Tool News Nirvana – New Makita Heat Gun, Klein Adjustable Wrench, Free Skil iXO Vivo & More

Welcome to another fresh and hot edition of Tool News Nirvana! We’re bringing you the latest and greatest new tools from Makita, Klein, Milwaukee and Porter Cable with a chance to win one of the coolest new tools from Skil — the Skil iXO Vivo — a 4v pocket-sized screwdriver that not only drives screws, but it also opens your wine bottles too! Drinking and power tools — the perfect combination? Our legal team says no, with the exception of using the iXO Vivo to open your wine. So, pour a glass of your favorite libation, get your buzz on (caffeine or “other”) and kick back while enjoying these awesome new tools and accessories for the home fixated!

Makita HG551V Heat Gun

With the cold of winter driving many DIY gurus, homeowners and contractors away from their less-than-mission-critical construction projects, Makita has the cure for the cold; the new Makita HG551V Heat Gun.

This isn’t your momma’s blow dryer. This compact, yet watt-packed heat gun delivers superior results for pendulum welding (you may need to google that), copper soldering, plastic pipe forming, edge banding, paint/film stripping, adhesives and so much more!

What we really like about this heat gun is that it can stand up on its end. This lets you use both hands to bend plastic and conduit. Who would have thought that you need two hands to bend something accurately? And with two different surface nozzles and a reflector nozzle (sold separately of course), there isn’t much this hot new heat gun can’t thermo-manipulate. You can find the Makita HG551V 1020-Degree Heat Gun for just under $89 on Amazon.

Klein Tools Extra-Wide Jaw 8” Adjustable Wrench

Here at Home Fixated, it’s no secret we love our tools. So when Klein Tools decided to improve upon the classic adjustable crescent wrench, we got so excited, we nearly split our knickers. But how the heck do you improve upon a tool design that’s essentially been unchanged since its inception? By making it lighter, shorter and wider of course. If you’ve ever had to carry around one of these tools every day in your tool pouch, you know that this translates into less weight on your back and legs; both good things in the rough and tough world of construction.

While this adjustable wrench doesn’t look so different from other adjustable wrenches, the Klein Tools 8” extra-wide jaws features a full 1 ½” jaw capacity; the same as the typical 12” adjustable wrench. And with a shorter handle, it’s easier to reach those hard-to-handle nuts and bolts in confined spaces. Of course, with shorter length comes less leverage, but sometimes you just don’t have room for more leverage. A nice plastic coated handle also helps this crescent wrench from being a knuckle buster.

It also sports a standard and metric scale on the face so you don’t have to guess at what sized nut you’re working on. We’ve never needed to know what sized nut we’re working on when we’re using an adjustable wrench, but if you’re precise that way, enjoy! Check it out right here.

Milwaukee M18 Six Pack Sequential Charger

Well, Milwaukee did it again. They must have listened to the numerous builders and contractors who have had a tough time plugging in all of their battery packs in single chargers all over the job. If you’ve ever worked with a crew of cordless tool users who have multiple battery chargers, then you know well how frustrating it can be looking for an open outlet to plug in your charger or other corded tools when all of the outlets are filled up with everybody else’s crap.

According to Justin Hermsen, Assistant Product Manager for Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation “With the new six pack charger, users can reduce the amount of time spent changing out batteries, increasing productivity on the jobsite.”  Well, duh.

With the M18 Six Pack Sequential Charger, you can charge up to six M18 battery packs. We’re guessing there’s a clear engineering reason this is a “Sequential” rather than “Simultaneous” charger, but if you’re burning through that many 18v batteries that quickly, it might be time to take a lunch break, OK? Even with the sequential, it will save you from babysitting one or more single chargers and having to swap out batteries over and over. More time saved equals more money made, and we all like that. A pass through plug also keeps this charger from being an outlet hog itself. The only six pack we like better than this comes nicely chilled, with bubbles in it.

Porter-Cable PCCK600LB ½” 20V Max Compact Lithium Ion Drill/Driver and Porter-Cable PCCK640LB ¼” 20V Max Lithium Ion Impact Driver

When you demand more power and longer lasting battery life out of your cordless tools, it can be tough to get the best of both worlds. The new Porter-Cable 20V Max line of cordless tools hope to be an affordable answer to these on-the-job cordless tool dilemmas.

Although these tools kind of look like rejects from the Lego factory, the ½” drill/drivers high-speed transmission, 1.5 amp-hour battery and two-speed gear transmission delivers 400 RPM in low speed for high-torque applications and up to 1,600 RPM for low-torque applications, hardly making this drill/driver a toy. Its ergonomic and compact design is engineered to make it easy to hold on to when you’re cranking out the screws or drilling multiple holes. Change bits out quick and easy with the ratcheting ½” chuck from the two magnetic bit holders perched on top of the gun.

With the ¼” 20V Max Ion Impact Driver, you’ve got a smaller impact driver that promises plenty of power. The motor and transmission generate 1,450 inch-pounds of maximum torque, while the variable speed trigger delivers up to 2,900 RPM’s and 3,100 beats per minute that lets you fasten the longest of screws into the toughest of materials with ease. And just like the ½” drill/driver, it comes with rubber baby buggy bumpers on the handle (say that five times fast), a fuel gauge that tells you how much battery is left before it powers down and a nifty LED work light that allows you to fasten anything—even in the darkest and spookiest of crawlspaces. Check out Amazon for the Porter-Cable PCCK600LB 20-volt 1/2-Inch Lithium Ion Drill/Driver Kit, and likely the PCCK640LB soon too as well.

Free Stuff from Skil

As always here at HomeFixated.com, we like to give away free stuff and this month is no exception. So when you need a handy-dandy little cordless screw gun for those little things on your honey-do list, Skil offers one tiny cordless screwdriver — the Skil iXO and the iXO Vivo kit. At just over $100 retail for both (or free if you win), this little wine-cork-killing screw gun is the perfect tool to throw in your tool box or kitchen drawer.

Why the kitchen drawer you might ask? Because the Vivo version comes with not only a couple of bits and a few other essential accessories, it also comes with a powered corkscrew. That’s right. Open your favorite bottle of cabernet sauvignon and then tighten down that loose cabinet screw, all with the same tool. Neat huh?

All you need to do to win both the iXO and iXO Vivo is to subscribe to our weekly newsletter or post your humorous/inspiring/magical comment at the bottom of this or any of our other fantastic articles for your chance to win. Check out our terms & conditions here and enter our monthly drawing for your chance to win both big and little!