Jronman

He must like Ryobi haha.

nice to see that it is all metal design. Will this fit the more heavy duty 6in sanders like the Festool Rotex 150 and the Bosch equivalent?

Modular storage like Systainers, Tough System, or Packout are a great option. You should be able to order foam inserts to fit them as well to make your own custom insert for the box to fit your needs.

According to the manual the PowerLoad string trimmer is 4000-5800 no load rpm. I think a smaller gas unit will do up to 7000 no load rpm depending on the unit. Bigger gas units I have heard can do up to 10,000 or more no load rpm.

The latest string trimmer from ego has a bit more rpm but it is still lower than a gas unit.

Theres nothing wrong with trying to be prepared but the type of storage can make a big difference too. Trying to lug around 3 mix matched boxes or 3 bags can be a bit cumbersome. If you haven't already, I would recommend converting your storage to either Packout or Tough System then get the appropriate hand cart for it. It keeps your stuff neat and organized and makes transport much easier.

I stumbled upon a drill I haven't seen before. It was from Flex and the specs look to be quite impressive. RPM at 4200 might be the fastest rpm of any regular drill driver I have ever seen. It also includes a 4 speed gearbox and the ability to use different chucks. The max torque is on par with the gen 3 Milwaukee.

Festool has a couple new drills coming out in Europe. They look like they will replace the DTC and PDC models. The new names are TDC and TPC respectively. There are quite a few feature updates/additions. These drills will include electronic kickback protection. The led light seems to have had some updates with adjustability via an app. The clutch has a redesign that is now a dial similar to what the T18+3 has. The belt hook is now a regular metal belt hook that most other pro brands have. Also includes built in magnetic bit storage. They retain the 4 speed gearbox but include a new switch. Performance numbers are not given but specifically gear 2 is said to have more power. Hopefully it got some more power because the previous models really lacked in power when compared to other pro level premium drill offerings. Chucks seems to have a better compatibility between tools now. Some of the chucks seem to be compatible with both the T18/C18 the new TDC and TPC. The Right angle and eccentric chucks are redesigned to allow for adjusting the angle without having the remove the chuck. It comes in 5 different kits. The metal keyless chuck comes standard in the basic kit the plastic chuck does not come in any kits anymore. There is a new TSC 55 K saw coming. Appears to be both Europe and North America. It includes an anti-kickback feature and faster cutting with a new generation of blades. Not much else changed except the charge display seems to have been removed which isn't a big deal considering the newest batteries have charge displays built in. My thoughts The new drills are a welcome upgrade. Nothing that really jumps out at me as being a bad change. I like that you can use an eccentric chuck on it now. Makes it more versatile. It is disappointing that there is no info on whether the new model will be coming to North America. The saw update is pretty minor in my opinion. I would have liked to have seen more. The North American model only comes in a Plus kit which is strange considering the European model has the Basic and Set kits as well. The kits also downgrade the charger. You do only get one TCL6 charger. You no longer receive the faster Airstream charger. You used to receive 2 chargers as well which is now only reserved for Europe. Even the old model in North America is shipping with one charger now. I have never experienced kickback with my track saw and question whether I really need this feature considering it already includes a riving knife. If the extra safety means I can cut faster, maybe the change is a good one.

I've seen reports of Home Advisor scams which is not good. I have no interest in a service like this considering they take a cut from my profits and with the possibility of a $15 minimum wage, my profit margins would be even lower.

@fm2176 I'm sure it is every bit as quality as the entry level commercial units. I was just saying pros tend to compare any given mower they get to try out with an offering from their preferred brand and typically it is not the entry level offering it is more in the high end territory. It's not entirely their fault because they mostly use the mowers they already have to compare to. These units are typically a higher end offering. I think build quality wise the commercial Ego string trimmer is in my opinion the best built string trimmer currently on the market. The commercial units from the likes of Stihl, Echo, and Makita don't even have metal housings around the motors or even metal triggers where the Ego does. Ego is the only one that offers a carbon fiber shaft which to my knowledge is the only company that offers this. I would recommend watching Stanley's video on the mower.

I picked up a second Crescent Lufkin Tape Measure. The one I got in my ToolCrate was so nice I decided I wanted a second. The second one I got just happened to be 25'. The one from the ToolCrate is only 16'

This past year I started getting calls from a company called Home Advisor promising they will provide customers. The catch is they take a small cut of the profits. I got another call from them today. I decline their services every time. Does anyone else have problems with Home Advisor or similar companies?

Multivolt has a 1/2in router coming. I wouldn't be surprised if xgt wasn't far behind.

@Jjwillac he is referencing a system similar to what Metabo is using in their Starlock Plus OMT. It is Starlock but still uses a pin to secure the blade. It just doesn't have the fancy clamp system that the Boch/Fein/Festool Starlock units have.

@TyMonk I know you mentioned the button on the top of the Milwaukee is a deal breaker. When I got the m12, I wasn't sure what I would think about it at first. After using it for awhile it actually isn't as bad as you would think. The fact you hold the Milwaukee like a drywall screwgun helps make the case for the button on the top in my opinion. Now I am so used to having the button I'm not sure I would switch to a traditional direction switch.

