THIS WEEK, we have Stubby Impacts, Polishers, broken knives, EGO Line IQ, a Milwaukee mobile workbench and a Baby Hedge Trimmer! THIS is your power tool week in review.
Welcome back Power Tool Fans, this is the week! Tomorrow, we’re going live at 3pm est on Saturday, for this month’s Production Crew Giveaway. We’re gonna call one lucky winner live, and let them choose from 1 of 4 different shelves with over $2,000 in new power tools, accessories and more. So be sure to join us tomorrow for that,
Philly Fixed | Rotary Hammers
But right now we have to get to the news, starting with Jim over at Philly Fixed, who teamed up with TTC to test some tiny Rotary Hammers.
Specifically Jim gathered examples from DeWALT, RYOBI, and even a new Bauer from HardlyGreat. But unlike the Bauer and RYOBI, the DeWALT was only a 12V version, albeit from their EXTREME line. To test each one, he did some drilling in pavers, presumably his neighbor’s sidewalk, and even played with some chisel bits, leaving out the DeWALT because it’s missing a hammer-only mode. Bummer. Now you might look at these three tools and ask, why on earth would you put these three in the ring? As a matter of fact, I’m wondering that too. For the answer, you’ll have to ask Philly Fixed.
Torque Test Channel | Stubby Impact Wrenches
Don’t forget that there’s a companion video for that one over at TTC. Speaking of, The Torque Testing Team also took on Stubby Impact Wrenches this week, determined to crown a king of 2022.
Now these are all Pneumatic stubbys noted for their phenomenal cosmic power, in iddy bitty tool case. The players who made it to the big show include examples from Chicago Pneumatic, Ingersol Rand, Astro Pneumatic, Flexzilla and Mac Tools. This is what TTC was built for. Measuring true “uga-dugas”, while teaching us something along the way. Speaking of, be sure to hang around for the chapter titled Twilight zone. As it turns out, sometimes low is high, high is low, and once in a while, one of these tools smells. Who knew. To find out which stubby is the stubbiest of 2022, head over to Torque Test Channel.
Tool Box Buzz | Milwaukee Baby Hedge-trimmer
My buddy Rob Robillard was one of the very first people to get a hold of the all new Milwaukee Baby Hedge-trimmer.
THIS is the Milwaukee M12 FUEL Hedge Trimmer, and rob decided to use it to trim the hedges, like a true Amigo. And no, I haven’t been able to use mine just yet, but apparently it works really well, especially on the smaller jobs. I don’t know if I told you guys this, but our Rob got the Milwaukee Baby Chainsaw recently, which I promptly stole. That means, I have both the baby chainsaw and hedge trimmer. Now I just need a Milwaukee baby riding lawnmower. What’s the hold up Milwaukee! To get Rob’s insight into the true value of the new hedge trimmer, head over to ToolBoxBuzz.
Project Farm | Every Day Carry Knives
Back in February Todd over at Project Farm decided to test a large group of EDC or Every Day Carry knives, and the review was just as fun an informative as you’d expect, but if you read the comments, there were a lot of knives left out, and Todd eventually agreed.
THIS week he posted a part 2, adding a whole slew of new contenders from the likes of CRKT, Gerber, Leatherman, Kershaw, DeWALT Milwaukee, and more. The tests were the same this round, including sharpness, blade tip strength, lock strength and even lateral stability. And as an added bonus, Todd included a special knife that his friend has been using for nearly 70 years, something you really shouldn’t miss. You can find that story and of course the test results at Project Farm.
731 Woodworks | Production Crew Shelf Update
If you watched last week’s show, you know that Matt from 731 Woodworks is currently helping us pick out tools for our fourth and final giveaway shelf. Last week he came on the show and highlighted half of his choices, including a bunch of DeWALT power tools. Today he’s here to show us the rest of his choices. (You can find his segment in the middle of this week’s episode) Again, we sincerely appreciate you taking the time to share your own expertise and helping us pick a shelf. Guys, if you’re into tools, you should be watching 731 Woodworks, so do me a favor, and head over there after this, and thank Matt for helping us out this month. But not before giving this episode a thumbs up. It’s free, and Sarah appreciates it.
