This vise was built to last and has a quality powder coat finish.  There is no need to grease this vise, it uses a permanently sealed system.  Basically the grease stays in the shaft where it belongs.  The 53lb vise can be secured to a bench using the 4 mounting ponts at the base of the unit.  It has a large anvil work surface that is perfect for straightening metal.

The vise is very smooth to adjust and stays tight on your work.  When we cut some pipe with a reciprocating saw, the pipe remained solid with no vibration.  Wilton has a lifetime warranty on this vise so it will be the last vise you ever buy.   Check out Wilton.

How many times have you been cleaning with your garden hose and wished you had a little more reach?  or a little more power?  Well Briggs and Stratton were thinking the same thing.  Think of the Amplifi as the medium between a garden hose and pressure washer, three times the pressure, 4.5 times the force and two times more flow.  According to Briggs and Stratton it is the first product of its kind that Amplifies your water pressure and stores your hose.

The unit is made out of ABS plastic and designed to store a 75′ hose on the top.  A 35′ GFCI cord runs power to the unit and they also include a 15′ inlet hose so you can hook it up to your spicket.  The unit has 2 wheels on the bottom and they included a bar that you can attach to tote it around.  The 5 setting spray wand has 3 power settings that shoot up to 30′ away and 2 that are unpowered for flower watering, etc.  The wand holds 4 AA batteries that power the chemical injection pump.  Adding detergent is easy.  Fill the container with your favorite detergent, hit the button on the front and you’re spraying.

The unit is on demand, meaning the pump only turns on when you pull the trigger.  The pump is relatively quiet and provides a good amount of power.  Since this is not a pressure washer, there is no psi rating.  We cleaned a UTV, washed some windows on the side of the house and even knocked an old bee hive that was 2 floors up.  The Amplifi can be left outside in temperatures above 32 degrees.  It is perfect for patios and it doesn’t look gaudy.  The unit costs $199 at Lowes.  Overall, the unit is good for the homeowner who wants fast, accessible water with the power to clean.  The Amplifi has a 90 day warranty which we consider to be substandard.  Every product should have at least a 1 year warranty!

Check out the Amplifi (Via Amplificleaning.com) or (Via Facebook)

Old Left - New Right

If you haven’t read our review of the non hammer drill versions you can here.  That review applies to these tools also.  Now let’s talk about the flagship DCD985L2 Premium 20v Hammer Drill Driver.  I have always been a fan of the Dewalt 3 speed drill and have a DC988 that I recently upgraded from the XRP NiCD to a XRP lithium-ion battery that I received from ACME TOOLS.  The DCD985L2 is close in size and weight to the DC988 and makes the DC988 look outdated.  The main feature that sticks out is the 20V’s grip,  I still cannot get over the grip, it is like it was made just for me!  Ergonomic and surrounded by over molded rubber, it is comfortable with or without gloves.  Now when I grab the old drill it feels wide and not as comfortable to hold even though I have used it for years.

The DCD985L2 is rated at 450 Unit Watts Out and its 3 speed transmission can produce (0-600 RPM; 0-1,250 RPM; and 0-2,000 RPM) and (0-9,775 BPM/0-22,950 BPM/0-34,000 BPM).  The ratcheting chuck grips well thanks to carbide teeth.  Unlike its predecessor, you can retain your driver clutch setting when selecting between drill and hammer modes.  We are still lacking any type of battery fuel status indicators for the 20V line.  However, there is an LED at the front of the tool that is turned on via the trigger and remains on for 20 seconds.  The chuck does cast a shadow so it  works best for general wide area illumination.  It comes with a nice hard case, a 1 hour charger, 2 3.0 AH batteries (works with 1.5 AH packs also) and a twist lock ring style handle which works great.  There is no belt clip or bit holder included with this kit

The DCD785C2 is a hammer drill version of the DCD780C2, the head is a bit longer to incorporate the added feature and it weighs a hair more than its non hammer drill counterpart.  This drill does include a belt clip and bit holder :}.   A 15 setting clutch and 2 speeds provide 0-600/0-2000 RPM and 34000 max BPM.  2 1.5 AH batteries and a one hour charger all fit in the included case.  350 Unit Watts Out is what DeWALT says this tool puts out.  The drill performed awesome and had plenty of power for every task we used it in.

