Toolstop Power Tool Blog. Toolstop supply power tools to the trade. But we do much more than that; we engage with you via our blog, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. If you want how-to videos, let us know and we'll make them. Questions about power tools? Let us know and we'll answer them.
We have a chat about how they started their website, the sort of tools they enjoy using, how they get a hold of their tools and how their website is commonly used.
We also ask them to identify their favourite tools and what they think will be the “next big thing” in tools in 2011.
This is part 1 of our full report from our visit to RIDGID. You can listen to us talk about RIDGID Tools with Mike, John and Walter from Ridge Tool Company on the podcast.
Neil and I have travelled the globe visiting the bastions of power tool design and manufacturing with the sole purpose of bringing power tool lovers, via the magic of the interweb’s tubes, the latest and best in blog posts and videos.
Well, when I say “travelled the globe” that’s only true if you count Milton Keynes as another country.
Yes, we’ve been to Bosch in Denham, Makita in Milton Keynes, Draper in Southampton and now we’ve visited the seat of European parliamentary power, Brussels.
Brussels. Home of mussels, sprouts, beer, chocolate and eurocrats.
However, we didn’t stay there too long. Once RIDGID’s Mike was allowed through customs (which gave Neil and I enough time to sample a couple of Belgian exports – see right), we were off down the road to Leuven, European base to pipe-wrench purveyors Ridge Tool Company, better known to us as RIDGID.
Right away we felt completely at home, a feeling that was helped by the fact that everyone we met spoke better English than us. And that it was peeing down with rain. Home from home.
However, we checked into our hotel in the centre of Leuven, once Ridge Tool’s John had manage to negotiate the narrow, cobbled streets that were choked with parked bicycles (he only went down one pedestrian precinct. Oh, and a one-way street the wrong way. Pesky roadworks…), and then embarked on a quick recce to find an eatery that would allow us to sample the finest in Leuven hospitality.
We settled on a rather grand affair situated on a wonky, cobbled thoroughfare of indeterminate age (it was at least 500 years old, but that’s a rough guess) and were waited on by the quintessential European waiter. Open any dictionary to the word “waiter” and you’d see a photo of this guy. He was brilliant with his slightly haughty-yet-hang-dog laissez-faire, an attitude that said “Meh, here’s your table. Here’s your menu. And wipe your feet.”
The food was exceptional, of course. As was the local beer.
In fact, it’s hard to know what was most impressive about Leuven.
The beer, of which there was hundreds of choices (see left for one example), the food, of which all previous power tool manufacturer excursions have met their match, the scenery, of which you were spoiled for choice; the pretty European bicycle riding students or the grand, Gothic spires of the town hall, or the hand and power tools on display in Ridge Tool’s Leuven base.
We’ve enjoyed the clinical beauty of Bosch’s European training headquarters. We’ve felt at ease in the dusty technical workrooms of Makita’s training facility. We’ve been overawed at the scale and scope of Sealey’s product range and distribution warehouses.
But with RIDGID we had it all; clean, European, technical efficiency. And that was just John’s new Volvo 4×4.
In truth, we are very impressed with Ridge Tool Company’s operation in Leuven. First of all the training facilities were top-notch.
What we expect from a tool company’s training operation is simple; we name a tool. You quickly get the tool. You show us how to work the tool. We get to use the tool.
And this all happens in a safe, well lit and ventilated space.
With RIDGID it was “check”, “check” and “check”.
Not only did they have what seemed like every single hand and power tool in the RIDGID catalogue to hand, they even had a team of guys available to us who knew everything there ever is to know about these tools and were able to show us, in a succinct fashion, how to use them and explain who’d benefit from owning them.
Seriously, you cannot ask for more when you’re on one of these fact-finding trips.
First up we had Enver. He’s a product manager. Traditionally, we expect product managers to be a bit prissy and overly protective about the products. You know, acting as if the product in question was actually birthed by them.
Not so with Enver. Yes, the guy was protective of the products he demonstrated for us, but not in a highly-strung maternal way. More in a proud uncle sort of way.
Right away he pointed out that the new range of measuring and metering tools from RIDGID are smaller, more compact, more efficient, more accurate and have had a new “lick of paint”, namely they’re all now black with red detailing. And yes, they look pretty good.
Enver’s favourite little nephew (if we’re continuing the “proud uncle” analogy”) seemed to be the P-TEC 3240 pipe cutter. We’ll bring you a video of it in action soon so that you can see it, and you’ll hear him talk about it in part 2 of our RIDGID interviews.
In short, this is an ingenious idea. It cuts plastic pipe while at the same time preventing swarf . It even bevels the cut for you.
A little later we demo’d the brand new pipe and drain gun, the K-45. Mike explained the pricing of it; basically if you need two Dyno-Rod callouts you would have paid for a K-45.
What does it do, though?
Again, this is where being in a top-notch training facility pays off.
