Welcome back to the Power Tool Week in Review! We’ve got new content from a ton of our favorites today including Adam Savage, Murray from Kruger Construction, The Perkins Builder Brothers and of course, Richard from Finish Carpentry TV! All of that and more!
No time for that! Let’s start with Richard, who surprised us this week, buy showing up to the Jobsite with an older Festool Kapex instead of a DeWALKEE. He said he wanted to try something different, and found it to be an excellent tool, with only one deal breaker. It’s the vertical handle which forces your wrist to bend the wrong way. It’s the same handle found on the new Kapex… for some reason. I can attest from experience, it is just as painful and annoying as it sounds. Richard ultimately gave the saw back, but we’re not sure if it was because it wasn’t the best saw, or because he wanted to sell his upcoming DeWALKEE Tshirts.
The guys from Perkins Builder Brothers decided to try out a new 6 G Laser Level System from PLS. The 6 G appears to have all the features we’ve become accustomed to seeing from PLS, working as a plumb, level and square all in one tool. The rechargeable battery pack is new, and a welcome addition! It’s a class 2 green laser, with a range of 100ft, and it includes a floor stand, magnetic I bracket and UB9 wall and ceiling. After spending the day putting the laser to use on the Jobsite, I think they liked it. Glad they cleared that up! You can watch the entire review at Perkins Builder Brothers on YouTube.
The Tools in Action duo are at it again this week. This time, fawning over a new battery powered pressure washer from Greenworks. The Greenworks Pro 2300 PSI Brushless Pressure Washer is powerful, quiet and aimed directly at the pro and prosumer. The guys are quick to point out that they were once part of the “Never Electric Pressure Washer” group, but after trying it out on concrete and their trucks, this Greenworks is yet another electric tool to change their minds. Good job indeed. The boys want your opinion in their comments. Are you finally sold on electric, or will you use gas until you die. Sound off for yourself at tools in action on YouTube.
Stan posted a nother “crazy tool” listical this week. But I have no idea what the other 4 tools are, because I couldn’t stop watching this guy use his button kap tool with the intensity of a man who REALLY needs to make a sale. I’m sure the other 4 tools are just as cool. Stan’s good at finding them. You can watch for yourself at Stanley “Dirt Monkey” Genadek on YouTube.
Every week we tag along with Vince to Home Depot and Lowes as he curates their collection of tool deals. But Walmart? This week he found himself in the Big W and ran across a blade sharpening kit for only 20 bucks, and wanted to know if it would actually work on his EDC blades. I’ll go ahead and spoil it for you, and say “yes, it works great”. But unfortunately you have to drag your blade against these stones 900 times, and Vince showed us the whole process. That goes on for 19 hours. Okay, well it feels like it does. Anyways, if you have a knife, and want to sharpen it on the cheap, head over to VCG Construction on YouTube.
You are such a drama lama. One of my all time favorite makers, MR. Adam Savage, often post videos reviewing his favorite tools. This week, his current favorite is not what I expected. That is a Pica Marker, not to be confused with a Pica Chew. Adam was recently introduced to these permanent markers by a friend, and instantly fell in love with their smooth consistent delivery, and most of all, their ultra skinny format that makes them ideal for transferring patterns, even in small openings. As awesome as they are, they’re not cheap. That’s why I’m going to make Rob buy them for me. If you want to learn more, you can visit Adam Savage’s Tested on YouTube, and if you want one for yourself, just ask Rob in the comments below.
It’s time for Construction Industry News, with Construction Junkie. First up, OSHA, is raising the costs of its’ fines! But don’t panic. This is normal… now. From 1990 to 2016 OSHA citation penalty amounts remained the same. In 2016, they increased by 78%, accounting for 27 years of inflation. And then starting in 2017, OSHA began making yearly increases based on inflation. This year? 1.78%. That’ll get you to wear your PPE.
If you’re a football fan, you’re already aware that the raider nation is “reluctantly” moving to Las Vegas. To accommodate them, a new stadium is under construction, and to give all of us an inside look, they decided to produce a multi part video series featuring the design and construction process. The show is called From the Ground up, and it’s narrated by Mike Rowe. This week, episode 9 was released, which focuses on jobsite communication. The video production is fantastic, and Mr. Rowe, as always, is an excellent story teller. You can find all 9 episodes, and all the rest of your construction industry news, at construction junkie dot com.
Special thanks to our show sponsors Ohio Power Tool and Skilsaw!