I own a fair bit of Ego. 8 residential batteries, one commercial battery, two powerhead motor units with various attachments, commercial string trimmer, brushed hedge trimmer, 530 cfm blower, 650 cfm blower, and the gen one single stage snow blower. I mow to make a living so everything gets a good amount of use. The quality is ok. The main thing to fail on ego products are the electronics. Otherwise the materials and craftsmanship typically don't fail unless the part is designed to wear. I have broken the string trimmer head on my power head string trimmer attachment but that was only due to I literally wore through the plastic from heavy use. I have no intentions to get the 2 stage. I feel like I would be disappointed. Single stage snowblowers get so much cleaner, and you can remove snow faster if it is a small enough snow. The most disappointing tool I own is the brushed hedge trimmer. While the runtime on it is incredible especially for being brushed, my main complaint I have with it is it can be underpowered at times. Lack of power will stall it out more often than I would like. I picked up the articulated hedge trimmer attachment for the power head and it is a night and day difference in terms of power. I am extremely pleased with the power of the power head hedge trimmer.

@fm2176 As someone who uses commercial mowers on a regular basis, this is very much a residential unit. The price is roughly that of an entry level bare bones commercial mower which will likely have a larger deck with similar power ratings. Even some residential units are reaching $5k. I have heard electric units don't stripe as well as gas units but most electric units aren't commercial grade like the mowers pros try to compare them to. I expected grease fittings but I am surprised to not see any information on grease fittings. Just because they swapped out gasoline for batteries doesn't mean they can forget the grease. There are still quite a few moving parts that need grease. I am patiently waiting what Ego has in store for us commercial guys. Their commercial line kinda feels neglected at this point. It was released to North America in the spring/summer of 2019 and nothing has been added to the line tool wise.

I picked up a Knipex 26 11 200 Snipe Nose Side Cutting Pliers (Stork Beak Pliers) They look like needle nose pliers to me but apparently they aren't. I'm using them like I would a pair of needle nose. I also picked up a Milwaukee Shockwave Red Helix twist drill bit set. I wanted something compatible with 1/4 hex chucks.

@Jjwillac Any links to the catalog? the bottom near the blade looks a bit strange. Maybe it serves a purpose?

I would recommend not cutting corners on performance and at the same time not going overkill either. You can always use the higher performing tool on most of the less demanding tasks but you can't always use the lower performing tool on the more demanding tasks. Example: I would recommend getting something like the 20v max brushless 6in circular saw over something like the 7in flexvolt circular saws or the atomic circular saw. You will find the Atomic underperforms and the Flexvolt stuff is overkill. If you find you need a bit more performance then go ahead and get a Flexvolt saw. Since you mentioned DeWALT, something like this DCKSS699M2 or DCKTS600M2 kit might be a good option.

@Daniel brannum I have used gas hedge trimmers, battery, and corded. I would recommend staying away from gas or corded. I would recommend going with a battery option. I use one for work and it is every bit as good as the corded and gas variants i have used. I got my Ego for around $200 with one 2.0 battery and charger included. The runtimes I got from the smallest battery Ego offers were in my opinion incredible. You can find others from the likes of DeWALT, Makita, and Milwaukee, Sthil, Echo, etc. that should be just as good.

DeWALT is even getting redundant in ways: 20v max, power detect, flexvolt advantage, flexvolt. I see B&D as the intended equal to Ryobi even though the products are at a much lower quality to that of Ryobi. I still feel Craftsman does not need to have mechanics handtools. SB&D already has Blackhawk to fill the space for entry level mechanics hand tools. Many people know Craftsman for their mechanics tools and tool chests but its the only brand the SB&D owns other than B&D that is known for the ope. SB&D owns many brands known for mechanics tools and storage so to have those product lines under the Craftsman name would continue the redundancy trend.

There is too much duplicate tools. I would say have 2 tiers (no middle tier). Each major category would have a homeowner and a pro brand associated with it and no more. The Homeowner focused tools would be compatible with each other and the pro focused tools would be compatible with each other. Basically Metabo's CAS but with SB&D products. SB&D and SB&D Pro could be a new sub-branding to indicate the CAS like functionality. SB&D would use B&D batteries and SB&D Pro would use DeWALT batteries (12v,20v,Flexvolt) Here are my pairs homeowner first and pro second. General Power Tools: B&D and DeWALT General Hand Tools: Stanley and Stanley Fatmax OPE: B&D and Craftsman Cordless Mechanics Tools: B&D and Mac Portable Jobsite Storage: Stanley and Vidmar Non Portable Storage: Stanley and Lista Consumables(Blades, Bits, Sandpaper,etc.): Irwin and Lenox Mechanics Hand Tools: Blackhawk and Proto Customized Tools (basically the SB&D equivalent of what Tanos does): Stanley and Facom Pneumatic and Fasteners(Air/Battery nailers,staplers,riveters) B&D and Bostitch Specialty Woodworking: B&D and Porter Cable

I bought the Space Mouse Enterprise 2 kit from 3D Connexion. I wanted a 3d mouse and wanted a new regular mouse for drafting. Everything in the kit is designed for the CAD professional. I was even able to special order the kit with the left hand variant of their CadMouse. I used their 3d mouse a few years ago and I felt it increased productivity.

Any professional grade brand will used a cell of good enough quality to last years. Most brands are not compatible with the next you will need that brands tools to go with their batteries.