New DIY Products

Tested and reviewed by Fred-in-the shed

Updated 5th November 2008

Exakt precision saw - a new safer way to cut flat materials

New Professional model launched here on September 8th 2008!

 

The Exakt precision saw is one of the most exciting and innovative products that I have seen for a long time. If you have laminate flooring or plywood to cut then you will probably be thinking of using a circular saw or jigsaw. Both these machines have serious drawbacks. Circular saws can be dangerous, and cant make small, accurate cuts.  Jigsaws great for curves but are difficult to keep in a straight line. This new tool has a small circular blade that can be precisely adjusted to cut material up to 14mm deep. The blade is retractable and only appears when you press on the handle to start cutting. The tool is incredibly good at cutting straight lines and can be use on the floor or bench with a sheet of scrap wood underneath. There are 2 models available, the EC310 is the DIY/budget version and cuts to 12mm The new PS-150 has a deeper 14mm cut and is aimed more at the professional user. It replaces the old PS-140 and is available in 240v and a 110v for site work will follow in December. Both models take a variety of different blades that will cut wood, metal and ceramic, in fact everything except glass! The best blades are the TCT (tungsten carbide) ones which last at least 20 times longer than an HSS blade when cutting wood or laminate and cost about 30% more.	HSS 44 Cutting blade shown with the retractable, dust collecting safety guard removed
Exakt precision saw - more info Cuts wood, metal, plastics and ceramic tiles A wide range of blades are available between £8 - £14 HSS (high speed steel ) blades are the cheapest but you can also get longer lasting TCT (tungsten carbide blades) The most expensive blade is the G50 diamond blade or cutting ceramic tiles and removing grout.. The tool can also be used to quickly cut pipe using a special pipe cutting guard.  The tool has won a top award from the flooring industry where it is widely acclaimed for cutting laminate flooring.. To prevent the blade clogging up dust must be extracted by attaching the black tube  to the tool and a standard vacuum cleaner.. I am now supplying both models of Exakt saw and all of the blades and some spares and accessories. click here to buy Exakt saw , blades, accessories and spares (EC 310 DIY Version)       SEE MY PAGE FOR THE NEW PS-150 SAW	PS-150  (14mm cut) Price guide £125 (inc UK delivery) from my special exakt page for professional saws PS-150 PAGE Buy the Exakt EC310 GL Precision Saw Kit including 2 Blades for wood and laminate for £75 This is an updated model with more flexible dust extraction hose and improved safety guard. If you see one for sale in a black box it's the old model!

 

Multi Purpose Circular saw with dust collection This new design of circular saw has built in dust and debris collection to cut down the mess and discomfort of working with these potentially scary tools. The new rage circular saw has a number of innovative features that make it easier and safer to use than standard circular saws. The rage blade can cut through wood and metal so will not jump out of your hands if you hit a nail in some wood. A diamond tipped blade is also available for cutting concrete and masonry.

Evolution Rage circular saw for wood metal or concrete

My master builders (Fred &Barney) have been testing the Evolution rage saw whilst working at the the shed. They were uncharacteristically impressed with it and particularly like the dust collection feature. Tim the plumber also used it to cut channels in a concrete floor for pipe work. (see image page right) The saw made easy work of this job and created significantly less dust than an angle grinder. The Evolution Rage saw has one minor drawback in that the rotating blade cover cannot be easily retracted for angled plunge cuts. This is a trade off from having the dust collection box but is  small price to pay for having that excellent feature. The saw retails for £99 with replacement blades at £20. more details on the evolution rage circular saws and blades

 

Latest News Bosch bring out cheaper version of the award winning Fein Multimaster. I don' generally like copies of innovative tools but as the 25 year patent has run out on the fantastic Fein MultiMaster there is nothing illegal about Bosch making a copy of it and using their vast marketing machine to make this superb genre of powertool more widely available. Also the Fein costs about £180 which is too much for most DIY users. The Bosch PM180 E has less power (180w against 250W) but is under £70 which is more affordable. Also the blades are cheaper too. I have extensively used the Bosch PM180E and can report that it does the job, but with a lot more noise and vibration than the Fein. It is also a bit fatter and not quite as nice to handle. The tool comes with 2 saw blades and a sander attachment with 6 pads. It has a 19mm dust extraction hole. Watch this space for more test updates.  buy the plunge cut sawblade for the Bosch all rounder  buy the bi-metal segment sawblade for the Bosch all rounder  buy 6 wood sanding sheets for the Bosch all rounder  buy 6 paint sanding sheets for the Bosch all rounder

The Bosch All rounder 3-in 1 multifunction powertool (shown with a plunge cut saw blade).   to compare price with another supplier use link below  more details on the New Bosch PMF 180E

Want the real Mcoy!

