Products

• Provides a niche tool set for automotive aftermarket applications, including removing seals, o-rings, cotter pins, clamps, gaskets and washers.
• Consisting of 4 individual picks, including a straight pick, hook pick, 90° bend pick and dual angle pick, the specialty tools are also ideal for hooking up springs or used as a hole marker or punch.
• Made in the USA and backed by a lifetime warranty, each of the picks feature an ergonomically designed and patented ProGrip handle, made of highly resilient polypropylene with an over-molded thermoplastic elastomer soft grip.
• The handle’s two patented ribs around its neck allow for maximum transfer of torque from the hand to the tool and a slip-free grip when pushing or prying. The rounded end rolls smoothly onto the heel of the palm, reducing friction and hand fatigue.

Mayhew Steel Products/Mayhew Tools
www.mayhew.com
800-872-0037

• Crescent/Lufkin^® has introduced a redesigned version of its popular Self-Centering Tape Measure, which makes finding the midpoint of measurements quick and easy.
• Improvements include a new ergonomic case for added comfort and a quad-rivet end hook for extended blade life.
• It is perfect for hanging pictures, finding the midpoints of walls and many other measuring jobs around the house. It features unique blade markings, resulting in a tape that takes the math out of finding the midpoint of any measured distance.
• A black upper scale shows the actual measurement; a lower scale directly beneath it shows the midpoint in red.

Apex Tool Group
www.crescenttoolco.com
919-362-1670

The other product by SP Air Corp. is their SP-7610 Reciprocating Air Saw. It is 12” overall length (including the blade) that is gear driven from the pneumatic motor. All three of our testers commented that “this is one tough saw.” The total saw only weighs just over a pound and has almost a half-inch cutting stroke.

If your store has an industrial clientele or you service body shops you definitely should take a look at SP Air for your pneumatic tool needs, because these are metal-cased, high-impact tools designed for the serious d-i-yer or professional.

SP Air Corp. has developed two additional pneumatic products that we wanted to follow up on from our previous review in the September/October 2017 edition of From Tom’s Shop.

The first tool is the SP-7231 Flex Head Cut Off Tool, which allows the user to actually rotate the cutting head from 90 degrees to 45 degrees, up or down, effectively giving the tool three position cutting angles that can be very helpful when working in tight places.

This tool also comes with built-in power regulator, safety speed lever and rear exhaust. The power shaft has a safety guard that will accept up to 3” cutting discs and has an 18,000-rpm speed.

The DynaTrap XL is a flying insect killer that will cover an area up to one acre, doesn’t use pesticides and is odor free. The way it works is the two small lights in the top of the trap generate warmth and UV light rays that attract the bugs. The company has developed an exclusive surface that produces a carbon dioxide attractant for mosquitoes and other flying insects. Then once the insect flies into the trap a small fan sucks them down to a large catch basin where they die.

Our testers were all satisfied with the DynaTrap itself, but all commented on issues that can affect the efficiency of the DynaTrap. If you don’t empty standing water within the area you would like to be insect free, then mosquitoes will literally breed faster than you can trap them and kill them. The other issue several testers commented on was if your property is next to a natural breeding area for flying insects such as mosquitoes, then wind blowing from the breeding area onto your property will effectively increase the area you are trying to control.

All of our testers agreed the DynaTrap XL was very effective—just check the catch basin—but cautioned if your property has extenuating circumstances you may need more than one trap.

Bosch’s Daredevil™ line has developed a SpeedWave™ paddle bit that truly lives up to its name. This wood-boring paddle bit has several enhanced features that literally can drill as much as 10 times faster than conventional wood-boring paddle bits. It starts with a full-threaded tip that needs minimal push to get the threaded tip started. Then the paddle part of the bit itself has a contour (wave) that allows the cutting tips to create a clean hole edge and move the wood shavings out of the hole quickly, decreasing friction and increasing the cutting speed.

However, it doesn’t just stop there. The 4” and 6” shanks come with an impact shank for high-torque impact drivers. The Daredevil line also comes in 16” shanks for conventional drill chucks. Our testers tested the 4” length bits and all of them commented on the convenient size and how easy they are to access in tight spaces, but are still long enough to drill through a 4×4.

Finally, we tested the 24“ Galvanized Slim Line Drum Fan, which was equally impressive both in quality, ease of moving around and air movement. The slim line drum fans also come with aluminum fan blades and are equally as quiet. The 24“ slim line drum fan comes with a slightly different frame allowing the fan to be tilted using the easy-to-turn thumb screws on each side.

All of the fans we tested came with 10 heavy-duty three-prong cords and all of the fans are UL tested. Another feature that all of the testers mentioned and hardware retailers will really like is the fans come pre-assembled out of the box and all that needs to be done is to attach the wheels using the axle and the hitch pens included. Total assembly was less than three minutes and didn’t require any tools.

The last feature all of our testers mentioned was how well thought out the fans were starting with the location of the handle, the balance of the fan and how easy it was to move it around.

We think Shop-Vac has once again developed a winner and could very well dominate the drum fan category in the independent hardware channel. Congratulations to Jonathan Miller and the whole team at Shop-Vac.

In addition, we tried the 36” Galvanized Drum Fan, which is also very well built with the same size motors as the stainless steel drum fans and also has two speeds. These fans would be perfect for job sites or industrial commercial applications. The wire grates’ openings are small enough to prevent something being sucked up in the fan blades, but also large enough to not impede the air flow. The galvanized drum fans comes in 24“, 30“, 36“, 42“ and 48“ diameter sizes.

We tried out the 48″ Stainless Steel Drum Fan and all of our testers remarked that it looked too good to be used in a commercial work environment. The stainless drum housing is polished to a beautiful shine and it did not tarnish after being taken out of the box. It has two speeds and is capable of moving massive amounts of air.

If you are in the party rental business, then this would be an ideal fan to use for outdoor weddings or parties. It is aesthetically appealing, quiet and extremely easy to move around. The two-speed motor can create a gentle air movement at the lower speed setting or, if needed, it can be switched to the high setting to generate big air movement. It would also be perfect for office settings to air out cleaning odors or paint fumes. The Stainless Steel Drum Fans come in 24“, 30“, 36“, 42“ and 48“ diameter sizes.

• The Bosch GSA18V-125 18V EC Brushless 1-1/4″-Stroke Reciprocating Saw combines an advanced handle design for greater comfort, a powerful 18-volt Bosch EC brushless motor and orbital/non-orbital action to deliver superior cutting performance.
• It delivers 0-2,900 strokes per minute with a 1-1/4″ stroke length. The versatile soft-grip handle and easy toolless blade change system highlight enhanced comfort and ease of use.
• The tool’s compact design is aided by an angled-motor placement, which allows greater access to hard-to-reach areas. With great balance and weight of only 7.7 lbs., it offers greater utility so users can saw overhead and in awkward positions.
• Is the first cordless reciprocating saw to feature three orbital settings (0-1-2), which are optimized to maximize cutting. Handy variable speed controls include a dial to set the desired maximum speed and an accelerator trigger for adjusting the operating speed.

Robert Bosch Tool Corp.

www.boschtools.com

877-267-2499