[DeWalt Workwear]

This is a power tools sub-forum, so I'll start with this question.  Who owns DeWalt heated gear?  I found a heated jacket in the now-closed Savannah, GA mall years ago, but it was a 2XL.  It came with a 12v Max battery and an adapter very similar to my USB charger.  Due mostly to convenience as they are available at The Home Depot, I own two Milwaukee heated hoodies (one since appropriated by my wife) and the softshell jacket.  I like the fact that the DeWalt gear can use 12v or 20v batteries, but I've used my 18v Bosch USB adapters to power the M12 jackets.

 

Among my daily wear items are some with DeWalt branding.  The Columbus, GA Sears closed in 2017, and as usual the liquidation company jacked up prices before reducing them, causing the uninformed to go crazy buying those "50% Off" items for the same price they always sold for.  I ventured into the store, perused and quickly left the tool section, then for some reason checked out the shoe section, finding DeWalt safety footwear.  I ended up coming home with a pair of Baltimore steel toe work boots and three pairs of Wrench composite toe work shoes for a little over $100 total.  Since then, the Baltimore boots have been worn relatively little, but the Wrench shoes are worn almost daily.  One pair is heavily worn and the toe is held on with hot glue, another pair has seen decent wear, and the third pair is still new in the box, waiting for its turn.  Unfortunately, DeWalt seems to have discontinued these, despite them still being on the website.  I'd gladly pay full retail for another pair when these three are completely worn out.  They are a bit bulkier than a regular running shoe but they are extremely comfortable.  One other daily wear item for not only me but the family in general are the socks from this cotton boot socks and ball cap combo.  I picked up a couple from Tractor Supply about five years ago, then when Lowe's started selling them on occasion, I went overboard buying more.  I swear that I keep finding new sock/cap combos, as I grabbed a bucket and filled it up at least twice over the past few years.  These socks are my mainstays not only for working and around the house, but also for my combat boots and running shoes when in uniform (though technically out of regulation).  I probably have at least six of the caps floating around, having been worn a few times, then either washed or forgotten about.  Of course, I've given away a few of the caps as well.

 

DeWalt makes a variety of different workwear, but around here the Milwaukee gear is much more visible due to its presence in The Home Depot.  Besides the jackets I have a few of the insulated caps and some gloves, both insulated and not.  Sears was the best place to find DeWalt clothing and accessories before its almost complete demise, however, now it seems that online retailers are the best source.  

[New Vacuum System]

I saw these on ToolGuyd last night.  There are three sizes--6, 9, and 12 gallon--and three interchangeable heads: a single battery head designed to outperform 3.5 peak HP vacuums, a dual-battery head designed to outperform 4.5 peak HP vacuums, and a 6.5 HP AC head.  A bunch of attachments and accessories are also being launched.

 

I have the small M18 wet/dry vacuum as well as the DeWalt DCV580 and DCV517, Ridgid cordless hand vacuum, and the Ryobi 6 gallon cordless.  If the price is ever "right" (on clearance for 50% or more off), or if I really need something like this and the reviews are stellar, I may get one.  I like the interchangeability, but it seems that the single battery only comes with the 6 gallon, while the dual-battery comes with the larger vacuums.  The AC motor is sold separately.  Never mind, a reread of the ToolGuyd article shows that the components will be sold separately starting in March and into the summer.  I could see buying a complete vacuum with the dual-battery motor and then one or two different sized tanks and the AC head.  There may even be jobs where having multiple same-sized tanks would be worth the $79-$99 cost apiece.

 

Milwaukee continues to innovate and offers very strong competition for DeWalt.  I think the latter's struggle to keep up may be due to its parent company, which seems almost schizophrenic at times.  SBD pushes DeWalt as its pro brand, but meanwhile releases DeWalt-compatible Mac tools and pushes Craftsman (and to a much lesser extent Porter Cable) as being semi-pro, to the extent where some Craftsman V20 tools look very similar to their DeWalt counterparts.  

