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Friday, November 17, 2017
Matt Velderman, Black & Decker Tool Designer
Cool Tools: Our guest this week is Matt Velderman. He’s a DYIer, an engineer, inventor, and he leads Stanley Black & Decker’s Breakthrough Innovation Group.
Listening to Matt Valderman is nice and refreshing. Genuinely hearing someone that is passionate about the things that they are creating for others to use is pretty cool. However, the content pulled by the typed up notes feel dry in comparison to hearing him talk about them. Of the key ones that are noted I find the FlexVolt Miter Saw one of the most intriguing things I have seen in some time. It was neat to learn that they have grown the line of 20-volt tools to over 130! The biggest reveal being the new battery that can switch between 20 and 60 volts. They have figured out how to have a tool run off two at the same time thus opening up the ability for running 120-volt machines. This is nice to have the ability not be required to have power in the space. I doubt that it will ever take over what is currently used because of wear and tear on batteries and the need for constant charging is often easier to just plug it in. The portable option is more helpful for found spaces and outdoor venues where power may be more of an issue.
Wow, I always love hearing people talk about their passions- It really bleeds through in every sentence. To know that people like this guy are designing tools means that I know every piece of whatever tool I'm using has been carefully considered and created to be as useful as possible. What really blew me away was the new dual battery spoken about in the saw. The ability to combine two 60 volt batteries to get 120 volts DC without wall power? That's crazy! My general understanding is that cordless tools usually have to sacrifice power for portability, but clearly this is no longer the case. Imagine being able to just move such a large piece of equipment about your shop without having to worry about where the nearest power tap is, or stretching a power cable across your work to reach it! That's awesome! This is true innovation that we need.
It’s so great to have a tool article that is genuinely excited about the tools rather than just spouting the cool things it does and why you should buy it. Matt Velderman is a refreshing change. It’s also really interesting to hear about how they made a battery that can switch between 20 volts and 60 volts. I had no idea you could do anything like that, and I guess this is the first time they’ve done it so of course I wouldn’t have known. But it’s so interesting. And revolutionary for mobile tooling. And the fact that they have made a compact miter saw that can run just as efficiently from power from the wall as from batteries is awesome. So often battery powered power tools can only use batteries so if your battery dies and you don’t have a spare you're out of luck. This is a really great compromise so you don’t necessarily need to buy a bunch of batteries, which can get really expensive.
I’m not sure how much I trust a review from someone who designs tools for Black & Decker – most of the newer B&D tools I’ve used are terrible and built cheaply. That being said, DeWalt may be on to something with their corded/cordless miter saw. I can see this coming in quite handy. For shop use, it can be plugged in and can be battery powered for on site work – even if on site is just down the hall in the theater. The downside is that it requires two batteries to operate unplugged and who knows how long it could take to charge two 60 volt batteries and how long the charge will last. The ultrasonic cutter is interesting and something that I’d love to use, but I probably wouldn’t buy. For building scenery, I’m not sure it would be worth the cost. It might be more worthwhile for building props or making models.
I think I have made it very clear where I stand on battery power tools, but given the amount that is posted on the green page, maybe my assumptions are wrong. This is probably the first time that I have seen a miter saw with a battery and one of the features that I really like is the ability to switch between DC and AC. That is probably one of my biggest complaints with battery powered tools and being held back because of the battery. Matt also speaks very highly of the tool so I would be very curious to see how it performs. Another thing that is really appealing to me about this product is how simple it is. My biggest complaint about the chop saws that we have in our shop is how complex they are. This is especially the case with the Festool saw, it is unnecessarily complicated to operate and I do my best to avoid it when I’m working.
I love tool articles, I love them mostly because I like any excuse I get get to look for more tools ( read toys) to add to my dream tool inventory. So I am really interested in that DeWalt 120 volts miter saw, why because it looks like a reliable switch hitter in as far going between battery power and wall power it does not miss a beat. This is definitely a tool I could see being really useful because of the versatility of where you can use it. I'm curious how long those batteries will last you but eh I guess that's what chargers are for. The other I guess you could call it tool on this list that many people will probably over look is that of the segregated hardware bins. These bins can truely be a life savor when you are in a load in because keeping yourself organized will always help you out. Did I say I love tool articles yet.