Mike led us over to workbench. Lying beside it was the K-45, encased a signature red RIDGID box.
On top of the workbench were two pipe openings, the sort of pipes that lead into drains. These openings led down into a snaking procession of pipe work that simulated a lavatory ‘S’ bend or a drainage system.
Parts of the pipe were clear perspex, allowing us to see that the pipes were, in fact, severely blocked with toilet paper and hand towels.
Using the K-45’s powered handle, Mike inserted the end of the cable into the pipe opening. Then by depressing on the arrowed levers, the cable was fed down into, and around, the pipe bends until it made contact with the blockage.
The end of the cable spins itself into the mess of paper, at which point Mike reversed the direction of the motor. This drew the cable, with blockage attached, back up the pipe work, quickly, cleanly and efficiently unblocking the drain.
We’ll have a video of the K-45 in action soon, keep your eye on our YouTube channel.
All in all, day 1 of our visit to RIDGID’s Leuven base was inspiring. And that was before they set Walter and the SeeSnakes onto us…
Stay subscribed to the Toolstop blog for part 2 of our report from RIDGID Tools!
Some say the best things in life are worth waiting for. But, of course, statements like that are completely subjective and hard to define; who decides what’s “best”? How do you rank the “thing” you’re waiting for, thereby establishing it’s “worth”. Etc etc.
However, as it’s nearly New Year’s Eve, we’ve no desire to delve into rambles about the philosophical veracity of hackneyed proverbs.
Instead we want to talk about something we know some of you have been waiting for.
As Neil says in the video below, you may be thinking it’s just the same as Makita’s previous iteration of job site radio, the BMR100. After all, it comes in a choice of two colours (white or blue), it has an auxiliary input, it has a chunky, tactile volume control and it’s suitably buffered against job site mishaps, including being shower proof.
At first glance it may appear as if all Makita has done is add a ‘1′ to the product number.
Firstly, DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) is incredible. For starters you’re going to have access to loads more radio content, depending on your locations. Plus, because the DAB radios receive digital signals, the quality of your audio experience on the job site will be amazing.
No more mornings listening to muddy-sounding MW tuned stations. No more twiddling your knob, trying to pick up a slightly less muffled and scratchy sounding Jeremy Vine Show. The audio is going to sound great as soon as you turn the BMR101 on.
That’s because DAB is more robust with regard to noise and multipathfading for mobile listening, since DAB reception quality first degrades rapidly when the signal strength falls below a critical threshold, whereas FM reception quality degrades slowly with the decreasing signal.
Other great features of DAB include “radio text” from the station giving real-time information such as song titles, music type and news or traffic updates.
That means no more arguments over “who sang that song” and no more waiting until the next travel report before deciding when to venture out into traffic when you head home.
Of course, you can’t keep all of the people happy all of the time, no matter how many digital radio stations you have at your finger tips. So, it’s good to know you can over-rule everyone by simply plugging in your mp3 player to the BMR101’s audio input jack meaning you can play your mp3 playlists to everyone’s joy…
“Compact” and “rugged” are two words that have to be used when describing the BMR101. Makita have constructed a job site radio that is light enough to lug around and compact enough to have in even the smallest work areas. No, it doesn’t have some of the fancier features such as 3-D sound and it won’t charge your power tool batteries.
However, if you’re looking for a job site radio that’s small but very well put together, that’ll stand up to typical job site abuse, and is shower resistant, then the BMR101 is probably for you.
Talking about power tool batteries, while the BMR101 won’t charge them while you listen to Coldplay on Radio 2, it will run off them, allowing you to unplug from the mains and have the radio in the most remote areas of the job site.
So yes, some things are worth waiting for. And for those who’ve been waiting and longing for a Makita DAB job site radio, the wait has surely been worth it now that we have the BMR 101.
First impressions? It’s green. It’s compact. It’s ergonomic. And it’s deceptively powerful.
It’s the little things you notice about this combi drill.
First off it looks like it might feel somewhat…lacking in substance when in the hand. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
In reality it weighs 1.8kg and it carries a sense of balance, thanks, I’m sure, to the its up-to-13mm metal chuck.
The grip, finished in a soft, rubbery, tactile cover, is slim, but in proportion to the relatively short 207mm head length. In other words, you’re not going to get grip fatigue any time soon.
The kit comes with 2 18v lithium-ion batteries that, as you’d expect, slide onto the base of the handle, allowing you to stand the combi drill upright on your workbench between drilling/driving sessions. The batteries are fed by Hitachi’s UC18YRSL charger, which is going to fan-cool the batteries while they charge. This will, as we’ve seen with other power tools, help extend the life of the battery.
A little bit different from other combi drills is the Hitachi DV18DSL’s job light. These days your drill/driver/combi drill isn’t up to scratch if it isn’t shedding its LED light onto your job piece.
