Power Supplies Reviews

Not Your Average Wall-Wart Junk Charger:
This charger actually has a line cord and plugs into a standard 120V wall outlet! It will charge Dewalt and Black and Decker batteries in the range of 7.2 to 18 volts. It also has a battery "rejuvinating" mode. It works and at the same price as a low-quality OEM replacement charger.

We use the chargers for our tools. found them to be reliabe.

Was needing something to charge my black and decker 12 volt battery PS130 because their charger went out on me. this worked perfectly. Later I got a dewalt 18 volt circular saw and again no problems.

No kidding!! The shipping charge on these batteries was over $6.00. Amazon doesn't itemize the shipping charges on your order, so if you order multiple items, you won't know that you're being raped by Crutchfield until it is too late!!

So these were really irritatting to me I bought a 12 pack of these and went threw the whole intire pack in 4 days, I only used them in my walkman, they just didn't last that long, not even a whole work shift which sucks. oh well wanted to write a review for it so everyone could know that these are probably just good for remote controls or something that hardly uses any power. Definatley not for electronics at all!

I used to buy Energizers and Duracells at $3-4 a pop for four batteries. Now I buy generic Alkalines at Costco. Cost: $8 for 10 four packs. It's like having a battery store in the kitchen drawer. According to a recent coprehensive story in Consumer Reports, there is only a little difference between name brand and generic alkaline batteries.

The Tripp Lite PV150 (150 watts) delivers only 98 volts (no load); many laptops just shut off because of the low and out-of-spec AC voltage.
The unit may be OK for drills, toasters, etc.

Hopefully, the PV300 delivers decent AC voltage but check it before the inverter damages your laptop.

If you are looking for a perfect inverter ,this is it. I am a storm chaser for the national weather service and let me tell you, this thing powers my whole truck. Radios, radar systems, even a desktop computer! Most people complain of only getting 120W through a cig lighter. All you need to do is find the same fuse that is in the inverter and stick in in the fuse slot in your car. Volia, you can pull up to 300W from your cig lighter!

folks if you are looking for a great inverter, this is it. I am a storm chaser for the national weather service and this thing powers my whole truck. Radar systems, AC radio, and i'm sure there's more. it even powers a desktop computer! Lots of you complain that you can only get 120W out of you cig lighter. Well all you have to do is find the same fuse that is in the inverter and replace it with the one in you car. Volia, you can then pull up to 300 watts from your lighter

I am impressed with this saw. I was apprehensive about spending this much money for a cordless saw that may see little use if it were slow cutting.I cuts fast enough and ideal for small jobs. Also it recharges in less than an hour.

Don't retire your 7-1/4" yet. The DeWalt DC390 is a great saw if used for smaller tasks on the jobsite or around the house. On the jobsite, the DC390 is designed to augment, not replace, the 7-1/4" corded saw. This saw would be ideal for the average homeowner who would typically put it to light - moderate use. The advantages of a cordless c-saw are pretty obvious... light-weight, convienence and no cord. This saw is extremely handy for tasks like trimming plywood on the roof ends without the weight and cord of a 7-1/4"; plus, the left-side blade allows you to keep your center of gravity over the support of the roof deck if you are right handed. It is also handy when doing framing modifications or revisions (smaller stuff). If you are framing a house, you may start with the cordless, but you'll be back to using your 7-1/4" when the battery runs dry. A hundred 2x's may sound like a lot to some people, but not when framing a whole house. While rugged, the DC390 is not really designed for full, day-long, continuous production work. If it were, DeWalt would provide a second battery for recharge as they do with their drills and screw guns. Based on my experience, I would say the claim of cutting 100 (dry), 2x4's at 90-degrees on a charge is fairly accurate. Wet or damp wood, pressure-treated lumber, angle of cut, dimension of lumber (2x8's, 2x10's...), and blade sharpness will effect battery drain and, therefore, the number of boards you will be able to cut. As with all cordless tools, it's generally not the ruggedness of the tool... it's the energy demand on the battery that is the limiting factor.