[20V or 60V Grinder]

9 hours ago, Yoni said:

Listen people the dcg418 has 30% more power then the previous models so for me seconds matter cos the longer the noise go on the more likely I would get caught and the faster the blade rotates the faster the dam lock will break so see no evil hear no evil the hustle goes on I risk my life every other day so I need  beast "dewalt dcg418 60v"to keep me out here away from bin DEWALT LOVE YOU LIKE LIFE THIS GOES OUT TO ALL MY HUSTLERS OUT THERE, MR REACH NW Camden 

 

Storage unit burglary/theft, or something legal, like trailer repo?  I can't imagine a grinder being used for car repo.  Grinders aside, if you are using your grinder to aid in the theft of other people's property I hope the wheel breaks just before the police arrive.  

 

If you're legit, I apologize for the accusation.  I've been the victim of a burglary with multiple repeat trips to relieve me of a lot of my tools and other stuff (I was out of town at the time).  When I got home and discovered it, I went to the gun safe, grabbed a shotgun, handguns, and body armor, and waited in the woods in the hope that they'd return.  Had they returned, I don't know what I'd have done.  I'd have probably simply held them until deputies arrived, but if they had a firearm it would have been game on.  A year or so later my storage units were broken into just before Christmas.  I went to check on them, found the locks cut, and walked around the facility to find about 1/4 of the units had been broken into, with some units wide open and almost empty.  Fortunately, the only thing missing from mine was a couple of BB guns; my mechanic's tools were buried at the back behind a bunch of heavy worthless stuff.  

 

Back on topic, I have the older 20v Max version.  It works for my needs, but I can see where the FlexVolt would be a much better choice.  I may end up with one eventually, as I'm already looking at cutters and welders for my post-retirement shop.

[Where to buy the old style m12 batteries]

As Biggie stated, all M12 batteries should be compatible.  Some of the newer packs like 6.0Ah ones may not fit some old tools, as when M12 was released in the late 2000s they probably didn't imagine that battery technology and capacity would grow so quickly (both DeWalt 20v Max and M18 have some tools that are incompatible with their larger batteries).

 

M12 has been around so long that it's difficult to find reference to earlier 12v systems, but I found this replacement Ni-Cad battery.  If any of those style of tools were still being sold even ten years ago, though, I'd be surprised.

[M18 30 Degree Framing Nailer Jams When Strip Is Down to 10 Nails]

20 hours ago, Ditch Digger said:

I recently bought this tool and it works great until I’m down to about 10 nails left in the nail strip; then, it jams.  When I load a new strip, it drives fine.  I’m new to framing nailers.  Is this common and just the way nailers work or should it use the whole strip?  If it’s supposed to use the whole strip, does anyone have a suggestion on what’s wrong, please?  I’m using Paslode nails.  Thanks.

 

It should use the entire strip, though I've had some nailers or staplers that get finicky when they're down to the last one or two fasteners.  It sounds to me like the follower spring is weak and isn't pushing the nails fast enough when enough tension is removed.  I liken a nail gun to, well, a gun.  When there's a faulty magazine, a failure to feed can result, which can often lead to all sorts of shenanigans such as jammed nails.

[What Are Your "Go-To" Power Tools?]

The title says it all.  Of course, we can't have one jack-of-all trades tool that does everything we need.  Granted, a little ingenuity and the proper accessories can turn a drill into an improvised (and highly imprecise) saw, but I'd venture to guess that most of us have at least three cordless tools that each serve a distinct purpose: drill driver, circular saw, and reciprocating saw.  The impact driver has become increasingly popular over the past couple of decades as well, and a cordless light is a nice addition.  For the sake of discussion, let's focus on those five basic tools, which are often sold in tool combos.  If you regularly use another type of tool (i.e. SDS-Plus rotary hammer or jig saw) please share it.  Also, this thread isn't solely about cordless tools.  If that old Sawzall has been a constant companion for decades, I'd like to hear about it.  Anyway, my go-to tools are below:

 

Drill: it's hard to pick one, but probably the M18 compact brushless.  I have two, one nearly new and the other seeing heavy use at the flipper house.  Previously, I'd probably have chosen the DCD796.  The larger hammer drills I have from DeWalt, Milwaukee, Ridgid, Bosch, and MetaboHPT usually stay in the tool box (and will soon be wall hangers).

