While cordless screwdrivers rock at home, cords still rule in the industrial world. Why? Because they can spin like the devil — up to 2,850 RPM for the new Metabo — and they never run out of juice. Metabo also claims the SE2800’s shape plus its relatively-light 2.64 pound weight makes it easy on your hands, while that crazy-looking chuck allows you to remove and replace a driver bit without screwing up your depth stop settings.

If you need more spin, Metabo also offers the SE4000, which cranks up to 3,950 RPM, delivering slightly less torque as a trade. (Don’t read anything into that statement: all electric motors deliver less torque as RPM increases. The fact that Metabo rates the SE4000 as 71 in-lbs instead of the SE2800’s 106 in-lbs just means they’re being honest instead of simply measuring at a different RPM to make them match.)

Street pricing starts around $125 for both models, and they appear to be shipping now.

SE2800/SE4000 Corded Screwdriver [Metabo]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

Traditional drilling systems — especially modular core bits — are often made up of multiple pieces, like extension shanks, centering bits, and threaded arbors. The gaps between these pieces compromise the bit’s strength, and any time you want to use them or switch sizes, you have to piece it all together. Metabo’s newly-released a one-piece core bit family claims to solve that problem, making the bits easier to use and more effecient (read: faster) at drilling through concrete, block and brick.

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Last week Metabo dropped us a press release regarding their (relatively) new 3/8″ offering, the BE4006.  The tale of the tape: a keyless 3/8″ metal chuck, 1/4″ capacity in steel, 1/2″ capacity in soft wood, a 3.5A motor delivering 27 in-lbs of torque, and a no-load speed of 3,950 RPM.

Why is this interesting, you ask?  First, it includes Metabo’s Variospeed speed-control electronics which lay in additional current as needed to keep the drill spinning at the RPM you set.  Believe me, until you’ve tried it you’ll never know what you’re missing.  Second, it weighs a miniscule 2.64 lbs.

This is essentially a great small-format drill for detail work in general metalwork, fabrication, and welding.  It’s also — like all Metabo gear — not so inexpensive.  Street pricing starts around $120.

3/8″ Lightweight Drill [Metabo]
Street Pricing [Google Products]

It seems that Metabo’s “Porsche Design” P’7911 Multihammer is becoming a press darling again, most recently featured on Engadget and Sybarites – not to mention about a thousand spam blogs who ripped off the post from the them.  It is an interesting tool, though it seems that none of us can really figure out who qualifies as its target market.  But remember: you saw it first back in December here on TM!

Apparently Metabo got together with Porsche Design (yes, that Porsche) to create “a perfect rotary hammer, reduced to its key functions: hammer drilling in stone, chiseling, drilling in wood and metal, screwing.”

The housing’s made of aluminum and carbon fibre, for chrissake.  I can’t imagine what this costs, and I can’t find anyone selling it readily, so it’s today’s tool pr0n.

Check out the video.

Porsche Design MultiHammer (Model P’7911) [Metabo Warning: Video w/Sound]

Just like that old Dodge pickup we used to take to the lumber yard, Metabo’s new HE 2000 heat gun features three speeds — though they’re not “on the column.”  This industrial-quality gun can pump out 7.8, 9.5, 94 17.7 cubic-feet-per-minute of hot air at between 120 and 1,100 degrees F.

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Metabo’s been slowly working their way down their line of drill/drivers, converting them to lithium-ion power.  The most recent upgrade recipient: the 14.4V line.

The new BSZ 14.4 will ofer up to 487 in-lbs of torque and no-load speeds up to 1,400 RPM — which Metabo claims enables it to drill up to 1/2″ holes in mild steel and up to 1-3/16″ holes in soft wood.  It also sports a significantly longer runtime than the old NiCd, and offers a service life of up to 1,500 charge cycles.  Like other li-ion tools, it can stay charged on the shelf for a long time.

