THIS WEEK, Tim puts whatever the heck this thing is to the test, The Tool Box Buzz team puts the Milwaukee Mower in the deep stuff, TTC finally gets their hands on an actual Nascar pit gun, and we have a special guest who’s filling our next Giveaway shelf, with over $2,200 dollars’ worth of his favorite power tools. THIS is your Power Tool Week In Review!
Torque Test Channel | Ingersol Rand NASCAR Gun
Welcome back power tools fans. The boys over at Torque Test channel have been pining over a true NASCAR Pit Gun, and this week they finally got their wish.
THIS is an Honest-to-God Ingersoll Rand Thunder Gun. The now retired pit gun of NASCAR. For the 2022 season, NASCAR has left behind the traditional 5 lug steel wheels in favor of a new single lug Aluminum version. That left the legendary Thunder Gun without a purpose or a home. Fortunately, one of the final models was loaned to our friends at TTC who promptly put it to work on their dyno. The goal? Find out how this legendary weapon stands up against the standard daily tools of us mere-mortals. The first step was to open it up, and carefully explain to us why this pro version is designed completely different, obviously to prepare it for doing a very specific job, and at a very fast speed. This difference leads to some really interesting tests, and a lot of technical insight into a very special tool, the rest of us can’t have. You’ll find the results on Torque Test Channel.
Shop Tool Reviews | Hytorc Beast
As long as we’re talking about insane torque guns, Tim got his hand on a Hytorc Lithium II Torque Gun, claiming a staggering 3,000 ft lbs.
But this isn’t an impact gun. This is a special tool designed to accurately tighten bolts to very HIGH, very specific torque specifications. Tim actually uses guns like these to tighten bolts on his test bench, for testing impacts. And after watching the video, it’s obvious that Tim is a big fan of this brand, and this tool. Besides it’s unique mechanical design, it has a surprisingly detailed led screen on the back, and even comes bundled with a manual that Tim loved so much, he actually read it. Because it doesn’t use an impact hammer, it includes a reaction arm, which is that crazy chrome thing hanging off the front. This tool is packed with really interesting features, and Tim takes his time walking you through each one. You’ll find it over at Shop Tool Reviews.
Last Best Tool | Milwaukee Combination Wrenches
Our obsession with power tools often makes us overlook hand tools which happen to be incredibly important to many trades people. Fortunately for us Doc over at Last Best Tool is determined to keep us informed.
This week he highlighted some of Milwaukee’s Combination Wrenches. And yes, “they really do feel good in the hand” which is important of course, but even more important are the many differences between these, and a whole slew of other wrenches Doc brought for comparison. There’s weight, finish, and even the minor changes to the shape of the jaws that make a huge difference. Meaning that while someday you may hand down your Milwaukee to your grandkid, the others you’ll likely toss out. If you’re ready to invest in some higher quality hand tools from Milwaukee, our friends over at ACME Tools are currently running a promotion that will save you 20% off select Milwaukee kits, when you buy your new set of Combination Wrenches. Can’t afford NOT to save that money. But if you still need to be convinced, first, head over to Last Best tool.
Tool Box Buzz | Milwaukee M18 Mower
You remember that Milwaukee M18 Mower that was finally announced? The one everyone has been running in the snow?
Well the team at Tool Box Buzz is spread all over the country, and a few of their guys live in the few remaining places with grass. So they finally put it to use mowing some really tall brush. And as you can see, it didn’t seem to mind at all. This mower has been a strong point of contention between many of our viewers, due to its limited runtime and high price. But the TBB boys make a good case for this pro tool, being favored by the pros. It’s also nice to see the new mower, actually mow grass. You can find the full review at Tool Box Buzz.
NEW Giveaway Shelf! Ft. Rob Robillard
And speaking of Tool Box Buzz, we have a special guest with us today. As many of you know, a couple of weeks ago, we went live and let one of our channel members choose one of 4 shelves, each one filled with $2,000 worth of brand new power tools. Which means we have an empty shelf, and we can’t have that. So instead of picking out the tools ourselves, we thought we’d ask some of our favorite YouTube tradespeople to fill them with their own favorite tools. And our first guest, is Mr. Rob Robillard.
We gave Rob a budget of $2,000, -ish, to pick out his favorite tools. We asked him to pick tools he chooses to put to work every week on the jobsite. We’re having him unveil a few tools each week until our second live giveaway, on Saturday the 26th, in just 2 weeks.
