I’ll admit it, despite being an avid tool guy, and having spent many, many, many hours in Lowes, I have never purchased Kobalt tools. It’s not that I have anything against Kobalt, but I’m the kind of guy that won’t buy “store brand” cereal either. I guess I’ve got issues. In case you’re as clueless as I was with the Kobalt Tools line, Lowes launched the brand in 1998 in a limited range of tools and then relaunched an expanded line in 2004. Kobalt Tools can be purchased exclusively from Lowes. Just for kicks you should try asking for them at Home Depot though (submit the video to us please). A few weeks ago Lowes reached out to HomeFixated with an invitation for a Lowes sponsored trip and media event in New York City to kick off a further Kobalt expansion which includes a new line of power tools. I just returned from that whirlwind NYC trip, which brings us to today’s post on Kobalt Tools, and Kobalt Power Tools in particular. [click to continue…]
lithium ion
What do Cheech & Chong and the Skil Isio Shrub and Grass Shear have in common? They love grass! However, unlike the 70′s-80′s comedy duo, the Isio also loves small hedges, shrubs and especially topiary! Prior to the Isio, you had two options when it came time to trim a patch of grass or a small shrub:
1) Grab some manual shears and use your hand and arm muscles to repetitively chomp away. This option involves possibly breaking a sweat . . . not cool! We all know gardening involves enough labor as it is.
2) Pull out the gas powered or electric hedge trimmer. This option lacks precision. Would you want your barber/hair stylist using a machete to cut your hair? And as far as the gas powered option, do we really need a smog belching noise-maker for this? I think not. Noise and fumes are bad for the topiary garden vibe.
Thanks to the Isio, you can now handle [click to continue…]
So the first thing I noticed with the newly released Skil Li Ion Combo Kit, is it’s really, really red! It’s like Ferrari took over the Skil brand. But it’s not just spicy red good looks that make these tools. Lithium Ion technology is all the rage, and Skil isn’t letting the Li Ion race car pass their pit crew without a quick tune-up. Li Ion is lighter weight and has a more compact design than the now scorned Ni-Cd power tools of yesteryear. The included 2 speed Drill/Driver in the combo sports a cavernous one-half inch chuck to accept larger diameter bits with ease. It also includes removable bit storage, handy built-in level and side-assist handle. [click to continue…]
