fm2176

Yeah, it sucks, but I don't think the military discount applies to lumber at Home Depot either. Lowe's did offer the discount for sale items years ago; I got one of my DeWalt OMTs with a free 6Ah battery and still got the discount, but that was in 2016 or so. What's really bad is that it was us (vets) that made retailers crack down so much. I've always been kind of ho hum when it comes to discounts and free stuff (like Veteran's Day meals and such), but Lowe's and Home Depot (and Sears when they were still around) have always been stores that I've taken advantage of. Of course, I was active duty until a few months ago and had the ID card to show that. I've heard of people throwing tantrums because their VA ID card wasn't accepted, or an expired ID or torn up DD-214 (discharge record) was rejected. Sadly, it's often those who didn't serve honorably, or who were released early, who make a bad name for all of us and who cry loudest when their "hard-earned" discount is denied.

Same here, I like the black/subdued versions of tools, although not enough to warrant buying duplicates. I did find the Ridgid "Halloween" set on clearance back in 2016 or so; black tools with a kind of burnt orange for trim/highlights. A quick Google search shows McLaren has partnered with DeWalt, so given the McLaren labels I assume this is a special edition from the partnership.

Looks nice, though I agree with the thumbs down for lack of TS 1.0 compatibility. I bought the 2.0 version a few years back but have yet to do anything with the boxes. My Ridgid Pro Gear and first-gen ToughSystem boxes are well used, while the Packout, ToughSystem 2.0, and Craftsman VersaStak and TradeStak boxes still need to be organized. I saw the charger in the top picture on ToolGuyd yesterday. DeWalt is definitely serious about making the most of their TS 2.0 system, probably partially due to Milwaukee's proliferation of Packout boxes and accessories. I wonder if they'll be updating the Power Station. I love mine and have no need to replace it, but it could use a redesign with more modern features (even a USB outlet would be nice).

Same here, we need to maintain some level of human input and QA/QC.

Agreed, the most continuous use I made of a belt grinder took it from brand new to worn out in a night's worth of work. No way a battery one would have worked for that project (removing luan that had been glued down on a flooring project).

Interesting, but I have a Ridgid 18v belt sander that gets little use. I bought the MetaboHPT AC adapter a while back but have yet to try it with my 36v tools.

Built-in obsolescence...I can imagine that. We already see the automotive industry moving away from the century-old norm of DIY repairs. My neighbor was telling me that new Ford trucks require a computer to retract brake caliper pistons. We've also seen the auto electric repair shops dying out; as a forklift mechanic I used to frequent those to have starters and alternators refurbished. Back to tools: in the '90s we had a Black & Decker / DeWalt Service Center in Richmond, VA, where my boss would take the company's tools to get new brushes, chucks, or for other repairs. It seems that increasingly, tools are designed to be replaced as opposed to repaired; I've had a few warranty repairs from DeWalt and Milwaukee but have also had tools simply replaced. Manufacturers seem to have found a happy medium between eating the costs of warranty replacements and having customers pay to replace their tools every few years. If we look at the relative behemoths used 20 years ago, it's easy to imagine tools and batteries getting even smaller and lighter in the future, but at what point are the limits of practicality reached? Ryobi is a good example of how much things have changed, considering their One+ system has been around for well over 20 years. A Ryobi drill circa 2000 with its 1.3Ah Ni-Cad battery is a brick compared to its modern equivalent sporting even a 4Ah Li-Ion battery.

What advances and/or changes do you think we'll see in the design, format, or function and use of power tools over the next 50 or so years? For some perspective, look at how far tools have come since 1973, and particularly in the past 15 years when it comes to cordless technology. I don't think corded tools will disappear, but as better tools and batteries are released, and as a younger and more tech savvy generation of professionals and DIY'ers replace their predecessors, I think that cordless will become even more of the norm. We've seen Bluetooth compatible tools and batteries for a few years now, and there is talk about tools having to be activated at checkout to reduce thefts, so it'll be interesting to see what's in store. Personally, I think that batteries will continue to get more and more Ah, before seeing a vast reduction in size, perhaps with a newer battery type/chemistry. I'll share more thoughts later, but what do you think will happen in the next 50 years?

