Tool News Nirvana – Contests Galore from Bosch, Duluth Trading & Blaklader, New Makita 18v Hammer, Free Pants and More!

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!

Bosch Take Back Your Day Contest – $1000 Prize!

You may have noticed a conspicuously blue ad on HomeFixated lately. It not only promotes one of our favorite brands, but it also will lead you down the blue-brick road to a contest that might land a $1000 prize pack on your porch. That’s not a typo, that’s a cool grand of sexy Bosch storage products. All you have to do is send in two or three pics of your disorganized workspace (don’t send pics if your workspace is a cubicle, sorry, that’s just not going to cut it). You’ll also need to describe your clutter and how the Bosch Click and Go System would bring more harmony to your workspace than a barbershop quartet. Then, a “Bosch marketing panel” will review the entries and pick a winner. We’re pretty sure “marketing panel” means a cadre of über-organized Germans who laugh hysterically at us slovenly Americans, bringing on a nearly mind-altering experience of Schadenfreude. Even if you don’t plan to enter, you too can experience the joy of knowing you’re not the only one with a workshop that looks like someone tossed a grenade into it. Right now, I think Brian Tobey’s entry above is pretty compelling, especially since he has a dirt floor shop. But don’t throw in the towel yet, submit your entry by Nov 22nd, and the lucky winner of $1000 worth of Bosch Click and Go System will be announced mid December, just is time for Weihnachten! Submit your entry and get more details here.

Duluth Trading $200 Giftcard Giveaway

Aside from strolling over to Bosch’s website for their fab contest, you can also get a shot at a highly versatile $200 gift card giveaway right here at HomeFixated! I know what you’re wondering: “Do I need to donate a kidney”, or “Must I swear allegiance to the almighty HomeFixated overlord” or “Not another contest that requires emailing nudie-pics to the HomeFixated writing team.” Well relax my friend. As with all monthly Free Stuff giveaways on HomeFixated.com, entering is simple and has no nudity involved (as far as we know). Just do one of two things: 1) Subscribe or our super-handy weekly email with a summary and links to all the great content from that week on HomeFixated, or, 2) Write a brilliant, hilarious or at least mildly useful comment at the end of any HomeFixated article. That’s all there is to it!

Free Pants!
What’s better than cool, ultra-utilitarian pants from Blaklader? FREE ultra-utilitarian pants from Blaklader. Those crazy Swedes are giving away a year’s supply of Blaklader gear to one lucky winner! Entering is simple. You just submit a pic of yourself wearing Blaklader. Then, simply guilt, bribe or otherwise coerce all your friends, family and maybe a few random strangers to go to Blaklader Heroes to vote on your submission. There are also prizes for the top 20 finalists. Not unlike Irwin’s National Tradesman Day, Blaklader is looking to honor tradespeople (who, coincidentally, are also their clients) in their own campaign. More details and gritty, inspiring music in the vid:

It’s Roctoberfest Time at Rockler
Our sponsor is getting into the festive spirit early with Roctoberfest, a whole month of special deals and sales, but sadly, no beer. Oh well, you can always show up to your local Rockler with some giant beer Steins and I’m sure you’ll be welcomed warmly. If you prefer a drier approach, just visit Rockler.com this month and you’ll find a variety of sales in celebration of Roctober! Be sure to sign up for their email newsletter for the latest special deals, visit their outlet store, and check out our guide to scoring killer deals at Rockler.

Makita’s New 18v LXPHO3 Hammer Driver Drill
Makita was quick to point out their latest in the 18v arsenal packs a beefy 750 max inch-pounds of torque. They stopped short of calling it “torque-tacular” though. This drill also sports XPT! What’s “XPT” you ask? “Extra Pricey Thermoregulation? Extensible Power Technology? No silly. It’s Extreme Protection Technology, which, according to Makita “is a protective seal inside the tool engineered for improved water resistance by channelling water and dust away from the tool’s key internal components.” Normally, tech like that is classified according to IP ratings (IP of 0 means no protection, IP 8 means the equipment can literally run continuously submerged in water). We didn’t find an IP rating to go along with the XPT in the press release, but if one makes it our way we’ll update this mention. Rather than me blather on about this tool, here’s the scoop direct from Makita (and a bunch of dudes in high-visibility orange vests):