 

Impact Driver: the Triple Hammer is probably my current go-to.  I like the size of the 12v drivers and the power of the M18 Fuel, and the Ridgid Stealth is nice to use on occasion, but the Triple Hammer ends up in my hands much more often. 

 

Circular Saw: the M18 Fuel wins hands down.  I have the Ridgid Gen5X (from the black limited edition set), FlexVolt worm-drive style, MetaboHPT MultiVolt, and M12 Fuel saws as well.  The Ridgid is handy but tends to bog down; the FlexVolt has seen very little use due to its size and weight, though it is a beast when you need the power; the MultiVolt seems powerful but just hasn't gotten a lot of use, and the M12 Fuel is probably a close second to it's M18 cousin.  The M12 Fuel saw is nice and compact and has plenty of power for most projects.  

 

Reciprocating Saw: this is a tie between the M18 Fuel and the Ridgid X4.  My One Key Sawzall sees a lot of use, but the X4 is nice to use due to its orbital action.  I've used the Octane a few times, but the X4 is smaller and lighter.  For a compact reciprocating saw, the M12 Fuel Hackzall is great, though I'm sure the similar DeWalt 12v Max Xtreme saw will be strong competition once I actually use it.

 

Light: this is not so much a tie as it is just different go-to lights for different uses.  The M12 Rocket is a great tripod light and sees much more use than the M18 versions.  I've used mine for both their intended purpose and to crawl under houses, keeping my hands out of the dirt.  The DeWalt spotlight is great in rural areas, and I used it a lot out in the Georgia woods.  When I'm under a car, I find myself using the M18 Rover flood light, while the DCL040 is the only standard work light I use (I have the Ridgid and maybe a couple others but never think of them).

 

Extra Pick: DeWalt 20v Max drywall screwgun and cutout tool.  I don't use them on a daily basis, but when a drywall project pops up these are time savers to say the least.  I have three of the screwguns and two of the collated attachments.  It takes a little bit of practice, and even then I'll sometimes underdrive a screw, but the collated attachments make hanging drywall an extremely quick process.  The cutout tool is perfect for electrical boxes and for trimming when needed.  

 

So, those are my go-to tools.  As you can tell, brand loyalty is all but non-existent for my projects, and there are some I didn't mention that are nearly go-to tools themselves, such as the Bosch Freak impact driver.  I probably have at least one of each type of tool that isn't trade specific (electrical or PEX crimpers and such), and have recently started curtailing my tool purchases, so some of my go-to tools are the only ones I have, such as the different DeWalt and Ryobi nailers, the M12 stapler, or the Ryobi glue gun.  Do you have a tool you tend to grab more often than others?  If you have only one brand, what is it, and why did you decide upon it?  

[Milwaukee m18 battery flashing red fast]

I recommend contacting Milwaukee if it's still under warranty.

[Hello]

Welcome!

[Favorite Coffee?]

Quick coffee story: Drill Sergeant School is nine weeks, with morning formations often taking place at 0530 or earlier.  I think it's all part of "The Game", because class leadership swaps weekly and the Drill Sergeant Leaders (instructors) give the week's Platoon Sergeant the following day's timeline late in the day and will sometimes change it.  This actually prepares us for the upcoming job, as each week in Basic Training is the responsibility of a different Drill Sergeant and is prone to changes due to weather or outside support.  We backwards plan based on training events, and downtime is little to none early in each training cycle. 

 

Anyway, after PT we usually had 5-15 minutes to conduct hygiene prior to breakfast formation.  I'd run to the barracks room, turn on the Keurig, take a 1 minute shower, brew the coffee while changing, then mix the coffee with cold water and slam it.  I'd get to formation early and when my peers complained of having no time to even shower I'd brag about not only getting in a shower but also already having coffee.  Fun times...

[Favorite Coffee?]

