No that was not a typo, Rockwell is really going to be offering a 12 volt rotary hammer drill as part of their new 12 volt line. This is the same line that also features their new 12 volt cordless SoniCrafter.

The new H3 #RK2513K2 is the first cordless 12 volt hammer drill I am aware of that makes use of an SDS Plus chuck. Most hammer drills in this class are limited to a standard drill chuck. SDS Chucks and bits are great for drilling, but are pretty much useless for driving. But do not fear, for the H3 has the ability to change between both the SDS Plus chuck and a drill/driver chuck. The Drill is called the H3 because it can be use as a rotary hammer, a drill, or a driver.

Obviously this is not going to be a tool used for heavy duty concrete drilling, but it does have some pretty promising stats. In hammer drill mode, it offers 0-4800 blows-per-minute and has a drilling capacity of 3/8” in concrete. This is plenty of power for most home owners, and for many jobsite applications. At 3lbs. I would much rather use this over my head then a heavier corded tool.

The question we all have is how many holes we can get out of one battery. The spec sheet states up to 15 1/4” holes in 4800 psi concrete. This is not a huge amount holes, but it is what can be expected from such a small tool. The 12 volt lithium-ion battery used can be full charged in about 30 minutes, and can reach a 75% charge after 15 minutes. The H3 Drill is also part of program Rockwell calls Free Batteries For Life, where registered users can get free replacement batteries for the life of the tool. Lets just hope the tools last a long time.

The H3 is coming this spring, both online and in hardware stores for $179.99.

Rockwell - [:cicn:] Amazon

I have been a fan of the Flexeel hoses from Coilhose since the first day I started using them. They were a huge step up in hose technology; improving the hose in just about every way possible. Now comes along the Flexzilla hose line from Legacy to show that it wants to be the next big thing in hose tech.

With a name like Flexzilla the hose better deliver some amazing features. Legacy claims their Flexzilla hose has zero memory allowing it to lay flat even in the most extreme weather conditions. I like the sound of this, a flat hose is a safe easy to manage hose. Flexibility is very important and the hose has been rated to be flexible at temperatures between -40° to 150° F (I would call this extreme). This is all made possible by using a “Premium Hybrid Polymer” material to construct the hose. Couple all that flexibility with a 300 PSI rating, and it looks like we have a winner.

The Flexzilla hose comes in 1/4 inch, 3/8 inch, and 1/2 inch diameters ranging in lengths from 25 feet up to 100 feet. The price is similar to the Flexeel hoses at around $30 for 1/4”x50'.

Legacy Mfg. - [:cicn:] Amazon

Way back in August of 2008 I reviewed the Final Cut Saw Blade with Sanding Disks. Final Cut, if you do not remember, is a blade that uses specially made sanding disks that are attached to its sides. These disks do the unique task of sanding your material at the same time it is being cut, thus saving you a step in your building process. These disks offer a much smoother cut while cutting in just about any application, and I also noticed a few other advantages while using the disks during my previous testing.

Final Cut has just announced that they are now offering their products in the 7-1/4” size. Now anyone that is using a standard 7-1/4” circular saw can take advantage of what the Final Cut has to offer. The 7-1/4” blades use the same technology as their larger brothers, so if you have had success with one size, you are likely to have the same success with any size.

Final Cut blades are specifically designed to work with the sanding disks, and have a kerf that is slightly smaller then the blade width when the sanding disks are attached. This step up in width is what allows the sanding disks to do their final sanding. So while you can use the sanding disks on other manufactured saw blades, it is always recommended that you use one of the Final Cut blades if you can. The 7-1/4” Final Cut costs $19.95 and replacement sanding disks are also available.

[:cicn:] Final Cut

You heard me correctly; this is some truly socking news coming from both companies. The Craftsman name is so linked to Sears, it almost hard to picture it inside of another store. It is almost like pouring Coke into a Pepsi cup, it is just wrong.

