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Makita makes so many tools it’s hard to keep up with them all. Did you know they make a robot vacuum? Well they do. So if you always wanted a Roomba type vacuum and you already have Makita tools and batteries, you may want to check out the Makita Robot Vacuum. Below is a brief rundown of the tool Makita DRC200Z Robot vacuum including run times and capacities

What always amazes me about modern cordless tools is how long they run on a charge. When I was young, anything that ran on batteries did so for about 10-15 minutes at best. This Makita DRC200Z boasts up to 200 minutes of continues run time in the main brush vacuum mode. Over three hours! That means it can cover over 5,300 square feet. The vacuum is made for mostly commercial applications so think of factory, warehouse, showrooms and retail environments. Most office settings have low pile industrial carpet so that would be a space you could use the unit as well. The three stage cleaning system is designed for efficiency with a main brush and two side brushes that make an 18” pass. It also features a large 5/8 gallon collection bin so it can get lots of debris and particles on its mission.

The Makita DRC200Z robot vacuum comes as a bare tool. That means you will need to supply two batteries as well as the charger. Included in the box you will find the vacuum, remote control, and a filter. It also includes boundary tape if you want to keep your robot out of certain areas. Again, please note batteries and the charger are not included.

So, is the Makita Robot vacuum for you? Well that’s up to you to decide. If you use it for the intended environment, hard surface commercial and retail environments, this robot could be a handy little addition to your work force. Keep in mind no batteries or charger is included and it is a machine not a human. I have to share a funny question I saw on a review site. Someone asked “does it climb stairs?” I hope they were kidding! If not, well the Makita DRC200Z may be not be a good choice for them. Check out the video below for more info.

Hilti is known for their quality powder actuated tools (PAT). The Hilti DX2 is a great all around tool that will fit the bill for most homeowners and contractors. If you are familiar with the Hilti DX350 and appreciate what a real workhorse that tool was, you will love the DX2. This review will give you a brief overview of the tool and help you find a good deal on the tool. You typically won’t find the Hilti DX2 in a big box store. Hilti really gears there business towards contractors. First let’s take a look at the tool and then take a look at how buy one.

Without getting into a bunch of details, let’s take a look at what most users would use the tool for. The most common application for PAT tools is fastening wood to concrete. 2x material to concrete to be specific. There are more trade specific applications but for the homeowner and small contractor, fastening 2×4’s to concrete is the main use. FYI, PAT tools including the Hilti DX2 does a great job of fastening 2x material to I-beams and columns as well. The DX2 is a .27 caliber strip tool. Of course Hilti would prefer you use their loads but the .27 caliber strip loads you find in big box store fit the tool. The tool does not have power adjustment. To adjust power, you use different color loads. Start with green, then move to yellow and finally red until you are setting the nail completely. As for nail size it will handle a 2-1/2” pin with a washer which is perfect for 2×4’s to concrete.

So if you can’t get a DX2 in the big box store, where can you buy one? You may be surprised but Ebay really can be a good place to find them used and even new. I would have no problem buying a used Hilti DX2 online from a reputable seller. You need be a little caution though as some sellers just list tools without even knowing what they are or if they work or not. They may say they work or are in good working order but l have seen more than one PAT that is claimed to be in good working order when it is obviously missing the front of the tool. Check the picture and make sure it is a reputable seller that will stand behind the tool. If the tool comes with some pins and loads that’s a plus. If the tool comes with an extra drive piston, that’s a nice plus as well. You can buy the tool from Hilti and if you do a bunch of shooting, they will likely cut you a better deal. For most of us, we can get a used tool that will serve us for many years at a good price on Ebay.

So there you have it. If you are looking for a quality PAT that is built for everyday use consider the Hilti DX2. Buying one used is a great way to buy a true contractor grade tool that will outlast many of the lower quality tools you may find at the big box stores.

Hilti DX2 Tools On Ebay

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I only smoke meats 5 or 6 times a year. I started with a very inexpensive Brinkman charcoal smoker that really did the job for me at the time. However, I wanted longer smoke times without having to change the charcoal out. Eventually after a few years I purchased a Masterbuilt propane smoker which did a real nice job and had more room. One thing I was always struggling with was temperature control. It seemed hard to maintain the ideal temp through the smoke. Still it did a nice job and I was really able to smoke some awesome ribs and steaks. Now I am on my third smoker, a Masterbuilt Thermo Temp XL propane smoker with a thermostat that my wife bought for me. So I thought I would share my thought on the unit. I am not going to go into how fast I got it, how assembly went etc. I am going to tell you what I like about the smoker and what it does well. Here is my review after almost 2 years with the smoker.