In one situation where I was drilling into a plow assembly, the plastic chuck was gouged due to it rubbing in a tight area, which now makes me a fan of metal chucks.  The trigger activated LED stays on for 20 seconds.  It has awesome power and puts 20V power in small spaces where you need it!  Overall, I like both drills and they are my main drills of choice.  They are covered by DeWALT’s Standard warranty.  Check out the entire DeWALT 20V line up and also check out the Dewalt Owners Group

Porter Cable has a hit on its hands with the PCC582B.  It’s innovative visual alert system is awesome!  Porter Cable also has a 18V model that is compatible with Porter-Cable 18V lithium-Ion or NiCd batteries.  The 9V battery is a good option for those who do not have Porter Cable 18V tools.  A 12 to 1 spot ratio with an operating range of  -22°F to 590°F make this a great all around non contact thermometer.  If you need to record temperatures, you can store up to 10 and they are easily scrolled though via the playback button.  And of course it works like a normal IR thermometer and shows you the temp in either Fahrenheit or Centigrade.  The over molded grip is ergonomic and easy to hold, the tool fits well in your hand and is easily aimed.  To protect the lens and sensor during storage it comes with a cover on the front that stays attached, so you do not lose it.

Simplicity and innovation is the best way to describe the PCC582B,  It is so simple to use that you will have it figured out before you even read the first paragraph of the manual.  Pull the trigger and it locks on, whatever you are pointing at has a green spot illuminated on to it.  Green indicate that this is the reference temperature.  Red indicates warmer than the reference temp and blue indicates cooler than the reference temp.  1°, 5°, 10° Fahrenheit are your threshold choices. All of this is displayed on a easy to read and navigate red LCD back lit display.

For finding thermal leaks the PCC582B is fast.  Just run it along the wall until you see a color change and you have found your leak.  With an accuracy of +/- 1.8 degrees the Porter Cable PCC582B is good of most situations.  This product is backed by Porter Cable’s 3 year warranty .  Overall I like the PCC582B, it is brainless to operate and has a great price point at around $70.  The time saving innovative visual cues set this tool apart from the crowd.  Good Job Porter Cable!

More Info (via Porter Cable)

The box comes with mounting brackets that you need to bolt into your bed.  We bought an after market attachment that allows you to securely mount the box, without having to drill into your bed.  If you have a little imagination you can also fabricate a bracket very easily to do the same thing.

We like this box, but we don’t feel it is intended for the contractor for a couple of reasons.  While the box looks very nice, the thickness of the aluminum is thin.  One thing we really do not like is the bottom of the box.  The box has a lot of room for storage, but the bottom of the box is not reinforced with either brackets or a thicker metal.  It feels like the thickness is the same as the sides.  Considering how big this box is and how much it can hold, someone could put some serious weight in the box.  Not sure how long term it will hold up.

The box does come with two keys which is important, but no storage trays.  Some people complained about the seal of the box and how they did get water in the box.  Since we installed the box we had one rainy day and two snow days and did not have any water in the box. Another complaint is people getting a lot of dirt in the box.  We didn’t get a lot of dirt in the box, but we did get some dust in the box.  Primary we think it is because where the box is installed to the bed, there are long slots that are open to the environments where dust and dirt gets in this way.  Since it is facing down, we don’t see water as a problem.  You could probably just put a piece of metal or something to cover these holes.

Kobalt Long Term

We looked at the reviews of this box and saw some issue that we have to take a closer look.  Some common complaints were that the lock broke after a while, problems with the seal on the lid, latches and some other items.  One person complained about the welds.  Our welds seem to be great, but again only time will tell if they hold up.  We will continue to monitor this box and keep this page up to date.

