Hanging pictures, shelves, and TVs requires finding those hidden heroes within your walls – the studs. And stud finders have come a long way since their humble beginnings. Early models relied solely on magnets to seek out metal nails or screws used to attach drywall to studs. As technology improved, electrostatic stud finders became the standard, sensing density changes to locate studs.

These days, the world of stud finders is more exciting than ever. Radar-based models, like the Walabot DIY 2, offer unprecedented accuracy and even the ability to “see” through your walls. This revolution in stud finding means you can locate pipes, wires, and more alongside traditional studs!

Of course, not everyone needs the bells and whistles of a radar stud finder, sometimes you just need a stud pop. When choosing the best stud finder for you, consider these key factors:

What to Consider When Choosing a Stud Finder

• Clarity and ease of use
• Detection technology
• Detection capabilities
• Scanning Depth
• Extra Features

Clarity and ease of use

Stud finders and wall scanners use various ways to tell you that there’s a stud – or other object – lurking within the wall. Some feature classic digital readouts which are OK, if a little basic, others rely on audio signals, which can be confusing, and one even offers an intuitive visual display that shows you what’s there – right on your smartphone screen. 

Detection technology

Electrostatic models are the most prevalent for basic stud finding. Radar offers the most versatility but often comes at a higher price. And you can still find very basic magnetic stud finders on the market. These rely on detecting nails within the drywall and are the most affordable option.

Detection capabilities

We tested the devices in this article on their abilities to locate a range of in-wall elements:

• Metal Studs: Drilling into metal studs requires specialized drill bits and screws, so it’s vital to be able to tell what kind of stud you’ve detected.
• Wooden Studs: Devices that can directly detect wood are ideal for this use case. But stud finders that rely on detecting nails in wooden studs are a bit of a compromise: this approach often works, but it’s by no means 100% reliable and sometimes misses the stud altogether.
• Pipes: Dependable pipe detection is a must if you want to avoid a potentially catastrophic flood.
• Wires: Some devices detect only live wires, while others identify all wires, including low voltage and audio.

Scanning depth

Studs are usually going to be flush against your drywall, but in rare cases where they’re not – like at the end of wall where they may be recessed – you need a device that can “see” deeper than a couple of inches. Pipes and wires, meanwhile, will never be attached directly to the wall surface. They can often be found as deep as four inches inside the wall.

We classify wall scanner depth detection as follows:

• Normal: 1-1½”
• Deep: 2”
• Extra deep: 4”

Extra Features

Look out for integrated rulers, levels, live wire detection, expert or deep scan modes, the ability to detect the unexpected, and other handy additions depending on your DIY needs.

With that background in mind, let’s dive into the five best stud finders in 2024.

Walabot DIY 2: Best Detection & Unique Visual Display

The Walabot DIY 2 goes beyond basic stud finding. It uses radar technology to detect a wide range of hidden objects within drywall. Walabot shows you exactly what’s inside your wall by translating the radar signal into a real-time animation displayed on your smartphone screen. This is a game-changer for both casual DIYers and professionals as it eliminates doubt, preventing DIY disasters. It could even save your life. That makes it one of the very best stud finders out there.

Pros

• High-accuracy detection of studs, pipes, any wire – live, ground, neutral, low voltage, or audio
• Unique real-time visual display 
• User-friendly app interface with multiple display modes
• Deep scanning: up to 4 inches
• Distinguishes between metal and wooden studs
• Expert mode for detection of complex objects such as hidden boxes, rodents, and more  

Cons

• Higher price point than basic models – although it comes in at a fraction of the price of dealing with a flood caused by a ruptured water pipe
• Needs recharging – but you get a whole working day of scanning off one full charge

Bosch D-TECT 120: Ideal for Heavy-Duty Use

This device detects ferrous and non-ferrous metals, power lines, and wooden substructures. It features both an internal and external battery, so you’ll never have to down tools for a recharge. If the D-TECT 120 detects electrical wires, pipes, or other objects, it will alert you with both an audible and visible signal. The simple buttons that allow you to choose different measurement types make this radar-based scanner very user-friendly. 

Pros

• Flexible powering
• User-friendly

Cons

• Hard to use for casual DIYers
• Pipe detector isn’t dust- or splash-proof
• Very high cost

Dewalt DW0150 1-1/2: Entry-level Budget-Friendly Option

The Dewalt DW0150 offers an exceptionally economical approach to stud finding. Its compact design and simple LED display make it a great choice for occasional DIY projects.

Pros

• Affordable stud finder for drywall
• Compact and lightweight design

Cons

• Limited detection depth of 1-1½”
• May struggle to find objects deep within walls
• Unreliable for detecting pipes
• Audio signal isn’t the clearest indication

Franklin ProSensor M210: Simple to Use 

The Franklin Sensors ProSensor M210 is designed for hassle-free stud finding. It also detects live wires and offers a comfortable grip, a ruler, and a level for added utility.

Pros

• Well-designed ergonomics
• Integrated ruler and level for added convenience

Cons

• Lacks versatility – limited to basic stud detection
• Less accurate on thicker drywall
• Cannot detect pipes 
• LED lights make it impossible to distinguish what element is actually detected

Zircon A200 MultiScanner: Detects Live Wires

The Zircon A200 combines a very basic LCD display with audio/visual alerts for detected objects.

Pros

• Live AC wire detection
• Precision stud-finding capabilities in drywall

Cons

• Lacks the ability to detect dead wires
• Detection isn’t as deep as some other options on the market
• Struggles to distinguish between metal studs and conduits

Comparing the Best Stud Finders of 2024

We placed the best stud finders of 2024 side-by-side to help you pick the best one for you.

General Pro Tips: How to Use a Stud Finder

• Test on a known stud: Before tackling your project, locate an obvious stud (near outlets or light switches) and test your device. This familiarizes you with how it works and if it’s functioning as expected.
• Mark as you go: Once you find a stud, mark the center and the edges with a pencil. This helps with alignment and spacing if you’re hanging multiple items.
• Sweep multiple times: Stud finders can be finicky. Sweep horizontally a few times at varying heights to confirm your stud’s location.
• Consider wall thickness: Thicker walls might hinder stud finders. Choose a model with a deeper detection range if you’re working with thick walls.

General Pro Tips: How to Use Different Kinds of Stud Finders

• Electromagnetic Stud Finders: These are sensitive to electrical fields. Be aware that live wires near where you’re scanning can give false readings.
• Radar-based Stud Finders: Calibrate the device as per the instructions to ensure optimal accuracy when visualizing what’s inside your wall.

Hope you enjoyed our run-down of the best stud finders in 2024. Whichever one you decide on, best of luck with your upcoming projects and happy scanning.

Post sponsored by Walabot

The post The 5 Best Stud Finders in 2024 appeared first on Tools In Action - Power Tool Reviews.

It’s that time of year when the leaves are changing colors and they are about to fall.  They will start to cover up your grass and clog up your gutters.  Now you may be in the market for a new blower either because yours is getting old or you have been hearing good things about battery powered blowers.   We see our neighbors with their fancy blowers, we see ads on TV or the newspaper and we see them at our local hardware store.  So which one is the best one on the market?  Which would meet our needs and which one would be the best value?  Well, it’s always so hard to tell because you see different battery platforms, different volts, different CFM and different colors.  All this can be enough to spin your head around in circles.  We understand how you feel, so we decided to put some of the most popular blowers up against each other and have some fun.  So at Tools in Action, we always love to have a little fun. While we aren’t scientists or UL lab technicians, we are consumers just like you.  We want to break through and see what is the best cordless blower on the market.  While we couldn’t test them all, we did test some of the most popular ones on the market.

