If you live any where North of the Mason/Dixon line, you are now entering spring and coming out of (in some locations) the worst winter on record. The snow is melting and leaving a trail of damage to roofs, stoops, decks and more. So, the question is, how are you going to repair it? If you are planning on hiring a contractor, then this article is not for you.
However, if you are ready to get down and dirty with some great tool sets that are made for the tough stuff, then read on.
We are going to test several cordless tool sets here, including;
Craftsman C3 4 Piece Lithium XCP Combo Kit Milwaukee M18 FUEL™ LITHIUM-ION 4-Tool Combo Kit Black and Decker MATRIXtrade 20V MAX Lithium 6Tool Combo Kit Ridgid X4 18-Volt Hyper Lithium-Ion Cordless Combo Kit (5-Tool)
While some tool sets may have what others do not, we are focusing on the major tools of these systems. They are;
Circular Saw or facsimile Reciprocating saw Drill Impact drill Battery life
Testing will be on a variety of projects from deck repair, cutting and drilling of 2x4’s, fine cutting of ¼ inch plywood or drywall and mitering of fine corners.
In no particular order, lets start by looking at the Craftsman kit, what it has and what it can do.
First lets explore the battery life of each set. They all come with a single Lithium rechargeable battery, except the Craftsman and Ridgid sets which came with 2. That is one plus, as once one battery is depleted, you can use the second while it charges. It is not however a game changer. One thing that is a game changer is the warranty. Each set comes with the standard warranty. Ridgid however, comes with a FULL lifetime warranty. In speaking with Home Depot, all you need is to register the product(s) to take advantage of that.
So now lets go into the project phase of the review. One project that can use each of the major tools is the building of a tree house. In starting with the circular saw, each appeared to have the same cutting power. This was determined by cutting a standard pressure treated 2x4 for framing into various lengths. The standout’s here go to Craftsman and Ridgid as they both have mitering capabilities for corner cuts. In each case though, the cuts were smooth, fast and had minimal splintering.
What kind of tree house has just a frame though? There had to be walls, right? Well now it was time to test the reciprocating saws. They were tested by cutting ¼” drywall for the inside and as well as ¼” plywood for the outside and also 3” pvc piping. There was a clear winner, runner up and last place for this. The clear winner goes to Milwaukee. After cutting roughly 15” of piping, it still managed to carve out the drywall and most of the plywood before having to change blades. Runner up goes to Ridgid which really came in close behind. Black and Decker’s attachment failed this test as it was not able to hold up to the constant cutting. The blades are very thin. However, in its defense, it appears to have perfection with precision cutting of thinner materials with minimal splintering and battery loss.
A drill is a drill is a drill, right? Well no. No matter what you are drilling or driving, you do not want to skimp on quality and get a no name brand. Luckily, all 4 drills tested here performed as expected. One drill however performed better due to battery life and easy switching from regular drill to impact driver. That was the Black & Decker MATRIXtrade 20V MAX Lithium 6Tool Combo Kit. Instead of having to reach for a whole other tool, simply swap the drill head. It’s that simple.
All in all, anyone of these sets will work for the weekend warrior and hobbyist alike. There is one clear winner though with the professional in mind. For value, warranty and all around durability, the Ridgid X4 18-Volt Hyper Lithium-Ion Cordless Combo Kit is it. It as well as all of the kits (except Craftsman ) are always available in stores or online at www.homedepot.com .
via Examiner National Edition Gadgets & Tech Channel Articles http://www.examiner.com/article/repairing-winters-damage-with-some-great-tools?cid=roadrunner