Overall it is not a bad box.  However we don’t think this is for the contractor who will be accessing tools a couple times a day and puts abuse on their box.  This box is better suited for someone who is just looking for extra storage and will not put it under heavy conditions.  The box was easy to install and does look great.  Very easy to use and the lock assembly seems to be pretty good.  As noted we will keep this article up to date as a long term view of this box is needed.

The DCL040 looks like your typical pistol grip style light with a rotating LED head.  The ergonomic over-molded rubber grip makes it comfortable to hold and the on off switch is where the trigger would be if it were a drill.  The head is relatively compact and positively locks in 10 positions giving it a 120 degree pivot.  Above the head is a ring that can be rotated up for hanging.  You can use optional belt hooks on either side of the light,  just like the drills.  The light is very stable when sitting upright and weighs 1lb without a battery.  As with all high power LED lights the head of the unit does get warm, but nothing compared to incandescent bulbs.

DeWALT’s standard 3 year warranty covers this tool.  The DeWALT DCL040 20V MAX Lithium Ion LED Work Light is rugged and has great run time.  If you  already have the 20V line of tools and need a light, the DCL040 is a no brainer!  Even if you don’t, it is a great work light.  Our very own Dewalt Dude took the light apart on the Dewalt Owners Group check it out.

To aid in cold starts the squall has a built in electric starter, just hook up the included extension cord and you’re set.  Being a 4 cycle we thought the unit would be a little more quiet than it is.  The unit has a chute direction handle that is easily locked into position.  To angle the chute you need to reach over the unit and manually aim it, however, the chute worked its way fully open while operating a few times.  You can adjust the chute angle tension via a knob at the pivot point.  The choke, primer and key are all easily accessible even with gloves on.

Our test conditions were 6″ of wet snow.  We pulled the starter and on the second try it came to life.  The choke was simple to operate and worked well.  Pulling back on the safety handle engages the auger.  The auger helps propel the unit through the snow and all you have to do is basically guide it and aim the chute.  During our tests the Squall 2100 threw the snow about 15 ft, enough to more that adequately clean off a 2 car driveway.  Distance thrown depends on conditions and moisture content of the snow.   The Squall was not as quiet as we had hoped, it was a tad louder than a 2 stroke blower that we have.  The skid shoes are adjustable so you can set your shave plate height.

Overall the Troy-Bilt Squall 2100 is solid well built machine.  It works as advertised and is a good fit for an all around snow blower.  It is protected by the Lowes Service Advantage, a number that you can call 24/7 for technical help and has a 2 year warranty.  Check it out at Lowes

Update: 1-21-12 - On the second snow storm the year, the wheel fell off and the crimp style cap that holds it on is missing in the snow.  This leaves the blower unusable.  We will be calling the Lowes service advantage and report back.

You can buy this system two ways.  Either buy it with the tape measure or buy just the Square N Tape and attach it to your favorite tape.  Well I guess before I start talking about how you can buy it, I am sure you want to know what makes this tape so special.  Basically the Square N Tape tries to eliminate having multiple tools in your pouch like a speed square and other items.  As you can see by the pictures there are plenty of markings to make quick marks for headers, stud layouts and more.  If you check out the video below you can see just how many different items you can conquer when using this tool.  The notepad is actually a pretty cool idea.  We needed either an eraser or to wet our finger in order to clean it off.  Also it only works with pencil as pen stays on.  The biggest thing I found myself using this for was the straight line feature which is very cool.  Once I made my marking, I could just lay the tape on its side and make a straight line for the cut.  I know framers will get a lot more use out of this because of the degree markings and cutout notches.

Three things I would like to see improved with this item:

1. The markings are the same color as the tool, so it was hard to see at times.  We think the markings should be a contrast to the tool, so you can identify it quicker and easier.
2. The marking indentations could be a little more prevelant.
3. The tool could be a little bigger, which we know isn’t always the best, but at our 45 degree mark, the tape measurement lock was in the way when we tried to make marks.