On 2/14/2022 at 9:41 AM, Eric - TIA said:

Coffee?  Great question.  At home, I am a fan of Dunkin Donuts and that is my go to.  I recently bought Bulletproof, but I am too cheap and it expensive.  I have it but only drink once in a while.  If I am on the road, I can really do any gas station coffee and I am fine.  I will go to Dunkin Donuts to get coffee when I am out, but the coffee is expensive so it's just occasionally.  I will hit up McDonalds sometimes if that is all that is around.  Not a fan of the Starbucks.

 

I'm not a Starbucks fan either, in fact I usually grab a nice cup of gas station coffee if I'm with someone headed there, and make a point to bring my Circle K or 7-11 coffee inside.  Both Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks have contracts with Army installations, and I work less than a block from both (on the now rare occasion I actually go to the office) but have yet to visit either.  

[Favorite Coffee?]

2 hours ago, Tortuga said:

I drink Kcup coffee at home and I use to love the Starbucks Pikes Place coffee but it started tearing up my stomach. I recently switched to the Caribou medium roast Kcups and it's a lot easier on my stomach.

 

I went through so many K-Cups at Bagram that my wife bought me a Keurig when I returned.  Twelve hour shifts seven days a week does that to you, and I eventually ordered a Community Coffee subscription along with a reusable K-Cup.  

 

One type of coffee I forgot to mention is chicory coffee like Cafe Du Monde (CDM).  I'll make Au Lait for the family on occasion, but usually drink my CDM black like I do regular coffee.

[Stanley Shovels With Long Handles Only In Australia?!!!]

I haven't seen these in the States either.  The only long handled shovel I own is my transfer scoop, basically an oversized transfer (square) shovel.

[Super Bowl LVI]

I agree, entertainment is supposed to be about escapism.  There's always been a degree of hard edged reality in certain programming, but pushing politics, social reforms, and agendas seems to be everywhere now.  Sports should be just that: two teams putting their best players on the field while the coaches strategize how best to win the game.  The NFL and NASCAR are probably the two biggest names when it comes to strategy .  When I watched the NFL I wanted to see how the offensive formations made the defense react, or when that deceptive play was made.  Some people don't understand the appeal of NASCAR, but the term "strategy" is thrown around all of the time, with a blown tire or running out of fuel costing a lot of teams the race in the final lap.  When a sport becomes known for pushing an agenda, or when its players alienate a key fan demographic, it's no longer worth watching.  

 

I don't generally watch new movies or TV shows.  Honestly, my attention span is a bit short to enjoy them regardless of content, though I can watch an hour-long documentary or lecture online.  

[Professional Development]

I'm sure that many of us are in careers where self-development is strongly encouraged, if not required.  For example, the Army uses the attached image to summarize its leadership developmental model.  Training, education, and experience are all equally important for continued advancement.  When I was a mechanic, I was fortunate enough to "know somebody" to get an entry-level job as a mechanic's helper at Great Dane Traliers, moving to the Cadillac dealership as an Apprentice Tech within six months.  They sent me to the regional GM Technical College campus and a local community college to receive courses on basic automotive diagnostics and repair, and when I later worked for the forklift dealership, we attended in-house training on Crown and other equipment, to include certification as an aerial work platform inspector for various types of lifts.  Of course, the trades have their various licenses and certifications, and a lot of people would rather hire that highly experienced, fully licensed and insured, and articulate electrician or plumber rather than the "shade tree" sort next door.  Of course, a lot of the TIA Crew probably either does their own work or knows someone in the trades that is willing to make a little extra cash.

 

I've been doing a lot of teleworking recently and am no longer in a position of leadership or, really, even in a position where I can stay busy with my core job for 8+ hours a day, whether at home or in the office.  Fortunately, there's a lot of stuff to do between medical appointments, required processes once my retirement is approved, and continued self-development.  I should be looking back into the Construction Management program I was accepted into a few years ago but never started, or another graduate-level program, but have been doing a lot of independent study instead.  A lot of it is US, military, and firearms history, but a lot of study is also being put into the US' justice system, whether through reading case law, watching police interactions with the public, or keeping up with law enforcement news. 