This saw definately has it's place on the jobsite, but its uses have practical limits. As noted above, DeWalt offers this saw with only one battery, which may echo the tool's intended use limitations. If you already have a DeWalt battery and charger, Amazon's third-party vendor, MaxTool.com offers this saw as a 'bare tool' for around $100... a great deal.

I recently got a job building a fence out in the country where the closest power outlet is 400ft away from the project and thought that I needed a cordless circular saw to do the job.
I decided on the Dewalt DC390 based on Dewalts' reputation and on the positive reviews here on Amazon. I was a little worried that it came with only one battery but thought I would see how it went before purchasing another expensive battery. Well I took it to the job and started framing the fence using the DC390 and I have to say that I LOVE this saw! It cut through the 2x4's effortlessly, the bevel adjustments were very smooth, and the saw never bogged down once. I would work all morning and plug it into the charger during lunch and the battery would be topped off in 20 minutes and it would run the whole rest of the day without a hiccup.
I was also worried that being left handed would be a problem because this saw is designed for righties (unlike my Porter Cable left handed model circular saw) but it wasn't a problem at all. There is a large cutout in the shoe that makes it extremely easy to see my pencil line while cutting.
I am so happy with this saw and it is so easy to use that it will be my new "go to" saw for all my projects. I can't recommend it enough.

I have to agree with many of the other reviewers who like this router for its smoothness, power,and low noise level. The grips are great, it plunges nicely, and the quality of materials seems top rate. However, my experience with this router has revealed two flaws that greatly detract from what would otherwise be a truly fine machine. While these flaws are not necessarily deal-breakers, those of you who are considering buying this tool may want to be aware of them.

First, as another reviewer has pointed out, it is impossible to accurately center template guides within the base plate. The user must screw the template guide holder into the baseplate, and since the holder does not precisely register into the baseplate, it is thus extremely difficult to accurately center the guides. If you use template guides and require even a moderate degree of accuracy, this flaw is a deal-breaker. Do not buy this router. On the other hand, if you never use template guides or plan on parking this baby in a router table, you'll have no problems. This would be a fine router for those purposes.

The other problem is another quality/design issue that can be remedied but is a moderate annoyance. On my machine, the release/locking lever for the plunge mechanism came loose on several occassions, making it impossible to plunge and lock the router at a desired depth. There is a small set screw in the lever mechanism that works loose and has to be constantly tightened and adjusted. This problem is not an isolated incident as it also has occured with two other cabinetmakers and their identical routers in my shop. In the end, having tired of constantly fiddling with our machines, the three of us adjusted the mechanisms as best we could, applied Lock-Tite to the set screws, and hoped we did it right because there would be no way to disassemble the levers once the Lock-Tite cured. Fortunately, the fix worked fine, and all three of us are happily using our machines without any problems. Again, not a deal-breaker and the problem was fixed, but this seems unnecessary for a $200 router.

The other router to consider in this price range is the DeWalt DW625 3 HP plunge router. Though it has more power than the PC 8529, it is the same size and weight. It's also variable speed and would be great in a router table. I've never been a huge DeWalt fan (many of their products seem overrated and overpriced), this seems to be an excellent machine. Several of the guys in my shop own them and use them for the dual purposes of plunge operations as well as major hogging through lots of material (the extra hp makes a big difference). Add it to your list of possibilities.

I like all the features of this router and for the most part, everything works great. This router follows the PC reputation of quality. I also have a 1 3/4 hp PC 690 and it seems to have more power than the 8529 which is rated at 1/4 hp more. Also, be careful with this router as I accidently dropped mine and the soft start circuit went bad. 80 some dollars later, I was back in action, but am really leary about buying another soft start router.
I don't much care for the trigger lock, but it works.

This is a great router, with good power, excellent precision, and is relatively quiet.

That said, I feel I ought to address the issue with the guide collar mentioned in several other reviews. To quite: "it is impossible to accurately center template guides within the base plate." This and other statements to this effect can only be from users who didn't bother to read the manual. The collet is shaped like a centering cone, and when you fully plunge the router with a guide collet in it, it centers itself. Then you just tighten the screws. Actually, this is pretty much how you center every other router to it's guide collet, so I don't know if these other guys have ever used routers before...

Much improved over the 7529, by the way.