I've gone cordless for just about all of my tools. I bought corded Porter Cable (PC) reciprocating and circular saws along with a drill just before going all out with cordless and sold those mostly unused PC tools to a coworker a couple of years ago. Ryobi is perfectly functional, though as Jronman point out they may lack the accuracy and refinement of "better" brands. Given that you already have Ryobi batteries, I'd recommend waiting a couple of months for Ryobi Days (if you have a Home Depot nearby) and taking advantage of their annual freebie. I think they include a circular saw in their free tools. Basically, buy a battery/charger starter kit (or every now and then a drill kit) for $99 and get your choice of a free tool.

My range day fell through, so I guess I'll get some trigger time Sunday. A used gun purchase was finalized, so we had a few dozen guns to manually acquire with all attributes. Weight, length, type, etc. I ended up working a couple hours over but, being retail, get to cut that time tomorrow to avoid overtime and messing with management's bonuses. So far I have three of our new acquisitions on my radar. An M1 Carbine, an original Winchester 1892 (made in 1894 based on the serial number), and a Winchester 1897 Riot (made in 1899 based on serial number). There's also a Steyr M1886 straight pull in its original 11×58mm clambering. Otherwise, a bunch of sporting shotguns and so on. It's neat knowing that I may/should soon have one or two guns that may have actually seen the Old West. The 1892 was the quintessential lever action, being a refinement of the 1886 which replaced the 1873. The 1894 was the first Winchester lever action designed for rifle cartridges. I have a modern one in .45 Colt, while my .30-30 was stolen during the burglary I've mentioned before. The 1897 was popular as both a sporting and defensive shotgun, with the trench gun variants being used in WWI. The M1 Carbine should be good to go at the range. Our used gun guy set aside a couple of boxes of .30 Carbine ammo we got in, so those are here at the house waiting for the gun. The two Winchesters will be taken to a gunsmith for inspection and, if deemed safe to shoot, get a few round put through them in the backyard. If I decide to get the Steyr it will be a wall hangar. It was obsolete when adopted by the Austrians (blackpowder large bore cartridge the same year as the French M1886 Lebel with its smokeless 8mm) and only made for a year or so before the M1888 was adopted. The three I'm looking at will come in at around $1000. The 1892 alone may be worth more than that, so my lack of a range day was well worth it.

...start tomorrow. I'm packed up and ready for an hour or so at the pistol range after work. It's 9mm day, so I'm bringing a couple Caniks, a couple Rugers, a couple Glocks, and the trusty Beretta M92F. My schedule varies week to week, but when I open there's ample time to put a few rounds downrange after work. It's free for military and law enforcement, not to mention employees, so why not start investing in some ammo and actually getting a little more trigger time? The backyard is good for occasional plinking and once the berm is in place maybe the occasional live-fire defensive training, but for now most actual training (drawing from a holster in various positions, etc.) is all dry fire or with a cold gun. After the NRA Range Safety Officer Course I attended a few weeks ago, though, I'm planning to pay out-of-pocket for formal defensive and professional training. The instructor was highly knowledgeable and professional, while at the same time being down to earth. And hey, it can't hurt to network in case I want a more direct job in the firearms/self-defense industry. I've invited some coworkers to join me if they want to try a few different calibers or pistols, asking only that they consider chipping in on ammo. More than a few are interested in the Caniks, while some are devout Ruger or Glock haters. I figure I can help them overcome some of their biases about certain brands or guns, or at least reinforce those prejudices if we have multiple malfunctions or stoppages. 😃 Tying this into typical TIA chat, Packout may become the basis for my pistol range kit. I'm thinking of the rolling box holding range and cleaning supplies (ear and eye pro, tools, mats, range bag, etc.) along with ammo, a medium box getting fitted with foam inserts for pistols, and organizers holding magazines and spare batteries for optics and lights.

