PutnamEco

Skils anniversary saw is in your price range.

Zippos fuel caddy has a tool for flint replacement and a holder for flints. Nothing for servicing wicks or reattaching flipped off lids though.

Zippos fuel caddy has a tool for flint replacement and a holder for flints. Nothing for servicing wicks or reattaching flipped off lids though.

Compare the previous Bosch link to Skils German website. Not the same, Skil is also an international brand. Interesting Skil tracksaw

I have seen plug in converters, your right in suggesting a generator as the cheaper option. It would seem most of our battery chargers will charge foreign batteries, luckily. Saving my pennies for that new Protools PDC 18-4 LI set.

Looks like Zippo is diving deeper into the outdoor gadget market. link@Gizmag.com

project idea? http://coolmaterial....x-pack-carrier/

I'm really surprised there isn't more of a grey market for tools like there is for electronics, the cordless tools use the same batteries. You do know that Bosch does the same thing in Germany. They actually have two lines there, a line of green colored tools for the DIY crowd and the blue colored line that we are more familiar with. They even have a gardening line Kind of makes me wish we had an American company doing the same thing.....

I usually aim for the newest tools, especially if it is going towards a give away. Someone might feel they are being shortchanged by receiving obsolete tools.

From their website of course http://www.makita.co.jp/ Beware it is a large flash catalog http://www.makita.co...ugou/index.html

Why would you want a charger that you could plug other chargers into? The simplest thing they could do would be to sell a simple slide on diagnostic tool, or they could include one on the charger like they do for those for the electric modeling crowd. Milwaukees older V18-V28 battery service meter and a sawzall My bad on the wrong generation of tools, I was annoyed that I could not find it retailed in the U.S.. Todays Makita batteries do include a battery management system (BMS) onboard the battery pack just like most of the other manufacturers, why do you think that all the battery rebuilders are not rebuilding Lith-Ion batteries? It is because they all include a proprietary BMS.

You would be surprised at how short a time most tools last if you use them all day every day. Especially if you don't do any routine maintenance/repairs.

Makita caters to the Japanese, compare their domestic tool catalog to what they offer us. They easily offer twice the tools, we don't even hear about their 14.4v Li-Ion line here. They even offer things like a cordless roto tiller and a Li-Ion bicycle. P.S. Just found out they do offer a battery checker, I don't think we can get it here in the states but Wayne should be able to pick one up in the UK.

Bosch and Milwaukee are at about a tie when it comes to larger tools. Bosch has the better 36v circular saw and Bosch has three 36v roto hammers to Milwaukees 1 28v. I'll give Milwaukee the Sawzall. None better in the 28v + class. Milwaukee also has the 28v grinder and band saw. Bosch has the option of slim pack or fat pack batteries, Milwaukee only offers the M28. Each company seem to favor certain trades. Milwaukee seems to be catering to the plumbers while Bosch seems to be leaning more towards the masons. Plumbers like compact cordless tools, mason like big corded tools. Compare their line of demolition hammers to their lines of 12v tools. Bosches latest radio is an improvement over their last version, Milwaukees newest radio doesn't hold a candle to their older Rockford Fosgate model. Boschs pneumatic line leaves Milwaukee in the dust. Especially when it comes to production tools. Lith-Ion batteries require monitoring while they are being charged, a slave charger by nature would be the same as the main charger, otherwise there would be a lot of exploding batteries flying around. For an education on Lith-Ion battery charging read Charging Lithium-ion @ Battery University.

If you ever read the actual warranty you will find most manufacturers have only a LIMITED warranty that covers only defects in materials and workmanship for the warranty period. Normal wear and tear is NOT covered. This is one of the reasons I don't pay much heed to all these claims of long warranty periods. Face it, if your using your tools daily, they are going to be worn out long before the warranty is up. This is why you buy quality tools, they don't wear out as fast.

I can only squeeze three sheets in my Speed-bloc when I use that and my little P-C with wire clamps I can squeeze five sheets in if I really work at it but I usually just put four sheets in. Saves a lot of time in the end for those long sanding projects, even more so if your up a ladder. I have become really fond of 3Ms sandpaper these days.

Thought I would share my Flickr photo stream. http://www.flickr.co...s/13643568@N03/ Maybe we should start a photo pool for Tools in Action. Some of the photo pools on Flickr are an entertaining way to waste some time. Like the Tool Porn and Toolmonger groups

Did you try it with a vacuum or did you just use the on board dust collection? How well does it hold the sandpaper and how many sheets can it hold?

One thing to consider with corrosion inhibitors is that some of them have the ability to transfer onto the surface of the material that you are working on. This can play havoc when it comes time to finish your project. Products that contain silicone are notorious for playing havoc with water borne finishes. Fish eyes suck.

Random Orbit Sander. Like Milwaukees 6021-21.

Which Ni-Cad powered tools were/are the best and what is it about them that made them stand out for you? I ask because I like older and vintage power tools and might like to collect a few to preserve for my collection.

You do have a ROS as well don't you? I find the take considerably less time.

I seem to be seeing a lot of the older brushed Makita and Milwaukee sets discounted around here. a lot of the first generation Li-Ion Dewalts are already gone, some of the really older Ni-Cad sets that they seem to want a lot for, are around as well.

That is really odd to me, what with how popular they are for roto hammers over here. Just about everyone I work with has one. Took a look around Toolstops website and noticed you guys are paying some serious money for roto hammers as well, looks like about twice what we pay here.

That is the same set I would build, I feel the same about the flashlight, doubly more so now that most tools come equipped with LED lighting. On the worklights it would be a different story if they included a real worklight like a Makita florescent worklight (BML184) or Dewalts charger worklight (DC022) combo