The idea and concept are cool.  Once you get used to using it you can fly through measurements.  We like the idea and think this is a practical invention contractors can use.  When we were doing our basement project, we used this tape a lot for marking off 2×4 for cuts and it saved a lot of time.

We were going to create a video, but the inventor, Tom, created one that shows it so much better than we can.  So we decided to just show his video which you can see on YouTube – Square N Tape.  I think this is an older video as in the video he applied glue to this device to attach it to his tape.  I noticed on our sample there was adhesive with a peel sticker to attach it.

I have been doing a couple of roofing and basement jobs in the past month, so I had some time to play around with the Porter Cable 18V Lithium-ion drill kit.  The model number on this kit is PCL 180cdk-2.  Lately Porter Cable has been coming out with some pretty cool new tools and they have really surprised us.  The tools have been quality and also they include everything you need to get started.  Like the grinder and the oscillating tool, both were great and came with loads of accessories.

The kit comes with the drill, 2 LX batteries, half hour charger and a soft case.  The drill is a 1/2″ all metal chuck.  The are two speeds, hi and low.  The low range is from 0-350 and the high range is 0-1500.  The drill puts out 424 in/lbs of torque.  There are 23 clutch settings plus a drill setting.  Enough with the boring stats, let’s get into the drill.

I have been able to use this drill for about a month and have really liked it so far.  There are three things I really look for in a drill.  Well there is more, but three things are very important to me.

• Balance
• Power
• Chuck

A tool that is well balanced means my little girlie arms will not get tired as fast.  This drill has a great balance to it, not to mention it only weighs 3.8 lbs with the battery.  I was able to install gutters overhead and my arms did not get fatigued.

The next item is power.  I don’t need the worlds most powerful drill, even though that would be fun.  However, I do want a drill that won’t bog down on me.  I want to be able to power through my everyday stuff like plywood, 2×4 and other building materials.  In this area I never really tried to take it to the max and see what it could handle.  I did use it day in and day out and it didn’t have a problem keeping up with me, so this was a plus.  The OLP never kicked in which always makes me happy.  I understand manufacturers put that on the tools to save them, I just don’t like it. So the Porter Cable surpassed my expectations on power.

Last item is the chuck.  The only thing I want here is when I put a bit or anything in the chuck, I just want it to stay in place.  I don’t want it coming out or falling out until I decide it is time.  I have used other drills where the bits come out under a little pressure.  Not once did the bits ever fall out.

So for the three things I look at in regards to drills, the Porter Cable was perfect.  Porter Cable is really coming a long way with the quality of products they are putting out.

While I probably would have preferred a hard case instead of a soft case, this drill is very nice.  The balance and quality are both there.  Porter Cable seems like they are making a run at the professional models and this one definitely fits in with the other professional drills we have used.

After the show we received a Kobalt Drill/Driver which was pretty cool.  At the show we had some time to use the tools, but under their conditions, to build a Bags game or as some call it Corn Holes.  The model number of this drill is KT200A or item number 0325808.  It was nice to use and work with this drill in our environment.

Kobalt is really trying to go after Ridgid which is the Home Depot Brand.  Everything I see at Lowe’s or Home Depot is targeting each other.  With that said, let’s dive into the drill.

The kit comes with the obvious 18V Lithium-ion drill/driver, a 20 minute charger and bag.  Also inside the kit is two compact batteries.  There is also a bit and belt hook.  When we were at the show I did have a chance to play with it and I liked the balance of the tool.  Not only was the balance of the tool nice, but it does have some power to it.  The drill has two speeds 0-450 and 0-1650 and is controlled by the variable speed trigger.  The max torque of the drill is 455 in/lbs, so it does have some pretty good power to it.  The chuck is 1/2″ all metal ratcheting keyless chuck which was a surprise when I first saw this.  Usually the homeowner gets a plastic chuck where the bits fall out over time.  So that is a plus with the Kobalt.

