18 volt News & Reviews

If you leave a mess at a job you might just end up getting yelled at; but fear not, for DeWALT has recently come out with a new wet/dry vacuum that is both corded and cordless and is small enough for you to take with you. Thanks to the fine folks at DeWALT, we have the aforementioned DCV581H Vacuum as the prize for this month's Tool-Rank giveaway.

It wouldn't be a very fun summer if it didn't have music, and that is what we are giving away this month. Well actually, we have teamed up with Bosch to give away one of their music making machines; the new PB180 18-volt Cordless/Corded Radio.

Not wanting to let their 12V users be alone in the joy of having music on the jobsite, Bosch has come out with a similarly designed 18V portable jobsite radio. Unlike their previous 18V radio, Bosch slimmed down the size of the new PB180 so that it can fit inside an L-BOXX-2 tool case.

If you are tired of having to watch your charger to know when it is time to put in the next battery, Makita has a new charger for you. Over the long holiday weekend Makita announced their new 18V Lithium-ion Rapid Optimum 4-Port charger. The new model DC18SF also happens to be Energy Star rated for efficiency.

Back in May, when writing about the introduction of the Makita 36-volt cordless chainsaw, I commented that I would personally like to see a cordless string trimmer. Well, guess what turned up on Makita's website of Friday? The Makita LXRU02Z 18-volt cordless string trimmer.

We first saw the Bosch 18V Multi-X pop up on the German website back in March, and then Bosch confirmed that it would be coming to the US when it made an appearance on their US Facebook page in May. We have been anticipating the 18V Multi-X for a while now, and finally Bosch has given us a release date and a price to go with it.

Back when I tested the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Brushless Hammer Drill, I found that it easily proved itself to be a powerhouse. It took on every task with speed, while also showing long battery life. Being that their M18 Fuel Impact driver is in the same M18 Fuel family, can it too prove to be a powerhouse? Let's find out.

It looks like Bosch US will be coming out with an 18-volt version of their oscillating multi-tool. They gave us a sneak peek at what is to come on their Facebook page. From the photo all we can really see is that it runs on 18-volts and has the tool-less blade change feature that is found on their corded models, but I suspect it is pretty much the same as the cordless model that is already available in Europe. No word on pricing or availability.

It may not be very well known, but Makita as a worldwide company has a pretty extensive line of outdoor power equipment. Still, I was surprised to see a couple of cordless chainsaw SKU's make an appearance on their U.S. website.

About 6 months ago I wrote about the Makita LXDT06 and its new Quick-Shift function after I spotted it on the Makita site. But shortly after I wrote about the new impact it was removed from the site. Now almost a year after Canada had it, it looks like we will finally have an opportunity to buy the LXDT06 for ourselves.