The main reason I bought the Masterbuilt Thermo Temp was the thermostat. I know you can get a thermostat on an electric smoker but I wanted propane. I think propane gives a better bark than electric. There are smaller versions of the Thermo Temp, I went with the XL. I am glad I did. Just this last weekend we had some guests over and I was able to fit 6 full racks of ribs and a pork shoulder in at once. I read a little trick to get the temp dialed in on the smoker. Bring the temp up higher than you want and then bring it back down to where you would like. You can use the dial to adjust the temperature but I really didn’t rely on it but it was a good reference and starting point. Once the door is shut you may have to spend a little time monitoring the temperature and fine tuning but once you get it set, it really holds pretty close. I used an external thermometer with an app on my phone to keep an eye on it. I got it set at 225 degrees and it really held within a few degrees most of the smoke. When I opened the door to add wood or add water to the pan, I would have to spend a little time dialing the temp back in but then I was good to go. The smoker lit and stayed lit no problem. We had a little rain come through and the temp stayed right on.

I only have a couple of things that I would change. The pan that holds the wood chips is really clever. It is mounted with a bracket to the lower door so when you open it the pan swings out which makes it very easy to add wood chips. I just think it is too small for my taste. I actually took it off and placed a small pan on the cover over the flame and loaded my chips there. Not as convenient but I wanted to be able to place more wood in the smoker. The second thing that I didn’t like and it’s not just unique to the Masterbuilt Thermo Temp Smoker is the water tray. In particular, it doesn’t slide out that smooth to add more water. I have it happen on this smoker and others when I slide the tray out to top off the water it catches and splashes water on the fire and the grease and it can flare up. Again neither of these things is a big deal but something I noted. I have heard others adding gaskets around the doors for a tighter seal, I just don’t think that is an issue, the smoke is going to vent out though the vent and some may slip out the doors but the smoke needs to keep moving.

I would recommend the Masterbuilt Thermo Temp. I think it is a good value and for me solved one of my biggest issues with smoking meat. With the thermostat control, I was even able to take a little nap during my last smoke!

My back hurts but the weeds keep growing. The solution, a stand up weed puller. As we age any tool that can help us accomplish a task without getting down on our hands and knees quickly becomes a must have tool. While a hoe or small shovel may do the job there are times when a stand up weed puller is the right tool for the job. There are a couple that are top sellers by a large margin compared with the rest of what is being offered. Let’s take a look at the top 2.

This is a real “old timey” stand up weed puller. The design has been around since the early 1900’s and it really looks to fit the era. It really looks like something would find in your grandpa’s garden shed. The tool has a bamboo handle and the metal portions of the tool are powder coated. It’s simple to use, just position over the weed and step on the metal bar to force into to the ground and then lean the pole over using the metal arm that sticks out as a fulcrum. I applaud the use of bamboo on the handle. I am sure that the original stand up weed puller had a hickory handle but bamboo is an excellent choice for the tool. There is some interesting information on Grandpa’s weeder on Amazon. You will find nice overview of the company and how the product was reintroduced to the market as well as a video.

Fiskars has long been a name associated with well-made quality products. Their stand up weeder is very similar in design to Grandpa’s Weeder with more of a modern look and feel. The material is mostly durable high quality plastic and the claws are made of stainless steel. As for functionality, the operation is the same. Step on the foot platform or pedal to force the claws into the ground and then lean the tool over the foot platform to lift the weed out of the sod. Like the Grandpa’s tool above, both have good reviews. I did note a few complaining of the handle breaking on the Fiskars tool but both tools had very ratings, both about 4.5 stars.

Which Stand Up Weeder To Buy

I have to admit, I prefer the Grandpa’s Stand Up Weeder to the Fiskars version of the tool. I think the bamboo handle will hold up better over time and if the handle did break, I could replace it easy enough. I have to admit, I like the look of the Grandpa’s unit. It just reminds me of a simpler time when tools were created to solve a problem not necessarily to make money. I think both tools would do a good job for you. Keep in mind, your soil conditions can play a part in how either one of these weed pullers will work. Softer moist soil will make either one of these tools much more affective. Clay and hard rocky soil may present a challenge

An extension for a drill chuck can mean different things. If you are looking for just an extension for a drill bit, bit tip or nut setter that is one thing. If you are looking for an extension for your drill that has a chuck on the end, well that is something altogether different. The Chuck Extender is an extension pole that is available in 3 different sizes and has all kinds of uses. It’s such a simple tool but one that can be hard to find simply because it may be hard to describe what exactly you are looking for to someone. Hopefully this post will help out.

