Let us pretend that you have just survived a natural disaster but you can no longer use your house the way you used it just a few days before. The power is out, you have no running water, and you have no heating. This sounds a lot like what has happened, and is still happening, on the East Coast. For these reasons and more, it is a good idea to have a small tool kit that you can use to help you survive until you can rebuild.

12-volt tools are quickly becoming just as powerful as the 18v tools of just a couple of years ago and might soon eliminate the need for the extra voltage. Just as 12v tools are replacing the need for 18v tools, it looks like Milwaukee could be set on making 4v tools the new compact king, and their new M4 screwdriver is just the start.

It is never too early to start shopping for Christmas or to at least start planning for your Christmas shopping. To help you plan your shopping Lowe’s has pre-announced a few of their Black Friday deals, and if you are ready to start shopping now, Lowe’s has a number of tools already marked down. Some of these are really good deals that are much lower than what Amazon is selling them at, including the tools that are on sale right now.

Back when Makita first announced their 36V rotary hammer 3 years ago I wondered why they just didn't make the tool run on two 18v batteries. I am sure they had their reasons, and maybe they expected to have more 36v tools out by now, but the 18v line is super popular and it just makes sense to have a tool that runs on the most popular battery.