THIS WEEK, we’ve got Staple guns, Gen 3 impacts, A tiny inflator, Stack Pack bashing, and harbor freight with an actual warranty! This is your power tool week in review.
Welcome back Power Tool Fans, our first stop this week is with Tim Johnson over at Shop Tool Reviews, who clearly took apart the remote as a kid, and just can’t seem to stop.
Shop Tool Reviews | 12V Impact Tear Down
This week he grabbed two of his favorite 12V impacts, the DCF901, and the 2555 from Milwaukee, and meticulously dismantled each one, for educational purposes of course. At first glance he immediately points out the improved components in the DeWALT, primarily because the DeWALT is only a year old at this point, while the 2555 is much older. There’s a lot to learn from the insides of a tool, and Tim does a great job of pointing out things you should know when choosing between the two, but perhaps the most impressive part, was that they both worked when he put them back together. You can watch the full tear down at Shop Tool Reviews.
Torque Test Channel | Harbor Freights with a 5yr Warranty
Last week Jim from Philly Fixed tricked us into enjoying a review of a pair of Harbor Freight tools. And when he was done, he sent them to TTC, who wanted to see if they were a tough as Jim thought.
And as painful as it is to admit, the numbers on these new Hercules Impact Wrenches were absolutely fantastic. They clearly have their sights squarely fixed on popular tools from Milwaukee and DeWALT, and right out of the gate, they stand up just fine. But we’ve seen this before from Harbor Freight tools. They often run great.. For 30 minutes. And their 90 day warranty typically reflects our expectations. But that might be the biggest news. These impact wrenches now have a 5 year warranty. 5 years. And upon further inspection, it looks like ALL Hercules 20V Brushless tools purchased after 8/19/22, now carry a 5 year warranty. As much as it pains me to say it, I’m gonna have to take a longer look at Harbor Freight. Maybe you should to. You could start over at Torque Test channel.
Man Caver Tools | Milwaukee Gen 3
Some people would say that Dave over at Man Caver Tools has too many impacts. But those people don’t know how to tools. And this week, He decided to do a generational test, grabbing three Milwaukee M12 Impacts, and determining if it’s worth an upgrade to the new Gen 3.
For his test he’s got the 2460, 2553, and the new 3453 Gen 3, with those fancy 3 leds. He proceeds to force these tiny impacts to do some pretty big jobs as you’d expect, and while the results shouldn’t shock anyone, as Milwaukee does indeed know how to improve a tool, it’s the detailed results that tell a pretty remarkable story. The Gen 3 may see marginal gains over the Gen 2 at times, but it’s often light years better than the first gen. At one point while driving ⅜” lags, it’s almost twice as fast as the Gen 2, and over 7 times faster than Gen 1. If you use a lot of new tools each year, they start to all feel the same, so it’s pretty cool to see just how far they’ve really come. The full test is over at Man Caver Tools.
Philly Fixed | Tiny Inflator
I previously mentioned that last week Jim Davis tricked me into watching tool reviews I didn’t want to. So when he reviewed a no name tiny inflator this week, I figured, why not.
And I’m glad I did. I’ve recently seen ads pop up for a few variations on this concept. Each one a tiny black box you’re expected to keep in your vehicle, and when you need it, use it to inflate a few tires in a pinch. I’m not even going to try and pronounce the name of this brand, but for what it’s worth, the little box worked. It isn’t fast, but it was effective, includes an auto shut off which is nice, and the price sure is right. I can’t say I’ve really ever felt like I need one of these, since a gas station is always close, and in my area they all offer free air. But I do keep a HART 20V inflator in my truck that I use for our mountain bikes pretty often, and I bet this would be perfect for that. If you think you could use a little air in your life, and want to know how to pronounce the brand name, head over to Philly Fixed.
Belts And Boxes | FLEX STACK PACK
In case you missed it, FLEX finally revealed their full STACK PACK line of modular tool storage solutions, and to prove just how tough they are, I dropped a 16lb sledgehammer on them. And a few other boxes for fun.
The new Storage system is making a lot of noise online, due primarily to it’s insane set of accessories that make it the most customizable storage system right out of the box. That includes their clever new Stack Pack cases for accessory management, and belts system that allows you to use the stack as a mobile work station while on the job. But of course our first question was if the cases were as tough as FLEX claims, so to test that, Rob and I rigged up a system to drop my favorite sledgehammer on it, and it held up incredibly well. Can NOT say the same for our packout, or DeWALT ToughSystem 2. You can find all the details, both informational and gory, right here on Belts And Boxes.
Tool Deal of the Week
It’s time for our Power Tool Deal of the Week. Except we have 3. You can complain about that in the comments.
First up Makita is offering their very first free battery promo on their new XGT tools. Specifically, you can get a free 4.0ah battery with a specific kit purchase, or even 2 free batteries depending on which kit you choose. Ohio Power Tool has all of them organized onto one page to make it easy to make your choice.
Our next deal also includes free batteries, this time Milwaukee is offering them with a whole selection of kits and bare tools, running from CP2.0 all the way up to free HD 12.0 batteries. Once again, they’re all organized on one page so you can find the tool you need.
Last of all, Diablo now has their popular 7 ¼” 24 Tooth Carbide Framing blades in a two pack for only $13.99. You can get all of these deals right now over at Ohio Power Tool, and we’ll link to each one in the description.
Machinery Nation | M18 FUEL Utility Fencing Stapler
In June of this year, Milwaukee launched the new M18 FUEL Utility Fencing Stapler to the delight of cowboys all over the world. That includes James from Machinery Nation, who figures he’s just enough cowboy for the job.
As he quickly points out, James is not a proper cowboy, so he brought a pro fencer with him, to see if the new battery powered Milwaukee could take on a STOCKade ST400 Fencing stapler that utilizes a battery, and a gas fuel cell. And it becomes pretty apparent up front, that James needs more than the right tool for the job, he’s also gonna need to learn to hit the wire. Which he does. In the end, his pro buddy was pretty impressed by the Milwaukee, and felt it did just as well as the Stockade. It was a bit heavier, but also a bit smaller, and his only question now is how it will hold up over time. And of course let’s be honest, even if you don’t need a fence stapler, you’re going to watch this video because James is hilarious. You can see for yourself at Machinery Nation.
Production Crew Giveaway
It’s just about time for us to giveaway another $2,000 in power tools in our monthly Production Crew contest. Unfortunately, Rob will be out of town Saturday, so we’re going to move it by one week to September 3rd. So be sure to mark your calendar.
We 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 weekend. And we’ll see you next week.