A couple other pros to the tool include the 5 year warranty on the tool and the 3 year warranty on the battery which is one of  the highest warranties among tools.  The charger and battery give a lot of information.  The batteries have a power gauge to let you know if the batteries are dead, hot/cold or how much power is left by using a four bar status.  The charger is like no other charge I have seen and it has an LCD.  It does work for both Lithium and NiCd batteries, so if you have some of the older batteries, you’re still in luck.  The charger does have a LCD screen which is new to me.  The screen gives you a lot of information such as type of battery, battery status and even how much longer until the battery is charged, which I wish every charger had.

Overall this seems like a great drill.  Great balance and the all metal ratcheting chuck is awesome.

As you know we have tried the Paslode Cordless Roofing Nailer and the Paslode Framing Nailer.  Both are great, but I have used the Framing nailer a lot more and I love that tool.  In fact, we have the Framing Nailer as Tools in Action Nailer of the year award.  The Cap Stapler is a little different.  While the concept is the same where it uses air to drive a fastener, a cap stapler is a two part system.  A Cap Stapler needs both staples and caps which are installed separately which we will get into in a bit.  A Cap Stapler is not only for fastening felt to roofs, but it can also be used for installing house wrap.

As noted you need both Caps and Staples which both are installed separately.  If you notice by the pictures below, the staples are installed towards the middle of the nailer, while the caps have a spool at the end of the nailer and are fed through the bottom.  Then what happens is the Staple is fired into the cap and that is how it is secured to the felt or wrap, pretty cool.  One thing I did find out is if you have to take a cap and stapler out of a roof after it has been installed, it is a chore, but that is another story in itself.

I had a chance to play with this tool and I have to say I really like this.  While I personally saw how this makes a roofing job much easier and faster, I can see this would be great for a house wrap.  The Paslode weighs 4.8 lbs, so it is easy to maneuver and work with.  One thing I noticed that I like is the inline magazine for the caps.  This makes the tool nice and slim along with giving it great balance.  The nailer has everything you would want, such as bump and sequential trigger fire, directional exhaust, tool-less jam clearing, tool-less depth adjustment and the ease of ability to adjust from caps to staple mode.

The nailer holds 90 staples with a range of 3/4″ to  1-1/2″ and is 18 gauge 3/8″ crown.  The inline magazine holds 240 caps which is one spool of caps.  You can buy the staples and caps together for a reasonable price of around $38.  The tool comes with a one year warranty.

I took this tool to Brian from Roof Rescue.  He has been doing roofing in the Chicago and Chicagoland area for around 30 years.  He was doing a complete tear off, so I thought this would be a good place to test the tool and get some feedback.  He was laying both felt and a synthetic underlayment, so we had the opportunity to test it on both.  I have been at other jobs with him where I see him using a hammer and nails to install the underlayment.  While he is very fast installing it with a hammer, it never compares to having a tool to help speed the process up.  I didn’t time anything, but he was moving along much faster with the stapler then just the hammer.  One thing he pointed out to me was that a stapler and cap system is so much better holding the felt in place then just nails, which makes it the ideal choice if you are using a synthetic covering and shingles will be installed at a later date.

After staying out of his way for a while, I butted in and wanted to get his opinion.  Overall he was extremely happy with this cap stapler.  He said it was quicker and more effective.  He liked how the nailer had a lot of the main options other guns have.  His only two gripes were he wished the belt clip had more room and was in a different position.  The other item was he wished it had better grip on the roof.  When he would lay the nailer on the Grace paper, it would have a tendency to slide down.  A couple of times he had to drop his knife when cutting the felt to catch the nailer.

We did drop the nailer off the roof, accidentally, and it landed on the deck below.  We brought it back on the roof only to find out it wasn’t working properly.  Two things happened when it fell.  First, it must have landed just perfect so it put the nailer in staple mode only.  We didn’t even notice that right away.  The second thing that happened was the small piston on the bottom came out of alignment and wasn’t feeding the caps correctly.  We were able to snap it back into place, but we would like to see this area beefed up a little more since we know others will be dropping this off roofs.

