fm2176

I registered a compressor, vacuum, orbital sander, trim router, 2 starter kits, and 2 more batteries since the above post, all with no issue. These were registered about two months after purchase. So far so good with the LSA registration experience!

One of my local HDs has the belt sander on clearance for $105. If one is left after my bank account recovers I'll probably pick it up next month. As an aside, one of the stores I stopped in on the way north (Charlotte, I believe) had a couple of them on clearance as well. An older man was looking at one with his grandson, telling the kid that if they go unsold long enough they'll drop way down in price. I guess HDs clearance policies are no secret.

...and we're less than a week from 2018! With the new year will come new tools and new projects, along with a slew of various other things. I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas and look forward to seeing what you all aquire and build in the coming year.

I use the Daredevil bits. They are easy to find, work well enough, and holiday sales make them almost unbeatable price-wise. I picked up another 18-piece kit for under $20 a month or two ago. I was playing around outside yesterday and decided to see how the 1-1/2" bit fared in an old landscape timber. The drill (DCD791) stalled on speed 2 about halfway through. Speed 1 finished the hole in a few seconds.

The 1/4" size you refer to are likely impact drivers or screwdrivers designed to take 1/4" hex shank bits. While there are drill bits with hex shanks and some people do use impact drivers as drills, your dad will probably be best served with a regular chuck. As for chucks, they are the device which holds the bit, usually comprised of three inner jaws and with an external sleeve that is hand tightened (most users power the drill to speed things up until it is snug) to hold the bit in place with the jaws.

I'm subscribed to steve1989mreinfo. He's got some interesting videos, though I honestly haven't watched a whole lot. Over 16 years of MREs have decreased my interest in military rations, but the history buff in me overwhelms that disinterest on occasion. Now, on to the dark side of YouTube...that which I'm highly annoyed by, or at least disinterested in. I'm with my kids and they still watch the vlogs and various high traffic sites that offer little to no substance. They are kids, after all, but when my youngest fell asleep last night watching whichever channel has two annoying Asian kids playing pranks and doing various things, I couldn't take anymore. I kept waking up to the sounds of high pitched squeals, recorder "music", and other things that simply annoy me. Earlier today the kids were watching the Davises, which seems almost as artificial as reality TV. Coming here is when I could care less about YouTube. I'll try to compromise tonight with episodes of PopularMMOs...that channel is tolerable at least and my kids all love it. I'll have to sneak in the newest episode of The Great War later to bring my IQ back up. Damn I sound like a curmudgeon these days. 😄

I used my small one to inflate an air mattress last night; given its utility in this regard and its ability to be broken down, it could have some uses for campers who prefer comfort. Provided they have the space and are willing to carry the extra weight of a blower and battery (and maybe even a charger with solar panel), they can blow out their tent, inflate their air mattress in seconds, and deflate it as quickly the following day. One thing I've found when using both to blow off my porch is that they can reduce collateral damage. I currently live in a unique apartment that is upstairs with an external staircase a few feet from the door. I have a little bit of space outside the apartment, but using the blowers runs the risk of blowing stuff onto my downstairs neighbor's plants, or worse, someone walking outside. Instead, I use the big blower to blow things towards the corner, simultaneously using the little one to keep stuff from getting close to the edge.

So, I graduate my professional development course today but wanted to give a quick review of the two 20v Max blowers. I let my classmates use both the jobsite and the brushless blowers as we cleaned common areas and they all thoroughly enjoyed using them, especially compared to the brooms we had the first week. Runtime was as expected. A 2Ah battery was killed quickly by the small blower. I usually used 6Ah FlexVolt batteries, which sufficed until the final cleanup yesterday. Both batteries were done after about 30 minutes of heavy use, though the larger blower still worked after letting its battery recover. The small blower was good for corners with its speed settings, and worked well enough to blow leaves off a breezeway. The large blower naturally moved much more air, but proved overkill in corners, blowing stuff all over the user. All told, I'd recommend both. They complement each over well, especially if they are used in dusty conditions. Questions or comments are much welcomed.

I'm sure someone will give a more valid opinion based on actual use, but I've heard good things about the new 20v Max 7-1/4" saw. I have the 6-1/2" kit version but use my Fuel saw almost exclusively.