We understand there can be a ton of different testing scenarios we could have done.  But for us, we wanted to test some of the most important aspects of a blower to find out the best cordless blower.  So we picked a couple of important elements in a blower and that is what we are covering today.  For any testing purpose, there are always variables we can’t control.  We tried to do our best to mitigate these variables, but bottom line, we really just wanted to have some fun and maybe educate you as a consumer so when you do buy a blower, you can find the best cordless blower for you.  Just because one blower is better for someone, doesn’t mean it’s the best one for the next person.  For me, I want something powerful and lightweight, plus I want a quality blower that has great tools in their line up.  For me, I don’t care about run time.  I have a small yard and it takes me about 30 steps at most to grab another battery.  I use my blower to clean out my gutters (Yes I know I shouldn’t), I also use it for fall clean up and blowing off the grass on the walkways.  For someone else, they might have a longer driveway and they want a longer run time because they are just using it to blow off their driveway after they mow.  They don’t want to be 10′ away from finishing the job and having to walk back to the garage, replace the battery and walk back to the end of the driveway.  Again, we are just two guys having some fun and trying to shed a little light on the blower world.  So before we get started we want to tell you which blowers we tested and what aspects we took into account for the blower flight.

Blower Models we Tested

• Kobalt – Model KHB 400B-06
• Dewalt – Model DCBL790M1
• Ego – Model LB5302
• Ryobi – Model RY40411
• Greenworks – Model 80V-Pro-500CFM
• Troy Built – Model TB4300
• Echo – Model CBL-58V2AH

Features We Reviewed For Blowers

• Power
• Weight
• Run Time
• Tools Available for Battery Platform
• Quality of Blower – Build Quality

About the Test

As I stated above, it’s very hard to test blowers considering there are so many variables.  However being who we are, we still wanted to give it a shot and have some fun.  So we reached out to Bode Tree Care to see if we could try them out on some mulch over at his place.  We brought the Ventrac over and put two level scoops of mulch for each blower to try and push.  Our goal was really to make sure these blowers could move heavier items and also to see the run time.  While we were moving the piles of mulch, we also took into account the ergonomics of the blowers.  When we ran these blowers, we ran them at the highest setting possible.  So our run time we state below is from the highest setting.  You will find higher run times on the manufacturers website, but they usually state it while running at the lowest setting.

Ego – Model LB5302

Ego is one of the newer manufacturers on this list.  They have only been around for about 5 years, but their history (Chervon) is much older.  However, in the 5 years they have changed the OPE environment by introducing quality products with an incredible battery.  We have had a chance to test their full line of products and we have been wowed by every single one.  This year they have a new 56V snow blower on the market along with a backpack blower.

Power – 56V, 2.5 Ah Battery, 110 MPH, 530 CFM
Weight – 7.312 lbs
Run Time (TIA Figures) – 9 Minutes

What we like – This is a great blower.  While it doesn’t hold the record for MPH, the weight and CFM of the tool are incredible.  This is the lightest blower that we tested.  Considering how light it is and how much CFM this pushes, this is a great blower to own.

What we don’t like – We would have liked to see a little more run time.  This had the worst run time of all the blowers we tested.  In the real world, we really doubt you would be using the turbo button the whole time.  With that said, we know the run time will increase without the turbo button, which still leaves plenty of power to get most jobs done.

Tools Available for Battery Platform – You can build an incredible OPE line with all the tools they offer.  This is the thing we love the most about Ego.  You can invest in one battery platform and get a mower, blower, string trimmer, chain saw, hedger and snow blower.

Quality of Blower – Build Quality – We are very impressed with the build quality of this blower.  It doesn’t seem like Ego cut any corners when they designed this or their other OPE products.  We love the fact that there is room so a user can use any of their batteries.  So if you want to add their 7.5 Ah battery to increase run time, you won’t have an issue.

Conclusion – While the run time was the lowest, this would be my top pick.  This is the lightest of all the blowers we tested.  It is packed with power and light on the arm.  Considering they have the nicest OPE line on the market, this blower is hard to beat.

Dewalt – Model DCBL790M1

Dewalt is a name you can trust.  They have been around for a long time and make professional, quality products.  Don’t let the fact that this is only a 40V fool you.  This has plenty of power and with the highest amp hour battery (4Ah), it has great run time along with great power.  This is the only blower we tested that is designed for the professionals.

Power – 40V, 4 Ah Battery, 120 MPH, 400CFM
Weight – 10.8 lbs
Run Time (TIA Figures) – 14 Minutes

What we like –  This blower has a ton of power and run time.  We didn’t see this with the other blowers in the blower fight.  The Dewalt comes with a high amp hour battery which means this can do some serious work in the cordless blower sector.

What we don’t like – This is bulky.  Other than the Echo, this was the biggest blower we tested.  We understand this is designed for the “professional”, but for a consumer, it is one we would pass on since they don’t have a mower available in the 40V line.

Tools Available for Battery Platform – Dewalt offers a couple different tools in their 40V line of tools.  They have string trimmers, backpack blowers and chainsaws available.

Quality of Blower – Build Quality – It’s hard to find a better built OPE tool.  Dewalt knows how to make strong and tough tools.  The same toughness that goes into their tools, goes into their OPE products.

Conclusion – The Dewalt did a great job moving the mulch.  The run time was one of the best we tested.  For the professional, it can be a great option.  For the homeowner, we would suggest the Ego.

Ryobi – Model RY40411

Ryobi is a company you are probably familiar with if you have visited any Home Depot store.  They have a huge line of power tools and make almost any OPE tool a homeowner could want.  Ryobi is a company that tries to deliver the highest possible quality for a reasonable price.

Power – 40V, 2.6 Ah Battery, 155 MPH, 300 CFM
Weight – 8.4 lbs.
Run Time (TIA Figures) – 13 Minutes

What we like – This is a great blower that is not only comfortable using, but has a great run time.

What we don’t like – While this has a high MPH, the CFM was one of the lowest we tested.  However, the run time was towards the top of the pack

Tools Available for Battery Platform – Ryobi has pretty much anything a homeowner could want to build their own OPE tools.  They offer a mower, string trimmer, hedger, blower and even a snow blower.  I love being able to own one battery platform for all my OPE needs.

Quality of Blower – Build Quality – The blower was more solid than we thought it would be.  This blower seems to have a lot in common with the Ridgid blower we tested.

Conclusion – While it was one of the lowest CFM we tested, it still moved the mulch pile.  We weren’t expecting this to be the winner as Ryobi is designed to get a job done for a low price.

Troy Built – Model TB4300

Troy Built makes some solid OPE tools.  They are quality tools with tons of power.  Troy Built uses the Core system which focuses more on the power of a great motor and not to be required to rely on battery alone.  When it comes to OPE, Troy Built isn’t a slouch.  They make some incredible gas-powered tools such as the Flex system.

Power – 40V, 4 Ah Battery, 125 MPH, 545 CFM
Weight – 11.6 lbs
Run Time (TIA Figures) – 12 Minutes

What we like – This blower was great as it’s packed with power.  Besides having a ton of power, it also had great run time.

What we don’t like – This was the heaviest blower we tested.  While it screamed in power, it also made your arm scream.

Tools Available for Battery Platform – Troy Built has great products in their OPE line up including a mower, blower, hedger and string trimmer.  All are great tools to own.

Quality of Blower – Build Quality – This is a solid blower.  Nothing on this blower seems cheap.

Conclusion – The Troy Built core blower is an amazing blower.  The blower has tons of power, but with a downside of being heavy.  The blower moved the mulch without any issues and still had room to do more cleaning.

Greenworks – Model 80V-Pro-500CFM

For me, I feel like Greenworks is in competition to Ryobi OPE products.  Greenworks has been around for a while and they have a huge product list.  They have been able to create a ton of tools over the years and push the market forward with innovation.  They offer multiple battery lines to fit the consumer needs.  They offer an 80V, 40V and 24V line of OPE tools.