More power -more blades (more money)

 

New Model Fein MultiMaster wins Golden Shed Award   This is David Makintosh, product manager of Fein UK at the Homebuilding and Renovation show with his 2007 Golden Shed Award for the fantastic Fein MultiMaster power tool. This tool is like a Dremel on steroids and can be used to saw, sand, chisel, file, grind, and polish. I have seen it and many other specialist tools at trade shows over many years. Most come and go and are cleverly marketed gadgets, but the Fein Multimaster is one of the few tools that performs as well on the job as it does in an exhibition setting. The Fein MultiMaster is a serious professional tool and is here to stay. The original tool has been in production for 25 years and has now been revamped with an easier tool exchange lever- that's why gets the 2007 Golden Shed Award - as featured in Loaded Magazine.	2007 Golden Shed Award Winner
Plunge Cutting Blade The Oscillating saw blade can get right into edges which no other tool can do. Used horizontally this saw is a must have for fitting laminate floor under skirting board or taking the bottom off doors. Powered Scraper The scraper blade will save you so much time and arm ache when removing paint, varnish or adhesive. The Tungsten Carbide rasp is a heavy duty long life sander. For finer sanding the usual range of papers are available and this tool has optional dust extraction. The Fein MultiMaster is also one of the best sanders I have ever used. The rapid sideways movements seem to clear dust form the paper and clogging is minimal. The Fein MultiMaster has many more blades and applications. To see or buy the new Model with quick release click this link for my New Fein MultiMaster page   The New MultiMaster top set comes in an Orange plastic box. If you see one for sale with a metal box it is the OLD MODEL without the quick release blade mechanism.  buy Fein Multimaster top set  buy the cheaper Fein Multimaster start set
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK! NEW PROFESSIONAL QUALITY TOOL This new 10.8 volt impact driver is such a tool as it has the latest lithium ion battery that can be fully recharged in 15 minutes! This tough looking tool has all the features you would expect from a professional quality tool and costs a reasonable £119 plus vat which includes 2 batteries, a proper strong box and some drill and screwdriver bits. As this is a professional tool designed for heavy use you also get a spare set of motor brushes that can be easily changed without opening the body. The new Durofix powertools are brought to us by Concept Distribution who also market the fantastic range of KTX screws and collated screw feed systems. As well as the impact driver there is also a drill driver which uses the same batteries. Watch this space or e-mail me for more details.	10.8v impact driver with Lithium ion batteries.  buy similar tool in the USA
NEW PRODUCT UNDER TESTING! NEW PROFESSIONAL QUALITY GLOVES WITH DIFFERENT VERSIONS FOR EVERY TRADE! The new range of work gloves from Ironclad of the USA has now hit these shores and provides more options than ever before. Every model of Ironclad glove is different and engineered to suit specific users. There are all the usual gloves for gardening, general construction and all sorts of outdoor work, then there are more specialist gloves like the ones for mechanics that have gel pads on the palms to protect that specific area from spanner bruising. Ironclad gloves are machine washable and I will be testing several pairs to destruction and be reporting the results here.	These are special framers gloves which have the first 2 fingers cut away to allow you to hold nails whilst still affording some protection from the elements. (I like these gloves for shopping too as I can get my money out without bothering to take my glove off)

This is me checking out the new Metabo/Porsche Multihammer

drill at the DIY show

 