 

This morning I found a good site ran by a former cop who is both (mostly) objective and who can cite sources or references: https://grahamfactor.substack.com/?r=1a06mw.  I've long been interested in policing and other aspects of the CRJ system, and have been visiting sites like Law Enforcement Today and Police Tribune (previously Blue Lives Matter, before they changed the name during the anti-cop backlash in 2020).  However, while both are good at honoring fallen officers, they each have a distinct political stance that adds bias to most of their opinion and news pieces.  A couple of weeks ago I found the much less political Law Officer site, which led me to the site I spent most of the morning reading.  With the future open, I enjoy simply learning and getting objective opinions from experienced persons. 

 

In my opinion, a lot of people overlook education and other self-development at the expense of being relegated to a limited career path.  Some probably choose this--my father-in-law was a lifelong Journeyman Electrician that had no desire to become a Master Electrician--while others get caught up in the grind and simply put themselves on the backburner.  Then too, there is concept of being over educated and under experienced or under educated and over experienced.  Perhaps worse are the young men and women who are pushed into college, racking up tens of thousands of dollars in student loans for a useless degree and having no real life experience.  Some of the most ignorant people I've dealt with were those with 4-year or graduate-level degrees.  As a Drill Sergeant, and especially as a Recruiter, I've met a lot of people who couldn't grasp basic life skills or who thought their Master's degree guaranteed them a position as an Officer Candidate (one couldn't score over 40 on the entrance test and another person with a Master's scored 3).  

 

So, what are your thoughts, and what kind of professional development does your career path expect/desire?  When it comes to self-development, do you spend your spare time reading, watching informative videos, or playing videogames?  Do you think that an expensive piece of paper is worth more than informal knowledge and experience?  

 

 

[Super Bowl LVI]

How many of you watched the game yesterday?  I heard about Odell Beckham, Jr.'s injury and remember him from his days at LSU, and my wife was saying something about the Bengals' quarterback being a bit cocky for a rookie.  After looking him up just now, I found that he too played for LSU.

 

I shared my my thoughts on professional sports in another thread and won't go further into that at the moment.  The Super Bowl is probably one of the biggest events of the year here in the US, with the Halftime Show and commercials attracting even non-fans.  People gather en masse at bars and houses for parties, and I'm not sure if other countries have something equivalent (please share it if you know of anything).  For obvious reasons, last year's event was a bit lower key, though I believe the 2020 game predated the pandemic lockdowns.  

 

Yesterday's Halftime Show seemed promising.  While I'm a fan of Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg's earlier music, I opted instead to binge Cynical Historian videos on the history of California, did a little cleaning, and made a big pot of chili.  I did read about Eminem taking a knee on stage.  As I stated in the other thread, athletes and celebrities politicize things in a manner that drives some Americans away from them, detracting from our ability to simply enjoy the show.

 

Anyway, hopefully those of you who watched it for the game, Halftime Show, or commercials enjoyed it.  Were your predictions on the outcome accurate, and did your preferred team win?  What's the next big event you're looking forward to?.

[I need to get two sets of this Bostitch jigsaw blade set.]

Still no luck, a few potential scam sites (unsecured with 5+ year old dates on them) claim to offer them, but nothing I'd trust.  The case may be available in another SBD brand, as it seems to be similar to what DeWalt uses for other accessories.  I have a DeWalt blade set that looks similar, but the case is yellow.

[I need to get two sets of this Bostitch jigsaw blade set.]

I did a quick search and it seems that this set hasn't been sold in over seven years, based on review dates.  I'll do some more searching tomorrow when I get the time.

[Pulled the Trigger... (New Firearms Thread)]

We made a trip to the flipper home yesterday, renting a metal brake to knock out the trim.  Siding is starting to go up, most windows are installed, and we have a front door to hang when we go back next week, if the hired help doesn't install it before then.  I did take advantage of the opportunity to fire a few rounds through the Glock and Taurus, since the house is in a rural area.  Of course, I confirmed that I wasn't violating any laws prior to shooting in the back yard, and ensured that I had a decent backstop.  The property isn't really suitable for setting up a range--and the wife might be less than happy if I regularly used this investment property as such.

