Thought NiCad was dead? Guess again. We knew DeWalt planned to support their 18-volt line for years down the road, but I just assumed that meant their 18-volt lithium-ion line. It turns out that is not the case at all, because DeWalt has just announced the new DW059HK-2 1/2-inch Impact Wrench that uses good old 18-volt NiCad technology. This should be good news for people with a stock of 18-volt DW batteries, and don't feel it is time to upgrade.

"The DW059HK-2 complements the other tools in our 18 volt system and further demonstrates our commitment to providing contractors with products that meet the demands of professional jobsites," said Jeremy Torok, senior product manager, DEWALT. "While we are constantly looking to maximize technology and develop entirely new tool systems, we are also deeply committed to those users who rely on our existing 18 volt offerings. The introduction of our latest impact wrench is one way we are continuing to serve these contractors."

The new Impact Wrench delivers 300 ft/lbs of torque at a maximum of 2,600 impacts per minute and 1650 revolutions per minute. It uses an impact mechanism that is said to direct torque to the fastener better without the kickback you would normally get with such a tool. The DW059HK-2 is built using a magnesium gear case, and all metal transmission for long life and durability. It uses a hog ring anvil system for easier socket changes.

The new Impact Wrench can be purchased as a kit, which includes a 1-hour charger, 2 18-volt XRP NiCad batteries and tool case, and is expected to retail for $299. The Wrench can also be purchased tool-only and should retail for $159.

The one features that everyone is still waiting for on oscillating tools, is tools-less blade change. Fein, the originator of the tool has had this feature for a few years now, but at this point, Fein and Porter-Cable are the only ones with the tool-less blade change feature. Now it looks like Bosch Germany is releasing a tool-less oscillation tool of their very own. This is good news if the tool eventually makes its way to the US, but that can only happen if it doesn't violate any current patents. It likely doesn't violate any Fein patents, or else it would not be available in Germany, but patent laws are different in each country.

We can't exactly see how the tool-less feature works on the Bosch GOP 300 SCE Professional, but we can see a lever on the left side of the tool that hints at its function. The tools uses the Bosch OIS blade standard, which means the blade can not be simply pulled forward. So the system might be less like the one Porter-cable uses, and more like what Fein uses. Either way, we will be keeping our eyes out for this one.

I have never been a fan of folding utility knives. They always felts cheap, the mechanism that holds the blade in place seemed dangerous, and they were darn right uncomfortable to use. Their handiness was far outweighed by their design flaws. With all of the flaws in the Utility Folder class, could DeWalt's introduction of the DWHT10035 Folding Retractable Utility Knife do any better than the folders on the market today? DeWalt sent over the knife so I could find.

We have seen a few professionally made drill powered mini bikes in the past, but it is so much cooler when you can build one yourself; like Jay from Coptool did. Jay had the idea of building a drill powered vehicle and he let his inner child take over to dream it up. Jay started out with a KickBike scooter that he purchased from Amazon for around $260, this was going to be the body of his build. He chose this particular model scooter because it uses a large front wheel that adds stability. Jay also chopped up and used parts of the drive mechanism from a kids bike in his drill powered contraption. Powering the Jaymobile is a Milwaukee M28 Right Angle Drill ($369) and a Hougen 4:1 Drill Speed Reducer ($175). This combination gave Jay the power and torque he needed to get the Scooter moving, they also happen to be tools his store Ohio Power Tool had in stock, how handy. After a bit of tinkering and welding, the Jaymobile was complete and was ready for a test run. Looks like fun. Be sure to visit Cop for more photos and information on his build

via Coptool