Machinery Nation | Batteries & Rapid Chargers
Machinery Nation is off to a really good start, this week testing a whole slew of battery chargers, and educating us at the same time with the help of James’ Twin Brother, James… or Norman. Or something like that.
James does indeed test a stump ton of battery chargers from Milwaukee, Stihl and EGO, and shows us exactly how much time you can save with the rapid versions. But before he does that, we get an in depth battery education from apparently James’ twin brother. And while he’s a little sus, I’ve decided instead to just be grateful that HIS twin just wears a cool hat… instead of going out of his way to look like Ted Lasso… like Rob’s Twin brother.. Chase. Fortunately I was on maternity leave the only time he visited our studio. Anyways, James and Norman both do a great job. If you’d like to know more about tool batteries, and the chargers that charge them best, visit Machinery Nation.
Doresoom Tool Reviews | EGO String Trimmer
Moving on. Our buddy Nate over at Doresoom Tool Reviews is back reviewing tools this week, just as he got his hands on one of EGOs latest innovations.
THIS is the EGO POWER+ Powerload with line IQ 56v 16in Telescopic cordless string trimmer. That’s the real name by the way. It comes with a 36” long business card for some reason. While the high-efficiency brushless motor, telescopic Carbon Fiber Shaft, and powerload self loading line tech is already enough to get my attention, it’s the eponymous Line IQ that is most deserving of attention. It’s an auto-sensing technology that monitors and feeds the length of the line, maintaining a continuous 16” cutting swath. Nate takes the time to show you how to assemble it, use the multiple speeds, and then puts+ the advanced string trimmer to work around his house. He noted that with even a smaller 4ah battery, he only used a single bar of power to finish his entire property. It wasn’t without its issues though, including a new style of safety switch that he found difficult to get used to, and a height bias that makes it less accommodating to shorter users. So does that make this a good choice for you? You can find out at Doresoom Tool Reviews.
Mark Thomas Builder | Milwaukee Mobile Workbench
There were two more videos I wanted to point out before we go, first our buddy Mark Thomas found one of Milwaukee’s new 52” High Capacity Mobile workbenches at Home Depot and decided to bring it home, and boy does it look nice.
Besides the fantastic build quality, and generous list of features including a built in power strip and USB chargers, it also has a work top with room underneath specifically enabling a bunch of different clamping options. Unfortunately Mark ruins the whole review with this…“D-Handle for life”… DISOWNED Mark.
Shop Tool Reviews | Milwaukee M18 Polisher
And last of all, Tim over at Shop Tool Reviews got a hold of one of Milwaukee’s new Polishers, and brought it to a pro shop in his area, Michael’s auto detailing, and let the guys there put the polisher to work, and the result was really informative.
These are Milwaukee’s first shot at a pro polisher, and after seeing the pro reactions, we’re convinced they’re on to something. They seemed to love the power, portability, and most significantly, the run time they were seeing on M18 batteries. If you work in the detailing world, or if you’re infected with a severe case of “buy it if it’s red”, you’ll want to stop over at Shop Tool Reviews.
Don’t Forget!
So are you guys ready to win a stump ton of new tools? We hope you join us tomorrow at 3pm EST for our monthly Production Crew Giveaway. Besides our big prize, we’ll also have a few giveaways we’ll be randomly awarding to people in the chat, so don’t miss it!
We want to thank FLEX and OPT for sponsoring this episode. Guys we couldn’t do this without you. Speaking of, the huge FLEX deal is still going on. You can save up to 30% for a limited time, just head over to OhioPowerTool.com for details. If you guys enjoyed this episode, I’d appreciate a thumbs up. If you love it, I sure hope you subscribe. Alright guys, if you can, do something kind for someone else this weekend, and we’ll see you tomorrow for our $2,000 production Crew Giveaway.