 

It's been years since I fired a handgun outside, and I was surprised by how subdued the sound was compared to rifle/machine gun fire or firing at an indoor range.  As a Drill Sergeant, I regularly wore double ear pro, with disposable ear plugs covered by Peltor ear muffs.  One thing I always avoided was being near an M240B machine gun when it was firing blanks.  For some reason, those are unusually loud; the M4 and M249 are relatively quiet with blanks, but the M240B seems louder with blanks than it does firing live ammo.

 

It's time to clean the guns here in a bit, probably while a lot of people are watching today's sporting event.  I've used Otis cleaning kits for a couple of decades now, and more recently started using Rem Oil instead of military-grade CLP (Cleaner, Lubricant, Preservative) for lubrication of my firearms.  I joined the Army shortly before a lot of units started buying Otis kits for Soldiers to use in lieu of the USGI issued cleaning kits.  Otis has a pull through system with a coated cable instead of steel cleaning rods, and over the years I've amassed quite a number of kits and individual components.  From the tactical kits that were issued in my earlier units to the Defender Series a lot of units have issued more recently, and even a 7.62mm machine gun kit I got from the Otis rep at an Infantry Warfighters' Conference years ago, I'm pretty set.  I also lucked out and found a couple of FG-1000 Elite kits for about $20 at an Exchange years ago.  

 

So, it's about time to break out the new Glock cleaning mat, and a 9mm/.38 caliber bore brush.  Hopefully everyone has enjoyed their weekends.

[Favorite Coffee?]

What's your favorite coffee brand, and/or blend?  I'm a fan of Community Coffee as it supports the Baton Rouge area, and love finding it at pit stops (such as Stripling's General Store which was a regular stop when we had the previous project house in Georgia), with the occasional bag being bought for the house and all of our coffee stored in a Community Coffee Fresh-O-Later. 

 

Otherwise, I simply drink whatever is available when on the road, probably a trait inherited from my father, a lifelong trucker.  Strong, weak, or hours old, I drink it black without sugar.

 

At home, though, we mostly drink Folgers Classic.  I have a subscription to Black Rifle Coffee, but as I type this there's some Folgers in the pot waiting for our trip to The Home Depot in a bit.  Gotta stay caffeinated while shopping doors for the flipper project.

 

 

[Cordless Tool/Battery Interface Aesthetics]

Without getting too into politics and such, I think that, in the US at least, various taxes and laws simply make it cheaper for companies to outsource to China.  Especially nowadays, when some want a $15 minimum wage for even entry level service jobs, it's cheaper to import and pay the applicable tariffs (which might be negligible due to trade agreements) on products made by workers making pennies an hour overseas.  We've become a largely disposable society, but one where brand recognition is still everything.  An M18 saw that may come from the same factory as Brand X is going to sell better, and for a higher price, than its competitor because it's Milwaukee.  That new M18 Fuel Sawzall isn't cut from the same cloth as our dad's old corded Sawzall, but its specs are impressive and it does the job.  Sure, there may be a trigger issue down the line, but that will be covered by the 5-year warranty.  Meanwhile, flea markets and work shops around the US are filled with fifty-year-old Made in the US Sawzalls that still work perfectly fine, maybe having had a set of replacement brushes at some point.  Of course, I'm one to talk: besides a few inherited tools my collection is full of China's finest products.  

[Knipex Pliers Wrench]

I own some of the NWS-made Irwin pliers.  Lowe's sold them for a while before putting them on clearance, since most Americans don't want to pay @$40 for a good set of pliers.  Now they stock similar looking Taiwan or China sourced pliers that cost about half that.  I paid as little as $8 for the pliers on clearance, ending up with a number of side cutters, a couple pairs of linemen's and I think one pistol grip long-nose.