The process is fairly easy, and once enrolled it streamlines the checkout process while helping to reduce fraudulent discounts. There is info both in-store and online, and once the third-party verifying site is accessed, it's a simple process of uploading pictures of a valid military or veteran ID. The sites use whatever info they have access to to verify veteran status and usually within a minute or two you're good to go. I'm not too familiar with SheerID, but some government systems like the VA use ID.me. I mentioned streamlining the checkout process, but I can imagine this system also reduces some stress for cashiers while also complementing the self-checkouts that are prevalent nowadays. Fake or altered IDs might make it past the cashier, while some cashiers may take it upon themselves to give the discount to anyone who asks. Before they switched over around 2018 or so, I noticed more and more Lowe's requiring manager overrides for discounts.

Reviving this thread for updates to Lowe's and Home Depot. We don't have Menards around here, but do have Stine, so I'll add info about them. Basically, all three big box home improvement stores in my area offer the 10% discount. Since the last post, both Lowe's and Home Depot add the discount to online orders. Lowe's uses ID.me while Home Depot uses SheerID to verify military service. Neither is supposed to accept IDs anymore, so registration is required for both online and in-store discounts. Thank the Stolen Valor types and similar people for that. When shopping in store, simply pull up the app or website, log in, and get ready to scan. Lowe's uses a barcode linked to your MyLowes card but cashiers can use a phone number. Home Depot uses a QR code that expires after some time (I've had to refresh it when it pull it up too soon) and I'm unsure of whether or not they can use a number. Both stores automatically apply the discount for online purchases. As for Stine, they also offer 10% off to military and veterans. I found out that this works in reverse for clearance items, though. I found some folding chairs that were normally $28 and on clearance for $7. Bought a few of them and had a $50-ish total. Applied the discount and that jumped to $160 or so. The cashier was confused, so I asked her to remove the discount and the price reverted to its original clearance price.

My neighbor swears by them. He bought his commercial grade Bad Boy ZT in 2010 or so; after a bunch of research he decided on that brand and found his mower for $3k. An acquaintance of his needed to sell the one I now own, so he paid half, I pay the other half on the 1st, and I pay him back the $1500. He even brought it home. Can't beat an outstanding neighbor/friend! I'm already looking at some accessories, but need to give it a good cleaning and get it adjusted to fit me.

Looks interesting, I didn't even know Caterpillar licensed their name for tools. A summary search shows that these are made by Positec Group Limited, which owns Works and Rockwell.

Racking may be more efficient when it comes to accessing tools and organization, but most of the modular boxes I've seen are simply stacked. ToughSystem, Packout, Ridgid, etc., the biggest advantage these things have to someone like me is that they can be stacked, rolled to the job site, and then unstacked as needed. Don't get me wrong, I plan to buy or build some wall racks for my garage, but even my TS Carrier sees little use. I like the concept of having three-plus boxes easily accessible, but it's just easier to toss a few boxes on top of the DS450. Honestly, I haven't even noticed. I know they feel different, and I've mixed and matched both styles. When I have the chance, I'll have to do a comparison between 1.0, 2.0, and my TradeStak, Packout and Ridgid boxes.

Made an impulse buy: a Bad Boy Mz Magnum ZTR mower. Less than a year old, maybe ten hours of run time, and I needed something a bit more efficient than my EGO push mower, so here I am. This isn't a commercial grade mower, but seems much better than many of the Big Box ZTRs. Tractor Supply sells this mower for $4300-$4700 or so, and I got it for $3k, so I feel like it was a bargain. I'm already looking at some accessories for it, but won't get a chance to mow until my next day off. For now I plan to keep the EGO equipment. The mower is perfect for the dogs' fenced incarea, the string trimmer has all the power and performance I need, and the backpack blower works well enough for my needs. Has anyone here had positive, or negative, experiences with Bad Boy mowers? My neighbor swears by his ZTR. He uses it a fair amount but nowhere near the use most ZTRs get, with slightly over 600 hours in 12 years.

