Here at Home Fixated, there are few things that excite us more than going downstairs on Christmas morning and laying eyes on a perfectly trimmed tree with an absolute raft of presents underneath it. Big ones, little ones, medium-sized ones. All we can think about is using a recip saw to open them all. From our family to yours, we wish you a happy, healthy holiday season and a very prosperous 2020. In this edition of Tool News Nirvana, we’ll hear about an exciting giveaway from Milwaukee, new tools from Makita, Metabo and DEWALT, and a new backpack from Klein. Nirvananauts, we’re ready for liftoff!
Milwaukee M12 Kit Giveaway
All this talk of Christmas morning wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the stockings as well. Ah yes, stockings – the decorative containers that are usually filled with forgettable things like gift cards to that tropical-themed chain restaurant down by the freeway interchange. Milwaukee could help here, though, through a new “Work Smarter, Not Harder” contest. Three grand prize winners will get to choose one prize pack, built around the small yet mighty M12 battery platform. The prize packs mostly consist of tools that are geared toward specific trades – there’s a plumber/mechanical pack, an electrician pack, a mechanic’s pack, a facility maintenance pack, a remodeler pack, and a general pack. Each contains between 8-10 M12 power tools, which are compact enough to serve as perhaps the greatest stocking stuffers ever stuffed.
Makita’s New Cordless Rivet Tool
Makita recently launched 2 models of a new cordless rivet-setting tool. XVR01 is the smaller of the two, delivers up to 10 kN (kilonewtons) of pulling force, and can handle up to a 3/16” rivet. XVR02 delivers up to 20 kN of pulling force and can handle up to a ¼” rivet. Both are capable of pulling aluminum, steel, or stainless steel rivets. Also, both of these tools are part of Makita’s robust LXT battery platform, which includes over 225 products now.
Metabo HPT MultiVolt Kit
Metabo HPT gets its foot in the door of the adaptable battery platform race with a new tool kit featuring the new 36V/18V MultiVolt battery. This battery will operate at 36V to provide high power levels for 36V tools. It’s also backward-compatible with Metabo HPT’s 18V tools. The kit features an 18V Hammer Drill, an 18V Impact Driver, 1 36V/18V MultiVolt Battery, 1 compact 18V x 3.0Ah battery, plus a charger and carrying bag. Another added benefit is that MultiVolt tools can be powered by either a 36V battery or an AC adapter that can be plugged into a wall outlet. In the event that you forget to charge your batteries, which *wink* probably never *wink* *wink* happens, the AC adapter allows you to complete whatever job you’re working on. Metabo HPT is offering a limited-time deal this holiday season, too – buy the above combo kit (KC18DBFL2T) and get a MultiVolt Recip Saw or a MultiVolt Circular Saw for FREE.
DEWALT’s New Cordless Polishers
DEWALT recently added two new specialty tools to its industry-leading 20V MAX battery platform. The DCM849 7” rotary polisher and the DCM848 5” random orbit polisher are geared toward automotive professionals (pun definitely intended), and promise to make the detailing process quick and efficient. When’s the last time you dragged your current tool’s power cord across your car’s freshly waxed hood? Yesterday? Well, that’s unfortunate. With the power of these new DEWALT tools though, you won’t need to worry about cords anymore.
DEWALT Launches Cordless ¼-Sheet Sander
Part of the rapidly expanding woodworking-subset of the 20V MAX line of tools, DEWALT recently launched the new DCW200 ¼-sheet sander. This tool features a 7-speed dial which allows users to vary the power output of their tool depending on their application. Other neat features include a rubber over-molded grip for user comfort and an Airlock dust port which is compatible with a few of the DEWALT dust collectors. DEWALT really did their homework with this and the rest of the woodworking-focused tools, we’d expect to see more yellow&black in woodshops in the future.
Klein Launches Tool Station Backpacks
Wrapping up this installment of TNN are 2 new tool backpacks from Klein. Model number 55655 comes with a removable work light and model number 55482 does not. These bags offer multiple pockets and straps for organizing all of your tools. They also offer extra padding on the shoulder straps and back for user comfort. If we had this backpack in high school, we might’ve actually gotten some real work done instead of struggling through “Differential Equations 101”.
Stay tuned for our next episode of Tool News Nirvana, where we bring you the latest and greatest tools, industry news, tool giveaways and more! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to catch all the news along with tool reviews, how-to’s, cool home products, sweet gear, and build projects!