6 comments:
Listening to Matt Valderman is nice and refreshing. Genuinely hearing someone that is passionate about the things that they are creating for others to use is pretty cool. However, the content pulled by the typed up notes feel dry in comparison to hearing him talk about them. Of the key ones that are noted I find the FlexVolt Miter Saw one of the most intriguing things I have seen in some time. It was neat to learn that they have grown the line of 20-volt tools to over 130! The biggest reveal being the new battery that can switch between 20 and 60 volts. They have figured out how to have a tool run off two at the same time thus opening up the ability for running 120-volt machines. This is nice to have the ability not be required to have power in the space. I doubt that it will ever take over what is currently used because of wear and tear on batteries and the need for constant charging is often easier to just plug it in. The portable option is more helpful for found spaces and outdoor venues where power may be more of an issue.
Wow, I always love hearing people talk about their passions- It really bleeds through in every sentence. To know that people like this guy are designing tools means that I know every piece of whatever tool I'm using has been carefully considered and created to be as useful as possible. What really blew me away was the new dual battery spoken about in the saw. The ability to combine two 60 volt batteries to get 120 volts DC without wall power? That's crazy! My general understanding is that cordless tools usually have to sacrifice power for portability, but clearly this is no longer the case. Imagine being able to just move such a large piece of equipment about your shop without having to worry about where the nearest power tap is, or stretching a power cable across your work to reach it! That's awesome! This is true innovation that we need.
It’s so great to have a tool article that is genuinely excited about the tools rather than just spouting the cool things it does and why you should buy it. Matt Velderman is a refreshing change. It’s also really interesting to hear about how they made a battery that can switch between 20 volts and 60 volts. I had no idea you could do anything like that, and I guess this is the first time they’ve done it so of course I wouldn’t have known. But it’s so interesting. And revolutionary for mobile tooling. And the fact that they have made a compact miter saw that can run just as efficiently from power from the wall as from batteries is awesome. So often battery powered power tools can only use batteries so if your battery dies and you don’t have a spare you're out of luck. This is a really great compromise so you don’t necessarily need to buy a bunch of batteries, which can get really expensive.
I’m not sure how much I trust a review from someone who designs tools for Black & Decker – most of the newer B&D tools I’ve used are terrible and built cheaply. That being said, DeWalt may be on to something with their corded/cordless miter saw. I can see this coming in quite handy. For shop use, it can be plugged in and can be battery powered for on site work – even if on site is just down the hall in the theater. The downside is that it requires two batteries to operate unplugged and who knows how long it could take to charge two 60 volt batteries and how long the charge will last. The ultrasonic cutter is interesting and something that I’d love to use, but I probably wouldn’t buy. For building scenery, I’m not sure it would be worth the cost. It might be more worthwhile for building props or making models.
I think I have made it very clear where I stand on battery power tools, but given the amount that is posted on the green page, maybe my assumptions are wrong. This is probably the first time that I have seen a miter saw with a battery and one of the features that I really like is the ability to switch between DC and AC. That is probably one of my biggest complaints with battery powered tools and being held back because of the battery. Matt also speaks very highly of the tool so I would be very curious to see how it performs. Another thing that is really appealing to me about this product is how simple it is. My biggest complaint about the chop saws that we have in our shop is how complex they are. This is especially the case with the Festool saw, it is unnecessarily complicated to operate and I do my best to avoid it when I’m working.
I love tool articles, I love them mostly because I like any excuse I get get to look for more tools ( read toys) to add to my dream tool inventory. So I am really interested in that DeWalt 120 volts miter saw, why because it looks like a reliable switch hitter in as far going between battery power and wall power it does not miss a beat. This is definitely a tool I could see being really useful because of the versatility of where you can use it. I'm curious how long those batteries will last you but eh I guess that's what chargers are for. The other I guess you could call it tool on this list that many people will probably over look is that of the segregated hardware bins. These bins can truely be a life savor when you are in a load in because keeping yourself organized will always help you out. Did I say I love tool articles yet.
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