Peter Argyropoulos

The thing about ratcheting crimpers is that there are only a few companies worldwide making them. There are (IIRC) two EU makers, one in Sweden, one in Germany who both make them for brands like Knipex, Panduit, T&B, Wiedmuller, etc., one or two US makers who seem to specialize in aircraft and MIL spec crimpers (high dollar and butt ugly), a few from Taiwan who do the mid range tools for brands like Paladin and then the whole shitstorm of Chinese tools that I wouldn't waste my money on. Depending on what you need to crimp and whether it needs to be a UL qualified crimp or not, your first step should be checking which tools are required by the terminal manufacturer that you're using. Rated crimp joints are tool and terminal specific, so you couldn't use a T&B tool on Panduit terminals and get a UL listed connection. Even just among Panduit products there's a whole maze of specs for which terminals need to be crimped with which tool to make a UL compliant termination. Of course if you don't need to make terminations like that, it doesn't matter. If you only do low risk crimps from time to time, stick with a similar tool to what you had, and make sure it can do both insulated and non-insulated. None of the crimps will be perfect, but they won't be awful, either.

For fog you really want yellow light. In parts of Europe cars are equipped with yellow headlights. I tried it here once using stage light gels headlights and the difference blew me away. I was doing 55 on a winding back road at night as though there was no fog at all. If you can get yourself some yellow gels, try it out on one of your brighter lights. You'll start laughing when you see what a difference it makes.

The name "non contact voltage tester" is a bit misleading for these tools. They are actually something more of an indicator and that's how you should use them. Some are real junk, useless and/or outright dangerous, but even the best should never be used as the sole means of confirming a dead circuit. Even the best NCVT will, under certain conditions, show a hot wire as dead. For true confirmation, you need a low impedance voltage tester, like a solenoid tester or one of the electronic versions of a solenoid tester. A voltage tester ONLY tests voltage so there's no chance you have it set to the wrong range or test setting, works with or without batteries so you can ALWAYS test with it and needs to be used on a known live circuit before and after you test the circuit you need to check. That being said, I'm glad to see Bruce clarify that bumping it shouldn't cause it to beep. I've seen others from Greenlee and Ideal that are sensitive to that as well, and also very often I see NCVTs that react to rubbing them on your clothes. Totally a waste of time. Others, like the FLIR are so damn sensitive that you can't tell a hot from a neutral or ground which is a total waste of time, plastic, packaging and batteries

Tapcons are tough with an impact, although the low setting on the Bosch seems to do alright with them. Out of about 8-10 I did the last few days, only one spun out and I think that was on medium.

This happened to me at Sears once, but not with a tool, and the problem was that it was actually marked 1¢ and the poor kid at the register didn't know what that meant. They had never seen the cent symbol before in a store. It took a manager to help out and make the sale happen.

I'm going to disagree that brick and mortar tool stores have to die. I think the problem they have is that too many of them try to sell the same cheap junk and outdo each other with lower prices. Big box stores messed up the pro tool market in a big way. It used to be that if you worked in construction, you bought your tools through a dealer, if they weren't already provided to you by your employer. If you bought a Sawzall in 1980, you used it till at least 1995. There was one or two models of a given tool to choose from by the brand that catered to your trade and they were both good and they didn't change much over the next few years. Joe Homeowner went to Sears and bought a Craftsman. It was cheap junk in comparison. Nowadays the brands are all out there fighting each other over Joe Homeowner as well as the whole slew of handymen, "general contractors" (aka guys with their own pickup and a registered LLC), true trade professionals and everybody else. One one hand I like the innovation that the new system has brought to tools. Tools have evolved enormously over the last 25-30 years. On the other hand, the general quality is down and it takes a lot more work to find a good tool now than it used to. And nowadays a "really good tool" may only give you 3-5 years of use instead of 10 or more. What's needed, and what may be the saving grace for brick-and-mortar tool sellers is a curated model of tool sales where a store or chain of stores gains a reputation for doing the tests and reviews themselves and selling only the really solid models of various brands. If you knew you could go to Tradecraft (a made-up name...) and find the top three models of the tool you need, in stock, at a reasonable price, you'd probably be inclined to go there and even pay a little more than on Amazon just for that service and convenience. I know I would.