So we had to order a few of the smaller things from odd places, and they’re still on the way, but we were able to get the Milwaukee M18 FUEL 3 piece combo kit for $549, The Milwaukee power planer for $229. And the rest of this week’s tools are on their way here. So the shelf value so far, is already over $800.
I think you guys are gonna love the rest of Rob’s shelf. Of course, If you’re going to win these pro tools, you’ll need pro accessories to use them to their full potential. Fortunately for us, Spyder, the official sponsor of the Production Crew, will be providing all the blades and bits we need for Rob’s Shelf. We’ll start adding those next week. Remember to tune in every Friday as we add more tools, and if you want a chance to choose a shelf for yourself in future giveaways, be sure to check out our channel membership program, the Production Crew. We’ll put a link to it in the description.
Komplete Tech Crew | Milwaukee Work belt
Speaking of the Production Crew, one of our members named IRACKLY, pointed us to a channel that’s new to us, called Komplete Tech Crew.
While we don’t know his name yet, this guy i s is a professional electrician, who started sharing detailed reviews of his tools this last year. And this week, he shared a 10 minute video, just about Milwaukee’s Work Belt specifically for Electricians. And he uses those 10 minutes to give us a more thorough review of a tool belt then, frankly, I even thought possible. He details all of the various pockets and features, and then talks about how he, specifically uses each one to get the job done. He’s got many other great videos on his channel, so even if you’re not an electrician, but simply love tools, I suggest you check him out at Komplete Tech Crew.
Man Caver Tools | HILTI Nuron
It’s February 11th, and we’re still a month away from finally seeing Hilti’s new Nuron platform hit the shelves, but that hasn’t made it any easier to wait.
Over the last few weeks, Dave over at Man Caver tools has been slowly publishing more and more videos from his visit to Hilti last October, to hold us all over until they arrive. This week in part 5 of his series, he focuses on the new Nuron saws. That includes their new reciprocating, circular, and jig saws. The highlights includes Hiliti’s first one-handed recip saw, and of course, some sweet footage of their fantastic new barrel grip. Dave said there’s still one more video coming out highlighting more Nuron goodness, so be sure to subscribe at Man Caver Tools.
Pro Tool Reviews | HART Wrench and Sockets
This next story includes HART, which full disclosure, they sponsor our other channel, Maker Break, where Rob and I use their tools to build DIY projects every week. So right up front, yeah, we’re SUPER bias. LOVE HART and love using their tools.
So when PTR decided to show off their 275 piece wrench and socket set, we were left wondering? What gives HART? Our wrench and socket set only came with 215 pieces. PTR walks you through every drawer of this awesome set, highlighting the three 90 tooth wrenches including a ¼”, ⅜” and ½” sizes. The sockets include both 6- and 12-point designs, and there’s even a full set of impact sockets as well. You’ll also find a collection of allen wrenches, combination wrenches, and even spark plug sockets. There are several other surprises in that case, primarily 60 more toys then we got in ours. You can see all the goodies you’ll get at Pro Tool Reviews.
Jonathan Katz-Moses | Top 6 Blades
Recently, Jonathan Katz-Moses has been obsessed with slow-motion video, going so far as to repeatedly renting phantom cameras, in a quest to give us all a better look at what really happens when we power up our power tools.
And this week, he gathered 6 different style of table saw blades from CMT, and created an absolutely brilliant guide. Using that Phantom 7510 to it’s full potential, Jonathan gives us an all new look at each blade in action, and helps us all understand exactly how they work, and why specific blade designs are better for specific cutting tasks. There’s a whole series of slow-motion videos over on his channel now, and each one is worth a watch.
We Need YOUR HELP!
We have one really important thing to talk about before we go. Our Production Crew is committed to promoting the trades. We’ve set aside a minimum of $1,000 per month to help, and after talking to our members, they have almost unanimously agreed that the High School Shop Class, is a critical part of the trades, and place we’d all like to help. But we need your help first. We’ve setup a special email address, [email protected]. If you’re a shop class teacher, Or a high school administrator, Or a parent with a kid in shop class…And you can tell us about a class that could use a few tools, or financial help, we’d like to hear about it. So please drop us an email with your recommendation, and contact information for the class teacher, and we’ll take it from there.
I want to thank FLEX, and Ohio Power tool for sponsoring this episode. Guys, we couldn’t do it without you. If you liked today’s show, we could really use a thumbs up, and if you love it, we hope you subscribe. If you can, do something kind for someone else this weekend, and we’ll see you next week.