I think that blow molded cases, while they offer increased protection and organization, are far too limited in terms of versatility and can be a pain to use at times. My cases are often nitpicky when it comes to the charger cord, and what would have been a quick pack up and go often turns into wasted minutes getting the cord just right so the case closes easily. I recall having the same issues with my corded Sawzall years ago. Add in the lack of space for accessories and you might see where bags are favored by many. Neither cases or bags offer much protection against the elements. Some companies are offering tool kits in their modular boxes, such as DeWalt's T-stak or ToughSystem and Bosch's L-boxx. I find these much more appealing as they offer a degree of protection (especially against dust and water) while being capable of repurposing should the owner desire. Blow molded cases, and simple plastic or metal cases in general, are usually useless for anything other than the tool kit they originally held.

I found a Ridgid USB power source for $15 on Saturday. Haven't seen my DeWalt version for a while. I played around with it some and think it offers a few improvements over the Yellow design (one a little on the shaky side) with one drawback. The drawback is the single (as opposed to dual) USB ports. I like the option of charging my Fitbit and my phone at the same time. The improvements are a 2.0A output versus DeWalt's 1.5A, a slimmer design with belt clip, and a power button. Even with a 4.0Ah battery, the clip works well and I could see keeping it clipped to a bag or even my belt. The power button is where things are a little odd. Rather than an on/off switch it turns the unit on for 8 hours. I'll see how it fares compared to misplaced DeWalt. I'm just glad I have and alternative to dragging a Bluetooth speaker around to keep my phone charged.

Depends on how long the rebate goes on. With holiday travel plans, my disposable income in non-existent until January. I've considered checking out the Milwaukee jackets, and my move back to the DC area next year would certainly justify one, at least more than Georgia or Louisiana. The biggest problem with the Milwaukee heated jackets are that they'd clash with my DeWalt safety footwear. 😀

I don't currently own any M12 batteries, but could get the similarly shaped Bosch. Right now the price for this 12v Max kit is $90, while Amazon sells the saw with one battery and charger for $143. I think I'll stop back in next month and see how many are left. If there are only a few I might get one; if it looks like none have sold I'll hold off for a while in hopes of getting one for $45 or so.

In a recent thread requesting opinions about the 12v max reciprocating saw, posted in the DeWalt sub-forum, I mentioned the peculiar habits of military exchanges--particularly Army and Air Force (AAFES, or BX/PX) stores. I cannot vouch for every installation, but I've noticed this on Fort Stewart, Fort Benning, Fort Jackson, Shaw AFB, and a few other places. I know that not all of you have access to these stores, but from interactions and screen names there are a number of veterans here. If you can't access them, odds are you know someone who can, so it's well worth a trip so long as a military post is in your area. Keep in mind that Reserve centers and most National Guard posts do not have full exchanges. At most they might offer gas, a convenience store, and a small military clothing and personal comfort section. Regular Pricing It is widely known that exchange prices are often beat out by off-post retailers such as Walmart. Early in my career the PX was known as a place where junior enlisted couldn't afford to shop. The clothing sections were filled with premium brands and it was much cheaper to simply go to Sears (remember when those were prevalent?) to outfit the family. Shortly after this was reported, AAFES started attempting to better compete by releasing their own brands. Tools are not among the AAFES exclusive brands, however. I ventured into the PX today and found a FatMax 25' tape measure for the low price of $28. Right now, I can drive to Home Depot and buy two identical tape measures for $20, receiving an additional 10% military discount. Simply put, AAFES cannot match the prices of tool-centric stores. As they offer many of the same types of items as Wal-Mart, only with a much smaller customer base and a larger focus on clothing, electronics, fitness/sports, and toys, certain tools often sit on shelves for months, until someone for whom need overcomes price buys them. Stores rarely if ever get holiday tool promotions, meaning that at certain times of the year AAFES is selling products for over twice as much as Lowe's or Home Depot. In turn, this leads to obsolete or at least old technology taking up valuable retail space. Turnover Tool turnover seems atrocious at best, especially when it comes to power tools. It is not uncommon to see power tool sitting on shelves for months or even years. This is also true for some other products, but tools in general do not seem to sell well. This is likely due to a few factors: many Soldiers are young and prefer to play video games; others are family focused and spend little time working on projects that would justify tool buying; still others prefer outsourcing for repairs or buying ready-made products (especially those that live on post, where they are limited in what type of work they can do); and then there are those such as myself who literally have no need for the limited number of tools offered. This leads to what will become the final peculiarity I'll discuss for now... Clearance Pricing The lack of product rotation, along with a relatively large number of each tool compared to the customer base, leads to clearance pricing. Sometimes this will help you procure a cheap battery for a discontinued drill, such as the PC 18v batteries I was eying (they didn't drop low enough in price for me, though). Other times it seems to be an effort to reduce the amount of stock--I paid $17 for a DCB1820 adapter only to find that the store had plenty of them in their regular location at full price. Regardless, the deals can be spectacular. In recent years AAFES has simply put a reduced price sticker on items, but they still put green 25%, red 50%, yellow 75%, and even blue 90% off stickers on items at times. Every store I've been in honors the additional discount even if a clearance sticker is already on the item. So, for example, a DeWalt 12v Max battery with a price sticker showing a drop from $48 to $24 but with a yellow sticker would cost $6. That's it for now. If anyone has any input or questions, please share them. Again, if you know a military retiree or someone else with exchange privileges, ask them to take you along the next time they go on post. You might not find anything, but you might score big!

