As Gary pointed out the other day in his Quick Tip, a simple ruler can come in really handy on the jobsite and you probably have an old one from a combination square lying around somewhere. But is the Paolini Pocket Rule from Woodpeckers better solution?
While some brands advertise that their cordless tools can be used with compact batteries and full sized batteries, Panasonic has gone one step further by making a series of dual voltage tools that accept both 14.4v and 18v batteries. Panasonic is also leading the charge with 4.2Ah batteries, the highest in the industry.
Stanley Tools is celebrating the 50th anniversary of what is probably the most popular tape measure in the US, the Stanley PowerLock. To commemorate the anniversary, Stanley will be releasing a series of five limited edition tape measurers.
As a finish carpenter, I have an apron pocket assigned for a small combination square. (In addition to whatever else finds its way in that pocket) But I notice that after tightening the ruler in the base over and over again, inevitably the day comes when the ruler no longer tightens in the base and it's time for a new combo square. So it was that as I was digging around in my tool box, I found a couple of loose steel rulers. Now I'm not one to throw something out if it has a purpose, but what can you do with half a tool? That's when I discovered a "new" tool.
At a time when everything is digital and people are moving away from analog as fast as they can, Pro Tool Reviews is doing the complete opposite. Pro Tool Reviews, just like a lot of the new-media, started out on the internet, but now they are coming out with an actual printed magazine.
Milwaukee is currently running a giveaway on their Facebook page where you can win a pair of their Redlithium batteries. They will be giving away a grand total of $5000 worth of batteries that will go to a number of lucky winners. And because we are awesome, Milwaukee has also given Tool-Rank readers a second chance at winning a set.
If are ready to start building up a set of Makita 18V cordless tools, and one of their LXT cordless oscillating multi-tools is on your list, you might be interested to know that Makita is now selling them in combo kits.
If you ever need to mow your yard one day and travel to a remote location to repair a fence the next, I think you might be interested to see what the Raven has to offer. This unique mower turns into an ATV, is powered by hybrid technology, and can be used as a portable electric generator.
How often do you give your power tools a tune up? I know it is not always easy or convenient, but hopefully you don't wait until something goes terribly wrong before you give your tools the attention they need. To make power tool maintenance a bit easier, there is now an app for that.
The Bosch engineers have been hard at work developing a complete line of diamond blades that they say deliver "great performance and speed" in applications such as cutting hard concrete, green concrete, tile and general purpose masonry. The lineup covers diamond blades from 4-inches all the up to 14-inches with rim options including segmented, turbo, and continuous.