As mentioned above, the Chuck Extender is an extension pole for your drill. It has a stud on one end that will chuck into your drill and on the other end of the pole is a chuck. So ultimately as the name indicates, it extends the reach of your drill. The tool is available in 3 different sizes. The CE-2 has a fixed 27.5” length and is typically used for drilling holes from above as well as drilling screws from above. This is a great back saver! The CE-6 version is telescopic from 40.5″- 64.5 and the CE-12 extends from 77″ – 139.5″. The longer versions are typically used for overhead work. Because they have the keyless chuck on the end, they are a true drill chuck extension tool. You can chuck in anything you would chuck in your drill.

I have heard of all types of uses for the Chuck Extender extension tool. They include cleaning brushes, magnetic sockets for adding more screws to overhead track, and trailer deck repair. My favorite application and I wish I had a picture, is a customer who was installing a polished DC-3 wing half on end as a chimney for his fireplace. He was going to use the drill chuck extension with a hole saw to drill through the ribs of the wing. By the way if you are reading this and you are that person, send me a picture please!

This is such a neat tool, but it can be hard to find as it really can be hard to search for and find. All three sizes of the Chuck Extender drill chuck extension are currently available here on Amazon. I posted a video below with a nice overview of the tool as well.

If you landed here, you have been searching for .25 caliber disc loads for your Ramset Disc tool. Well, I have some good news and some bad news. First the bad news. Ramset discontinued disc loads years ago. The good news is you can still find some here and there you if know where and what to look for. Many don’t know it but Powers, now owned by DeWalt had a .25 caliber disc PAT tool as well. The Powers P-60 was basically a clone of the popular Ramset D-60 tool. So Powers/DeWalt manufactured disc loads as well. Even though they are not currently making the disc loads, you can also find them here and there. Below you will find a conversion chart so you can see the part numbers for the Ramset and the Powers/DeWalt disc loads. So where can you find them?

Finding the loads for the Ramset Disc tools in the power level you are looking for may take a little patience. I have found ebay a good source. I know, you may hate ebay but this probably is your best bet to find the loads. There may be a few dealers that have a few laying around but sadly you will have a hard time finding someone who even knows that a disc load tool ever existed. I have a few listings below to get you started. Having the Powers/DeWalt part number from the chart above may help you as well. First search for Ramset .25 Disc Loads then maybe try searching the Powers number. The most common you will find is the yellow Powers 50536.

Disc Loads

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Disc Loads

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So what is an impact driver used for and should I have one? Good question. Ask any tool guy if you need an impact drive and he will answer with a resounding yes. Still a fair question is what would I use it for. Let’s take a look at what an impact driver is and compare it to its closest counterpart a cordless drill. You will see there is a definite difference between a cordless drill and an impact driver.

For years cordless drills have been sold as drill/drivers. So they are used just as the name would indicate, to drill holes and drive screws. For the most part a drill does a good job of both in most instances. On your drill you have a standard chuck that will hold a drill bit or a bit holder that can accept bit tips and sockets. An impact driver is not a drill, it is primarily a driver. Instead of a standard chuck an impact driver usually has a ¼” bit holder that hold magnetic sockets as well as bit tip holders and a variety of drive bits. The bits just click in. While you will find drill bits that will click into an impact driver, that really isn’t their strong suit. What really makes the tool different than a drill driver is how it drives the fastener. Impact drivers will have a distinct rat a tat tat sound while under load. This is the result of the tool using an anvil and hammer set up that turns the impact of the mechanism into useable rotational force that can develop much more drive force than a standard cordless drill/driver. So to keep it simple, if you had both, you would use the drill primarily for drilling holes and the impact driver for driving in screws and fasteners. I have both available and I actually use the impact more than my drill. While I do drive screws from time to time with my drill, my go to for fasteners and screws is the impact.

Where the impact driver will really help you out is driving larger screws like lag screws. While a drill driver will struggle to drive in a 3/8” lag, an impact driver will drive it home no problem. The speed of the impact driver is also helpful in any type of production environment, like building a deck. The RPM of the driver is also nice when using self-drilling screws into steel. Assembly and service work are also much faster and easier with the impact driver. You will experience less stripping of screws and it will also be useful when breaking loose stubborn screws. The tool is lighter than a drill as well which is always a plus. A word of caution. The tool does develop a fair amount of torque so use a little common sense or you may find yourself snapping off screws.

I hope that gives you a good idea of what an impact driver is used for. I have never heard of anyone regretting the purchase of one. If you are not sure if you want a 12V or 18V impact driver, you can find more info here. I have both an 18V and a 12V and I use them both a lot.