After watching Brian, one thing I noticed was that this gun would dry fire when there were no staples left.  I noticed on several occasions he would run out of staples and it kept firing the caps.  After firing about 5 caps, was when he noticed they were not holding in place because the tool was out of staples.

Overall this is an awesome tool.  Very easy to work with and control.  We like that this nailer has all the main options of other nailers.  The cap stapler is quality and well worth the money as it will speed up work.  We would like to see two things changed on this tool in the future.  A tool that will not dry fire and a better way to grip slippery slopes on the roof including a little bit better belt clip.  If you are a roofer, this is a great tool to have on your side as it will save time and money.  With a name like Paslode, it is hard to go wrong.

The Ladder Hand is made from an ABS plastic, so it is durable and strong.  The unit can hold 15 lbs which is cutting it close to a gallon of paint.  A full gallon of paint weights around 13 lbs.  As you can see by the pictures below, there is a support arm that swings into place, so we would suggest putting any heavy weight items over that area and not on the outer area of the unit.

We do like the fact that the unit folds up and doesn’t take up a lot of room when not in use.  While it does fit a lot of different types of ladders, we did notice some ladders it was more loose on.  While it still stayed in place and was easy to attach, it sometimes had a little more play than we would like to see.  One feature that would make this a great ladder accessory is if there was a clamp on the side of the Ladder Hand.  So when you attach the Ladder Hand to the rails, you could use a thumb screw and it would tighten against the rail and make it very secure.  The current design is already secure as it hugs the rungs, but isn’t there always room for improvement?

The tray is very nice as it measures 14″ x 11″.  There are places to place loose items like screws and more.  You can also put a screwdriver or other tools in small holes to keep them in the upright position for easy access.

All in all it’s a cool invention.  While it does what it is supposed to do and it is worth the $20, we would really like to see a clamp version.  For anyone who is working on a ladder and needs some extra places to store stuff, the Ladder Hand is truly a cool invention and one that not only helps store things, but improves safety.  Check out the ladder hand and see what you think.

For me and I am sure most people, my drill is the power tool I use the most.  So it’s important to me that I have something not only powerful, but something that has a good feel and balance to the tool, which the Milwaukee has.  The drill is powered by either the 18V high capacity battery or the M18 compact battery.  The 4 pole motor puts out 550 in-lbs of torque.  One thing I really like about this drill is Milwaukee didn’t cheap out, they went with an all metal gear case.

The drill has two speeds that move the 1/2″ chuck with the ranges of 0-450 for low and 0-1700 for high.  Move the setting over to hammer mode and you get 0-29,000 bpm.  The drill is not too heavy as it only weighs 3.5 lbs.  I used to own a Makita, but sold it because there was too much walk and don’t really care for that.  I noticed with the Milwaukee, there was absolutely no walk, so I was a happy camper.  Another thing I noticed was the DPM or the Digital Power Management.  If you know me, you know I am not a big fan of the overload protection feature manufacturers put on these tools.  However I drilled  through some pretty heavy stuff and the drill didn’t shut off.  I tend to see these overload protection problems coming into place with reciprocating saws and grinders, but not much with drills.

I could go on and on about the drill, but this is just my drill of choice.  The balance and feel is what first attracted me to it, well maybe the Milwaukee name.  But after using the drill, I have to say the power is what I like best.  I think this is the best Hammer Drill on the market.

The Master MH-70-SS is a radiant kerosene heater that performs simular to a regular Torpedo heater except it radiates the heat more.  The unit has a 4 gallon fuel tank and consumes a 1/2 gallon per hour making it efficiant . It burns with relatively no smell or smoke, on start up there is a little puff and when it runs our of fuel there is some smoke. The unit weighs 30 lbs. without fuel and heats up to 1,750 sq. feet. The box of the unit said that it uses multi-fuels like diesel and Jet -A, but in the manual it says use only 1-k Kerosene.  I would use only 1-K Kerosene because it burns the cleanest anyway.   As with any heater,  you want to ventilate the area you’re heating to avoid death from Carbon Monoxide fumes, so crack a window or door.  Saftety features have been built in in case of flame out or igniter failure.