Power – 80V, 2 Ah battery, 125 MPH, 500CFM
Weight – 9 lbs
Run Time (TIA Figures) – 10 Minutes

What we like – The Greenworks has plenty of power to clean off your walks, driveway or fall clean up.  Very easy to use with the push button on/off and speed setting.

What we don’t like – We would like to see the weight decrease. You are pretty much stuck with using a 2 Ah battery because of how the battery compartment is designed.

Tools Available for Battery Platform – Lawnmower, blower, string trimmer, hedger, chainsaw and snow blower.

Quality of Blower – Build Quality – While there were some things we would like to see beefed up with their mower, the blower seems like a quality blower.

Conclusion – The Greenworks is a nice option for the consumer.  A consumer can buy into the 80V line and get any OPE tool they need without having to invest in a new battery platform down the road.  The blower is nice and powerful.  It didn’t have any issues pushing the mulch pile forward.  While the run time was below it’s brother Kobalt blower, it still has some good run time.

Kobalt – Model KHB 400B-06

The Kobalt is pretty much the same as the Greenworks.  The whole Kobalt OPE system has been around for a while, so they are fairly reliable.  Kobalt is sold exclusively at Lowes.  The great thing about being sold at Lowes is you can walk into the store and pick it up to see how you like the feel and balance.  If for some reason you buy it and turns out you don’t like it, Lowes is usually pretty good about returns as along as you obey their return policy.

Power – 80V, 2 Ah Battery, 125 MPH, 500 CFM
Weight – 9.1 lbs.
Run Time (TIA Figures) – 12 Minutes

What we like – The blower is powerful and comfortable to use.  Decent run time.

What we don’t like – We would like to see the weight decrease.  Also, you are pretty much stuck with using a 2 Ah battery because of how the battery compartment is designed.

Tools Available for Battery Platform – You can build your OPE line with their mower, blower, string trimmer and chain saw.

Quality of Blower – Build Quality – While some parts of their mower seemed cheap, the blowers were not.  The build quality seems to be on the high end.

Conclusion – Overall this blower did a great job moving the mulch pile.  The run time was in the middle of the road, but a lot higher than we expected.  This blower surprised me as I wasn’t expecting much from it.  Just wondering why it had a longer run time than the Greenworks 80V.

Echo – Model CBL-58V2AH

Echo seems to be a quiet company.  They have been in the OPE game for a long time, but really dragged their feet with their cordless line.  Echo is a company that we don’t hear much about.  While some people love their gas engine chain saw, we also hear people who have had issues with them.

Power – 56V, 2 Ah Battery, 120 MPH, 450 CFM
Weight – 11.3 lbs
Run Time (TIA Figures) – 15 Minutes

What we like – The Echo had incredible run time, almost doubling the run time of the Ego, our number one pick.

What we don’t like – This unit feels like it lacks power.  While the stats say it should keep up with the other manufacturers, it seemed like it just dragged it’s feet moving the mulch pile.  Also, we are not too impressed with the weight.

Tools Available for Battery Platform – Echo has a full line of cordless tools for their 56v line of OPE tools.  Echo has a mower, string trimmer, blower, hedger and chainsaw.

Quality of Blower – Build Quality – The blower seems solid.  I am not sure if it’s the weight that makes you feel that way or just the build.

Conclusion – While I wish they were the top blower since they are a hometown company, it’s not a blower I am super impressed with.  While it has great run time, the power, weight and feel just weren’t there.  It’s a shame since they do have a decent cordless lawn mower.

Final Thought on the Blower Fight

So in the end, what is the best cordless blower on the market?  Well that is really up to you and your needs.  What will be the number one and two things you will be doing with this blower?  Will it be a simple job of only blowing off your walks after you mow or do you plan on using it for fall clean up also?  If you are using it for fall clean up, you will need to make sure it has plenty of power for that job as you tend to get piles of wet leaves, small branches and other heavy debris.

Ego

My number one pick is the Ego for the following reasons.  The Ego has plenty of power, it’s the lightest blower, the blower is high quality and I love the tools in their line.  Now considering it has one of the highest CFM and MPH, it gets the speed by sacrificing the battery life.  But one thing I like about Ego is I can expand to a 5Ah battery or even a 7.5 Ah battery if I want more run time.

Ryobi

There are a couple of things to love about this blower.  First, I love the feel and balance of this tool.  I also like that they have a large OPE line in their 40V line up.  The run time is exceptional, but I felt it lacked power.  So if you are just blowing off the walkways after mowing, this is more than sufficient to get the job done.

Dewalt

I love Dewalt tools, but can’t say I am a huge fan of this blower.  Not that it’s a bad blower, I just think there are better options available on the market.  Considering you have to jump into a new battery line that doesn’t even offer a mower, well that is kind of a waste.  Also, while all the other companies decide to go with an air intake on the back of the blower, Dewalt decided on the air intake on the side.  So for righties, you’re fine.  However, for lefties, you will tend to get the blower trying to suck in your shorts.  However, it’s a Dewalt so you know it’s built to last and having a long run time makes it a viable option if you only want a battery blower.

Troy Built

This blower has some serious CFM and MPH to it.  While the power is great, it comes at a weight.  This was the heaviest blower we tested.  Troy Built makes some of the best professional OPE tools and their cordless line is awesome.  For me, I still have a hard time getting over the weight of this unit.

Kobalt/Greenworks

I am putting these two together because if you don’t know, it looks like they are built both by Greenworks.  It’s weird, why did the Kobalt get two more minutes of run time?  While I like both of these blowers and they have great run time, they are on the bigger side and are in the middle of the road for weight.  I would put both of these higher, but I can’t say I am a huge fan of their mowers.  Don’t get me wrong, the mowers did a great job of mowing, but for me, they seemed a little cheaply made.

Echo

This was the worst of all the blowers.  When I use to think of Echo, I would think professional.  However, with the blower being extremely heavy, the power was just lacking.  I didn’t like the short nozzle and really couldn’t get past the lack of power.  However, this did have the longest run time.  So as you can see they increased the run time to be at the top of the game, but the power is definitely sacrificed.  Now I am not saying this is a bad blower because it was still able to do what they advertise it as.  I am just saying I think there are better options on the market.  However, they have a very nice mower and if you are in that line, this blower isn’t a bad addition.

The post Best Cordless Blower – Handheld Cordless Blower Tool Fight appeared first on Tools In Action - Power Tool Reviews.

Welcome to Mower week.  Today we have a head to head.  Stay tuned because the rest of the week, we will cover each mower in greater detail.  Five years ago if you asked me if we would have ever had a head to head for cordless mowers, I probably would have laughed.  See back then I was all about gas, all about power.  The cordless mowers back then were awful.  They were cheap, they didn’t last and let’s face it, manufacturers just came out of the gate too soon because they were so interested in being first to the game.  However times have changed.  I have sold off my gas mower, blower and string trimmer for battery powered tools.  See I love the fact of not running to the gas station, finding out my gas is bad, the loud noises of the motors, dealing with spark plugs and all the other hassles of gas.  Now I enjoy the peace and quiet of battery powered tools, the convenience of a single button and I am off to the races.  However this has only been made possible because manufacturers and battery technology has caught up to make a usable battery powered tool, such as a lawn mower.  With that being said, we get a ton of emails asking what is the best cordless mower on the market.  I have also noticed that a ton more towns are coming up with noise ordinances (don’t you love politicians?).  A couple years back we took a look at these mowers, but times have changed so we figured now would be a great time to put some of the main brands head to head, so here we are.

