Will this work or DESTROY your grass? Plus your power tool news! S3E18

Coming up next, The Essential Craftsman tries out a Hypoid saw, The building guru gets us all on the level, and no one asks Kenny to take off his Milwaukee clothes. But he does anyway. This is your Power tool week in review.

Brian starts us off today with a head 2 head between a pair of Flexvolt saws with one critical difference. Also, we’re going to ignore the hair. Blade Left, or Blade Right, that’s the question. One that’s been debated for long before I roamed the earth, and it will no doubt continue once I’m gone. But if you’re going to buy an overpowered Flexvolt 7 and ¼” circular saw, you’re going to have to make the choice. Now traditionally the rear handle Blade Left saw, based on a worm drive design, is going to have more torque, but thanks to the recent power upgrade found on the 578 Blade Right, the difference is smaller than ever. You should still watch the video, at WorkshopAddict on YouTube.

Are you a Mag 77 man considering a Makita Hypoid? The essential craftsman is back, this time reviewing the Makita Hypoid rear handle circular saw. The kind with a tail, and found a ton of great things to say about it. It has all the power, and heft you’d expect from a Hypoid or Worm Drive setup, and a bunch of great features that make it a valuable addition to a framer’s arsenal. The only complaint? “This thing has a look that says ‘I belong in a kitchen’” Anti-culinary comments aside, he concludes that while he’s not likely to change teams, either saw will do an admiral job. Then he makes the best point I’ve seen in a tool review video to date. “If you’re not doing good work with it, it’s not the saws fault”. You can find the video at Essential Craftsman on YouTube. 

Milwaukee announced a new addition to the Redlithium USB battery lineup, giving us the additional capacity we’ve wanted since day one. In May, Milwaukee Tool will launch a new REDLITHIUM® USB 3.0Ah Battery which will deliver up to 20% more capacity to Milwaukee’s USB Rechargeable solutions. We’ve been big fans of their Flashlights, headlamps and heated gloves for some time now. Our only complaint has been run time, which this new battery looks to address. If you’re a fan of their digital levels or job site lighting solutions, you can look for the new 3AH battery this month, at Ohio Power Tool.com

Do you know how to lock your keyless drill chuck? Did you even know this was a function? This week Kenny from Pro Tool Reviews taught us something about our own tools, that apparently very few people know. In an instructional video this week, Kenny taught us the difference between a non-locking, and a locking keyless chuck. The trick is to ratchet the chuck down, and then turn it back for a single “click” which is the sound of the lock engaging. I felt back for about 2 seconds, before reading the comments which overwhelmingly admitted to having no idea how their own tools work. RTFM my friends. Read the… Full Manual. That’s it. 

On a side note, Kenny also posted a Milwaukee Work-wear video where he progressively removes his clothing to show off each piece, but I stopped it early. I wasn’t about to see if he was wearing Milwaukee nipple tape. It’s up to you if you want to watch, at pro tool reviews on YouTube. 

In the past, when I wanted to check my level, I just, you know… didn’t. I never check my level. Maybe that’s why our set looks odd. Fortunately for us we have the building Guru, who shared a guide to checking your level, and keeping it on the level, among other assorted puns. And as it turns out, doing so is easy. To make sure your levels are, level, head over to the building guru on YouTube. 

Well I know my Dad watches, but that’s only because of our Construction Industry News, with the Construction Junkie. As the construction industry slows down due to the epidemic, so also does the construction news. So Shane decided he’d bribe us to stick around with some giveaways. Every day this week he’s offering a new prize pack, and all you need to do to win is to either subscribe to his newsletter, comment on his Facebook contest post, or comment on his Instagram post. Now by the time you watch this, the contests may be over, so hurry up. 

A quick stop at Instagram this week finds us with Nate from Built by N8, who is using an enormous M18 12AH battery to power his camera and keep his tripod steady. Why not.

Travis is threatening to use this 9” Saw Chain Grass Blade, which I actually want to try. I have a ton of oversized vines strangling my trees, and I be that would work… I’m just going to wait to see if Travis.. You know… lives. 

The OGPlumbGod is using a new Diablo blade specifically made for HVAC and Ductwork, to do some undersink demo. My wife won’t let me do undersink demo. I’ve tried. Maybe that blade will convince her.

And finally, Joe the most Canadian of Carpenters, shared a great tip for keeping your docs dry on the jobsite. 

Ohio Power Tool has a new list of tool promos this week, including $20 off $100 Select Makita orders, $20 off $100 Bosch Orders, And apparently there “Awesome new Milwaukee Promos” starting Monday, so be sure to keep and eye on their “specials” tab at Ohio Power Tool. com

Thank you Ohio Power Tool and Skilsaw for sponsoring the show. We couldn’t do this without you.

Our Latest Episode

Get This