If you think a chain mortiser looks like a cross between a chainsaw and a drill press, you’ve just about pegged it. These tools speed up post and beam construction, and they look bad-ass.

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The poorly-named TD020DSEW is Makita’s entry into the flourishing li-ion screwdriver market.  But it packs a punch: it’s an impact screwdriver.  Powered by a removable 7.2V li-ion battery pack and tipping the scales at just over a pound, it delivers a whopping 177 in-lbs of torque.  Holy crap, that’s a lot of grunt. 

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TM reader RSCoats writes: “This is what happens when the tool section of Amazon.com gets mixed up with the DVD section!  What can I say?  The film was on TV as I was carrying the old, busted drill to the trash, and I got inspired.  With some paint and a quick mash-up label, voila! — a power tool worther of a Jeopardy category.”

You’d be amazed how much of this kind of stuff goes on around the Toolmonger shop.  We’ve got stuff like this hanging all over the walls.  One thought, though: be sure to salvage the motor and chuck if it’s the battery that died.  That stuff comes in seriously handy later!

Fans of Makita Tools who live in New York, Wisconsin and Colorado will be stoked this month: at Makita “Experience More” Tour stops you can gawk at over 125 trade tools.  You can also (temporarily) lay your mitts on some Makita tools at demo stations and learn more from engineering exhibits.

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Here’s another compressor deal from Ace Tool, this time a Makita.  Ace lists the Makita MAC700 at $150 down from the regular $288.  This compressor has a 12.4A, 2 HP, 2-1/2 gallon oiled single “hot dog style” tank and delivers 3.3 CFM at 90 PSI.  Ace Tool also offers free shipping on this unit which beats out all other vendors I could find — including Amazon!

Makita MAC700 [Makita]
Makita MAC700 [Ace Tool Online]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What's this?]

Amazon currently lists the Makita 2012NB at $282.87, which is the cheapest I could find by about $120.  It’s a 12″ portable planer with automated head clamps, a 15A, 8500 RPM motor, a 13″ x 30-3/8″ table, double sided knives, and dust collection ports.  And at 83 dB, it’s (relatively) quiet, too.

Makita 2012NB [Makita]
Via Amazon [What's this?]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

I have a Milaukee model, and there’s always Porter Cable’s oft-mistaken-as-the-tool’s-real-name Porta-Band.  Now Makita’s offering an 18V cordless model: the BPB180.  Seriously, if you don’t yet own a portable band saw of one model or another, you should.  Read on for more about this one.

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Here’s one unusual little belt sander: it’s designed for sanding/filing in tight spaces with a belt that’s as narrow as 1/4″.  With variable speed via a control dial — ranging from 980 to 5,600 feet per minute — this looks like an incredibly useful tool that’d dramatically simplify detail sanding work.

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The Makita Shear Wrench is a 10-pound screw-snapping monster.  It applies over 600 ft./lbs. of torque to shear off extra bits of fastener up to 7/8” in diameter all day long.  Is it cool?  You bet.  Do we need one?  Not really – then again that’s never stopped us before.

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This (relatively) new 70-pound breaker hammer from Makita features a counterbalance system that reportedly reduces vibration to only 8 m/s^2 — significantly lower than that of competitors.  The result: it smashes more concrete and less of your arms and shoulders.

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Over at Hardware & Tools they’re offering the Makita JR3000V Variable Reciprocating saw for $60.  (Compare that to $90 or more via Amazon and elsewhere.)  It features a 1-3/16″ stroke length at a variable 0 to 2300 strokes per minute.

Makita JR 3000V [Hardware & Tools]
Street Pricing [Google Product Search]
Via Amazon [What's this?]

In order to understand what “compact” means, you always have to take into account the type of item to which the name’s applied.  For example, a “compact” dump truck would be small compared to a normal dump truck, but probably not so small in comparison to your friend’s Honda Civic. 

So keep that in mind when we tell you about Makita’s “compact” 18V impact driver.  It’s not as small as, say, Bosch’s new 10.8V Impactor, but it’s actually slightly smaller (and, more importantly, lighter) than the 14.4V we used in the Bosch comparison test.  And when you consider that it delivers a li-ion-driven 1,280 in-lbs of torque, you’re starting to get the picture.

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Lightweight circular saws are in this season, and Makita’s jumping into the fray with a 701/4″ model complete with magnesium components designed to bring its weight down to 10.1 lbs — significantly less than other large saws, though not nearly as light as smaller models.

That’s what makes the Makita stand out a bit, though: many of the “lightweight” models we’ve looked at so far this year employ the same techniques, but only on 6-1/2″ or smaller saws.

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Roscoe writes: “Ace has this Makita 18V 1/2″ hammerdrill/flashlight kit for $99.  It includes two batteries, a charger, and a case.  This is a great starter set for someone needing a deal.  I wish I had one.”

The only bad news: There’s a $50 mail-in rebate included in the deal.  So if you’re ok with waiting for the cash back, I’d agree it’s a good way to get started.

Makita 18V Hammerdrill/Flashlight [Ace Hardware]

Okay, let’s just start by getting the jokes out of the way.  You can imagine all the unsavory places this can go.

All through?  Ok, this tool is actually used to mix concrete and mortar — which responds better to vibration than to standard tined mixing.  This particluar model vibrates at 12,500 VPM and runs off a 12V NiCd battery.  Makita makes a number of different models — including one based on their LXT li-ion line — but this one seemed the most price effective, streeting for around $400 in kit form.  (If you’ve already got a 12V setup — or the LXT setup — you can buy these in tool-only form for much less.)

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Let’s face it: it’s pretty rare to see a really new power tool.  We’ve seen plenty of expanding the line (with everything from radios to vacuums) and lots of companies making bigger or smaller versions of what you’ve already got, but it looks like Makita’s taking a stab at something new with their “Hybrid(tm) 4-Function Impact Hammer-Driver-Drill.”

Let’s start by clearing the hype.  I’m not trying to desparage the tool in any way, but the Hybrid(tm) 4-Word Name definitely elicited a chuckle around our offices.  C’mon, Makita, the real “hybrid” here is the combination of an impact driver with a hammerdrill.  The professionals for whom you designed this tool know that.  And can you really trademark the word “hybrid?”  Should everyone from Toyota to Battlestar Galactica now cease and desist?

That said, this looks like it might be a great tool for fence and deck builders — or just about anyone who pre-drills before driving big fasteners.

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We get more than a little, well, cantankerous if there’re no tunes in the shop, so portable tunes that can survive the jobsite are hight on the list when we’re loading up for remote work. 

Makita’s BMR100 cordless portable AM/FM radio looks to be made specifically for long plays when corded power isn’t an option, and that sounds great to us.  Unlike other units, the offering from Makita goes for a minimalist approach with no charger outlets or ability to power other tools; it’s an island entirely self contained, and lithium-ion batteries provide usable power for over two freakin’ days of solid play time before it needs recharging.

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