 

As for Knipex, I own exactly one pliers wrench, which is a favorite.  It's the larger one, which I got during Sears' last gasps when they offered 40% off on tools on Memorial Day around 2014 or 2015.  I think I paid $50 for it and my first Estwing hammer.  I've been thinking of adding some more Knipex tools to the box, but I have a lot of Channellock pliers that are workhorses.  Speaking of rebranding, I own at least two pairs each of the basic Channellock tongue-and-groove pliers (minus the 460 and 480), but my first new pair was actually a Blue-Point 440-sized pair, bought off the Snap-On truck in the '90s.  Just like the now-defunct Western Forge and other American (and obviously German) manufacturers, a lot of companies seem more than willing to maximize profits by making tools for other brands.  I don't completely avoid tools made in the Far East, but those are generally considered disposable until they prove themselves through heavy use.  One thing I've been collecting for years are the Petersen DeWitt Vise-Grips, generally considered better than later US made models and especially the imported Irwin versions.  

[Cordless Tool/Battery Interface Aesthetics]

Interesting...I haven't been closely following new tools for a while, but I can see where some brands source the same, or at least similar, designs from factories.  Here in the US, a lot of Bosch power tool accessories were rebranded as Diablo at The Home Depot (THD).  The Diablo spade bits I own are identical in all but color to the Bosch Daredevil bits.  Since they have the same parent company, this is very likely just a Big Box (mainly Lowe's/THD) deal to entice brand loyalists to one company or another.  I own a number of other blades and bits, and prefer buying ones made in Switzerland, Italy, the US, or other Western nations, but I haven't gone so far as to examine how close they are in form and function.

 

The country of origin (COO) of most tools available here in the States is China.  DeWalt has some assembly plants here and in Mexico and some tools are manufactured in Europe, but I'm sure that there are a few score of Chinese spies here in my house at the moment, with labels like DeWalt, Milwaukee, Ryobi, Ridgid, EGO, Bosch, and MetaboHPT.  Since I sold my last Norinco, I at least don't have any Chinese guns at the moment, I just have to guard the ones made under the supervision of Stalin.  😁  I believe that the Chinese mega factories that churn out so many products (not only tools but other household goods) are both good and bad for the corporations that sell those goods in western nations is both good and bad for us.  On the one hand, we're getting tools that are mostly serviceable and capable enough that a lot of Westerners probably don't even consider COO.  On the other hand, we've lost most industrial capability ourselves and have moved to a philosophy of disposable goods (where we once would fix a tool, appliance, or other item, we now just toss it and buy another).

 

A final thought, trying to bring this discussion back to tool aesthetics and such: perhaps the biggest (potential) Chinese copy--or knock off--I can think of in recent years is the Harbor Freight Hercules brand.  Hercules and Bauer were both released roughly the same time, with each having designs seemingly borrowed from DeWalt and Milwaukee respectively, and a lot of tool sites and YouTube channels were quick to point out how similar the Hercules and DeWalt batteries are.  I won't pretend to know the intricacies of swapping out or changing machinery components, but I can see where your final statement is feasible.  It is definitely possible that a single factory is making tools for more than one brand, using similar internal components and brand-specified housings requiring a simple injection mold swap.  China does, after all, have a long history of copying things; Russia (and previously the Soviet Union) has a long history of its military technology being stolen through reverse engineering, and the recent crash of a US Navy F-35 in the South China Sea saw the Navy take precautions to avoid the Chinese raising the jet.  

[Cordless Tool/Battery Interface Aesthetics]

I thought about this while responding to Altan's thread on Festool's new tools, which has gotten a little sidetracked discussing batteries.  Anyway, what are everyone's thoughts on tool design and aesthetics, especially when talking about older tool designs coupled with newer high capacity and/or subcompact batteries?  

 

In my opinion most platforms have gotten their basic designs down, with signature features like grip/handle design, overmolding, and logos being shared between tool types.  Of course, most brands have their signature colors as well, be they DeWalt Yellow or Milwaukee Red, and most of us can tell the difference between Ryobi and MetaboHPT Green or Bosch and Makita Blue at a glance.  The point of this thread is to discuss the traits of established platforms and how well they have adapted to newer battery technologies.

