ToolBane

Distinguishing the older battery style vs the newer one could have been done competently and in fact more succinctly any assortment of ways without disingenuous nomenclature suggesting there was a voltage difference when there isn’t

I can only imagine it to be some sort of safety compliance issue...they couldn’t have possibly thought it actually made sense

Kobalt doesn’t have the clout to be considered in the vicinity of the “Big 3” in the first place. Although I wouldn’t mind if they had more clout. Wouldn’t mind a legit Ryobi competitor and their products don’t look bad. In a generic comparison of Dewalt vs Milwaukee or Makita, that 20V Max vs 18V labeling to the uninformed buyer can definitely tip the scales. Countless online flame wars have verified it’s had exactly that effect for probably tens or hundreds of thousands of buyers if not possibly even millions. Then they’re on the platform and committed to it. Tribalism naturally kicks in and the rest is history. A buyer has to either be educated on the non-distinction beforehand or already be watching out for selectively questionable advertising to not be thrown off (which we know there’s a lot of with tools, obviously Dewalt is not the sole offender on these matters). Point is Dewalt knew what they were investing in when they chose to spend the money on different labeling in the US market and they feel the benefits outweigh the costs. It’s not like they were helpless victims to some regulatory body or something. And yeah consumers probably pay a little extra for the cost of that. Just like they do when Milwaukee makes videos sporting their newest models beating competitor’s outdated ones or whatever. It is what it is.

Looks nice other than having to hold the trigger...how tedious. If the thing is smart enough to shut itself off when proper pressure is reached just have a button toggle it on. Inflating a tire will be such a nuisance having to kneel on the ground the whole time. Not a trivial qualm but other than that I like it. Love the digital readout. And so compact...

Also looks pretty compact. The price automatically means this tool isn’t going to be one of the ones that wins over many buyers looking at other platforms, but in terms of size (including the smaller form-factor of running just a single 10-cell battery) I wonder if it’s actually more fair to compare it to competitor’s 18V brushless units. Still...that price...

Rest assured they make more than enough back in additional sales from Americans who get fooled seeing the “20V Max” vs “18V” for the rest of the market to make up for it

Battery is FUBAR. Contact Makita customer service.

This seems really obvious I don’t even get much opportunity to use my impact wrench and have already come across this

Not that I’ve had to fix all that many but if a tool’s operation is all gummed up from long enough use and/or newer models have substantial performance improvements or features I tend to favor just getting a new tool. The pricier and higher-grade it is the more likely I’m going to sit down and pull everything apart and take the potentially hours of time cleaning everything out. If I’m going to fix something I tend to want it working at least as well as new otherwise I feel gimped. I think this is carry-over from how I repair things across all my hobbies in general. Quick fixes like brushes or an messed up drill chuck are obviously easy.

That’s definitely quite small. Hopefully that trigger is toggle on/off because it makes little sense to bother putting in an auto-off and digital reader otherwise. Sometimes it feels like they’re going a little out of their way to ensure their 12V line doesn’t lurch into LXT territory, as there are a few oddball-type tools that don’t strike me as likely to ever see an 18V counterpart. Which would be fine, especially for a lot of the low-power items. Thing is here, Makita’s 12V line does not have any impact wrenches that would be sufficient for taking lug nuts off anything. If it had an adapter to allow direct power from a car battery the decision makes more sense, but I don’t see that.

They are definitely in major flux recently and have super-saturated their battery lineup to the point where it’s just too much. I think their plan is to just throw it all out there and let the market decide what it likes most rather than waste too much time trying to predict where everything is going. I’m glad I don’t have to look at it anymore, I just have a 4Ah, and a pair each of 6Ah and 9Ah. For the most part this is already more than I need because Ryobi for me is a secondary platform.

The “half-charge” rule is most important for batteries that are going to sit idle for weeks or months. If you know you’re going to use them in a couple days it’s less of a big deal. The extremes are the “least happy” states for lithium batteries to be stuck at long-term.

Apparently the use of glass as a dielectric may accelerate the development of solid state batteries https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/super-safe-glass-battery-charges-in-minutes-not-hours/?utm_source=FBPAGE&utm_medium=social&utm_term=20181205&utm_content=1954558941&utm_campaign=NOVA+Next&linkId=60574630

Feels like the 12V tools don’t get so much head-2-head attention so this was nice to see

Well hopefully we get some updates soon in the Metabo section on whether or not Sisco is going to start carrying organic mushrooms for my favorite Italian place

Lol well no need for other names. I mean “fanboys” just means those who are exuberant about their tribal choices to a point that is immature, which tends to mean they can be naive, annoying, easily taken advantage of by their “tribe”, and irrationally opposed to anything other than their tribe. That could be anyone, but infrequent users are less likely to have had time to develop much fanboyism. Same time being full-time employed using power tools doesn’t make anyone a fanboy either, and merely developing preferences also isn’t fanboyism. Some products are better than others. Sometimes one is better here but not there. No biggie as long as people are fair and objective about it.

Funny thing, this random guy hands me this one and says hold on to this for a moment but I can’t even pick it up

“Fanboy” wouldn’t be the smartest name to throw at DIY guys anyway. I mean if we were to really stop and ask who are the best examples of fanboyism on the board, probably no one’s minds just went to any of the DIY people around here. Can’t speak for anyone else but I do get that people who use the same tools several hours a day on jobs for months on end will eventually find more idiosyncrasies with any given tool than I will meandering on my little domestic projects every few months, drilling a hole here, cutting a board there, sipping my lattes and diagramming how I should go about taking each next step. I’m a layperson doing these things on my free time at whatever pace I want, and that’s simply a very different dynamic than having to rush jobs all the time trying to hit deadlines and such. It is what it is.

Yeah if you’re just getting started you really may not benefit much from “prosumer” level stuff. I used a decent amount of inexpensive brands as a kid/young adult including Ryobi. In retrospect I think it was the best thing because you’ll probably figure out what your preferences are as your skills and needs evolve and you can be buying tools that are better matched for you in the long term and they’ll be more advanced by the time you get them too. I’m just DIY myself and I still have a few Dewalt tools but ended up preferring Makita for what I do.

Spurious winds suggest this will be available in the US by Christmas

Trade wars have practical ramifications. We all know where most tools are made (also where TTI is based).

This is interesting I wonder if any of that would inch the Dewalt cordless planer ahead of the Makita since they don’t have larger cells yet

This is all interesting to me I’ve only ever superficially looked at Dewalt’s battery tools and remember having the same impression but that’s as far as that went since I went with a different platform

Must have some sort of clearance going on

Then this was on closeout. Mostly I “need” the drill, but a couple extra batteries, an extra brushless impact, and charger for barely more than the bare tool was hard to turn down.