Here are some amusing and interesting posts that I caught this morning:
Bosch promotes their 18V FREAK 2.0 2-in-1 brushless impact driver/wrench with an office tool toss party.
“Get the Freak’n job done with more torque.”
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Update 8/24/22 – It seems that Bosch removed their tool tossing video from social media.
Harbor Freight reposted some photos of tool trucks parked in front of their stores.
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I always find it amusing to see tool trucks parked at Home Depot, but everyone’s got some shopping to do.
Mac Tools is showing off their (new?) weatherproof composite tool boxes.
These Mac tool boxes look like specially themed Dewalt ToughSystem tool boxes, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I wish they showed more about the side rails, which look to be different than Dewalt’s wall-mounting ToughSystem rails. It also looks like they’re mounted to standard 80/20-type T-slot extrusions.
And I excitedly shared a picture of the new Dewalt 12V Max Xtreme SubCompact cordless power tools that showed up. (That’s what I’ll be working on today!)
Ben’s working on a mobile base for his router table.
Jorn
For the Bosch Freak video: They’re passing the tool around trying to find someone who can remove a stuck bit from the hex chuck.
I’ve had this tool for a month now and here are my gripes:
-The bits get stuck and you have to rotate the release collar to find the sweet spot that will allow it to release
-Even on the lowest setting it will sometimes cam out of Phillips head screws before it begins to hammer.
J.B.
Almost spit out my lunch reading your comment from laughing. Didn’t use mine for a good month or two after a bit got stuck on the first use and didn’t want to deal with it.
Johnny4
Funny comment. Had the same problem a few times.
It is not a problem with the driver. More of a bit and screw issue wouldn’t you say. Buy a good hardened bit it won’t get stuck. Buy Robertson or star screws and problem 2 is not an issue either. Was driving 3″ screws with the original Bosch impactor, might be my favorite tool ever, fast and powerful.
Robert Adkins
Had that problem with DeWalt driver. Using Bosch double-ended bits, it would get stuck so bad I feared breaking the chuck. I blamed Bosch, but later I bought a double-ended DeWalt bit, and it got stuck too. I had to cut the ends off 4 or 5 double-ended bits and re-grind the groove, now they work great.
Seems like they would fully test tools before they unleash them on the public.
CountyCork
Never had a problem with the old version 5 years of use so far.
PB
Had the same issue with a Milwaukee impact driver. Never got the bit out. Now I only get square drive impacts and put on a bit adaptor. It makes it longer but at least I still have a tool that works.
I don’t have a hardness testing machine at home, so I can’t really compare bit hardness before I use the bit. I wonder if there is a way to.
ScreechDiamomds
I would like to know when the new DeWalt sun compacts will be available to us, the consumer
Stuart
“Summer 2019”
A reader send me a photo of the combo kit at his local Lowes. Product models *should* be on the way to other stores. I checked at my Lowes a few days ago, and they didn’t have anything yet.
Flotsam
From that “Freak” video, i want to see the outtakes from the video! The drops must have been fantastic
Travis
I was told by my friends in the Bosch office nobody dropped it. It was a one take video. They got hands.
Chris
Hahaha. The tool trucks at HF is golden. Can’t wait to see how the 12v max tools perform.
Corey Moore
That quite the morning lol interested to see what’s up with the 12v and Mac version of tough system.
Corey Moore
Just noticed that the Mac boxes are mounted identical to Dewalt, I thought there was some new mounting on the back for the rails. That blacked out look is tricky lol
Mickey
Pretty sure the Snap-On, Matco and MAC trucks were just emptying their toilets in the HF parking lots.
Matt
You must have fancy ass dealer because I’ve spent thousands with Snap on and Ive never taken a shit in a tool truck
Altan
I have seen these Toughsystem tool boxes from Mac Tools, they make them for Facom as well also with the red handles, also for Stanley Fatmax with yellow handles. DeWALT ones are with black handles, so by now they have made four different versions of these boxes, I hope they will make them for Porter Cable also with Grey handles, they have used grey and red colours for Porter Cable before, but if they make it for Craftsman they will have the same red colour as Facom and Mac Tools, so I don’t mind it a lot unless they make a fully red Toughsystem box for Craftsman, the reason I want different colours in these boxes is that I can recognise the content by the colour, labeling them is not a good help, as you have to come closer to read but red handles are easy to recognise from far.
Nathan
bet even money the craftsman ones are red boxes with black handles. and I’d be OK with that too if they were say a touch cheaper.
Curious if there are any real differences in the MAC box vs its dewalt counterpart. I’ve been looking at some toughsystem items.
Altan
I have checked them all, I don’t think there is a difference between them, just Facom and Mac tools ones are expensive. Stanley Fatmax ones are also a bit expensive.
Let’s see they are gonna make Toughshstem boxes for Craftsman also or not, if yes I would be happy to get red box with black handle.
fred
Are tool trucks a big thing in the UK? I thought that company trucks with “easy” payment plans (easy as in the Old Tennessee Ernie Ford song “I owe my soul to the company store”) were only popular in the US.
Altan
Hi Fred the Great,
I have seen a Snap On tool truck once here in London, not from any other brand, London and England are not a good place for trucks as roads are so narrow here, have you actually been in the UK?! I mostly buy online, have been two times in tool shows and there are a few tool shops in London and around London I have been, but tool shops are not very good like the ones you have in the US, in general space is a problem in London, I have the feeling these trucks are popular in US only and maybe in Canada as well, I am a fan of non-lingual songs mostly or instrumental music, not really good with lingual songs and singers.
fred
My wife and I – retired folks – try to get to Europe at least once per year – usually on tours. We did 2 this year – one on a riverboat from Brussels to Amsterdam – and one via coach from Milan to Venice. We’ve toured England, Scotland and Wales – plus have circled Ireland – south to north and then south again on previous excursions. My first trip to the UK was in 1959 – as a lad.
