This week, we find out which of these Hammer Drills is the KING, Todd decimates a group of oscillating tools in the name of science. Mark turns his Ridgid vac into a cyclonic beast! And we finally show you the $2,000 worth of Milwaukee tools for our giveaway! THIS is your power Tool Week In Review.
Welcome back Power tool fans we are officially ONE… DAY… from choosing our winner, and I can’t wait to show you what we have on the Milwaukee shelf, but that’s later, because we found tool videos you won’t want to miss starting off with my favorite Australians.
Oz Tool Talk | Testing all of the Hammer Drills
Mike and Dwain gathered a whole heap of 18V Hammer Drills and proceeded to beat the crap out of them to figure out which one is the best. They have samples from AEG (Or Ridgid here in the states), Bosch, DeWALT, Festool, Hilti, Hikoki (or Metabo HPT), Makita, Metabo and Milwaukee. While they deliver on the typical power and runtime testing, they went out of their way to focus on the ergonomics, safety, and feel as well. But when it came to the final scores, the big winners were not from the traditional “big 5”, but from Metabo, and Hilti. And no, that’s not even one of the new Nuron models from Hilti. But as they point out, there’s a pretty narrow margin between number 1, and number 7. All of these tools were strong contenders. Personally, I don’t care who wins, as long as I get the awesome grid views the Oz Tool Talk testers are known for. Head over and watch their videos to see who turned out to be tops, vs the flops.
Tools & Stuff | Makita 40V XGT 6″ Grinder
As long as we’re on that side of the planet, we might as well head SOUTH… that’s right. I learned which direction New Zealand was from Australia. To see what Makita has brewing in the southern hemisphere, and we were not disappointed. Tools and Stuff brought out the all new 40V XGT 6” Angle Grinder.
Now before you say, “Isn’t that the 5”?” It’s not. It just happens to look exactly… the same. With the same body, same handle, even the blade guards are interchangeable. Which lead tools to ask… are these grinders the exact same tool with a different guard? So, he sets out to determine if there’s more power in the 6” and started with some steel grinding. But when he went to run some cutting tests, he asked me this. “Have you ever tried to find a 6” or 150mm cutoff disc in New Zealand?” …. No Tools. I’m not from there. Why would he think I’ve been shopping in New Zealand? So, after a bunch of testing, he’s literally left deciding that there’s zero difference between them, which seems a little nutty to me. If they’re really the same tool with a different guard, why not just include both guards on one tool? Super weird. If you think you can figure out the difference, head over to tools and stuff.
Project Farm | Multi Tool Show Down
Todd is back to testing power tools again this week, this time taking on multi tools, pointing out from the very beginning, that like the rest of us, he didn’t even know he needed a multi tool until he had one. His lineup includes FLEX, Milwaukee, DeWALT and even an appearance by RIDGID and HART, bringing the TTI total to 3. But somehow Fein didn’t make the cut! The very company that created the multitool. Putting that aside, this video is predictably full of ingenious jigs, and rigorous testing. This time Todd even took time to compare the ergonomics, noting how easy they were to hold, which is much appreciated. For the full review, and to see if FLEX beat Milwaukee, head over to Project Farm.
Last Best Tool | KNIPEX Electricians Folding Knife
It’s been a few weeks since we caught up with Last Best Tool, and his video this week caught my attention, because he was featuring a knife from Knipex I hadn’t seen before, and as it turns out, there’s a good reason I haven’t.
Doc was thrown for a loop by this guy. It’s called an Electrician’s Folding Knife. But there were several unusal attributes he didn’t particularly like. The handle felt slick, the blade doesn’t lock open, and he felt like the way the knife can be used to cut wire, could also easily cut a finger. Not great. But as he said himself “This is just my opinion based on my lifetime of NOT being an electrician.” He invited electricians to leave a comment, and that turned out to be the real feature of his video. The comments are flooded with fascinating and useful information from electricians from all over the world. As it turns out, the design of this knife is very common across the pond, and the reasons for it go far beyond ergonomics, and even dabble in a bit of regional regulations that are pretty fascinating. So if you head over to the Last Best Tool, I highly suggest you watch the full video first, and then head into the comments for part two.
Man Caver Tools | Ryobi Link Toolboxes
Our buddy Dave over at Man Caver Tools has been struggling through a bout with COVID for the last few weeks, but not even COVID could keep him from testing the new Ryobi Link toolboxes.