I was searching for a portable station for a solar project I was contemplating and I came across the usual suspects and then I came across a small company called Crafuel. I had never heard of them but I was drawn in by their videos that show different real life applications for their power supplies. One that caught my eye in particular showed a musician setting up for a gig and plugging in using the Crafuel Alto 1200 power station. To me videos are the way to go to help grasp if a product is right for me. I’m no musician, but the point is, they show different ways to use a product and I can branch out from there. I posted a few of their videos below. You will definitely want to visit their blog that you can find at Crafuel.Com for more great info and ideas.

At the small end, there is the Alto 500. This is a 500 WATT unit features one AC outlet as well as 3 USB ports for charging phones, watches cameras etc. You also have 2 DC ports and a car port. As for charging the unit itself, you have 3 choices of charging. You can charge via a wall plug, car plug or use a solar panel (sold separately). Moving up the line you have the Alto 600, Alto 1000, Alto 1200 all the way up to the Alto 2000. As the capacity grows throughout the Crafuel line, so do the features. You gain outlets and features like wireless charging, fast charging and when you land at the top of the line with the Alto 2000, you have the option of replacing the battery down the road. This unit is especially intriguing to me again, I learn well from videos. To see the video of this monster running a welder was impressive. This unit really would be a capable backup for you home to get you by short term

So there is a little info on the Crafuel line up. I encourage you to visit their site as well as their blog and watch the videos. It will get your juices flowing and help you see the capabilities of the Crafuel portable power supply line.

There can be nothing more startling as when your riding mower backfires. My worry always turns to “great how much is this going to cost me to fix”. There are a bunch of reasons why your riding lawn mower may backfire. In my case, the mower was backfiring when I shut it off. You will find a bunch of different possibilities why this happens, but you will want to try this first as it is simply a matter of changing what you do before you shut down the mower.

Try this little trick before you spend any money trying different gas, re-gapping your spark plug or messing around with adjusting your valves or changing your carb mixture. Before you turn off your riding mower, throttle down to idle for about 30 seconds or so. This simple little trick may just solve your backfire problem. I can’t take credit for this little bit of information. I have a family friend who can fix just about anything. He is always busy rebuilding and repairing small engines and he gave me that simple little trick. Just on a side note, one other little trick he gave me was to always add Sta-Bil to my gas can. Those two little tricks have made my life so much easier when it come so my lawn mowers!

So why will throttling down your riding mower before you shut it done help with back fires? When you turn the key off on your riding mower, the spark plug stops immediately but inertia may keep the motor spinning just a bit. This will suck more fuel into the cylinder and the send the unspent fuel into the exhaust which is hot and ignites the fuel. Throttle down before shut off does reduces not only the fuel pulled in but the spin of the motor. Both will reduce the instance of backfire.

So there you have it. I am not saying this little trick will work for every issue but it is easy to try and it costs you nothing to try.

The DeWalt two speed thickness planer model number DW735X is an excellent choice for a mobile planer. The fair price and quality of the unit is noted not only by the reviews but also the popularity of the product. Let’s take a look at some of the basic specifications and capabilities of the tool. You have a few different options when you are shopping for a portable thickness planer. DeWalt makes several model as do many other manufactures. Read on and see why the DW735X is one of the top sellers.

The DeWalt two speed thickness planer has a minimum thickness of 1/8”. Most will tell you that you should use a sled at that thickness, just to be safe. The maximum thickness is 6”. The feed width of the planer is 12.5”. The motor is 15 amps and the planer features two cutting speeds, 96 cuts per minute or 179 cuts per inch. RPM of the motor is 20,000, the cutter head speed is 10,000 RPM. The DW735 features 3 knife blades that are two sided so you can flip than once before you replace. Replacement of the blades is relatively easy to accomplish. You will find blades for the DeWalt planer easy to come by with factory blades and after markets available. It’s a beefy little unit coming it at 90 lbs. For the price it has a lot of little features like a material removal gauge, and a depth stop to get you back to you most commonly planed thicknesses.

You can learn a lot about tools by reading reviews as long as you are selective. A late package or a damaged project really isn’t a product review is it? There are a few things that keep coming up in the reviews of the DeWalt two speed thickness planer. Easy to set up; will see this over and over again in the reviews of the planer. The quality of the cut is also focused on with most referring to very minimal if any of a snipe. Blade change out is also a common comment. The infeed/outfeed tables are also a feature that many are commenting on with the planer. And everyone for the most part is more than happy with the power of the DW735X. Noise level is mentioned by many but planers are noisy by nature. I don’t know of any that I would like to run without hearing protection.

The DeWalt DW735X two speed thickness planer is a top seller and as I mentioned at the outset, the price is fair for the power, quality an useablilty of the tool. If you are shopping for a portable surface planer, check this one out!