I'm guessing it's reaching end of life. Amazon is now down to $245, and newegg.com, CPO outlets, Acme tools and a few others are already down to $229 for the same kit.

I keep a tube of Loctite Viper Lube on hand for stuff like this, plus I use it to grease all my SDS bit shanks. It makes for some dirty shanks, but they work much better when the bits can actually slide in the chuck

I got the Bosch kit for under $250. My price for the Hilti kit with hard case is $421.98, so almost $175 more. That'll get you a whole other tool, and in fact, it did. I ordered the Fein ASCM 18 for $169 from toolnut.com.

I'm an electrician, so the way I use my impact driver is different from the way a contractor or deck guy would use theirs. I have different needs and expectations, so this review may not be helpful if you need a tool for driving hundreds of screws in a day. You've been warned I agonized over what to get to replace my aging - and failing - Hilti 14.4V impact driver. I use my impact driver for everything from drilling joists through the cutouts I make for recessed lights (it's better than a drill for that) through lags and all the way down to 6-32 device screws into both metal and plastic boxes or even #4x3/8-inch wood screws for undercabinet lights. I tried a Makita that came in the XT257M combo kit and wasn't impressed at all. I considered other Makitas, some of which have a great reputation, but nobody local stocks them, and I hate buying a tool in the dark and honestly, even the highest end, made-in-Japan impact looks cheezy with that plastic shroud on the front. I also considered a Milwaukee, but wasn't too happy about committing myself to another kit after my experience with the Makita. Ultimately, I went for the Bosch. One thing I knew for certain after my experience with the kit impact from Makita was that I definitely needed the new impact to have a similar torque control like what I was used to on the Hilti. You can't go from drilling joists to installing a $100 dollar dimmer switch unless you can change the torque or you're going to do damage. I also knew I wanted a hard case similar in size to a Stanley parts bin since I stack them together in my truck. The kit cases I saw were too big for this and I was constantly struggling to find a place for the Makita kit case for the two months I had it. From reviews and a dead tool hands on at Lowes (none of the three stores I visited had charged batteries in the Bosch tools), I ended up going for the Bosch. I ordered through Amazon. They had the lowest price. When it came, I unpacked and checked the tool, and noticed a price sticker inside the case with a price about $15 cheaper than what I had paid. Strange. I called Amazon to find out whether they had stuck it in there or whether this could possibly be a refurbished tool. Customer service was great, and they actually refunded me the difference, in spite of the fact that the price tag evidently came from the factory. Now for some tool talk. The Case The case is great. I reversed the inserts so that when I stick bits and accessories in and carry it they are already on the bottom of the case and don't fall into the tool or charger. The L-Boxx fits all my bits and accessories better than the Hilti case or any other case ever did hands down and it's only slightly thicker. It's strong enough that I've been able to use it as a step. A really nice design detail is that the clasps are always in the correct position to lock as soon as you close the case. I also like the second handle on the flat side of the case as it makes it easier to move it on a jobsite without making a mess of a lot of small parts laying loose inside the case. Just close it and lift. The Tool The tool is well balanced and well proportioned. I like the thin handle and the small 2.0A/hr batteries in the kit, although I suspect the tool would be ideally balanced with the 4.0 A/hr battery. For me a smaller battery is important since I often drill joists through a 4 3/8-inch hole for a recessed light and the smaller the tool, the easier it is to pass through the hole and the lighter it is to use in that awkward position. I haven't done this yet with the Bosch, so I'm still interested in trying it out and seeing how the large, rubberized ring is to use in through a hole in the ceiling as I add extensions to the bit to drill through consecutive joists. The lights are excellent, and the delay-off is a great upgrade from my old tool. What I don't like is that you can't squeeze the trigger when locked to get the lights to come on. This is useful at times. Also regarding the trigger, I've noticed that it's easy to accidentally engage it when releasing the chuck if you're working from the top of the tool. That's never happened to me with any other impact driver so I don't know if it's the release ring design or muscle memory or something else. Time will tell, but in the meantime I'll have to get in the habit of locking the trigger when changing bits. The battery level indicator LEDs are good. No complaints there. Power and control are both great. High speed works great for drilling, while medium speed was excellent for pre-torqueing lugs in a meter socket and low speed is plenty gentle to handle small screws or installing plastic boxes with those flimsy old work ears or even pre-torqueing breaker lugs. It's nice being able to use a 1/2F-3/8M adapter for my sockets as it seems much more stable than using a 1/4-inch hex adapter on them. Runtime has been good. I haven't charged the batteries since I first got it and I'm still on my first battery. The charger is nice and compact - probably the smallest one I've ever owned. The other thing I appreciate as a previous user of three German brand (and manufactured) chargers is that Bosch left the PVC insulated wire back in Deutschland where it belongs and instead used nice, pliable, cold weather resistant cord on their charger. My Fein cordless (of almost ten years ago), my Hilti and my Metabo all used European PVC coated lamp cords to the chargers which get stiff when the temperature falls below 80 degrees F and turn to stone when it's freezing out and every one of them cracked where the cord goes into the charger. In the winter time they would literally get stiff enough that they wouldn't unfold and stretch out and you had to plug the charger in right next to the outlet. That won't happen with this charger, I'm sure. The main thing Bosch needs to address on this tool is the torque setting indicator lights. They suck. They're only really visible from one angle, and they're totally invisible in direct sunlight. Honestly, I think a slider switch for this is a better solution, but even better LED indicators would work. Conclusion I'm a tough sell and I expect a lot when it comes to tools. Ultimately, if a tool doesn't fit in with my workflow, it's getting returned. In order to fit in, it has to be well designed, perform well, and be made to professional use standards. This Bosch does all of that so far, and does it really well for a fraction of the cost of a tool from a traditionally "professional" brand like Hilti or Metabo. I'm impressed, and the Bosch is staying on my truck