To give you a little background, I live in a residential area where the lots are small.  My lot is 6,600 square feet, but the house and the driveway take up some of that.  So while I can use a battery powered mower, not every mower will do the trick.  So when we decided to perform a head to head, I thought about what was important to me and my decision about the best cordless mower.  For me, I have five things I want in a mower:

1. Run Time & Power –  Run time is important because who wants the hassle of mowing part of the yard, charging the battery, then finishing it up?  We all want to finish our yard with a single charge.  We want to be able to power through deep grass or mulch a ton of leaves without the hassle of the battery dying.  Let’s face it, our lives are unpredictable.  We can’t all cut our grass every Tuesday or the exact time it needs to be cut.  Sometimes we wait and the grass is long.
2. Quality of Mower – For obvious reasons, this a  huge selling point.  Who wants to push around a mower that is heavy, bulky or just feels like a pile of junk?  We want one that uses quality components and will last us for a number of years.  I would prefer my lifetime, but that might be asking a little too much.  Unless I check out early, which I hope isn’t the case.
3. Quality of Cut – It’s one thing to cut the grass, but it’s a whole different ball game to cut the grass and it looks nice.  The last time we had a lawnmower shootout, we found that a bunch of the mowers wouldn’t really cut all the grass.  Some of them would actually cut part of the grass and then the rest it would just push the blades of grass down.  So the next day when the grass had a chance to recover, a ton of blades would be sticking up.
4. Ease of Use –  We live in a world where everyone wants something easy.  No one has time to fool around and waste time.  We want easy start up, easy storage and easy maintenance.  When we rate this category, it has more to do with how easy it is to adjust the handles, fold the handle, change deck heights and make other adjustments.
5. Other tools in the line – The last item we looked at was what other tools are in the battery platform, who wants to invest in multiple platforms?   I want to be able to expand my OPE tools and I want quality tools.  We will touch on this aspect of the review, but it won’t be a huge talking point because we haven’t had a chance to look at all the items in every battery platform.

So when we tested these mowers to find the best cordless mower, these were the five areas we took a look at.  Now I have to tell you, this test was a pain in the butt because there were so many things we never thought about before we started.  We had this huge game plan in mind and a great way to compare them against each other.  Once we got all the mowers, it was a whole different ball game.  How could we really test the run time as there are different types of grass, different heights and other factors.  As I said before I tested them on my property which is 6,600 square feet, but the house takes up a lot of that along with the driveway.  I also let my neighbor test them and he has pretty much the same lot size.  Here is a piece of advise I can give you.  Buy the mower you want and don’t worry about run time.  Once you get the mower home, test it on your yard.  If it works out great and you can mow it with one charge, great.  However if you can’t mow it with one charge, return it, get your money back and try a different brand.  Normally for our head to head reviews, we don’t order them from least to best.  However for this, I am going to order them from least to best because in my eyes, there were enough things that stood out to make an easy decision.  As a side note, all these mowers are great mowers and anyone should be happy to own any of these.  If you visit any of the online websites that sell these mowers, you will see they all have great ratings.   However, we do think some are better than others, so let’s get started.

5. Kobalt 80V

This mower was my least favorite lawn mower.  Now this doesn’t mean it’s not a great mower, but we just had issues with this right from the start.  While the mower cut great and did a great job bagging, it just felt very cheap.  The handle is sloppy and the overall mower just seems cheap.  We also didn’t like the metal deck.  While this is one of the reasons it had such a great cut, the weight and feeling didn’t appeal to us.

Pro’s

• Nice cut
• Bagged Great
• Great for Mulching

Con’s

• Seems Cheap – Clunky
• Heavy with Steel Deck
• Handle is Flimsy

4. Echo 58V

This was our first time using an Echo 58V mower.  We were impressed with the quality of the mower.  The cut quality, bagging and mulching were all great.  The handle is a little sloppy and could have a better design.  One turn off was the fact a user needs to adjust all four wheels.  Most battery mowers have a single lever that will adjust all four wheels at once.

Pro’s

• Great Cut
• Deck Feels Solid
• Great Job Bagging
• Great for Mulching

Con’s

• Must adjust each wheel for height
• Handle is a little flimsy

3. Greenworks 80V

Greenworks makes some great OPE tools.  This mower is solid and does a great job with mulching, bagging and the cut quality is great.  We think the metal deck might have something to do with the cut quality as it was a top contender.  However the metal deck also adds extra weight that some people will not enjoy.  This mower seems to be pretty close to the Kobalt as we think Greenworks makes it for them.  However this mower does seem to be better than the Kobalt.

Pro’s

• Great Cut
• Lots of Run Time
• Bagged Great
• Great for Mulching

Con’s

• Heavy with steel deck
• Handle is flimsy

2. Ryobi 40V

Ryobi is a staple at The Home Depot.  I have to say we weren’t expecting much from this mower, but it really surprised us.  The mower is lightweight and easy to move around.  The handle seems like a high quality handle.  Bagging, mulching and cutting were all great.  The one downside is charge time.  The charge time was almost 50% more than the other tools.  If you are just using the mower, charge time isn’t an issue.  However if you start going into other Ryobi OPE tools, this can cause an issue with waiting around.

Pro’s

• Nice cut
• Great run time
• Bagging good
• Great for mulching

Con’s

• Battery charge time

1. Ego 56V

This was by far the best mower we tested.  We aren’t just saying that because EGO sponsored our mower week, but this is truly a great mower.  If you don’t believe us, check out the reviews online about this mower.  The quality of the mower is much higher than other battery powered mowers on the market.  This does a great job with bagging, mulching and cutting.  We just wish it included the side discharge for those people who still use this feature.

Pro’s

• Quality build
• Lots of power
• Great run time
• Quality of cut
• Bagged well
• Self propelled

Con’s

• Must call company to get side discharge attachment (Free)

Final Thoughts

As I said in the beginning of this article, all the mowers are great buys.  In the end we really love the EGO.  EGO has the power, the build quality, ease of use and cut quality that make this stand out from the rest.  Couple all that with the other OPE tools EGO offers and this is just hard to beat.  What’s great about EGO is you can buy a self propelled mower or just your traditional push mower.  While I would recommend the push mower over the self propelled mower for weight reasons, the self propelled mower is a very nice option for those who have larger hills or runs.  The Ryobi and Greenworks were both very close and either option will make a consumer happy.  If they up their game for next year, they will be sure to give EGO a run for their money.  While the Kobalt and Echo aren’t bad choices, in the end they do need a little work to go along with their future designs.

The post Best Cordless Mower – Check out What Tools in Action Found appeared first on Tools In Action - Power Tool Reviews.

As you know, we love to have fun at Tools in Action.  We don’t take ourselves seriously and we love destroying things.  So we thought about it and decided that destroying some radios would be a blast.  So we reached out to some manufacturers and got our hands on some of the most popular cordless radios on the market.  Now before I go on I want to get a couple of things straight.  First, this isn’t scientific.  This is just something we wanted to do and have some fun with.  We knew that no radio would survive to the end.  Yes, we still picked a radio, but deep down, these radios aren’t made to be put through the abuse we were going to give it.  The second thing you have to remember is this is all done by chance.  Since we only had one radio, we couldn’t retest it if it broke.  We knew there would be a chance that a radio might fail because it got a bad bounce.  We could do this test again and have completely different results.  Maybe a radio just happened to bounce the right way and it broke.  Or maybe it bounced the wrong way and hit the perfect spot and didn’t break.  But again, this is all in good fun.  If you are serious about getting a radio, all these radios are great options.  Each one is designed to produce a great sound and take the abuse of a job site.  I know the designers weren’t thinking it has to take the Tools in Action abuse test.  So what were the tests and what is the best cordless radio out of the bunch?