Pricing will be up to…  We don’t know yet officially, but the old NiCd version sold for around $215.

When you’re looking to mount, say, your awesome new tubing bender to the shop floor and need to drill some 3/4″ holes in the concrete, you need a rotary hammer.  Think of these things as the hammerdrill equivalent of Doom’s BFG.  And let’s face it: Anything that’ll drill a big ‘ol hole in wood and concrete is cool.

Now Metabo’s come out with a “compact” rotary hammer.  Yeah, it sounded like an oxymoron to us, too, but we can think of some situations where it’d come in handy.

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When Metabo launched their “Li-Power” lithium-ion battery line earlier this year, they designed it to interface with their existing tools — provided they’re part of the group that utilizes the company’s air-cooled battery system.  Since the “Li-Power” announcement, they’ve been creating and releasing different sized Li-Ion batteries for use in each of the associated tool lines.  Now, they’re offering their 18V BSZ 18 for sale already bundled with the Li-Power 20 series battery and charger. 

The BSZ 18 is already a capable drill/driver, capable of drilling up to 1/2″ holes in mild steel and up to 1-3/16″ holes in wood, and offering 20 torque settings — as well as a drill setting.  It features a 1/2″ keyless chuck and a spindle lock to “allow one handed bit changes,” according to Metabo.  Weighing in at 4.85 lbs, the BSZ 18 – in either NiCd or Li-Ion form — is quite powerful, producing a whopping 549 in-lbs of torque. 

The addition of the Li-Power battery brings a 30% faster charge, a service life of up to 1,500 charges, and the capability to store the tool for up to 18 months without losing a charge.  Considering just torque specs and battery power, the Li-Powered BSZ 18 lands square in competition with Milwaukee’s V18.

A quick Froogle search returned a street price of around $345 for the Li-Powered version of the BSZ 18, versus $240 for the standard NiCd kit.  Of course, it’s up to you as to whether the li-ion additional runtime and shelf life justifies the $100 price jump.

The Li-Powered BSZ 18 [Metabo]
Price Search (Li-Powered BSZ 18) [Froogle]

For comparison:
The NiCd BSZ 18 [Metabo]
Price Search (NiCd BSZ 18) [Froogle]

Rockler published a pretty good review of Metabo’s PowerMaxx cordless drill a few days ago.  We mentioned the PowerMaxx back when it was first announced, and’ve been meaning to get your a review ourselves.  Since they beat us to it we thought we’d pass on theirs first.  (Disclaimer alert: Rocker sells these items.)

From Rockler’s woodworking blog:

What about power? Power is what sets the Metabo apart form other small cordless drills and drivers. Its 80 In-lbs. max torque, 2-speed gearbox, 20-level clutch and long lasting 4.8 volt batteries put it in a class of tool that the suits the performance needs of professional cabinetmakers and cabinet installers.  The PowerMaxx Plus Package comes with two batteries and a charger.  Keeping one in the drill and one in the charger will keep you moving along, whether you’re driving 2-1/2″ screws into wall studs, putting on a kitchen’s worth of hardware, or just doing a little work around the house.

The obvious comparison here is Bosch PS20 (which we did a hands-on with last month).  The PowerMaxx uses a 4.8v battery instead of the PS20’s 10.8v, but the PowerMaxx claims 80 in-lbs of torque in similar comparison to the PS20’s “80+ in-lbs.”  Hmm.

The PowerMaxx does include a 2-speed gearbox — 0-200 RPM in low, 0-600 (like the PS20) in high — and a spindle lock.  One big difference: the PowerMaxx features a standard chuck as opposed to the PS20’s quick-change-only setup. 

I guess we’ll have to lay hands on one of these and get back to you with some real-life comparisons.

The Metabo PowerMaxx Cordless Drill [Rockler’s Woodworking Blog]
The PowerMaxx Cordless Drill [Metabo USA]

Metabo released a new 12-gauge shear earlier this week.  It appears to be a pretty straightforward shear with a 5.2 amp motor, a max torque of 53 in-lbs, and 3,000 no-load strokes per minute. 

