THIS WEEK, we’ve got nibblers, a new Makita tool really sucks, a Nitrous boosted Impact Wrench and we figure out when tradesman day is. It’s today. WOOT! THIS is your power tool week in review.
Shop Tool Reviews | M12 FUEL Nibbler
Welcome back power tool fans, right now we need to head over to shop tool reviews where Tim took delivery of Milwaukee’s latest M12 tool.
THAT is the Milwaukee 2476 M12 FUEL Nibbler. The tiny terror can tackle 16ga Mild Steel, 18ga Stainless Steel and 12ga Aluminum, as it slowly bites it’s way through. As Tim points out, when you cut sheet metal with something like a circular saw or snips, you end up making tons of small sharp and jagged pieces of metal that like to cut you. And using an abrasive wheel tosses molten shrapnel burning everything it lands on. But the Milwaukee Nibbler includes a chip bag that catches all of the little pieces it bites off, making a cleaner, and safer workspace. Tim tested it on several different materials, making it look incredibly easy in the process. If you’ve got some sheet metal to cut, but you’re tired of the mess, head over to Shop Tool Reviews.
Torque Test Channel | Milwaukee M60
When the team at Torque Test Channel was just about to hit 100,000 subs about 6 months ago, they celebrated by converting a Milwaukee M18 FUEL ½” High Torque Impact wrench into a fossil fuelled bolt busting behemoth. And the torque Gods looked down upon their work, and said “This is good” and “Noice”. So now that they’re once again creeping up on a big sub milestone, they decided it was time to return to their unholy creation, and make it awesomer.
THAT is the Milwaukee M60, Stage 2, which included the addition of a larger carburetor, fancy HVAC straps, a billet aluminum velocity stack, and among other things, RACE GAS. Why? “And finally 7, Race Gas, because, Heck yeah!”. And the result are exactly as awesome as you’re already no doubt imagining. But wait, this isn’t even it’s final form. Before they put the beast back in it’s cage to wait for the next milestone, they decided to jump ahead to Stage 3, adding a nitrous kit. Before you even let set that sink in… head over to TTC to see just how crazy this thing gets.
Man Caver Tools | M12 Vs M18
On labor day last week, there were several great deals to be had, but one was leaving some people scratching their heads. Milwaukee offered a non-fuel, M18 compact brushless 2 tool combo kit for $229, and a newer M12 FUEL, 2 tool combo kit for the exact same price.
Dave decided to grab them both to see which kit is the better deal. The results were a lot more interesting than I expected. I’ll tell you this, of course, the M18, even the non-fuel version, is going to beat the M12 into the ground. And for the most part, it does. But the revealing part was just how much work it took to show off that power. Dave points out that while he can make a test that the M18 will win, it likely would not be a reasonable use for an impact, that the M12 can’t take on. But if the M18 is more powerful, and the same price, why not just buy that? Well, Dave has a pretty interesting reason for you. To find out what it is, head over to Man Caver Tools.
Tools & Stuff | Makita Vac
Tools And Stuff may not be an official Makita Rep, but he’s the only Makita person we can get to return our calls. Fortunately, he seems to know more about new Makita tools that Makita does, so we’re glad to have him. And this week he shows us just how much the XGT platform sucks.
And the answer is, a lot more than it did before! Thanks to this. The Makita 40V XGT 15L Dry Dust Extractor Vacuum, or 2.1 Gallon if you’re no longer under the thumb of the royals. I’m just kidding. We’re idiots for not using metric, but I digress. The GCV02ZU boasts 148 CFM, and 92 inches of water lift. The AWS system uses bluetooth to wirelessly power on or off, and it holds 2 batteries for extended run times, as it only uses one at a time. It also has an automatic self cleaning system.
Tools takes his time reviewing all of the included accessories and then starts to test its power by picking up chunks of rebar, and even a 16mm thick piece of threaded rod. Not bad at all. Of course he uses it with several other tools, before deciding… “So what do I think…… real good.” Guys, I’ve said this before, each channel gets to make the “this vac sucks” joke once a year. I just used up mine in the introduction of this segment. Tools, you’re done man. For the full review, head over to Tools And Stuff.
Promo of the Week | Ohio Power Tool
Moving on to our tool deals of the week, starting with FLEX, where you can save more, the more you buy. Get $30 off of a $300 FLEX purchase, $80 off of $400, or $150 off $500. That promo starts today!
For our Milwaukee Fans, you can get a free M18 XC5.0 battery with the purchase of select Milwaukee M18 bare tools or kits, which is the latest addition to Milwaukee’s Free Battery promotion going on now, that has options for everything from a CP2.0, all the way up to their 12ah. Fortunately, our friends at Ohio Power Tool have organized them all on a single page, which we’ll link to in the description.
Happy Tradesman Day!
Not a tradesman… but, I have several hundred thousand tradesman friends. So how do we celebrate? Besides the traditional handing out of the crisp high five you can also ask your foreman for the day off. That’s right, because national tradesman day was created by IRWIN, 11 years ago to celebrate the work, and work ethic of the American Tradesman. And while WE and Irwin are proud of you for keeping America Running and strong, 365 days a year…Your boss may not choose to observe the holiday like we do. So even if you have to work, look to the tradesman beside you, and offer a crisp Tradesman Day high five, and know that we appreciate what you do.
I want to thank EGO and Spyder for sponsoring this episode, guys we couldn’t do it without you. If you can, do something kind for someone else this week, and we will see you next week.