Mine's on it's way. Woot! I'm looking for a buyer for my Metabo at this point, but it's a hard sell locally - not many people know the brand

Welcome. Just hire a driver, a nanny, a gardener, a housekeeper and a cook and you'll have lots more free time.

Later 50s, early 60s would be my guess. Does it still work?

I had an XPH07 and yeah, the kick is incredible. After returning that for being a POS, I thought about getting this Mil kit, but ultimately decided on something else. Depending on how you use your drill, a broken wrist may actually be a less likely danger than a broken jaw. Doing electrical, I've gotten punched in the face by 18V batteries a number of times and the more power a drill has, the more likely you are to end up breaking your face or getting knocked off a ladder. Be careful out there.

I like this idea. I have a Transit Connect, so finding mounting room for holsters and whatnot is impossible, whereas I can see making something like this work. It would be nice to know each morning that my tools are charged and ready to go.

Actually, you can talk amp hours, torque, voltage and whatnot till you're blue in the face. Until you know what kind of wood you're screwing them into and how old it is, it's all trash talk

For the last four or five years my everyday carry is a Fenix TK35. It's one of the older, non ultimate versions with around 800 lumens max output. I barely ever use that setting because it's too damn bright for indoor work. The contrast at that brightness and at close range (less than 30 feet) is painful and I find myself using the lowest two settings most often. The only times since I've owned it that I used the turbo setting was when I had to do trouble calls at night and was looking for damaged wires on poles or on the side of a house. The main selling point of this model for me is that it's flat. It doesn't roll away if I set it up in a ceiling or on top of a wall or support beam. I've seen and tried other lights with flip-out wings for anti-roll but that just doesn't compare to a squared off body to begin with.

Just ordered one now, same low price. I really don't know how they're doing it so cheap. The ASCM series is the one they make in house in Deutschland - not the ASB series which are actually rebranded Milwaukees. If I could I'd get two, but I can't afford that at the moment. Looks like I might finally have a reason to put my venerable Metabo up on eBay

Well, yeah... the Hilti was the better made tool. I have two Hilti combihammers and you'd have to pry them from my dead, lifeless hands.