This saw is great. I regulaly cut concrete core steel clad raised floor tiles. The basic Milwaulkee Sawz All used to beat me to death doing this. But the reciprocating counterweight seems to work quite well.

I love this Dewalt DW309 HEAVY DUTY Reciprocating Saw. I Purchased mine 12/1998 and have put it through the mill. If I could only have one electrical tool, this would be it. I do everything with it.

I finally had to give my brother his saw back today. <> I'm going to miss the big beast.

Okay, I'm no pro -- just a very enthusiastic amateur. On the other hand, since I have no idea what the correct way to use the saw is, I may well put it through a harder, albeit shorter and less frequent, workout than the pros do.

A couple comments:

If you need to pull the blade out of the cut before you've gone all the way through the material, be sure to let go of the trigger first, or this puppy will twist your blade into a fair imitation of a question mark.

As far as changing blades goes, I can't imagine anything easier. Just flip up the little lever, give the saw a tiny shake, and the old blade falls harmlessly to the ground. Shove in a new blade, push the lever back down, and it's off to the races again. I'm not really sure why anyone would *want* to touch the old blade -- gloves or no -- before it cools off, but I agree it would definitely be a hazard.

Sure, it vibrates like a Harley with a bad timing sprocket, but for this amateur that's part of the appeal -- i.e., when I fire that thing up I just KNOW I'm doing some really MANLY stuff! {g}

Great saw. Wish I had one of my very own.

Makita has two 14.4 impact drivers on the market. The older one is the 6932 and the newer the 6935. While both are priced about the same, the older is widely promoted packaged with a drill/driver unit. I chose to forgo the allure of a free drill/driver unit and bought the newer 6935 model. While both units are described as "variable speed", the newer was advetised by Makita to have "true variable speed". I took the addition of "true" to mean that torque would remain constant even when rotational speed was reduced. The quick and easy way to acheive variable speed is to reduce speed by modulating power. The draw back is that reducing power also reduces torque, to maintain full torque high speed is necessary.

The 6935 has meet my expectations. With the 6935, when driving a long screw, you can start fast and as the surface of the wood is approached, slow the speed and have the constant torque to continue driving the screw to the desired level. Of course, the deeper the screw goes, the more torque is demanded. and for shorter screws, the declining torque provided by an "untrue" variable speed driver will still get the job done. With longer screws, more demanding operations the need for full torque comes into play.


I think I made the right choice and passed on the free drill/driver that comes with the older model. The with the 6935 there is virtually no need for a drill/driver unit. The 6935 is far superior as a driver whether driving screws, nuts, or spade bit. And as a drill it has greater rotational speed than the drill unit. For me its better to carry one tool rather than two.

To complete the comparison, the 6935 has more the 10% greater speed and torque than the 6932, or for that matter other 1/4" impact drivers on the market.

As much as I like the 6935, and think it was the best choice at the time of purchase a few months ago. If I where to be in the market today and knowing what I know now, I would be hard pressed not to go for the new Panasonic 12 volt which permits the choice of three different torque levels. While the 6935 permits good fingertip control, it requires close attention and a mistake can be a broken screw or an over driven screw. It would be helpful to choose a maximum torque.

I have used Makita tools for years and was first introduced to them by my father who thinks they are the best out there. I agree with the old man. Damn good drill.

Why are people rating this tool badly for the shipping problems of UPS? Everyone knows UPS has the worst reputation for breaking things in shipment, dropping plasma TVs off the truck, giving you packages with tire tread marks on it etc. As for crooked decals on the case... really, who cares? Also, this is not the impact driver that is part of a kit. The reason it is priced lower than the drill/driver kit is because it is NOT that product. This is just the impact driver.

This impact driver rocks! Very fast. So far I have only driven a lot of 3 1/2" screws and it was never so easy even with damaged heads. Battery lasts a lot longer than my 12v panasonic. I have used a 12v. makita impact driver with 3/8" lags and that worked well so I imagine this will be fantastic. (update later, I just wanted to review the tool and not the shipping and decals.). I also bought a palm nailer so now attaching things is practically effortless.

Good sander, but not Great.

