On October 22, 2015, a class-action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. Court for the District of Minnesota against Makita U.S.A. Inc. by Sean Podpeskar over Makita’s BL1815 and BL1830 18-Volt Lithium-ion batteries. The suit alleges violations of Minnesota’s Unlawful Trade Practices Act, False Statements in Advertising Act, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty and fraudulent misrepresentation.

It will now be easier than ever for 18V DeWalt Cordless Tool users to find higher capacity batteries with lithium-ion technology, all thanks to DeWalt’s new DCA1820 20V to 18V battery adaptor. The new battery adaptor will allow most of DeWalt’s 18V Cordless Tools to function off of Lithium-ion battery’s from the newer DeWalt 20V Max system.

We’ve all been there, finding ourselves working in an area without electricity with a truck full of equipment that needs electrical outlets. And it isn’t just the power tools, nowadays, we need to keep our cell phones charged and quite possibly a laptop or tablet on standby, to check plans and specifications as well as trying to avoid missing out on more business opportunities. Generac’s new XD5000E 5000 watt portable diesel generator is their solution to reliable portable electricity.

It is easier than ever to find great cordless power tools no matter the brand, so to set your company apart from the rest you need to think outside the box. DeWalt may have done just that with their new line of Bluetooth enabled 20V MAX 2.0 Amp (DCB203BT) and 4.0 Amp (DCB204BT) lithium ion batteries. Of course, Bluetooth by itself is pointless, which is why DeWalt has introduced their Tool Connect App, which allows users to control their new batteries with their smartphone.

What is Milwaukee ONE KEY?

Milwaukee is already adding technology, such as Redlink Plus, to their M18 cordless tools to ensure that they perform at their peek at all times, no matter the conditions. One Key is the next step in combining power tools with the latest technology, to make Smart Tools. One Key is Milwaukee’s own custom-build Cloud based program that will change the way contractors use their tools, by giving them more information and more control over their tools. Milwaukee has big plans for One Key, which they will be rolling out in stages throughout the year, but I don’t think even they know where the possibilities for this kind of technology will end.

When shopping for that new tool you just can’t wait to try out, I’m sure not many would find themselves standing at a pegboard display of hole-saws. But when you need a clean hole in the back of a cabinet, or a precision cut for a light fixture, a hole-saw is what you’re gonna use. But once you’ve cut that perfect hole, the problem becomes trying to extract the core from the hole-saw cup. Not only can it be time consuming and difficult, using a screwdriver to pry and dig can also be a bit hazardous.

Makita is known for making great cordless tools that all use the same 18V lithium-ion battery. In fact, Makita has bragging rights to over 100 tools that are part of their LXT battery platform; and it looks like it is going to grow by at least one more cordless “tool” pretty soon. That is, if you can count a cordless Makita coffee maker as a tool.  Amazon has a new listing for the Makita DCM500Z 18V LXT Cordless Coffee Maker, though currently listed as unavailable, it will hopefully be available soon.

Do tool chests need to be made of metal? Well if Keter is making them, their answer is no, as Keter is a manufacturer of plastic products. Their modular tool chest system will allow users to customize their tool storage to match their needs, and adjust as they grow.

Rockler Woodworking and Hardware wants to make the installation of drawer slides simple with their new Universal Drawer Slide Jig (57302). The jig fits most types of drawer slides and provides a solution for accurate and repeatable positioning of both side-mount and center-mount slides within a cabinet.

We might not all be professional plumbers, but that doesn't mean we cant do our own plumbing  maintenance and repairs around the house. To help the beginner get started, BernzOmatic has put together a grab-and-go kit with the basic tools needed to start sweating copper pipe.