What are your opinions on the pivoting head reciprocating saw? I know that it is rumored that DeWalt is discontinuing the 12v Max line, and the system is inarguably stagnant, but it this a decent tool? I wanted the Porter Cable version but since I was late to the game buying into that system, DeWalt is a natural successor. Long story short, I've walked through the tool section at the PX every time I stop there. Last year I noticed 12v max kits containing two batteries, the drill, and the saw (it's kind of sad that 12v max literally has ONE of each, especially when compared to M12). These were priced at $179, and knowing the PX' peculiarities (I'll make a separate thread about them), I figured I could wait it out, and figured right. I'll have to wait until after Christmas, but unless any of you have had really negative experiences, I'll likely pick one up. Right now I have well over 10 batteries to power only the impact, screwdriver, lights, or one of the 12v/20v compatible accessories.

Multiple accounts are a good idea, but I'm too set in my ways to open different ones. I've had email accounts since the mid-90s; my first was on CompuServe. One thing I do need to do is remove my official email from a bunch of mailing lists. Earlier in my career I used that email as my primary after forgetting to log into my Yahoo accounts and losing them. Now I have to delete 80% of the emails I receive. Also, I watch YouTube almost entirely via TV. Multiple accounts would be painful to log in and out of. The feed cam be annoying at times, but the vast majority of the time I'm not fully immersed in what I'm watching anyway, so a broad array of channels, or a single one, might be viewed in a single night.