I had this sander for a short while before I knew it would not suit my needs. I usually prefer bosch tools over most other brands because of their reliability and sturdy build that I have come to expect. This tool had both those features, but lacked a few things I needed for my particular working style. I have the Dewalt 5 inch variable speed orbital sander, which after 2 years of light duty stopped working properly. That was a good sander, but the problem with the variable speed control breaking put a bad taste in my mouth for dewalt sanders alltogether. I hold electronic failure very high, as compared to mechanical failure which is expected with time and use. The porter cable 5 inch orbital sander also would not fit either, since the dust port/bag coming loose with sanding vibration brought back memories of the same thing happening on my Porter cable Biscuit joiner, and Belt sander. That type of failure would be unacceptable on an orbital sander because finer particles from the sander make a greater mess than the larger particles from the other tools. Back to the bosch. Because of the negatives on the other units, I thought I was directed toward the bosch, even though it had a few shortcomings. The fact that it does not come with a vacuum adapter was a negative. The usage of a filter element was also a negative, since it didn't seem like it had any longevity, if gotten wet and such. The microfiber filter aspect is nice, but not really practical for those who do any real amount of sanding, since the filter gets clogged so quickly, and when that happens, the sander does not suck up dust anymore and it just blows around the workspace, making a dusty mess. Filter cleanings every 3 minutes is not practical, and very messy. About filter longevity, the material looks like the stuff they use for the shopvac filters, which I also have to replace every 3 months or so. The scenario is something like this, I sanded some drywall, and the fine dust is still stuck in the filter, even after batting it against the trash can. Only way to clean it is to wash it. After several washes, the shrinkage and drying out of the filter paper can only take so much and starts to wear. Time to replace it. Don't know if it would happen this way, but just recalling from other experiences with similar filters. The locking mechanism leaves more to be desired too, the filter snaps on to the top of the filter box like a tupperware lid, but not as rubberized. There are 2 tabs that hold this filter box onto the sander unit. I've seen this cheap tab system fail repeatedly on numerous other items, from cars to tackle boxes. The filter I could have lived with, because if I had decided to keep the sander, I would primarily be using a vacuum adapter that would have to be purchased separately.

Another Problem I had with the sander was that the 5 inch pad is mounted to the sanding unit directly in the center, and leaves a nickel-sized hole where the paper has no reinforcement. I tend to sand a lot of corners on wooden boxes, to rid them of sharp corners, and the direct center is the place where the paper is usually the best condition after doing regular sanding.(compared to the outer edge of the paper). Well with this big hole in the center, the corner would rip right through and ruin the wood. This would be a problem even on already rounded corners. I noticed this after I had sanded a flat panel, and noticed that the sand paper in the center of the sanding pad was in perfect condition, and loaded with dust buildup, because of the indentation. Looking at the other sanders you will find that they distribute 3 to 4 holes around the center, using the smallest holds possible, quite opposite of what bosch did. This was a major deciding factor in why I returned the unit. It probably also had something to do with why the sander did not feel like it was sanding true when on a flat surface. It had a wobble to it that seemed like the sanding pad was not even with the sanding motor, giving a warped brake rotor effect.

All in all, the other claims are true. The unit is built well, it does have a nice vibration-free feel to it. It did have plenty of power to power through my sanding projects. Initially the dust extraction worked well, but when it clogs it blows dust around the workspace. The cord is shorter than my dewalt, about 2 feet short, enough to be noticeable and pull out an extension cord. There aren't very many other 5 inch sanders that appeal to me, and I am not looking to get another dewalt, I have decided to get the rigid 6 inch orbital sander at Home depot. It is the same sander sold here on amazon, under a different name though. The Metabo SXE450 00458 6" Random Orbit Sander. Look forward to seeing my review on that unit.

