Jronman

World of Concrete is happening soon. a bit later than usual. Are anyone going (besides @Eric - TIA @Dan - TIA) , have any predictions, or have things you would like to see?

I guess I'm missing something here or am I? Doesn't DeWALT have 120v tools? or are you saying they need to expand the dual 60v line with more tools other than the DHS790 and the DHS716 miter saws? The 120v table saw could be a true replacement to their hybrid size of table saw. The 120v vac could come in both the "shop vac" style and the "dust extractor" style of the full size vacs DeWALT offers. I would like to see an option to have 4 batteries in each vac for 120v performance but double the runtime.

@fm2176 its kinda funny my parents are the ones that use emotes, texting talk/abbreviations, and improper grammar/punctuation and not myself. I'm like you, I prefer to use proper grammar, punctuation, and whatnot as long as I don't make any typos. I try to read the longer posts but as the length of content increases, the amount of content missed can also increase. If someone has a question in a thread, and I can help out, I try to answer to the best of my ability. If there are multiple questions it bothers me if only a portion of the questions are answered and not all. If I can only answer a portion of the questions I will try to let the individual know I do not have an answer for the remainder and if I know how to get to the answer but not the means to do so I try to help them get in the right direction.

I haven't experienced or known anyone around town experience this with their DeWALT batteries. I have had batteries with issues but none caught fire. I personally keep my batteries in a tough system in my garage. Sometimes I might have one battery in the pickup connected to my DeWALT light but otherwise they just get used in the garage.

One thing to mention is you will need jigsaw blades for the jigsaw and not reciprocating saw blades. I would agree with what @fm2176 the brushless stuff is the way to go. In many cases more runtime and more power. I would pick the atomic impact and drill over the entry level brushless drill and impact. I felt DeWALT cut a few too many corners with this kit like the lack of a triple led which the brushed kit it was seemingly designed to replace has the triple led setup. Also the power is nearly identical to the old kit. The lack of triple led is not a huge deal and the power isn't either but just something to consider. With the Atomic you get an affordable option that has the triple led and a bit more power than the entry level brushless. The premium stuff is nice and all but has a much larger price tag and feature set that would be very overkill for most homeowners needs. I don't know how versatile you need the drill to be but you might want to consider the option with hammer mode just incase you need to install a small concrete screw or two. Maybe if you got a basement and need to instal something on the wall it might come in handy. You might try places like Acme Tool and Toolnut for sales. Typically at the start of the month new deals arrive like free battery/bare tools, percentage off deals, and money off deals.

@Parthmad I own the grs-16 pe guide rail square. I also own both DeWALT and Festool guide rails. The DeWALT rails are not compatible. The nice thing about the DeWALT track saw is it is compatible with Festool guide rails. Possibly Makita and Triton but I am not for sure. Before I got my Festool TSC55 I used my DeWALT on the Festool rails and it worked great. I did not find any decent squaring options for the DeWALT rails. DeWALT used to sell a square but it is discontinued. They are getting harder to find and if you do find one, it is hard to find one that is actually square. I heard it had accuracy issues.

I didn't know the light could have calibration issues.

They may not have been compatible but with a few tweaks they could have.

I just noticed this too. My suggestion still stands for the Makita. You are getting 4 batteries, guide rail, dual charger, regular length guide rail, saw, and 2 makpaks for only $500. @bradleyheathhays if you can make one more large purchase, I think it will be worth it in the long run and your still paying less than the Festool. That is if a 6-1/2in blade will be sufficient. If you need the capacity of the TS75 then you may want to try @Mordekyle 's idea. Most newer 7in saws and sometimes bigger saws have dust collection options if that is something you need. It is typically not best dust collection but still dust collection none the less. Also a regular circular saw doesn't have a splinter guard so your cut may have more tearout with the regular saw.

I picked up the Milescraft dowel jig, a drill bit for it, and a box of dowels from Menards the other day. I also got a couple grr-rip blocks from Rockler. The gripping performance is impressive. I also ordered some led light bars off of Amazon and a pair of Keen insulated shoes.