Since Tools In Action is such an excellent conglomerate, with the main site, these forums, a newsletter, and YouTube channels, I wanted to ask who out there has affiliated YouTube channels and/or websites. I recently subscribed to the JimboS1ice channel and notice that the main TIA channel has ToolGuyd, Pro Tool Reviews, Oz Tool Talk, and others listed under the Channels tab. Are there any others? I ask that you not share unaffiliated channels or sites that have content similar to TIA unless Eric or a Moderator specifically authorize it. This thread isn't designed to divert traffic from the TIA Crew. I gave up cable TV a few years ago and couldn't have a dish installed at my current residence. That combined with little to no time to watch TV and an ever-decreasing attention span found the lowly TV antenna reenter my life for the first time since the 80's. I tried Hulu for a while but didn't bother to renew, especially since YouTube began dominating my viewing preferences over the summer. Let's face it, YouTube has become so immense that it's hard to believe that it didn't exist thirteen years ago. I first started binge watching it shortly after its debut, spending periods watching music videos and even using add-ons to download videos before those capabilities were disabled. After a couple of years, though, I grew away from it and hadn't really watched more than the occasional music video or other content required for college. Anyway, on to my current favorite channels. My two oldest subscriptions are channels that started elsewhere: Cinnemassacre and Channel Awesome. I started watching the Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN) on the Cinnemassacre website, and the Nostalgia Critic on thatguywiththeglasses.com. Both were and remain excellent shows and the channels offer a number of other outstanding shows. Since then I've subscribed to somewhat similar (and usually much smaller) channels offering reviews and comedic opinions of mostly older games and movies. A few that come to mind are Dongled, Top Hat Gaming Man, The Kilian Experience, Game Theorists, and Decker Shado. The ironic thing about enjoying game and movie focused content is that I almost never play video games and rarely sit all the way through a movie. Other channels I frequent are usually history or firearms related, and some seem odd but can prove extremely useful. The Great War offers a week by week summary of what happened 100 years ago, while Forgotten Weapons explains rare, historic, and military arms in great detail. Military History Visualized is another great channel. Emma Saying was recently found, and isn't exactly a channel that most people will watch for hours (even wordier types like myself). I found it after viewing a Supa Pixel Girl video where she uses the word "hyperbole". She pronounced it "hy-per-bol-ee" while like many others I've always said "hy-per-bole". Sure enough, Emma Saying and some brief research proved that the YouTuber was right. Anyway, despite having subscribed to a few of the larger channels and even a few that only produce Top Ten or similar lists, I generally watch little of their content. One list channel I do watch regularly is Rabbid Luigi. With that said, it's impossible to list every channel I watch, especially since I'll jump genres quite often and usually only really pay attention to the tool and history channels. The size of the channel and production values don't matter much to me so long as I find the presenter bearable and the content interesting. Videos that are under 30 minutes are my preference, though those over five minutes are usually listened to as I do something else. Well, what are your favorite YouTube channels? Based on those I shared above, can you recommend related content that I or others may enjoy? Remember, please refrain from sharing channels that release content similar to that produced by Tools In Action, unless it is affiliated with the site.

The Sears in the mall I recruited out of used to have a bunch of damaged boxes. I got a couple of boxes for cheap, took them home and used a block of wood and mallet to fix the damage. HD seems to be the best place to procure one now, though. In my opinion, even as a former mechanic (many of whom are known to take pride in their overpriced tool truck boxes), a tool box should be viewed as a means of organizing and securing tools as opposed to a display piece. Buying a damaged toolbox in the first place only means we won't obsess over every little scratch and ding put on it. It's kind of like buying a well used Toyota over a brand new Lexus.

You got it. I said it was easy. 😄

As big as SBD is, and given the big box stores' status as major retail outlets for the brands, I'd be surprised if the Irwin clamps disappear. Lowe's sells those and HD sells DeWalt clamps, so unless Lowe's switches to a brand not owned by SBD, the Irwins should stick around. I noticed that Lowe's sells Fatmax chisels made in Sheffield, England, where the DeWalt versions are made. I'd venture to guess that the two are identical beside the handles. Besides omnipresent tools like Fatmax tape measures, the two stores carry few identical hand tools.

Welcome!

I've noticed that some stores keep tool boxes in the tool rental area as well, if they don't offer that service. I think the lumber aisles are one of the worst places to keep tool boxes. I've seen more than a few dented by unwary customers with lumber carts.

DeWalt offers 2 versions, cordless and hybrid. I have the cheaper battery only version. Next, I'll offer a convoluted question with an easy answer: What did early ni-cad to lithium battery conversions require the purchase of? What would happen if the original equipment were used? To clarify: Ryobi, Porter Cable, and other manufacturers offered 18v ni-cad systems that later adopted lithium ion batteries. These batteries were not compatible with all components of the original ni-cad kits.

Wet/dry vacuum, miter saw, area light, portable power station (plugged in it acts as charger, batteries provide power source), fan.

While I unfortunately cannot offer advice or insight about your drill, the problem does remind me of intermittant issues with vehicles and forklifts when I was a mechanic. While stuff like a phantom drain could be somewhat simple to trace, intermittant issues were almost always a pain. Some customers at the Cadillac dealership would come in multiple times, yet my co-workers and I would be unable to replicate the issue. Things were a little easier with fork trucks, since I could cordon off an area and borderline abuse the equipment to try to find the problem. Hopefully your drill just needs to be broken in.