Design meets indestructibility A radical re-design of the rotary hammer.  its key functions: hammer drilling in stone, chiseling, drilling in wood and metal, screwing. With a housing of aluminium and carbon plus revolutionary ergonomics.  Developed as a result of the cooperation between Porsche Design and Metabo, the P´7911 is a snazzy combination of aesthetics and uncompromising quality. I checked out this "sexy" looking tool at the DIY show in Earls Court recently and was initially impressed. At £300 I should be! I am currently testing this tool and comparing it to it's normal Metabo sibling, - watch this space! Nominated for a 2007 Golden Shed Award
I will be comparing the merits of this new drill against it's normal sibling  on a new page entitled  - Metabo verses Metabo  check out normal Metabo 705w Hammer Drill
Dremel now with Lithium Ion Batteries The superb Dremel tool has been improved with a cordless version that now has the latest Lithium Ion Batteries. The cordless Dremel is one of those tools every home should have. It is so useful for grinding, sharpening, polishing, and much more. There are dozens of attachments and now the Dremel comes in a handy soft case and not that annoying plastic one that annoyed me so much. The new cordless Dremel is designed so it can stand up on your workbench which is a feature I love as my workbench is always a mess and anything that stands up is more likely to be found! The big advantage with a Lithium Ion battery is that if you leave this tool unused for a while there is a good chance that the battery will have held it's power. Also when it does go flat you can charge it much faster than the old model.	buy any Dremel tool or accessory online
18 v Combi Drills A must have tool for builders and DIY enthusiasts   Dewalt Improve the XRP Combi drill again? The Dewalt 18v cordless drill is the No1 tool for many builders but I was never overly impressed with the Dewalt drills and  preferred Makita for performance and durability. The reasons I gave for this have been confirmed now by the fact that Dewalt have redesigned their best selling XRP yet again to include features like metal gears and more power. This new models also has a heavy duty self tightening chuck to prevent bit slip in tough conditions. And at last the  new drills are available with Lithium ion batteries. Also I am pleased to see that the new Li-ion "Nano" batteries are retro fit so can be used in all older De Walt tools, but you will need a new charger too.	A cordless combi drill and separate impact driver is a must for any serious builder or DIY fanatic. The 18v Dewalt is one of the most popular amongst builders. I prefer the lighter powerful Makita.  best deal on Makita 18v drill with Lithium Ion batteries Although I use a Makita impact driver I am also impressed with this Hitachi version as it performs as well but has a very useful belt hook and soft grip. I also love the Concept developments 10.8v tool that is similar to the original Bosch GDR 10.8v Li and the new copycat 10.8v tools from Makita and Hitachi.

Quick Adjustable Spanners

 

The adjustable spanner is a plumbers favourite and an essential part of any workshops toolkit. (Though a well equipped workshop should not need them too much) Two new designs for quick adjustment are now available . One has a  manual  mechanism which requires you to push the jaws for rapid and accurate adjustment. It is a well made tool and  does not slip. The Black & Decker Auto wrench is heavier and powered by 3 AAA batteries and can be operated quickly with one hand. The British designed Milligrip is lighter and is  adjustable in 1mm increments which is ok unless you have a rounded off nut. An imperial sized version known as the Amerigrip will also available.

Buy  Manual Quick Adjusting Spanners direct from Fredshed. 25mm version £14.99 plus postage 32mm version £17.99 plus postage discounts for multiple orders e-mail fred@fredshed.com

 

A Sander with Dust Collection that works? I thought I had found a sander that actually collects the dust for more than 5 minutes and you can empty without getting covered in it. The new Black & Decker cyclonic sander really surprised me as I was expecting it not to work - (call me a cynic) I have sanded a large area of wood floor, painted doors and rough timber and was so happy to see the dust in the little container and not in my face. Everything was fine and dandy until I tried to sand some bare plaster - then the filter blocked and I got covered in dust as usual This version is the 4-in-1 that adapts to become an orbital sander, detail sander and delta sander.    see the largest range of delta sanding sheets

This new cyclonic sander passed all the tests except plaster dust. If you know a sander that can deal with plaster and collect the dust let me know.    check price and more details of the Black&Decker Cyclonic sander

Black & Decker Autotape This is me with my new battery powered tape measure from Black&Decker. Running on 4 AAA batteries this excellent tape measure extends to 7.6m and is extra thick so it does not flex and distort. This is the best tape measure for wheelchair users and anyone working alone.  check price of the Black&Decker Autotape

Cordless Screwdrivers tested and reviewed

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For free expert advice - on buying tools, (on and off-line) mail me at
fred@fredshed.com  (please include tool name in subject header)

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