Radio Test Order

1. Push off a 3′ tool chest
2. Radio Reception – Local Stations
3. Sound Quality
4. Dust Test – Mulch Test
5. Bucket Test 10′ Drop
6. Grapple Test 25′
7. Water Test
8. Cherry Picker Drop 50′

Radios We Tested

Notes About The Radios

Heaviest Radio – Bosch 24 lbs

Most Expensive – Milwaukee at $229 (The Home Depot)

Most Features – Bosch

Best Warranty – Ridgid

Let’s Get Started

Again this test is for fun.  Our goal was just to take them as far as we can.  Yes, the first couple tests are very important and all the radios should be able to pass with flying colors.  So here is how it works.  For any radio that didn’t pass a test, didn’t get a chance to move on to the next round.  So with some of the radios, it was unfortunate that we didn’t really get a chance to see it’s full potential.  So let’s get started and see which one was the best cordless radio.

Test 1 – Radio Reception (Features) – Local Stations

For me this isn’t a huge deal as I tend to hook my phone up and listen to Pandora or another online radio station.  However we know a ton of people still listen to their local stations on the radio.  For this test, take this with a grain of salt unless you are in the Chicagoland area and listen to some of the stations we tested.  Maybe a radio didn’t fair well for our test, but in your area, it could have been the best test.  Again, we are in the Chicago area and tested some of the popular stations such as 99.5, 79.9, 63.3 (Not sure who listens to this except for Dan) and 95.1.

Bosch PB360C

The Bosch is jam packed with features.  There is a ton of things to love about this radio.  In regards to the reception, it was so, so.  Some of the stations came in clear, but there were a couple that didn’t.  However the Bluetooth works up to 150′ which is the largest out of all the radios.

Makita XRM04B

We have never tested this radio by itself, so this was our first experience with this radio.  I have to say this is one of my favorite radios, well I do have a couple in the fight that I love also.  I love how light and compact this radio is.  As a bonus, this has great reception.

Milwaukee 2792

The Milwaukee radio had the best reception for any of the radios we tested.  The stations came in clear and it’s very easy to quickly tune to the station of your choice.  As a bonus, it has a bottle opener.  Do I really need to say more?

Dewalt DC012

This is one of Dewalt’s older radios.  In regards to reception, it was one of the worst we tested.  I can’t say I was too impressed with the reception of the radio.

Dewalt DCR015

Yes, another Dewalt radio.  This is one step above the DC012 radio.  As far as reception, it’s also a step above the DC012.  Not bad, but also not great.  Thankfully it has Bluetooth.

Dewalt ToughSystem

This isn’t only the newest radio to the Dewalt line up, but one of the newest radios to market.  Dewalt took a different approach with the design of this radio.  This is sleek looking and can be part of your Tough system storage.  One thing they lacked was an easy way to tune to a station and as a matter of fact, most of the channels we tried, it wouldn’t pick up a good signal.  Again, it has Bluetooth, so you’re still in luck if you have a smart phone.

Ryobi P746

The Ryobi is considered a homeowners brand, but it didn’t stop us from including it in our tool fight.  At $99, we were pretty impressed by the reception of this radio.  While some of the other radios had a better reception quality, we have to remember this is only $99.  Nice Job.

Ridgid R94087

Ridgid is just one of those quiet brands.  They built something and it always seems to beat your expectations. However with the reception, it was just okay.

Test 2 – Sound Quality

For me, this is the most important aspect of a radio, the sound quality.  We all buy a radio so we can jam out at work, the campground, tail gating or wherever you desire.  It doesn’t matter if you are using your radio as background noise or to jam out to, it’s important that not only the radio sounds good, but you can hear it no matter where you are in the room.  For the most part, all of these radios perform great with sound.  However some of the radios stand out above the rest.

Bosch PB360C

Bosch touts their radio as 360° sound quality.  Personally I think they have one of the best speaker set ups for all the radios.  On top of the radio sits four speakers, which are placed at each corner.  So this truly spreads the music in any direction.  On the bottom of the unit, it has a bass speaker that does a decent job giving you great sound quality.  This was one of the best sounding systems we tested.

Makita XRM04B

Looking at the Makita, the size and the speaker placement, you might not expect much.  However this radio really surprised us.  Not only was the sound quality good, but the sound spread out extremely well.

Milwaukee 2792

The Milwaukee was also great for sound quality.  While they have their speakers placed at the front of the unit, it sounds great.  Walking behind the unit, you do lose a little bit of the noise level, but that is expected.  Overall the Milwaukee produced a deep rich sound anyone can enjoy.

Dewalt DC012

Again this is an older model, but the sound wasn’t too bad for it’s time.  Wasn’t the top performer, but again it wasn’t too bad.

Dewalt DCR015

Now this radio is loud, very loud.  The only problem is while it’s loud, the quality is sub par.  It’s great to have the loudness, but without the quality, what is the point?  I have to say I was a little disappointed with the sound quality of this radio.  However there is good news, they have the ToughSystem.

Dewalt ToughSystem

This is the Dewalt radio that shines.  The sound quality is awesome, crisp and clear.  Dewalt took one from the Bosch book and placed the speakers in prime locations.  On the top of the radio sits four speakers, two in the front and two in the back.  So no matter where you are, you don’t lose the loudness.  On the bottom of the radio, Dewalt placed two bass speakers to give this a full, rich sound.

Ryobi P746

We weren’t expecting much from this radio since it’s small and has a $99 price tag.  However this radio surprised us.  While it’s not a top contender, this will make any homeowner’s work day more enjoyable.

Ridgid R94087

Last, but not least is the Ridgid.  In regards to sound quality, this radio was in the middle of the road out of the radios we tested.  The overall sound isn’t too bad.  Does have some rich sound to this little unit.

Test 3 – Push off a 3′ Tool Chest

After we had a chance to check out the reception, feature and sound quality, we pushed them off a 3′ tool cabinet.  This is a no brainier, they should all be expected to survive this fall since this is really something that can happen.  They all survived as we expected, oh wait one did fail.  The most expensive radio failed a simple 3′ fall.  Now let’s be fair.  I really doubt the Milwaukee would fail from a 3′ fall.  They are designed to be on the job site and be tough enough to take abuse.  Here is my thought on this.  I believe we just had a unit that was bad and am going to give them the benefit of the doubt.  Normally in this situation we would reach out to the manufacturer, get feedback and try again, but that wasn’t going to happen today.  When we do these fights, it takes a ton of time and most of all, I had a buddy of mine put a half of day aside to help us with this test.  Which means he took away time from his work and ability to make money that day.  So I couldn’t really ask him to reschedule and lose another day of work.  Again, I think the Milwaukee would be able to handle this fall no problem.  I don’t care who the manufacturer is, everyone has a defective product and that’s why they offer warranties with their products.  No one is 100% accurate.  We would have really loved to see Milwaukee move forward as I am sure it would have been one of the top contenders.  But unfortunately it wasn’t Milwaukee’s day. So one down and seven to go.

Milwaukee Note – Milwaukee Test Update

We reached out to Milwaukee and let them know what happened.  They were quick to respond and sent us another unit to try.  Unfortunately we couldn’t put it through the same test.  However we still had to try and see if the Milwaukee would hold up.  We did the bench drop a couple of times without any issues.  We then stood on a ladder and dropped it, again, it survived.  Then we tossed it high in the air and yes, it survived that.  Next I got on my garage and dropped it from the ridge line, it still took a beating and kept on working.  It wasn’t until we threw it off the garage with extreme down force is when it failed.  This is much more abuse then any job site would give a radio.  In the end, this proved to be one tough radio.  We really wished it could have competed on the day of the event, but oh well, things happen.  Take a look at the end of the video below to see the full Milwaukee torture test and how it held up.