Starting in May of this year, 100 select Ace stores will begin selling Craftsman products. My guess would be stores not near current Sears stores. The Ace stores will carry Craftsman hand tools, portable power tools, compressors, vacs, and tool storage; so pretty much everything. Then starting in June, Craftsman will be running a promotion for select tools in which all 4500 Ace stores will have the opportunity to participate.

“This is an exciting, strategic move that expands access to Craftsman for existing and new customers,” said Bruce Johnson, interim chief executive officer and president for Sears Holdings. “Offering an assortment of Craftsman products more broadly through Ace locations will strengthen the Craftsman brand, which already has an incredible reputation for innovation, quality and trust”.

This sounds like a smart move for Craftsman and a smart move for Ace Hardware, but is it a smart move for Sears. As long as they are not competing with themselves, I think they should be OK. But, could this be the sign of a dying Sears, or am I reading to much into everything.

I have worked with a few union carpenters and cabinet installers over the years, and one thing I have learned is that they love their work carts. I am not talking about those little plastic carts, I am talking about a complete workshop on wheels. For the most part they convert some other type of cart to fit their needs, but in some cases they build their own.

So it is not surprising that Portable Carpentry Workshop (PCW) was designed by a union carpenter to meet all of the carpenters common needs; after all he should have a pretty good idea what people are looking for. The PCW is designed to maximize setup time; because all of your tools are already on board and in place, all you have to do is plug the thing in and you are good to go. It holds all of your major tools, including your miter saw, table saw, and even has a built in router table. The miter saw table is mounted on glides so that it can be pushed back to make room for the table saw out feed or extra routing space. Underneath there is plenty of room for your other power tools, and there are two drawers under the table saw mount for your hand tools.

This cart is no light weight, so if you plan on using it on a job you better make sure you are working on a single level building, or you have access to an elevator. A ramp or a friend to get the PCW loaded and unloaded from your truck or van is also probably a good idea.

The PCW might also be a good solution for the person at home that likes to create, but doesn't have all the space needed for a full shop. You can wheel it out of the garage onto the drive way, and be set up and ready to go.

The cost for the PCW is $4850+, but looking at the photos and the video, it looks like it is very well designed. Video after Read More

[:cicn:] Rolling Trades

I typically do not cover landscaping tools, but there is a first for everything and I know people have an interest in anything that will make life easier or more enjoyable.

The grass in my yard is starting to come out hibernation and getting to the point where it needs to be cut. Probably like many of you, mowing is not something I enjoy; for some reason I do not like pushing a mower when it is 100 degrees in the summer.

The WeedEater One riding mower looks like it was designed for people like me in mind. It is much smaller then a typical riding mower at only 36 inches in width, which should be well suited for people with a good sized yard. Even at a much smaller size, it still has features you might not expect, like an electric start with a pull start backup, cruise control, and reverse. Most push mowers use a blade size of about 20 inches, but because the WeedEater One uses a larger 26 inch blade it should significantly cut down on your mowing time. Pushing the compact mower is a 190cc Briggs & Stratton engine. The WeedEater One is priced at about $750 which is not cheap compared to a push mower, but is much lower then the typical $1000 riding mower low end price.

WeedEater One - Amazon

These last couple of years we have seen a large amount of growth in the way of 12 volt cordless tools. 12 volt tools are nothing new; just a few years ago they were pretty much the top of the line. Of course men being men, we needed more and moved towards higher powered tools as they have become available.

Now with lithium ion technology, batteries are much smaller then they once were. Because of this, manufacturers are now able to bring us even more tools in the more compact 12 volt battery. One thing to note is that some manufacturers tools are labeled as 10.8 volt while some are 12 volt. The fact is that they are both the same.

Every major brand has tools using 12 volt technology with tools for many different applications. Some 12 volt tools include: drills, impact drivers, flashlights, right angle drivers, vacuums, oscillation multi-tools, metal shears, auto hammers, and more.

My question is for those of you that own these tools. Do you feel they offer enough power to complete the job? In what applications are you using these tools?

Typically you would have to be up late at night, watching corny infomercials, to see a cordless tool that makes use of swappable heads. I know this, during my insomniatic nights I have seen such a tool. However the new JobMax line from Ridgid actually looks promising.