The unit is a breeze to operate, basically fuel it up , plug it in and turn it on.  The tank has a fuel gauge so you can monitor your fuel supply at a glance.  On the side of the heater is a 120V AC outlet, plug in an extension cord and you’re in business.  On the back is the power switch that has a red status LED.  The unit is quieter than most torpedo kerosene heaters.  As it runs low on fuel the fan did tend to get a bit louder due to the lack of weight at the base/tank.  Another cool feature is that when you shut the unit off the fan keeps running until the unit is cooled down.  The included manual is one of the best I have seen, it is easy to read and gives you many exploded views and parts lists, it even has a QR code you can scan with your smart phone to get support.

I give the Master MH-70-SS a thumbs up,  it works well and heats up as advertised. Our 2 car garage was toasty warm.  It is a lot more portable and quiet than most other kerosene heaters out there.  The unit includes a standard one year warranty.  Check out Pinnacle the makers of this heater.

48-22-4106 6″- 48-22-4107 7″ - 48-22-4108 8 ” - 6 in 1 Diagonal Cutting Pliers

Milwaukee has come out with some pretty cool and innovative hand tools.  The biggest thing we noticed with Milwaukee hand tools is the ability to lighten up your tool belt.  A lot of Milwaukee hand tool have multiple uses which means you don’t have to carry as many tools in your tool belt.  Well as you can see, these pliers do the same thing as they are multipurpose.

• Reaming
• Bolt Cutter
• Wire Cutting
• Nail Pulling
• Nail Cutting
• Staple Pulling

The pliers have a very nice feel to them.  The grip and balance is very comfortable.  The pliers come with a lifetime warranty.

48-22-3210 10″ &  48-22-3212 12″ – Tongue & Groove Pliers

Tongue and groove pliers have been around for a long time.  However Milwaukee added a twist to these pliers.  Using the head you can ream pipe, how cool is that?  The 10″ pliers will ream up to 2″ pipe and the 12″ pliers will ream up to 2-1/4″ pipe.  The grips on these pliers are very nice.  The grip has some small grooves for added grip when using with gloves.  The top black part of the grip is a softer plastic, so when wet, you can still grip the pliers.  The pliers have hardened jaws for longer life and have rust protection.  As with all Milwaukee hand tools, these are backed by a lifetime warranty.

48-22-3069 – 6 in 1 Combination Pliers

It reams, strips wire, cuts bolts, cuts wire, has a loop maker all in a tight gripping needle nose plier.  Strips 10-18 AWG solid wire and 12-20 AWG stranded,  it also has a reaming feature.  The grips are comfortable  and the pliers are spring loaded and with a one hand locking mechanism to lock the tool in your pouch.  This is a must have for any electrician.

48-22-3068 – 6 IN 1 Long Nose Pliers

It does everything the combination pliers does, but bigger, it strips 10-14 AWG (Solid Wire); 12-16 AWG (Stranded Wire)  it also can pull nails thanks to it’s nail puller in between the grips that provides a lot of leverage for even the toughest nails.

48-22-3309 - 6 IN 1 Lineman’s Pliers 

Carry less tools with this bad boy, it does Reaming, Bolt Cuting, Wire Cutting, Nail Pulling and even has a Fish Tape Puller.  Laser hardened cutting edges mean that they stay sharp for a long time and the high leverage design will tackle any job you throw at it.

12″ 48-22-3112 – 10″ 48-22-3110 – 8″ 48-22-3108 – Reaming Pliers

Exposed reaming handles, light and easy to adjust and lock these are one of our favorites.  We reviewed them here.

Milwaukee’s new pliers are the ones to beat.  Ergonomic, lifetime warranty, rust resistant the list goes on.  These tools really prove that Milwaukee is listening to the tradesman and producing some innovative tools to meet  the users needs.  Check out Milwaukeetool.com