http://youtu.be/nTHZvGAYAv4

DeWwalt Totally Sucks Now
Well, at least their new vacuum does, or, as they like to call it; a Dust Extractor Vacuum (DWV012). It’s designed to deliver dust control solutions for drywall sanding and concrete grinding, cutting and drilling applications. No matter how much you love construction, just about all of us hate dust. Turns out it’s pretty unhealthy to breathe, especially when there’s heavy metal involved. No, not the Metallica kind. The new DeWalt dust collector meets the EPA Lead Related Renovations, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule for HEPA vacuums when used with DWV9320 HEPA filters which are included with the vac. The DWV012 also has a slick continuous auto filter cleaning, “which means that every 30 seconds one of the filters is backflushed with air to remove dust to provide suction until the tank is full.” If only our cars and HVAC systems had that technology! We also like that the DWV012 has a tool activation setting, something we love on our Festool and Fein dust collectors. It also sports variable speed, which is very useful when using the DC with a sander to avoid swirl marks from the sander getting sucked too aggressively onto the surface. At an approximate retail of $529, this is no Black and Decker Dust Buster. But it definitely beats lead poisoning or sucking in other hazardous dust. Amazon has the highly mobile DeWalt DWV012 Dust Extractor for just $499.

Klein Encourages Fishing Without Electrocution
I love fish tape. When you have to get wire from Point A to Point B, especially in a remodel or on a commercial conduit job, Fish Tape is invaluable. But most of it is made of metal. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but metal plus electricity is known to be bad in certain circumstances (like when you’re touching said metal). While Klein makes it very clear they never recommend anyone use fish tape in energized environments, their new non-conductive fish tape minimizes risks when the power is on accidentally, or someone “accidentally” works on a live circuit. When it comes to working around electricity, I’m generally of the opinion the more safety precautions are taken, the less likely it is my hair will look like Don Kings by the time I’m done with the project. It’s even laser-etched baby! For all the juicy details (get it?), check out the vid:

Milwaukee Levels with Electricians and Plumbers
Milwaukee recently debuted a couple levels we had a chance to play with at their media event this summer. The new release features two very thoughtfully designed levels. Milwaukee continues to step up their innovation in the hand tool game, and we like how they are not afraid to buck convention with new features, especially when those features are truly useful. Here’s the scoop from Milwaukee:

The 10-inch Torpedo Level has four level vials signifying 0, 30, 45 and 90 degrees. The 30-degree vial makes it ideal for users to place the level on a metal surface and with its built-in rare-earth magnet, bends conduit for running wire. Additionally, the level features two holes for switch and outlet alignment allowing for easy installation of these common parts.

The 10-inch Reaming Torpedo Level has three vials centrally placed signifying 0, 45 and 90 degrees. The 0-degree vial has 1/4-inch and 1/8-inch markers on both sides to assist with aligning pipes for waste water drainage. Reaming edges allow users to ream PVC pipes from 1/2 to 6-inch in diameter. Additionally, one end is angled and carved to serve as a shovel for clearing dirt. Because vials are centrally placed, they are less likely to be damaged.

New Delta Bench Grinders
Delta is sporting a couple new bench grinders, which look quite similar to the solidly-built Delta Bench Grinder we reviewed way back in 2009. Their 8-inch Model 23-199 and a 6-inch Model 23-198 are designed to make quick work of grinding, sharpening, polishing and buffing operations. We’re happy to see both Delta bench grinders feature patented tool-less quick change nut and tool-less wheel cover. If you’ve read any of our Multi-Tool coverage, you’ll know we’re freaks about tool-less accessory changes. These grinders offer variable speed from 2,000 RPM to 3,400 RPM, which offers an excellent level of control no matter what material you’re puttin’ to the wheels. We’d like to see Delta step up to a sleeker LED worklight, as these both still use conventional bulbs with a bulky bulb housing (40-watt bulb not included). While the six incher features a 2.5 amp motor, the eight incher will grind like a car-shredder with 5 amps of juice. Both have a five year Warranty and are available at woodworking distributors and retailers. Suggested retail is a reasonable $124.99 for the 6″ and $169.99 for the 8″.