Metabo says it’ll handle 12-gauge mild steel and 14-gauge mild stainless with a minimum cutting radius of 3/4″, and the tool’s designed for use with metal and plastic.  The tool itself is 11″ long and weighs 6 lbs.  One slick feature:  A tool rest on top of the shear can act as a bench mount so you can turn the tool over and use it as a stationary shear.  A lock-on switch makes stationary use make sense.

We’ll report back with more information once we have a chance to talk to Metabo about it.  On the surface it appears to be similar to the DeWalt and other shears on the market.  Often the difference between Metabo power tools and others isn’t clearly visible on the surface, though.  Their angle grinders are first class — look for a hands-on with one here shortly that’s in process right now — but many of their strong features are inside, designed to improve reliability as well as performance.

We couldn’t find a listing for it yet on Metabo’s website, but a Froogle search did turn up one for pre-sale at $575.40.

The Metabo Ku6870 12-Gauge Shear [Froogle]

Last year the European Union began to recognize and legislate to prevent “white finger syndrome:” the numbness and nerve damage that can come from long-term exposure to vibration.  If you’ve ever used a palm sander for a few hours straight, you’ll remember how your hand felt like it was still vibrating when you stopped.  Now imagine using something like an angle grinder for hours every day over the course of a career.

In July of 2005, the EU established new rules to limit workers’ exposure to vibrating tools by limiting the number of daily use hours based on the level of vibration produced by the tool.  Metabo, which sells a large number of tools in the EU as well as the U.S. and worldwide, responded by developing their Vibratech grips to reduce tool vibration.

The Vibratech grips are significantly thicker than standard grips and completely isolate your hand from the vibrating tool with a specially selected and applied dense vibration-absorbing polymer.  On angle grinders, this reduces vibration on the side handle by a whopping 60%.  So, workers in the EU can work longer with Vibratech-equipped tools. 

Even in parts of the world where the regulations don’t apply, a tool that vibrates less is easier to control, more comfortable to use, and less stressful on the hands and arms.

Vibratech grips are available on Metabo’s full line of angle grinders and can be ordered as spare parts to retrofit the Metabo angle grinder you might already have.  Part numbers are available via the link below.

Vibratech Grips [Metabo USA]

This year Metabo’s been on the move, slowly adding Li-Ion batteries to their cordless tools to improve usability.  Dubbed “Li-Power” by Metabo, their batteries offer a number of interesting features including:

• a multi-function display, showing capacity level as well as temperature and overload warnings
• a terminal neck designed to interface with the air-cooling apparatus in their tools and chargers
• built-in electronics to protect against overcharge, deep discharge, overload, and overheating

Overall, this seems like a really well-thought-out system, as opposed to just swapping in the Li-Ion cells and chargers that have been around for some time.

Metabo continues to add tools to its Li-Power line, and expects to have a full range of cordless tools (including drills, saws, and drivers) featuring Li-Power on the market this year.

Look for more coverage of Li-Power in a cordless drill/driver comparison feature article coming later this week.

Li-Power Announcement [Metabo]
Li-Power Line Teaser Brochure [PDF - Metabo]

Apparently Bosch and Metabo are vying for the “smallest cordless drill/driver” as Metabo released their new PowerMaxx Kit within days of Bosch’s PS20 which makes the same claim.

The 4.8v PowerMax weighs only 1.5 lbs. while still driving a (claimed) 95 10×1 in. screws on a single charge.  Metabo says the battery recharges in under 2 hours.  It also feature a two-speed gearbox, which gives it a no-load speed of 0-200 RPM in screw mode and 0-600 RPM in drill mode, and a 360 degree rotating offset screw driving attachment to make driving screws in tight spaces easier.  Maximum torque is listed as 80 in/lbs.

So, how do they stack up?