Test 4 – Dust Test – Mulch Test

After we finished up at Dan’s house, it was time to head over to my buddy’s place.  Speaking of that, anyone in the Chicago area needs a great arborist, check out Bode Tree Care.  If you need a dust test, what better way then dumping a pile of mulch all over the radios?  Not only did we dump mulch over the radios, but we had to dig them out and move them around.  This isn’t your normal mulch where there are big pieces of wood, this is more of a fine mulch.  The mulch we dumped on top is mulch that is finally ground up and is designed to decay in a year to feed the soil of gardens and flower beds, while the big mulch is more decorative.  So after all this, we knew that this would be a great dust test for these.  So who failed?  Not a single radio.  They all pasted with flying colors.  We are also pretty sure this is more dust and dirt than any job site can throw at these radios.

Test 5 – Bucket Test 10′ Drop

Next in the line up is a 10′ bucket drop.  We loaded up all the radios in the front loader, went to a place that Bode could drop it on a hard surface, raised the bucket and let them go.  I have to say I would have put money on it that a couple of the radios would have broke, but to my amazement, they all made it through with flying colors.  Not a single radio was out for the count.  (Sorry abut the first couple of pictures.  I was trying to take pictures with one hand and record a video with another hand.  I guess I am not what you call a multi-tasker).

Test 6 – Grapple Test 25′

Okay, so they survived a 10′ drop.  While I was surprised that they all made it past this point, we just had to see what they would do at a 25′ drop.  Now to be fair, this isn’t a realistic height for a drop test.  Yes, I understand that a radio could fall from 25′, but a majority of radios purchase will never have to experience this.  So this is a little overboard and I take this with a grain of salt for any radio that fails.  So what were the results?

And the survivors are Bosch, two Dewalt’s and the Ridgid.  As for the other Dewalt (DC012), Ryobi and Makita, this really doesn’t put them in a bad light because again, it’s a 25′ fall.  But this is Tools in Action and only the radios that survived get to move onto the next test, which is the water test.

Test 7 – Water Test

We should have probably done this test right after mulch test since most of these radios are IP54 rating which is dust and water resistant.  However this is Tools in Action and we don’t always think clearly.  Now for this this test, we didn’t dunk them into water.  We just took a hose and gave them a pretty nice bath, simulating a very heavy rain.  As you would expect, the Bosch, Ridgid and both Dewalt’s didn’t have a problem.  Well actually the Dewalt DCR015 did have a problem that we found out as we were waiting for Bode to set up the next test.  We noticed the Dewalt radio would not turn off unless we took out the battery.  Once we took out the battery, there wasn’t an issue.  However when we put the battery back in, the radio would turn on with no way of turning it off.  Normally this radio would have been out of the test, but what fun would that be for the next test?

Test 8 – Cherry Picker Drop 50′

Okay let’s face it, no radio is designed to take this abuse.  A fall from 50′ in the air onto asphalt, seriously do you think any of the remaining four would survive?  Well, not a chance.  All four radios failed after this insane drop.  One by one, Bode threw them off the bucket.  One by one, each one busted and no longer worked.  The Bosch hit in a perfect spot to destroy it, so we knew right away that was going to be out of the running.  The Ridgid did well in regards to the housing holding up, but it really doesn’t matter since it wouldn’t turn on.  The Dewalt ToughSystem landed perfect in order to protect the housing, probably the best spot without the housing being destroyed.  The last Dewalt, broke apart.  So in the end, none survived the Tools in Action Insane Test.  So we had to give them all a proper burial.

Bosch PB360C Drop

Dewalt DCR015 Drop

Ridgid R84087 Drop

Dewalt ToughSystem Drop

Final Test – Destruction

Now I understand manufacturers do not use this type of test, but we just couldn’t resist.  We had a huge tumbler in the yard that takes huge pieces of wood and turns them into mulch, so we just had to see what it would do with the radios.  Well we knew what it would do, but it was more about the fun.  Can you guess what radio survived?  You’re right, none.  This thing took the radios and turned them into dust.  I have to say it was pretty cool to see and just hear this big machine destroy them.

Final Thoughts and Outcome

As you guessed we did take this a little over board.  These radios weren’t designed to take this type of abuse.  But as you saw with the first couple tests such as the 3′ test, the dust and water, all the radios did awesome.  Those couple of test, I can see as real world things that can happen to your job site radio.  While the Milwaukee failed, it was probably just a bad radio we had.  It would have been nice to have another radio to test, but because of our timing, we just couldn’t.  Bottom line, any of these radio are great radios.  If you already own a certain battery platform, the radio that is offered is a great radio.  As with Milwaukee, I own that radio and love it.  Besides that is why companies give a warranty in case a product is defective and again, every company has defective products.

Drum Roll – The Winner of Best Cordless Radio Is

Some of the radios surprised us during this test.  Bosch has been the power house of radios in recent years, but I think they have a little competition with the Dewalt ToughSystem.  While the Dewalt sounds great, the Bosch still has a couple legs up, such as the ease of use, the outlets and a farther Bluetooth range.  Both sound great and will make any buyer jump for joy with their purchase.  The Ryobi at $99 really surprised us with it’s small size, small price tag, but pretty decent sound.  As always, the Ridgid made it to the end.  This is a small, quiet company that never touts about it’s toughness, but time and time again, it takes a beating and lasts.  Our first experience with the Makita was a success.  Nice in size, easy to see the display and just a great all around radio.  We love the Milwaukee and wished it would have had a chance to compete in all the rounds, but while it didn’t get to compete, we still put it through some tough tests and it held up well.

Did you really think there was going to be a winner?  The only real winner was us getting to have some fun and the TIA Crew being there to witness it all.  We will let you be the judge of everything.  In the end all the radios did a great job.  We hope you enjoyed this episode of Crazy TIA.

The post Radio Death Match – Best Cordless Radio appeared first on Tools In Action - Power Tool Reviews.

We have been talking about a cordless drill fight for a while and it’s finally here.  Yes the video is long, but well worth it.  So what is the best cordless drill?  Watch the fight and find out.  Tool Destruction at it’s finest.

The post Best Cordless Drill – Friday Night Tool Fight appeared first on Tools In Action - Power Tool Reviews.

We take a look at the 3 top brands of oscillating tools.  We tested both corded and cordless.  Our test was not scientific at all.  It also wasn’t consistent as we used different blades.  We just wanted to give our opinions of what we liked and what we didn’t.  Watch the video to see the tests.

Here are our final results:

Cordless Multi-Tool

1. DeWALT DCS355 via Amazon – The DeWALT just barely edged out the Bosch in the cordless category.  We liked the ergonomics and power.  The DeWALT along with its Porter Cable sibling have the quickest accessory changes in the industry.  However the quick change can only be used with specific types of accessories.  I personally also like the trigger control of this unit which sets it apart from the competition. Vibrations were minimal.  This is the only tool of the 3 that had an LED light.

2. Bosch MXH180 via Amazon – The Bosch was a close second to the DeWALT. Its quick change system can be used with most any accessory and the tool handles vibrations very well. The tool doesn’t lack in the power department either with its adjustable speed settings.  It handled the vibrations better than any other cordless we have tested.

3. FEIN MultiMaster AFMM14 via Amazon – While the FEIN is still a good multi tool it lacked on ergonomics and after we were using it out hands still felt numb from the vibrations.  For being a 14.4 V the tool kept up with the power of the bigger voltage tools.  Another thing I wasn’t too keen on was the accessory change system.  You have to pull a lever and remove a pin which means an extra step and a part to lose. Another downfall is the high price.

Corded Multi-Tool

1.  Bosch MX30 via Amazon – With the simple quick accessory change and almost vibration-less feel the MX30 took the lead in this category.  Power, quality and ergonomics all came into the play.  I truly feel Bosch is the way to go for a corded Multi Tool.