However the LED job light on the DV18 DSL doesn’t come on automatically when you press the variable speed trigger. Instead you need to manually push a button down on the battery pack to activate it.
While this may seem like Hitachi have missed a trick, in reality it means that the LED light is only going to be drawing battery power when you want it to.
We think this is a great idea.
You’ll also be able to monitor battery life via a little light on the battery pack.
In other areas, the DV18DSL gives you what you’d expect from a high-end 18v cordless combi drill:
This is a guest post by Erin Couch, the sales and marketing manager for the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA), an organization that supports and helps independent hardware store retailers become better and more profitable merchants. When she is not painting chalkboard walls, she enjoys hiking with her dog, scouring antique stores for one-of-a-kind pieces and learning the ropes of becoming a DIYer.
When I was little, my grandparents had this fantastic chalkboard in the hallway of their farmhouse. As a very creative, and sometimes ornery six-year old left in the deep country of Northern Indiana, the chalkboard was a perfect outlet for me to stay out of my Grandmother’s hair and away from trouble.
This deep desire for the ability to inherently “draw on the walls” has since translated into adulthood and now, my home.
I have been a first time homeowner for almost two years now and have begun the slow process of getting into the grove in decorating my home to my personal style and taste.
I love vintage inspired decorum and will go for anything that is a little adventurous…like chalkboard paint.
My initial plan for this project was to break up one of the two tall, white walls that separate my kitchen from my living room with a simple chalkboard “menu” where I was to write the week’s dinner plan.
After a couple of months of a swatch of black paint on my white wall, my inner six-year old started to think how great it would be to paint both walls, ceiling to floor in the chalkboard paint and turn that area into a place where anything goes.
As a novice DIYer, this project was perfect for me. It took about 30 minutes to complete and involved very little prep time. However, since you are dealing with black paint, I recommend laying down tarp in your painting area to protect your flooring from paint splatters. (Click the photo on the left to enlarge. You can see that it’s perfect for lists and doodles! Just be sure to leave at least 24 hours before you start chalking the wall.)
You can get chalkboard paint from your neighborhood hardware store and for those that are feeling really adventurous, you can get a magnetic paint to turn your wall into a bonafide schoolroom chalkboard.
As for me, I bypassed the magnetic paint and kept my walls as a place where my visitors can leave messages and I can post my grocery list and doodle.
For those on the conservative side, this paint is also perfect for labeling. In my case I took some plain storage canisters and turned them into identifiable holders for my flour, sugar and baking powder.
Whether you are doing an entire wall, half of a wall or labeling recycling containers or kitchen storage, chalkboard paint is a great way to shake things up and give your household an eclectic and fun look for all ages.
Follow Erin as she covers hardware and industry related news in North America on Twitter: @NRHA_Erin
For a more personal look at social media marketing and shopping the independents follow her personal Twitter:
@ErinCouch
Today we were visited by Mike and John from Ridgid Tools. Such is the draw of the Toolstop Podcast that it took John 13 hours to get here. Listen to the podcast to find out if it was worth it!
In the podcast we discuss Ridgid’s toolmaking traditions, we analyse the benefits of their pipe wrenches and their fairly recent divergence into tech tools such as their SeekTech and and SeeSnakes. We also mention their fantastic social media presence, including their forum and Facebok Page.
Steve Webb - Steve explains what PDP (Premier Diamond Products) do and we ask him to share some funny anecdotes from the world of diamond drill bits
Mark and Neil ponder over Chelsea’s changing fortunes in the Premiership
Remember to subscribe in iTunes to make sure you never miss an episode, and while you’re there, please right a review! Reviewing the Toolstop podcasts on iTunes is an excellent way to help other people find us.
Sometimes Makita get things right. Get things very right.
Other times, they get things just a little bit wrong.
And there are occasions like with the BSS611R-ID 18v li-ion triple pack that they get it very right. And just a little bit wrong. All at the same time.
Here we’ve got Makita at their very best. We’re not just talking about their fantastic lithium-ion battery technology nestled within these 18v packages of power. We already know how the batteries are going to perform.
We’re also not just talking about the fact that the BHP453 combi-drill in this triple pack will drill upto 13mm diameter holes into steel and masonry and 36mm into wood. It’s not even the BTD140 impact driver’s huge 3200 blows-per-minute nor the fact that BSS611 circular saw is going to munch its way through 57mm thick pieces of wood at 90°.
No, it’s not the performances on these tools that Makita have got right; that’s just what Makita does. We almost take it for granted.
So, what – if anything – have they got wrong? Watch the video.
What they’ve got wrong this time – and it doesn’t happen often – is leaving the BHP453 out of the picture on the box! Yes, no big deal. But think how much the box will be worth; a collector’s item, surely!
We have a chat about how they started their website, the sort of tools they enjoy using, how they get a hold of their tools and how their website is commonly used.
This is a guest post by Erin Couch, the sales and marketing manager for the 
Today we were visited by Mike and John from 