirability of a 12v jig saw received a jolt. It was my first opportunity to see and lay hands on Milwaukee’s new 12v Max Jig Saw, and suddenly gettin’ jiggy with with a small, cordless jig saw no longer seemed like a bad idea. [Read more...]
Milwaukee M18 Vac Review – It Sucks, It Blows, It Rocks
Earlier this year we reviewed the Makita 18v Vac and found it to be a very handy cleanup tool, particularly if you already own a few other Makita 18v tools. But what if you like to tidy up and are more a Milwaukee loyalist? It turns out Milwaukee has you covered with an M18 vacuum that not only sucks, it blows too. Normally things that suck and blow are bad. Well, now that I think about it, sometimes blow . . . uh, never mind. The point here is that we mean suck and blow in the mechanical, non x-rated sense, and not in the “Dude, that like totally blows” sense either. Now that our semantics are crystal clear, we’d share our impressions of the 0880-20 wet/dry vacuum Milwaukee sent us to review here. [Read more...]
Milwaukee 12V Power Port Review and Disaster Preparedness – Surviving the Southwestern Electrapocalypse
Yesterday afternoon the power went out here in our nook of San Diego. Just as I started to investigate what the cause was, my wife called me from her work about 20 miles north of here. It turned out her power was out too. It quickly became apparent that a massive power outage had occurred effecting millions of people in the Southwest. What followed was a multi-hour grid-locked traffic jam as people struggled to get home while all traffic signals were out. My wife’s 30 minute commute to pick-up our daughter and head home turned into a four hour saga. Props to AT&T for being one of the few cell services still functioning. Props to Milwaukee’s 12v Power Port for keeping my only connection to the outside world alive. [Read more...]