I bought this sander because my palm sander just wouldn't do the job on some of the harder woods and I am hesitant to use a belt sander on my smaller projects. I have not been disappointed using this sander so far. It does a good job with rapid removal on hardwoods (maple, cherry, mahogany, cocobolo) when using the more aggressive grits. It will also product a nice finish ready for final hand sanding with 320 and 600 grit. It is not too loud, it is a sander after all. The vibration is very tolerable and it is easy to control it's movements. the dust collection is adequate since I use it outdoors, not sure how it will be in an enclosed space. The dust collection adapter available on amazon is ok but the sander is a bit more awkward when you attach it ito a vaccuum hose. Most of the time I just make sure to open the garage door and stand close to it so the dust that escapes blows outside. The hook and loop setup holds the paper more securely then I thought it would, no complaints there. It feels nice and solid when you pick it up and when in use. I have addressed Bosch carrying cases in other reviews and this one is as good as the others. Nice fit for the tools and a couple of sheets of paper, and the locking clips are metal and are very secure compared to the plastic clips on some cases I have seen. The only reasons I gave this tool 4 stars is because of the dust collection adapter awkwardness. If you ignore that small issue this is a 5 star tool. I would recommend this item to anyone wanting a small sander capable of moderate to fine sanding work.

This ROS is just what I expected, coming from the Cadillac of power tools. Unlike others, I think the dust collection system works great. Quiet, smooth and effective stock removal. Highly recommended (I have used it about 10 hours so far and as you can tell I'm impressed)!

I would only recommend this tool to someone who uses it for home. I am a contractor whom owns numerous Dewalt cordless tools and am disappointed in most. I own the 14v and the 12v impacts, and in a matter of 6 months of daily use they have both burned up arbors. The batteries will not keep a charge close to origional. B&D service centers have repaired both under warrenty, but they will not admit to any design flaw. "Heavy Duty", I don't think so.

this dewalt impact drill spins faster and has more power for driving screws into concrete or steel but the batteries last only half the time as my makita 12 volt impact.so i use my makita mostly cause i dont have time to be changing batteries every 15 minutes..

I've used the DeWalt 18 volt driver/hammer drill for years, and I really have thought it was a good product. I once dropped my drill from a second story and after it bounced a few times it still worked, so I've been convinced that the DeWalt product was a decent brand.

I recently got this 14.4 impact and have loved using it. It's lighter than the 18 volt I'm used to and easy to handle. It drives long screws no problem. There are no dials to turn, no speeds to set and the battery seems to last a long time. I've used it for setting electrical finish, which takes a light touch, to drilling holes in stucco with a masonary bit (doing what I normally would have used the "hammer drill" function for).

I do know carpenters that swear by the Makita impact driver, so I can't compare brand to brand, but if you've always used a normal driver drill and haven't yet tried out the impact driver, you're in for a treat. It really does a much better job.

And to think, I used a Yankee back in the day, and I'm not that old,,,,,well ok, I'm pushing forty, but still, I cut my teeth with a Yankee screwdriver,,,,,how far things have come.

I do not recommend this drill. The battery failed within a year and the new 18 volt NiCad is failing again after about another year. I use it only occasionally so the comment regarding battery failure in this tool for DIY resonates.

Also, I don't think the tool lives up to its torque claims. Finally, the battery from day one has been difficult to remove. The side squeeze mechanism never worked properly.

I don't own this drill, but I do know why so many folks have had battery problems. The 18V batteries that Milwaukee includes with this drill are nickel cadmium. Nicads are known for having "memory" problems caused by recharging batteries before they are fully discharged. And here is a gem of a quote from the wikipedia - "NiCd batteries, when not used regularly, tend to develop dendrites (thin, conductive crystals), causing internal short circuits and premature battery failure, long before the 800-1000 charge/discharge cycles claimed by most vendors." Bam!

This means that if you are an occasional user (weekend warrior), you'd be better off with a different brand that uses Nickel metal-hydride batteries. They are less prone to the problems described above. The 18V drills made by Makita, Panasonic, and Bosch all use NiMh batteries. Dewalt 18V drills come with NiCd.

This Tool is incredible, I upgraded from the Makita 18 volt. It was like moving from a Model T to a Mercedes. The balance is correct and I am sure to find a situation that will utilize the reversing battery mount.
The chuck really locks the bit in place. The clutch seems to be calibrated the same as the Makita and I have yet to break a screw.
It seems slightly heavier than the Makita but the comfortable grip makes up for it
I can recommend this product to any serious wood worker or to anyone that uses a Battery powered drill frequently