We knew a corded version of Bosch oscillating multi-tool would be coming eventually, then we saw it a few months back when it hit the European store shelves. We had our hopes high thinking it would be coming soon to the US, then we found out from CopTool back in December that Home Depot had an online exclusive to sell the tool. That is right, you could only get the MX25E if you ordered it from HD online. But now finally the wait is over. Next month the MX25E will be available for everyone at tool dealers and home centers nationwide.

There are a few different tool vests on the market today that I know of, a couple from Occidental Leather and one from Blaklader, but the vest from Vest-Tech appears to be the most thought out. The Vest-Tech goes with a different design versus the other two and has mostly smaller pockets along the chest that can handle your hand tools. At the top is a pocket for your notepad and a protected safety glasses pocket.

Moving to the back of the vest along the bottom is a hammer loop, a few screwdriver loops, and a tape measure bracket. Above the hammer loop is a larger pocket, and even a pocket for an included 2-liter water pouch. They thought of everything and added a hole that a fall protection harness ring can pass through. If the vest itself is not enough storage for you, they have additional pockets that can be clipped onto the bottom of the vest. The Vest-Tech is pretty much a one-size-fits-all, but they have built the vest with a number of adjustment straps.

The [:cicn:] Vest-Tech can be purchased in Orange or Black for around $130, and the side bags cost between $20 and $30.

Most of us can get away with using a cheap $5 halogen light to illuminate a room on the jobsite. But the light options for people working in areas that might be explosive, like near a gas leak, are a little harder to come by. The Magnalight Explosion Proof Metal Halide Light is what you need if you find yourself in an explosive situation. The metal halide light only draws 70 watts at .58 amps, but provides a 400 watt equivalent of light. It runs off of standard 120 VAC and comes with 100 feet of 16/3 SOOW cord ending in an explosion proof straight blade plug.

"More and more, gas companies continue to demand lightweight, first responder hazardous location lighting that they can use to repair gas mains onsite. The lightweight tripod can be collapsed, folded up and stored in the truck's tool box. The 70 watt metal halide casts a powerful beam and has a handle that allows the operator to carry and store the explosion proof light easily. Unlike some of our larger, more powerful wheeled tripods with larger 400 watt metal halide lights, this explosion proof light is designed to be lightweight, portable and easy to move around." said Rob Bresnahan with Larson Electronics' magnalight.com

The Magnalight is no joke and is priced at over $1800. I guess hobby gas leak repair men will have to search for cheaper lighting options.

[:cicn:] Magnalight

I recently did a review of the the Porter-Cable 12-volt Reciprocating ClampSaw and thought that the clamping feature came in really handy. I suggested they bring it to their full sized saws, but sadly, PC just announced some new full sized reciprocating saws, but none of them have the clamping feature that a liked. Maybe next time

Porter-Cable has unveiled two reciprocating saws, one with an orbital action, and one without. The PC85TRSOK Orbital TigerSaw features a crank arm mechanism that allows for a more compact design and also features a tool-free shoe adjustment. The 8.5 amp motor delivers 3,200 SPM at a stroke length of 1-1/8” and a selector dial controls the orbital settings. Orbital cutting cuts faster, but leaves an ugly cut, so this feature is great for demo work. The non-orbital PC75TRS has a little less power at 7.5 amps but still delivers 3,200 SPM with a stroke length of 1-1/8”. This saw costs a little less then the PC85TRSOK at $59.97 vs $79.97, but you also have to deal with a tooled (probably a hex wrench) shoe adjustment.

Both models will be available this month at Lowe's, independent distributors, and Amazon.com. For more information see the Press Release after the Read More.