Amazon has this Black & Decker 200W 12V (to 115V) power inverter for $18 today. It features ground fault interruption, battery clips, a DC accessory plug, and it automatic shuts down to keep you from stranding yourself by draining your battery completely. And hey — 200 watts will actually run some pretty serious gear.
200W Power Inverter [Black & Decker]
Via Amazon
Street Pricing [Google Product Search]
There’s nothing cooler (and more valuable) around the shop than a high-dollar cordless hammerdrill. But for those not ready to shell out $300 or more, this corded version from Black & Decker offers a lot performance for very little green — around $80 to be exact.
Here’s another palm sander find from Amazon: this Black & Decker MS1000 Cyclone 1.4 amp orbital 4-in-1 multi-sander was listed at $87, but they’re now selling it for $28.28. Its interchangeable bases include a Random orbit sander, a detail sander, a finish sander, and a flush sander. It’s also got a 1.4 amp motor and a dust collection bag.
Black & Decker MS1000 [Black & Decker]
Via Amazon
Street Pricing [Google Product Search]
Capitalizing on their experience with previous powered-painter efforts, Black & Decker announced the release of a new “pro” model today that includes some slick new features: adjustable paint flow (6 ounces to 20 ounces per minute), a system that connects directly to gallon paint cans, and a “roller keeper” that lets you store the paint roller overnight then “just pull it out and start painting again” in the morning.
Apparently Black & Decker’s been making reciprocating saws for some time, but I just recently came across one — and it looks like a pretty decent deal. For around $80 you get an 8.5A saw with variable speed (0-2,400 strokes per minute), a six-setting speed limiter, and a three-position pivoting shoe.
Black & Decker says that anytime you purchase of “eligible” tools between now and June 30, 2007 they’re spot you a “complimentary companion airline ticket.” To receive the ticket you must purchase any tool(s) from their list, fill out the registration form, and mail it to Black & Decker with the UPC and receipt. They then send you a voucher which you can use to book a companion ticket.
Black & Decker’s new cordless cultivator mates a string-trimmer form factor with two counter-rotating tines to tear out weeds and aerate soil up to four inches deep in spaces way too tight for most powered cultivators. This keeps you off your knees in the garden and saves time, too.
This is for Toolmongers in the Boston/Rhode Island area, though it could apply to other areas. (I can only really confirm this one.) The Wrentham Village Outlet in Massachusetts has a Black & Decker factory outlet store – which, by the way, is a great distraction from the trauma of a day of outlet shopping – and they’re running a “spring lawn & garden special” until May 22nd.
Some of the deals they’re advertising include:
All of these tools are “factory reconditioned,” which means they carry the same warranties as their new counterparts.
Spring Lawn & Garden Special [Wretham Outlet]
National Premium Outlets [Sales/Offer list]
My Father offered me a bit of straight-talkin’ advice when it comes to chain saws: “Son,” he said, “when you use a chain saw, don’t think about anything else from the time you pick it up until the time you put it down. It can kill you at any moment, either through your own stupidity or a simple accident.” And he’s right. Be it neglegence or kickback, if a chainsaw comes in contact with your body, the saw will win every time.
But last year Black & Decker introduced the Alligator Lopper — a cross between a chainsaw and a pruner that looks about perfect for medium-sized pruning jobs and features a fully-guarded “blade.” Surprisingly, though, I haven’t heard much about it from the “tool guy” crowd.
So what do you Toolmongers think: good stuff or junk? Let us know in comments.
The Alligator Lopper [Black & Decker]
Street Pricing [Froogle]
Via Amazon
We’ll admit it: we’re always tempted to dismiss out-of-hand any drill that’s this pretty. But when we tore into the new SC1400 lithium-ion drill from Black & Decker, we discovered it holds a few surprises for those willing to look more than skin deep. For a drill that looks like it came from the shop where they built the cars for The Fast and the Furious, the SC1400 packs a wallop.
Read on for our hands on experiences with this slick-looking drill.
We mentioned an electric lawn mower the other day but as many pointed out, it wasn’t cordless. Here’s a cordless model from Black & Decker. FWIW, we’ve seen numerous cordless models from a variety of vendors, but we’ve always wondered how they work in real life.
The model pictured above is a 24V from Black & Decker which offers a 19″ cut and sells for just under $400. Of course, there are others.
Before you comment, remember that we’re asking what you think about using one of these for a small lawn — not a 1+ acre field. Certainly there’s a point at which you’d be far better off with a gas mower. But considering how much quieter these are — and how they might represent less maintenance — what do you think?
Let us know in comments.
24V Cordless Mulching Mower [Black & Decker]
Street Pricing [Froogle]
Via Amazon
i’ve carried a little inverter in my laptop bag for a number of years now — a little 75W job that plugs right into a power outlet in the car. It’s really handy on trips and in situations where you might otherwise completely run out of juice. Apparently Black & Decker makes a few as well, ranging from the 100W version pictured above up to 750W monsters.
Of course, larger versions are available as well. The trick is that once you start drawing enough current to power those larger units, you’ve got to pull some pretty low-gauge wire directly to the battery. Somehow they always forget to mention that in advertisements. But these smaller units work fine for a laptop and require no such messy install.
Stuart tipped us off to another Amazon promo code:
“Special Offer: Use promotional claim code SCREWGUN at the checkout to get a Black & Decker LI3000 cordless screwdriver with internal lithium battery worth $34.99 free when you purchase $150 or more of any of thousands of qualifying tools.”
We’re not sure exactly which tools qualify, but if you were already planning on picking up a tool from Amazon you might easily cross the $150 mark. It’s certainly worth trying the code.
Reader Sizod tipped us to the fact that Amazon’s selling Black & Decker’s StormStation all-in-one rechargeable power source/radio/light — which we wrote about back in June — for $60 with free shipping right now. Froogle’s finding it for more like $75 to $100, so this looks like a pretty good deal.
If you’ve been considering one, now may be the time.
The StormStation [Black & Decker]
Street Pricing [Froogle]
Buy It Now from Amazon
Reader Sizod clued us in to the fact that Black & Decker’s 18V Hedge Trimmer is available for $80 from Amazon (which is a pretty decent deal), but by adding the coupon code “YARDSALE” you receive an additional $8 off, dripping the price to $72 — which seems to be near the bottom of the range in Froogle. (We did see one place selling it for $69 this morning.)
We haven’t tried this tool out yet, mainly because neither Sean nor I have hedges big enough to require much trimming. So if you’ve had any experience with it, drop a comment here for Toolmongers who might be considering going cordless this summer.
Street Pricing [Froogle]
Buy It Now from Amazon
Even if you’ve got a big-ass air compressor around the shop or house, it’s always handy to have a smaller unit around for crap like blowing up bicycle tires or pumping up a car tire when the car’s out of easy reach of your big compressor. Enter Black & Decker’s latest version of the small, portable air pump — the Air Station.
The ‘Station’s big claim to fame is that it runs on either 12V DC or 120V AC power so you can use it in the garage or house by plugging it into the wall, then carry it out to the car and plug it in a cigarette lighter power port to air up that aforementioned flat.
I can see the first comment already: “My pump-up garden sprayer’s already cordless.” Maybe B&D shoud’ve call this the “pumpless garden sprayer.” Marketing aside, if you hate manual labor of even the most simple kind, Black & Decker’s got your number this year. Between the AutoWrench, the AutoClamp, a powered hand saw, and this, you’d better start working out to keep those hands and arms strong.
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