The JobMax makes use of Ridgid's existing 12V Lithium-ion battery, but in a completely new form factor that allows for the use of multiple heads. The concept is nothing new, but in the past you were limited on the amount of tool heads. Now that some patents have been freed up, as well as advancements in technology, Ridgid is able to bring a total of 5 different swappable heads to the line.

As of now Ridgid lists two JobMax Combo Kits. The first kit (#R99234) comes with the JobMax body with two heads: the Auto-Hammer head and the Oscillating Multi-Tool head. The same kit also includes a standard 12V drill. The second kit (#R82234) comes with the JobMax body and three heads: a Right Angle Impact Driver, a Right Angle Drill, and a 3/8” Ratchet Head. Surprisingly there is no kit with all five heads included.

Ridgid Tools

You remember the Dust Deputy system I wrote about in the past; It is the cyclone that mounts onto a standard 5 gallon bucket, and acts as a pre-filter for your dust collection. Everywhere I look I see the Dust Deputy getting great reviews; people seem to love it. Now, not wanting to miss out on all the fun, Festool owners have come up all kinds of contraptions that allow them to mount their Deputies to their Festool Dust Extractors. One contraption consists of a cutting up a rather expensive Festool Systainer, mounting the Dust Deputy, then trying to make the whole thing air tight.

The makers of the Dusty Deputy, wanting to one up the DIYers and make a bit of money at the same time, have announced their own version of a Festool compatible Dust Deputy System. It uses their own dust container that mount to the Festool dust collectors, and has all the mounting holes for the Dust Deputy; more importantly, it is air tight.

I don't know if Dust Deputy, knowing that Festool owners are willing to spend their money, has come to a rather high introductory price of $229, or maybe there is some licensing fees going on. But now hacking an $80 Systainer and getting the $60 DIY Dust Deputy doesn't seem like such a bad idea. I am sure you could find some uses for that extra $90.

See Updated: Dust Deputy For Festool Redux

Dust Deputy Festool

The news has not yet been officially announced by Bosch US, but I see not point in waiting. The new PB360S is replacing the much older PB10-CD radio, and looks like more then just a face lift; a complete redesign is more likely. Sure it still has the same boxy look, and now an even cooler looking roll cage, but that is about it.

Why update the radio at all? The answer is simple, the old radio did not work with the newer Bosch Lithion batteries. This is good news for people with all new Bosch cordless tools, but bad for people with both new and old Bosch cordless tools. Why? Because the new radio will only accept the newer Lithion 14.4 and 18 volt batteries, thus leaving your old batteries homeless. The Bosch radio also allows you to charge your cordless batteries when you are running the radio from AC power.

Bosch also updated the electronics of the radio, and now allows you to play music from USB, as well as SD/MMC memory cards. MP3 and satellite radio fans will be happy to know that Bosch has included an AUX input and a Media Bay. Lets not forget about AM/FM Radio; and though it is not mentioned, it looks like a CD player is also included. Bosch also boasts 360 degree sound, because sharing your music is a wonderful thing.

It doesn't end there, the “PB” in PB360 stands for power box. The radio also includes four 120 volt AC GFCI protected outlets, and even a 12 volt DC cigarette outlet for charging your phone, mp3 player, etc.

Update: The Bosch Rep. saw this post and was kind enough to send over some more information and photos.

It turns out a CD player is not included. Yeah, we all knew this would happen eventually. This is why they have added so many options for playing digital music. There are two AUX ports, one inside the Media Bay, and one outside. The Media Bay is also weather sealed, to help keep your precious iPod safe. The USB slot also does more then just play your music files, it can also be used to power your mp3 player, or any other USB device.

It also turns out that Bosch has produced two models. The PB360S has 2x more sound power output then the previous model, while the PB360D has 4x the sound power output. Model PB360D also features a built in universal Sirius satellite radio docking port for connecting select Sirius satellite radios.

Availability is set for June 2010.