Now you might remember that Dave doesn’t have a great history with this new line of Ryobi innovations. First of all, he tried the garage wall storage system, and was convinced it was effective, but just way overpriced, so he returned it. And even before that, he shared in another video that after a video call with the Ryobi team, where they first showed him these toolboxes, they refused to jump up and down on them after he asked. For the record, no manufacturer is going to misuse their own tools, as that could lead to a LOT of legal issues, but Dave was left skeptical. So, what did this guy do the moment he got them home? Yup. He jumped up and down on them, and they held up great! I can’t say the same for Dave, who was really struggling to keep his breath, since he’s still recovering from his illness. THAT is dedication people. In the end, Dave was obviously thrilled with Ryobi’s first shot at a modular tool storage system, and hopefully he’s now getting some sleep. Feel better bud!
Mark Thomas Builder | Mullet M5 Cyclone
Ok one more stop and then Sarah’s going to show you the Milwaukee Shelf. Hang in there Bryce. You’ve come this far buddy!
Mr. Thomas the Builder just finished an entirely new set for his tool review youtube channel, and he decided to break it in with an unusual tool accessory that we’ve yet to try. THAT is the Mullet M5 Cyclone Dust Separator. Now we’ve seen several inexpensive solutions for adding a cyclone to your shop vac. And this one, well it certainly isn’t cheap, but it quickly becomes apparent why. The M5 is built from the ground up to become a semi permanent addition to your shop vac, with a fairly ingenious setup that includes cutting that pipe to exactly fit the dimensions of your vac. If you’re not familiar, a cyclone works like a centrifuge, giving the dust and debris a chance to fall into a separate chamber, before it even gets to your vac. Why is that so useful? Well because it keeps most of the junk out of your filter, which keeps your vac working at 100% power right up until you empty the cyclone. And this one does the job very well. Mark gives us a good look from the inside, where you can see the dust spinning around in the cyclone until it falls into the bin. And after an afternoon of making dust, Mark shows us the inside of his vac, and sure enough, there’s just about nothing in it. And while this solution is a bit more expensive, it seems far better built than something like a dust deputy, and Mark expects it to last a very long time. If you head over to watch his video, be sure to tell him what you think of his new set as well.
Production Crew | Milwaukee Shelf
Alright it’s time! If you’re new here, we have a channel member program called Production Crew, that give you the chance to join Sarah and I live every week and help us choose which videos and news we’ll feature here on the show. And starting this month, we’re going to be giving away $2,000 worth of brand-new power tools to a random member! They’ll get to pick from one of 4 shelves, each loaded up with new tools from DeWALT, Makita, FLEX, and now, Milwaukee. We’re going to be revealing our winner and letting them choose their shelf live right here on Belts and Boxes at 3pm EST, tomorrow January the 29th. So now, Sarah is going to show you, exactly what we’ve added to the Milwaukee shelf.
I know you guys are as excited about this shelf as I am, so let’s dive into the main course.
THIS is the Milwaukee M18 FUEL 5 Tool Combo Kit. This includes all the basics you’ll need including the 2804 M18 FUEL ½” Hammer Drill, the 2853 M18 FUEL ¼” Hex Impact Driver, the 2821 M18 FUEL Sawzall, the M18 FUEL 6 ½” Circular Saw, and the 2735 M18 Work Light. The kit also includes 2 Redlithium XC5.0 batteries, and a mulltivolt charger. The kit comes in at $799 bucks. But there’s no way you’ll be happy with just the basics, right? Nope, you’ll also be getting the 2836 M18 FUEL Oscillating Multi-Tool for $219, the 2723 M18 FUEL compact router, a personal favorite of mine, for $199, and of course, the 2737 M18 FUEL Barrel Grip Jigsaw at $199, a personal favorite of Robs. But of course, we couldn’t do a Milwaukee shelf without adding some Packout, so we picked the three PACKOUT sets that include tools of course! We have the 100-piece PACKOUT Shockwave Driver Bit Set for $49. The 10-piece hole dozer PACKOUT for $139, and the insane 106-piece ¼” and ⅜” drive standard AND metric ratchet and socket set, which clocks in at a hefty $309. Of course, what good are pro level tools without pro level accessories. Fortunately, Spyder, our Production Crew Sponsor, has included their Spyder Framing Tarantula 6 ½” blade, a 10-piece Spyder Mach Blue drill bit set, and a few 3×3 Advanced Demolition Blades. Bringing the grand total to $2,165.95. Not bad at all.
Giveaway Announcement | Saturday January 29th at 3PM EST
Tomorrow is the BIG DAY! At 3pm EST, Sarah and I will go live, and our winner will get to pick any of the 4 shelves for themselves and take it home. This is going to be so much fun.
If you liked the show, please give it a thumbs up, and if you loved it, we hope you subscribe. I want to thank SKIL for sponsoring this episode, guys we couldn’t do it without you. We also want to thank Nick Offerman for watching the show. Remember guys, if you can, do something kind for someone else this weekend, and we’ll see you tomorrow at 3pm for our $2,000 power tool giveaway. See you then!