2. FEIN MultiMaster 250 via Amazon –  The MultiMaster would have taken top spot  this category but was held back by the pin and lever style accessory system.  As far as performance and ergonomics it was stellar, probably the best out of all 3 corded models we tested.

3. DeWALT DWE315K via Amazon – This was a tight decision and because the DeWALT came in 3rd doesn’t mean that it is not an awesome tool.  The DeWALT is feature packed but just didn’t feel as good vibration wise on the cuts compared the other 2.  As far as features it is at the top.

Bottom Line

No matter which one of these tools you choose it will be a good choice.  If you already have DeWALT or Bosch batteries you would be crazy not to go with those tools. As for the corded the choice is yours!

Check out the video to make your own decision

How to Sharpen Oscillating Blades

Want to extend the life of your oscillating blades? Read our article Sharp Pog – Oscillating Blade Sharpener Review or buy it on Amazon.

The post Friday Night Tool Fight – Best Multi Oscillating Tool appeared first on Tools In Action - Power Tool Reviews.

Winter is here or at least in the Chicagoland area it is.  I actually woke up yesterday and saw the grass filled with snow.  So I figured it was time to break out my heated jacket and stay warm.  There are a lot to pick from.  Milwaukee started it all and soon followed by Dewalt and Bosch.  This year it looks like Craftsman and Makita are entering the market.  So which one is the right one to pick from?  Well it depends upon what your looking for.  Bottom line, none of the original three are bad options.  If you have a solid 12V line you like and don’t want an extra battery pack to worry about, Milwaukee, Dewalt and Bosch are all solid options.  If your looking for style, Milwaukee has the most options, followed by Dewalt and Bosch.  So which one is my favorite?

Personally I like the Bosch the best, followed by Milwaukee, then Dewalt.  The main reason is the placement of the battery.  The Bosch is easy to access, easy to change and can easily plug my cell phone into the USB outlet and charge my phone.  The Milwaukee and Dewalt are placed towards the back of the jacket and can be a little difficult to access, unless your into yoga.  I would have to say Dewalt is my least favorite, only reason is because of the size of the battery.  While I love the Milwaukee and Dewalt jackets, when in a sitting position, I tend to feel the battery on my side.  Check out the video below where we check out the Bosch, Dewalt and Milwaukee jacket, side by side.

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The post It’s That Time of Year – Heated Jacket Season appeared first on Tools In Action - Power Tool Reviews.

Chevy vs Ford, Lowes vs Home Depot and Boeing vs Airbus are all good examples of rivals.  Well we took two of the biggest tool brand rivals and put their latest 20V and 18V drills to the test.  Don’t be fooled by the 20V MAX you don’t get an extra 2 volts, the M18 is also a 20V MAX.  Basically fully charged under a no load condition both batteries have 20V.  DeWALT decided to market it as a 20V which other manufacturers are also doing now.  We used Milwaukee’s “Drill Killer” 1″ auger bit, which earned  this name after it smoked out another brands drill.  The bit is a self feeding auger and really requires a lot of torque and battery power to run, it was perfect for our tests.  The main test is between the 2 brands flagship hammer drills, the Milwaukee FUEL 2603-22 with 4.0 Ah and the 4.0 Ah DeWALT DCD985M2.  Since the FUEL is brushless we also added DeWALT’s Brushless DCD790 Compact 20V drill with a 4.0  Ah battery.  We tried to stay with 4.0 to keep the comparison fair, think of Ah as gas tank sizes.  All the drills have good torque, but since DeWALT uses its own rating in which no other has adopted we decided to skip the exact torque calculations.  I don’t exactly know why they use UWO.  It really alienates them from the rest of the industry and confuses the consumer.

Here are the results:

Milwaukee Fuel Brushless 2603-22 – 63 holes

Milwaukee has the run time market cornered thanks to Redlink.  A system that communicates with the battery and the motor to keep constant torque and superior run time.  Milwaukee’s claim of 33% more run time is well validated here.  The 2 speed drill weighs in at  5 lbs and has a max speed of 1,850 rpm.  It produces 31,450 BPM in hammer mode.  Overall the 2603 is a great all around drill, you cannot go wrong with it.  A 5 year warranty is the icing on the cake.   Buy it from Amazon

DeWALT Brushless DCD790 – 58 holes

Dewalt’s compact entry weighing in at 3.5 lbs really impressed us.  It can accomplish a lot for its size, drilling only 5 less holes than Milwaukee’s full size hammer drill.  This compact 2 speed drill can produce some serious torque and hold its own with the big boys.  A 3 year warranty covers this tool.  As of this writing it comes with 2.0 Ah batteries and not the 4.0 that we used.  2000 rpm is what this bad boy puts out on speed 2.  Buy it from Amazon.

DeWALT DCD985M2 – 46 Holes

Think of the 985 as a HD truck with a big block v8 in it.  It has a ton of raw horsepower, but sucks a lot of fuel to sustain it.  At 5.3lbs it is the biggest, heaviest drill here and drilled the least amount of holes.  It is a brushed drill!  If the DCD985 can’t do it you better move up to a 36V because nothing in the 18/20V class will.  Even though it was the last in the pack for run time it has an option that the others do not,  3 Speeds.  The 985 is a work horse.  The chuck grips better than any other chuck out there and has zero wobble.  Buy it from Amazon

So to wrap it up, any of these drills are a fine choice.   It really all boils down to what platform you already own.  If you don’t have a platform yet, look at what tools you are going to need in the future and base it on that.  If you are a plumber or electrician you might want to take advantage of Milwaukee’s M18 line, they offer things like propex, caulk and crimping tools. If you demand the highest run time go Milwaukee.  On the other hand, if you are a carpenter or need just an all around great tool the 20V Max is a good choice.  It has the most comfortable grip in the industry and is tough “DeWALT tough”.  DeWALT stands up to job site abuse well.  Eric and I both use a DeWALT DCD790 as our main drill.

The post DeWALT 20V vs Milwaukee 18V – Friday Night Tool Fight appeared first on Tools In Action - Power Tool Reviews.

OK, it’s not Friday night, but we recently did a Friday Night Tool fight between the Dewalt, Milwaukee and the Metabo cordless Jig Saws.  All of these Jig Saws are sold as bare tools or in a kit.  The model number on the Milwaukee is 2645-22, Metabo STA 18LT and the Dewalt is DCS331.

We tested each Jig Saw with a 4 A/h battery.  We used Bosch Jig Saw wood blades to cut through a 2×4.  We wanted to see how many feet we could get off each fully charged battery.  Next we did a quick scrolling test to see which one felt better.  You can check out the video below to see how each one faired.

DEWALT DCS331B 20-Volt MAX Li-Ion Jig Saw

Bare-Tool Milwaukee 2645-20 18-Volt M18 Jig Saw

Metabo STA 18 LT LiPower Cordless 18V Jig Saw

The post Friday Night Tools Fight – Cordless Jig Saws appeared first on Tools In Action - Power Tool Reviews.

We have been receiving a lot of emails about our tool fights and when we will be putting the Milwaukee against the Dewalt Impact Drivers.  Well we listened and gave it a shot.  Now before the emails come in saying we did this wrong or that wrong, let’s get a couple things straight.  We are not engineers, we are not scientists.  We are just two dudes who love tools and have fun with them.  There are so many ways to test tools such as torque, battery life and more.  Again, we are just having fun and yes we know one of the sockets were deep and the other one wasn’t.  Again, we are just having some fun.  The other thing we hear a lot is we are Dewalt lovers and try to make Dewalt win everything.  That’s not true.  Dan is a huge fan of Dewalt as you can see by the wall behind us.  However I am a huge fan of Milwaukee.  I work with my tools for a living and use mostly Milwaukee and Bosch everyday.