Joining here late... I've been using a Metabo 18V drill for the last 4-5 years and it's still going like a beast. It was by far one of the most compact drills when I got it and one of the most powerful as well. I can stall it, but not easily and it's hurt me a few times when I wasn't braced correctly. Fastenal is a distributor and is where I got mine, although I actually drove to Metabo's US headquarters here in PA to pick it up. I was also there once for service when I let the smoke out. They replaced it on the spot for an entire new unit (case, charger, two batteries) and even let me keep the old batteries and charger. I can't kill the damn thing. They actually have a guy on site who pretty much does nothing but test tools all day to the death and all their service guys were extremely competent, well trained and professional. I'd definitely buy their product again.

I try to keep in mind that AvE works in an industrial environment, complete with absurdly over engineered tools that cost more than my house and special order parts coming in from Grainger by UPS to a jobsite at 9 PM with a driver and runner to make the special delivery. He's probably often seeing conditions where the nearest service center might be hundreds or thousands of miles away, and poorly engineered tools could cost someone thousands of dollars or more in down time. Through that prism, the Festool doesn't really look very good. It certainly isn't built to "industrial" standards.

As a mini follow-up to the story... I live in Amish country. The Amish started getting into construction pretty heavily back in the 80s and at this point, there are lots of Amish crews all over southeastern Pennsylvania doing work. They use a lot of air and cordless tools and over the years their "farm stores" have turned into pretty decent tool and hardware stores. I stopped by at one of the biggest the other day, wanting to see if they had one of the Makita XTD09's to look at (aka DTD148). They didn't, but they do have bins with bare tools that you can get somewhat cheaper. Well, now I know what happens to the tools you return to Home Depot...

I didn't try and get it repaired because although the drill was great, the impact was crappy enough that I didn't feel like going through the trouble. I really need a new impact, not a new drill, so...

I know it's not all inferior, and I have stuff made in China as well. What I find offensive is when production of top dollar products gets moved to China and the cost doesn't come down. It's why I don't buy Carhartt products anymore. $50 or $60 for a pair of US union made work pants is one thing. The same or higher price for those pants made in China by cheap labor is offensive. I don't agree completely that Chinese workers are automatically able to make industrial or tool products to the same specs as their Western counterparts for the simple reason that even among Western workers, there are different levels of quality standards and expectations built into our various cultures and the Chinese, who have lived for many decades under communism, have a very low standard of quality ingrained in their culture. American made hand tools tend to be slightly less refined than German made hand tools but still miles ahead of many other hand tools. There were tradeoffs that a consumer could take into account when making a purchase that don't exist today if all the major tool manufacturers are going to produce in China. If I had a choice between similar impact drivers from the EU or from China, and the EU model cost $100 more, I'm pretty sure it would be a better tool based on my own past experience. Aside from quality issues, I also think it's just plain sad when Western countries eliminate industrial production from our societies. It's already making us less technically adept.

It leaves a bad taste in my mouth when premium brands which are known for quality take their production from wherever it was (North America or Europe) and move it to China and don't pass on any savings to consumers. In my experience it signals a desire to increase profits in all ways possible, including design changes that take products toward a "build to a price" philosophy. There is NO WAY a fresh, Chinese employee is going to be as concerned about the quality of the work they do for a brand like Hilti or Fluke or whatever, as the people are who have been making those products natively for years because they don't know the brand histories and have no incentive to work hard to maintain the reputation of some white guys from other countries other than the few bucks a day they're thrown to do their job. If you were repping for Szenzen Lucky Tools you would probably be less inclined to sell as hard as you maybe are to sell DeWalt tools, no? The products I've seen from China from brands which previously manufactured here or in Europe (including Hilti...) were of lower quality than they had been before. The only reasons a manufacturer decides to move production to China is to lower costs or to give them better access to the local market. Either way, it means that I don't count as much as a customer as I did before.