Friday, January 19, 2018
Building Your Workshop in 2018
Pro Construction Guide: Innovation and emerging new technologies mean your workshop can be more functional and efficient than ever. Whether corded or non-corded, the tools of 2018 will pack a punch of unmatched power when building your workshop in 2018. Battery-powered tools and combo kits are trending again for the New Year, along with ergonomic features and smart capabilities.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
My father use to tell me that the right tool for the job was not always the fancy expensive model. That in looking to purchase a tool I was to consider power, portability, ease of use, and feel. Looks didn’t matter because it was going to get dusty and dirty. I still use that concept today when looking for tools. I have my favorites which is currently DeWalt. I have not had much an opportunity to try out other brands, other than Ryobi. I do like cordless tools. I don’t like having to worry about where the cord is or if I have enough extension cord. I also like power. I want my tools to not fail or die in the middle of a job. I have often times had my cordless circular saw die mid cut. The article is good, but I wish it would provide some more insight over the pros and cons of the various brands who currently offer cordless options. Power and battery life are still key items to me when looking at tools to purchase. If i had a dream shop, it would be a balance between corded and cordless.
I've always found it funny when excitement is built for niche environments. To the general public, this article would be boring and useless but its nice to see the excitement from contractors and carpenters when new tool "trends" are revealed. However, I do have to question the quality of the multi-use and "versatile" tool that is highlighted in this article. I think that, once something becomes "combo," it stops doing both jobs as well as if it was individual. In this case, Porter Cable's 3 tool combo kit allows for multiple staple/nail guns to connect to an air compressor but arent most air compressors compatible with most pneumatic tools? I guess this would be a good tool for someone just starting up their workshop but I don't think it would be helpful to those who already have an established shop. Also this air compressor is very small and seems as if it would not be able to handle heavy duty construction. Otherwise, I think that the other tools highlighted seem very cool, especially if the claim of pneumatic features with the cordless benefits proves to be true.
I agree with Binhan that to most people this article would be boring to the general public and to most of its readers but to the few who care about their tools and their capabilities it's a great example of the changes that are coming in the industry. In the past couple of years I have tired to pull the trigger myself on buying new tools and upgrading my workshop and tools to more comfortable models as all I am working with is a supply of hand tools and hand me downs from my grandfather. But thats kind of aside the point. As these tools have become more and more advanced and the integration of "smart" tools and the cutting of the cord and the ability to do more things with batteries and smaller devices these tools have become more and more interesting and more usable. But that all being said the question is what is the ultimate end goal. Like for me as a consumer we are currently in a place in the market where these new technologies are just being put out where there are a lot of firsts and not all of them are going to last and to me personally I want a tool and a device/system that will stand the test of time and is something that isn't simply going to be updated in a few years.
I am excited to see where cordless tech goes in the future, but as of right now, I have never used one that quite has the same amount of power in it that I would want for some jobs that a corded tool can provide. Saws are a little bit better, but especially for drills, I have never seen a battery powered one that has near the same torque you can get out of a corded one. My dad's thirty year old corded drill is still the strongest drill I have ever used. I look forward to the day that a battery powered drill can do the same. I also am hesitant to get on board with the battery powered tools completely because of the crazy amount of waste dead batteries cause in our world. I hate to see how quickly they run down and have to be thrown out. Again, something I am looking forward to seeing better of in the future. Also, what is with the hand held mattress inflator? Is that really something needed for a state of the art shop? Seems almost useless.
There seems to be this craze for cordless tools and because of that, many manufacturers are trying to do just that. Personally, I am on board with Cooper. Corded tools are simply better. However, there are some tools that I will have that are without cords simply because of the nature of work I do with them. A drill I will always have at least two of that are without cords and with extra batteries because they offer that ability to get places that corded tools either can’t get to or are not fun to deal with in those scenarios. For the most part, cordless drills are perfectly fine because I don’t typically need all that extra torque a corded drill has; regardless I will still have one. But then there are tools that are going cordless that I just don’t think have any business being without their cord. Such an example is a miter saw. What could the ability of not having a cord possibly add. I can’t see any other than having to wait for two batteries to recharge before you can use it again. Or maybe it dies mid cut. It doesn’t need to be that portable, so why make it. It is also highly unlikely to be made successfully well that is also better than a corded one. Overall, cordless tools are exciting and I’m glad they are getting better because there are tools I will want to not have a cord on them, but the manufacturers should also have the foresight to see what really doesn’t need to be cordless and not waste their time.
Post a Comment