I kinda wish they stuck with the Chervon batteries. I have no idea if they were compatible with ego stuff and vice versa but it would at least have been a start.

I think we just had to get past the initial Craftsman launch. I think the hype is starting to die down and DeWALT is starting to pick up. We saw some new stuff at STAFFDA and I imagine we will see more at World of Concrete.

agreed. It is as good as the Kapex just has a smaller blade which isn't always bad.

If you can get by with the regular size of track saw, they are roughly 6-1/2 in blade diameter, then a "good" track saw in this size will run you roughly $400-$500 minimum. You can buy ones in the $200 price range which is about as cheap as they come. The $200 ones are better than a regular circular saw but as a track saw they are not worth it in my opinion. I know Kreg just came out with a track saw. I don't know if it is good or not. Might be worth a try? It shows the basic kit is going for $400. The corded Makita is going for around $420 but seems like there is always a free 2 battery promotion going on that it would be almost silly not to go with the cordless version. As of right now you can get the Makita cordless kit for $390 from Home Depot and Amazon online. Acme Tool and ToolNut has the cordless kit for $499 but you get a 39in guide rail and 2 5.0ah batteries thrown in for free. I personally own the DeWALT Flexvolt and Festool TSC55 cordless track saws both are great. The Festool is the better saw in my opinion. One option that you could try is the DeWALT track saw paired with the Festool guide rails which is what I did for awhile before I got my Festool. The DeWALT kit is going for $499 for the cordless kit and $579 for the cordless with guide rail kit. Right now the DeWALT is looking to be hard to get. Mostly out of stock or backordered. The Makita is a better overall saw in my opinion. Now for a large track saw larger than the 6-1/2 in, your options are much more limited unless you go with a regular circular saw with guide rail compatible base. The TS75 from Festool is about the largest track saw option available over here. Maffel might sell a large option as well but I am not for sure. Both would be quite expensive.

Also you might want to check if the blades need cleaned.

Would a metal fastening screw driver be a better option or are we talking more of a lag bolt type fastener?

You don't want a better saw? Also when I said premium I should have been more specific. I meant a sliding miter saw in the $1000+ price range.

Makita has had 20 cell tools since 2013 and yet people still want bigger batteries for Makita tools. Current 15 cell batteries for the most part only date back to 2016 with flexvolt then others shortly after. Does Makita really need larger cells yet? Is 20 cells of 18650 really farther behind than 15 or even 10 of the 21700?

I second what @JakeDewalt said. The flexvolt battery makes a noticeable difference in some tools.

I got it complete

I got a Menards gift card for Christmas. I am considering getting Milescraft Pocket hole jig to use in an upcoming project but I'm waiting until I go to a physical location to buy. The online pricing at Menards is ridiculous. I'm not paying a handling fee when hardly anyone else even charges a handling fee on regular items anymore. If it was big and heavy that is understandable but not a $50 Milescraft Pocket hole jig. The lack of shipping and handling fees will be roughly $11 total in savings.

You can get the premium DCS356 that replaced the DCS355 for only $99 bare tool which is a pretty good deal if you ask me. It has the 3 speed switch and supposedly some vibration improvements. I don't know how long it will be for $99 usd or if it still is. I would check Acme and Toolnut for sale pricing.

If you going Ridgid battery into Ryobi tool then you might be able to get it to work but Ridgid battery into Milwaukee tool may not work right if it works at all. Most pro level brands not including prosumer/semipro have chips and whatnot that work with the tool and battery to ensure everything works right. The lower end stuff might or might not have chips but if they do, they are much easier to work around. Personally if the battery is not the battery that the manufacturer of the tool sells then I wouldn't use it. Unless it is a company that specifically uses another name brand battery for example Greenlee uses makita batteries and Graco and Mac use DeWALT batteries.

That was just the price to fix mine if I wanted. I got mine as the kit which I don't remember what price I paid.

I'm the one that had the 355 2 years before it died. I don't think @Dan McCartney specified the age of his.