This week Milwaukee Surprises us all with a brand new blade, OSHA tackles music on the jobsite and for some reason…Corded Tools. All of those stories and more coming up next on the Power Tool Week In Review.
This week we wanted to start off with something big, and thanks to Keefer, the Toolaholic we can. He went to the Landscape Ontario Show where he caught up with JBC to see the latest in heavy equipment. This is the world’s smallest track backhoe loader. It’s got 4 hydraulic brakes, a lift capacity of 2,200 pounds, and according to the demo guy, you can just “Slide your hoe in the back”. That seems…convenient. Truth be told, I don’t know what any of that means. Yet I couldn’t stop watching Keefer get all pumped up by this thing, so I am betting it’s a pretty big deal. If you’re interested in the latest backhoe tech or really into bright blue pants, head over to Toolaholic on YouTube.
If you missed Rob’s breaking news earlier this week you may not know that Milwaukee surprised us by announcing a new addition to the Torch line of recip blades called the Nitrus Carbide for Cast Iron. With a claimed 3x longer life over standard carbide blades, this 7tpi next generation of carbide teeth technology, promises to outperform competitors in common metal applications without sacrificing the life of the blade. Rob Robillard over at Tool Box Buzz got an early example of the blade and tested it against a Diable Amped Recib Blade. To see how that turned out, go check out Tool Box Buzz on YouTube.
About 6 months ago, Andrew and the kite army decided they wanted to test all of the battery-powered blowers on the market, and they did. Surprising no one, the EGO took all the other blowers outback and well, blew them away. EGO apparently decided that being number one was merely plebeian, and aimed even higher with an even more powerful blower. Andrew showed off the all-new EGO 650 CFM model and he was impressed. So if you need to have the biggest, baddest and cutest blower on the bloc head over to Kite Army on YouTube.
It’s been a while since we checked in with our buddy Austin and it looks like he’s been busy cutting drywall. Thankfully he got his hands on the Makita drywall saw, and decided to give it a review. Austin loved how easy it was to make cuts with almost zero risk of cutting anything behind the drywall. He also noted how nearly dustless the saw operates when pairs with a vac, however, ” I am not going to say dustless because it’s drywall and drywall ALWAYS makes a mess”. To learn more about Makita’s drywall saw, visit Tools At Work on YouTube.
If you’re not familiar with Stan the Dirt Monkey, you should be. Unlike most tool reviewers we follow here on the Week In Review, Stans format is founded on trade education. Specifically, landscaping, construction and snow removal. Example. This week he posted a 20-minute long video teaching you how to properly plow snow with a skid loader. The guy is using toy cars and Duplo blocks to help explain the proper way to handle different parking lots. Think about that. This guy is freely giving away trade secrets to his peers. We need more Dirt Monkeys. Best of all, even if you don’t own a skid loader, he’s always fun to watch, and you’d definitely learn something. Head over to Stanley “Dirt Monkey” Genadek on YouTube.
Pro tool review guys are out of control! This week they posted a Head 2 Head, as they tend to do, this time to determine the best-corded recip saw. They tested 44 saws. What are we going to do with these guys? 44 is too many! But hey, if you find yourself struggling to choose which corded recip saw you want, you really have no choice but to visit Pro Tool Reviews on Youtube.
It’s that time again, for Construction Industry news, from THE construction Junkie. Let me ask you a question. Do you use headphones on construction sites? As it turns out OSHA has been less than direct on their view of headphones. Some job sites allow them, some don’t. If you bring up the subject of music on a construction site, you’re likely to get mixed reactions. In a recent “standard interpretation” letter, OSHA has finally clarified its stance on this technology. They noted that they do NOT strictly prohibit the use of headphones through regulation, but do caution that their use may possibly create or augment other hazards. If you can’t hear someone yelling “Don’t fall in that pit”… well, that’s bad. They claim that employers have a responsibility to limit the use of headphones IF they can put you in danger.
I realize that many of you can easily work on the jobsite without music if needed, but coffee? That’s an inalienable right fought for by the founding fathers in world war 1! Fortunately for you, the patriots over at OXX Coffee have built a coffee maker specifically for the rigors and rough environment of the jobsite, and this week Construction Junkie is giving one away to one lucky winner! You have until the 22nd to exercise your 34th amendment rights and get entered. And for the rest of your industry news, head over to Construction Junkie.com
Special thanks to our show sponsors Ohio Power Tool and EGO!