The song I referred to included the lament of a coal miner who owed more than his wages could possibly accommodate. It hearkened back to a brutal time when miners and families might live in company housing, buy their food and other necessities at the company store and were thus beholden and in debt to their employer. It was described as being tantamount to slavery.
In an analogous way – some buyers from tool trucks seem to get into debt that they may find onerous.
J Faddy
We have Snap on, Mac tools and Matco (owned by Arnold Clark) here in Glasgow.
fred
Never saw the tool trucks – but wasn’t looking for them when we’ve been in Glasgow. My wife’s mother was born in Glasgow – and we could trace (at the Mitchell Library) her family (3 generations). My mother in law emigrated to the USA in the 1920’s.
Stuart
I saw that too, and also Facom 20V Max cordless power tools.
Altan
None of these brands (Falcon, Stanley Fatmax) wanted to provide me those ? and ? handles, I will have to try Mac Tools. I have told them both I have DeWALT ones and I want to change the handles of some, I will try one more time but this time lying to them as I have Facom Toughsystem toolboxes or Stanley ones already, so let’s see what would be their reactions in providing spare parts for their products, and if they refuse to do, I will share that here as well. I had a new Stanley Italian made welder needed some spare parts which was lost and I had to call them more than 10 times and at the end no result, completely disappointed with Stanley, they were telling me an Italian company has made it for Stanley so I better contact them directly, in my logic a brand can not redirect me to another brand for a product which has been sold with their brand name, absolutely nonsense. What do you think?
John
Absolutely genius of Ben to utilize raisins in his new table lift mechanism. Less messy than grapes so no wining!
Benjamen
The beauty of text to speech is that you never know what you are going to say :>)
Thanks for the heads up, I fixed it now.
Bill
I used to work at Coca Cola putting myself through school. It was “frowned upon” heavily if they found you drinking Pepsi while on the job. Really surprised that they guys would visit the HF stores in a work vehicle.
fred
Maybe the trucks were franchisee owner-operator’s vehicles – but either way I’d be surprised if “corporate” would be pleased.
One of our shops was in an area with a lot of truck and auto repair shops – so one of the tool trucks would stop by – unless he saw me (as I’d shoo him off). He knew that our fabrication business (except for plant maintenance) was not very well aligned with what he was selling and that we did not expect our employees to buy their own tools. He’d keep trying nonetheless.
David Zeller
“Corporate” should just repost and ask if HF needs anything else dropped off this week, and they appreciate their continued patronage.
Corey Moore
My bet is that they’re in front of that store intentionally to try and coax business. Customers are already there for tools, seems an easy mark.
Nathan
probably aren’t visiting. The HF near my work happens to be ina shopping center block that also has a subway and a vietnamese soup shop.
Diplomatic Immunity
I always get a feeling that the days of tool trucks are numbered sorta like ice cream or slushie trucks. I’m kinda curious as to how well that business model is holding up considering the internet is a thing nowadays.
Brandon
They’ll hang around for a while as long as they keep financing tool purchases. Having that weekly payment deducted from a paycheck makes it much easier to hide how many tools someone buys & how much money they spend on tools from their significant other (if that’s how you roll).
Also, there’s a significant convenience factor in having the tool truck come by regularly instead of having to wait for tools ordered online or travel to another location to purchase them. I know I regularly pay more for items from local vendors who will deliver to my business just for the time savings and convenience.
A W
Hiding the tool purchases from a significant other seems to be a big part of the appeal.
That and being able to shop in an air conditioned truck while still clocked in on the job.
Dav id Swearingen
The ice cream truck business seems to be holding up very well here in sunny Florida where I live. I can’t imagine ordering an ice cream cone or popsicle online, as it would be melted by the time it got here.
The What?
Maybe those tool truck drivers needed something that isn’t sold by their respective companies. Other than wrenches, ratchets, sockets and the occasional air tools what else is there? Maybe they were going to check out the earthquake, which from what I’ve seen is better than snap on. That’s one of few hf tools that happens to be very well made. I’m sure the tool truck drivers use more than just what is on their trucks. The Bosch video is a headscratcher. Why are they tossing it around in the office? Wouldn’t it have made sense to make a video of the freak in action to show what it can do? But unlike sbd, tti and the rest of them, Bosch doesn’t need the power tools division of their company. They were known for automotive parts long before they started making power tools. And as far as I know the majority of the oem alternators, brake system components, fuel pumps, fuel sending components ,& o2 sensors that are in American made automobiles, especially Ford, come from Bosch. They could stop making power tools tomorrow and it would barely effect the company. Which sort of ponders the question why they even started making power tools when they really didn’t need to.
Frank D
Bosch Power Tools has been making tools for what … 100 years now?
Employs 20000 people
> 20 billion in sales
Altan
Here is the clear photos of the Flexvolt Wall Chaser and other information
https://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/section/11114/sn/DEWDCG200NT#.XRmyi-_saM8
Aaron
That tough system side rack is exactly what I need. Keep pretending I’m going to improvise one from existing parts but I’d love to just buy it.
Robert Adkins
The upscale tool makers can call HF names, but they have all had to reduce their prices on certain tools because of HF. They have slowly but steadily increased the quality of their tools to a point where many of them are more than usable. The only HF tools I own are a handful of hand tools, 4 air tools, a plumbers snake, and 4 corded electric tools for occasional use. They have all been usable to very good. The vanity brands don’t feel threatened yet, but their outlook points down over the long term.
mmmtacos
Bosch’s marketing is FREAK’n cringey.