If you have a lot of DeWalt, Ryobi or Craftsman 18V cordless tools and find yourself frequently running out of battery power, the Ultimate Battery Power Battery Belt is something you should definitely check out. Repetitious or continuous use of cordless power tools can be troubling, since you normally need to keep a collection of batteries on the ready. Recently, we spent some time with the new Ultimate Battery Power UBP5000BT-DW-CH Battery Belt which came with the battery adapter for top post style 18V DeWalt cordless tools. The concept behind this battery belt is that it gives you up to 3.5 times longer run-time - and that means getting through a project on a single charge and with no battery changes.
If you have decks, patios, porches, sidewalks and garages that need to be swept a lot; then chances are that the Black & Decker NS118 18-Volt Cordless Hard Surface Sweeper & Blower might work well for you. With a cordless and compact design, this powered sweeper is easy to maneuver and requires much less effort then a traditional outdoor broom.
The Craftsman brand debuted a one-of-a-kind, time-saving technology for its cordless line of 12-volt lithium-ion NEXTEC power tools this week at the 2011 International Builders' Show (IBS) in Orlando. With its new QuickBoost Charger, Craftsman is doing something that no other major brand is at least claiming to be able to do: bring a completely dead battery back up to a 25 percent charge in three minutes. This is to provide the extra "boost" needed to finish up the job at hand.
We love jobsite radios. There's nothing as satisfying as being able to blast your tunes at full volume while pounding nails. The Porter-Cable's PC18JR Jobsite Radio takes a neat turn in that they produced a great-sounding radio that doesn't seem to distort - even when you max out the volume knob. It also offers some advanced features like giving you two pass-through 120V outlets, an AUX input for mp3 players, and a fully backlit LCD display. An integrated cord wrap and high quality coaxial speakers means that the unit is both convenient and capable of putting out good-sounding music. We also liked the integrated bass ports and the way the radio was easy to use, program and haul around in our day-to-day work.
The Black & Decker CHV1410B Dustbuster 14.4V Cordless Hand Vacuum continues on in the long tradition of portable vacuums that Dustbuster’s have been known for since their introduction in 1979. In fact, the term "Dustbuster" has come to define an entire market segment and it is often that we hear folks use the name Dustbuster, even when talking about other brands of hand held portable vacuums. We are glad to see that the folks at B&D are always looking for ways to keep the real Dustbuster fresh and full of features.
Black & Decker launched a redesigned line of one of its most well-known products, the DustBuster. It was over 30 years ago when Black & Decker debuted the original cordless hand vac that has now become ubiquitous to homeowners across America. The redesigned Dustbuster line promises to be just as popular with five models in sizes, features and colors to fit every lifestyle. The one we're looking at today is the 15.6V CHV1510 Cordless Hand Vac (CHV).
DeWalt's introduced its first generation radio charger with the DW911. That was followed up by the DC011 which we reviewed earlier this year. With the DC012 DeWalt is releasing its 3rd generation worksite radio charger. The most notable distinction is the addition of three AC power outlets, each rated to 10 amps. Since they aren't rated at a full 15 amps, you're going to want to refrain from plugging in any full-size circular saws or other heavy amp-draw tools into these ports - a disappointment considering how much convenience it would add to this tool.
While large, or full-size, shop vacs are extremely useful on the jobsite and in the workshop, a portable vacuum is just the thing for a trim carpenter or homeowner. Being only two gallons in size, the Milwaukee M18 Portable Vacuum is perfect for executing punch lists or any light-duty work where a full-size vac would be cumbersome or simply overkill for the job requirements.
Take the idea of a Dirt Devil and let the engineers at DeWalt toy with the concept for a while. What you get is the DeWALT DC515K 18V Cordless 1/2 Gallon Wet/Dry Portable Vac. With cord-free vacuuming ability, you can now easily clean up almost anywhere. To make getting into tight spaces even easier, just pull out the attached 2.5 foot long hose.
The 2590-20 Milwaukee M12 Radio offers big sound in a small package thanks to features like a digital tuner, a built in MP3 player storage pocket and a sturdy design that can take job site abuse. This radio can operate with either the compact Milwaukee 12 volt Lithium-ion batteries or the included 120V A/C adapter.
The DeWALT DC500 Heavy Duty 2 Gallon Cordless/Corded Wet/Dry Vacuum comes with plenty of suction power that is packaged into a portable size that makes it well suited for the cleanup of almost any small project. With the five foot long hose and on board tools, you can easily reach into tight spaces. Since it can function on battery power, you can take this where other vacuum cleaners can’t go.
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