 

First, I'll pick on two TTI platforms, Ryobi One+ and Ridgid 18v, both of which still use battery interfaces that were originally designed for Ni-Cad batteries.  They each have compact (or even subcompact) tools in their 18v lines but the battery connector is disproportionately large in my opinion.  I have some Ridgid tools where the battery is longer than the tool itself, and the same can be said for Ryobi.  On the flip side, these brands' attempts at compact batteries make the older tools look disproportionately large, with a relatively tiny battery snapped into a large tool housing.  Ni-Cad batteries are much larger than comparative Li-Ion packs, so I think that the newer high output batteries better fit these than they do newer platforms.  

 

Next up are two of the most popular platforms in North America: DeWalt 20v Max and Milwaukee M18.  Both of these were initially released around 2010, give or take a year, and initially offered the then-standard 1.3Ah or 1.5Ah compact battery and 3.0Ah extended runtime battery.  Later developments allowed each to upgrade those same sized packs to 2.0Ah and 5.0Ah output respectively.  Over the decade-plus they've been out, each brand has released more modern and capable tools, but they are still tied to a battery interface designed in the late 2000s.  Some existing tools required modification or were incompatible with newly developed batteries, as the larger format of battery packs using 21700 cells versus those using 18650 cells required larger battery compartments or most space between a housing and belt hook.

 

So again, what do you think?  Function is beauty, in a way, and if you need a lighter battery or one capable of hours of runtime, there's no better time to be a tool user.  On the other hand, if you enjoy proportionality and basic looks, it can be hard to pair that compact battery with the circular saw, or the 9.0Ah battery with the compact impact driver.  I will admit that when I'm undertaking smaller projects I'll sometimes do just that, however, as some tool/battery pairings look downright comedic.  I'll try to share some pictures at a later date.

[Pulled the Trigger... (New Firearms Thread)]

2 hours ago, Eric - TIA said:

Thanks for the info.  Amazing on how it has changed.  That is a heck of a day, 18mile hike with 100 lbs. and 100 degrees outside.  Never realized how big Atchafalaya Basin was until I just looked it up, crazy.

 

It's crazy to think about how much the military has changed since 2001.  The ALICE system was essentially just an upgrade from the canvas M1956 pattern gear, and our other equipment was mostly similar to that issued in the Korean and Vietnam wars.  In fact, the equipment was still largely compatible with pre-WWI load bearing gear, with hooks and eyelet attachment points along with the newer ALICE clips.  Early MOLLE II kits even provided ALICE adapters for legacy gear to continue being used.  It's quite different now, with the average rear-echelon Soldier being issued better equipment than even Special Forces received in the 1990s.

 

We used to conduct a 25-mile march every three months when I served in the 101st, albeit without body armor and heavy rucksacks.  Most of us probably carried no more than 50 pounds during those, and the time standard was relaxed somewhat from the 15 minute/mile Infantry standard for 12-mile marches.  

 

As for the Atchafalaya Basin, it is massive.  I haven't ventured into the Basin itself, having merely passed over it on I-10 or state highways.  My neighbor, on the other hand, is an avid outdoor sportsman and regularly takes his boat out there.  I'll probably be a bit cautious until and if I become familiar with the area, as it's easy to get lost and has plenty of fun creatures like snakes and alligators.

[Festool New Cordless Tools]

5 hours ago, Altan said:

I don't like the batteries larger than DeWALT's 5.0 Ah batteries in general, Makita could keep the size of their 6.0Ah batteries same as their 5.0Ah batteries. 

 

Tool design is probably almost as important as function for some consumers and, to me at least, my smaller DeWalt and M18 tools look odd with something like a 6.0Ah XR or a 9.0Ah High Demand battery.  I think the 2.0/5.0Ah formats are nearly perfect for most projects, especially considering that they're usually the same size as earlier 1.3/1.5Ah and 3.0Ah packs.  Newer batteries are just plain bulky, to the extent that some existing tools are incompatible or must be modified to use them.