So for our fun Friday Night tool fight we put the new Dewalt DCF895 against the Milwaukee 2653-22.  Both are 18V and both are brushless.  We set them both to the number 3 speed and ran a 4″ bolt through a 4×4.  Both had 100% full charge on the battery.  All we were doing was to see how many we could drive before the battery died.  We also wanted to see what else we noticed.  When you look at the stats, they are very close so we really didn’t expect one tool to blow the other away.

We just bought a new Cannon 60D camera so we wanted to get some great footage.  However we really don’t understand the camera and for some reason it shut off after a certain amount of time.  We still captured most of it on video.

As you can see we pretty much started at the same time.  One thing that really surprised us was both drivers died at the same time.  Dan still had a little juice, but it wouldn’t move the bolt.  Another thing we noticed was at the beginning the Milwaukee smoked the Dewalt in terms of speed and driving the bolt.  As time went on the Dewalt had more of a consistant speed and caught up.  In the end the Milwaukee ran 33 bolts in and out, while the Dewalt did 34 bolts.  Again, not a huge difference.

You can see the stats below and the video of the fight.  As you can see the stats and outcome were very close, so we really don’t have a clear winner.  We do have a clear whiner and that would be Dan.

Tool Fight Line Up

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The post Friday Night Tool Fight – Dewalt vs. Milwaukee Brushless Impact Drivers appeared first on Tools In Action - Power Tool Reviews.

Okay before we get started, we are not doing a head to head to see which tool is better.  We are just comparing the two tools to help you understand the differences between a full size and compact wrench.  Plus to cover some other items that may be helpful when you are looking for a cordless impact wrench.  If you are not familiar with an impact wrench, here is a good overview from Wikipedia.

“In operation, a rotating mass (the hammer) is accelerated by the motor, storing energy, then suddenly connected to the output shaft (the anvil), creating a high-torque impact. The hammer mechanism is designed such that after delivering the impact, the hammer is again allowed to spin freely, and does not stay locked. With this design, the only reaction force applied to the body of the tool is the motor accelerating the hammer, and thus the operator feels very little torque, even though a very high peak torque is delivered to the socket. “

This is a comparison between the Milwaukee High Torque Impact Wrench (2663-22) and the Milwaukee Compact Impact Wrench (2652-22).  Okay let’s get started with some of the similarities between the two tools.
Obviously they are both Milwaukee tools.  Which means both are backed by a 5 year warranty.  Milwaukee makes some of the best impact wrenches on the market, just talk to anyone who owns one and we are confident you will get the same answer.

1. Volts – Both tools use the Milwaukee Red Lithium M18 batteries.  Also both kits come with two high capacity XC batteries and a charger.
2. Motor Layout – Both wrenches are built around a 4 pole frameless motor.  A 4 pole motor can produce more torque than a 2 pole configuration.  If you are looking for a tool with high torque and lots of power, the 4 pole frameless motor is probably the best on the market.
3. Anvil Size – Both wrenches use a 1/2″ anvil.  While the type of anvil is different, the size is the same.

Well that was easy.  That is pretty much all they have in common.  Same manufacturer, warranty, motor design, anvil size and volts.  Let’s see how these are different.

1. Anvil – As noted both are 1/2″ anvils, but if you look closely, they are actually different.  The compact uses a detent pin while the high torque uses a friction ring also called a hog ring.  Milwaukee does sell both tools with either configuration.  So what is the difference?  The friction is great for one handed socket changes.  The ring holds the socket on the anvil by applying outward pressure.  They are easier to get on and off.  The detent pin does take two hands to get a socket on and off.  You need to push the pin down and slide the correct style of socket on the wrench.  When you need to take off the socket, you have to push the pin back in to slide the socket off.  As you can see this style does take two hands.  There are many advantages of a detent pin, but one advantage is the socket stays in place and will not come off until the user wants it off.
2. Weight – As you would expect the weight would be different with the high torque wrench and the compact wrench.  The high torque weighs about 6.7 lbs while the compact weighs only 4.1 lbs.  Not a huge difference, but try using it all day long and you will see the difference.
3. Size – Again one says compact, so you know one is shorter, but how much?  The high torque wrench measures 8-7/8″ while the compact measures only 5-3/4″   Might not sound like a huge difference, but it can mean the difference between getting a tool in a tight spot and getting the job done and not getting the job done.
4. Speed – While the high torque is heavier and bigger, so you would think the high torque would be faster, right?  The high torque has an RPM of  0-1,900, while the compact version is 0-2,200.
5. Impacts – The compact is a little faster, but what about the IPM?  The high torque has an IPM of 0-2,200, while the compact has an IPM of 0-3,200.  So far it seems like the compact is the way to go?  Well before we jump into that, let’s look at the torque.  Considering one is called the high torque, my guess is that one would be much better for torque.
6. Torque – Okay, the high torque has to have more torque than the compact, right?  The high torque puts out a whooping 450 ft-lbs of torque, while the compact puts out 2,200 in-lbs of torque.  How could the compact put out so much torque?  Oh wait it is in-lbs of torque. Let’s see what that would be in ft-lbs of torque.  It would be equivalent to 184 ft-lbs of torque.  That is a huge difference.  The high torque impact puts out over 100% increase of torque over the compact.

One other note.  The compact has an LED while the full size does not.

So which one do you go with?

All right so which on do you go with?  Well that really depends upon what you are doing.  Both are quality tools with a proven track record.  Both have a great motor design.  So the question really comes down to size and torque need.  Once you figure this out, just pick the anvil style you want and you’re set.

If you are a small engine guy or mechanic doing some tire rotations, the compact is the best option.  With 184 ft-lbs of torque, you can break loose any nut or bolt on a car especially considering most lug nuts are below 100 ft-lbs of torque.  If you’re a contractor, residential or light commercial, the compact is also a huge advatange for the size and amount of torque.

However if you are working with much bigger machines or bolts, you can’t pass up the high torque wrench.  At 450 ft-lbs of torque, there probably isn’t much of anything you can’t break free or tighten to specs.

Again only you really know what applications you will be using these tools for.

The post Milwaukee M18 Impact Wrench vs Milwaukee M18 Compact Impact Wrench appeared first on Tools In Action - Power Tool Reviews.

In this corner we have the Milwaukee M12 Impact Wrench model 2451-22.  In the other corner we have the Dewalt 12V Impact Wrench model DCF813S2.  Okay that was a little cheesy, but this is our first Friday Night Tool Fight.  Before this little showdown started, I did talk a pretty big game as I am a huge Milwaukee fan.  However, Dan had his own smack talk, even with his ripped up jeans.

Before we get started there is a lot more to true comparisons than what we did.  There are other factors like how long the batteries last per charge, what is the longevity of the tool and other items to consider.  We are just doing this to have some fun and show a speed comparison.  What we did was take two 2.5″ lag screws and run them through a piece of 2×4 to see who was faster.

Conclusion

In terms of speed the Dewalt spanked the Milwaukee.  I had a couple tears in my eyes.  As you can see by the table above, the Dewalt is more powerful with a smaller frame and the same weight as the Milwaukee.  Does this mean you should by the Dewalt?  Well, that really depends.  If this is going to be your only tool in the 12V category, then yes.  If this is going to be your primary tool in the 12V line up, then yes.  The Dewalt has a very nice feel and great power.  However, if you will be building up a nice 12V line of tools, there is still no one that compares to Milwaukee.  They have some great contractor tools in the M12 line up that no one can match.  This is only one tool comparison in the 12V line.  Even though I lost , I challenged Dan to a fight with the 12V Hammer Drills.  That’s when Dan had to forfeit because Dewalt doesn’t make one yet.

Dewalt vs Milwaukee Video

The post Milwaukee vs. Dewalt 12V Impact Wrench appeared first on Tools In Action - Power Tool Reviews.