That looks interesting, though I'm not in the market to subscribe to such a service at the moment. I got lured into subscriptions by Manscaped and Black Rifle Coffee. I think I cancelled the former, or at least decreased the number of deliveries, and I definitely curtailed the latter, with one bag of coffee coming every few months now. Looking at their website, it seems that Tool Crate is like some of the other subscription sites, sending quality stuff that we might not otherwise know about or consider buying. On the flip side, it seems that some of the things they send may be wholly unusable by the individual. Hopefully you continue getting outstanding and useful tools through them. With my luck, I'd subscribe and get stuff I already have ten of. 🙂

I own one or two weapons lights that were acquired over my previous career but never mounted, so the TLR-8A is my first real experience with the brand. I think my flexible light is also a Streamlight. I've always heard great things and so far I like the TLR-8A on my G17, so I'll probably get one or two more. Speaking of Glocks, we got a few guns in today, including a G17 Gen 1 and a G47. The Gen 1 was new to me. I saw the cardboard outer box and Glock label on the presentation box, then saw that it was a classic model. Interesting throwback to Glock's origins, but it's a little pricier than the Gen 5. The G47 may come home with me soon. Only thing is, I'll probably want to buy a G19 for full interchangeability, which will effectively make my G45 redundant. You could argue that the G47 itself would make my G17 redundant. Basically, you can put a G47 slide on a G19 frame for a shorter handle and longer barrel, or a G19 slide on the G47 frame and effectively have the G45.

I've resisted the urge to buy any guns recently, but did get an iProtec RM230 light and RM230LSG light with green laser. Though the G17 was my first pistol with a rail, I've since gotten the G45, the Security-9, and the two Caniks, so I'm accessorizing them to make them a bit better in low light situations. Next up is a bit of homework for some decent light and optic equipped pistol holsters. I'll have to order online, since my store carries relatively few concealed carry holsters.

Ended up buying a set of Husky ratcheting wrenches and a Ryobi One+ car charger (around 50% off in the clearance aisle).

Preliminary post...about to head to Home Depot and see what they have. I might pick up some wrenches despite having who knows how many spread across Louisiana, Georgia, and Virginia. When I need that one I can never find it. In keeping with tool memedom, the 10mm socket and/or wrench has been bought many times over. I have Snap-On, Mac, Marco, SK, Craftsman, Craftsman Industrial, Kobalt, and who knows how many other brands, but when I need a specific tool it's missing. Hmm...maybe I need to organize. I'll be buying a new(er) vehicle before long, but the 2009 Dodge Journey I paid cash for is still going. Fortunately, unlike Ford, their "maintenance-free" transmission has a filler hole. I'm not a dealer, but I play one on TV, so I removed the "For Dealer Use Only" cap and added a quart of ATF +4 when my transmission started whining. Today's Home Depot adventure is primarily to look at tool storage and to ensure I have that 13mm or 1/2" wrench to change the oil, but if there's a decent clearance deal or Special Buy I'll share it here.

Hope all are doing well. Feel free to post a quick reply if you drop in and see this!

That's good. I don't have a DeWalt router but need to set up the PC in the Ryobi table I picked up a while back and lent out for a couple of years.

Maybe plexiglass? You could put a piece of plywood underneath for additional support, or just additional cross members. I can attest to OSB holding up surprisingly well, and plywood should be even better. I built a work bench out of OSB and 2x4s in 2010 or so, which sat in my garage and later in a covered back porch before going into storage from 2013-2018. In 2019 or so I put it on an exposed back porch and used it for my portable gas grill. It sat outside for about three years, with grease leaking on it and under all sorts of weather conditions. The top got a bit warped but was still sturdy, though I lacked space to move it and ended up putting it in the fire pit just before moving.