Power Tool Accessories Reviews

After being a loyal Milwaukee customer for many years, things at this company have changed. Approximatley 15 months ago I purchased the 14.4 drill. It came with a nice case and two batteries, along with a charger. The first 6 months everything was fine, however I started to notice that the batteries would wear down after 40 minutes of intermittment use. I only used the drill a couple of times per month. Now, after 15 months, the batteries are completley dead and will not accept a charge. Milwaukee told me batteries are out of warranty and offered no help, even after I explained that the drill is only 15 months old. I paid 179.00 for the whole kit and the new batteries are 65.00 per battery. The drill is now useless. Milwaukee has no idea as to the loyal and steady customer they have lost, all over some batteries. I would have accepted only one battery from them, but they didnt even offer that. I am done with Milwaukee. No wonder the Japense companies are doing so well. We Americans who try and buy American products are tired of companies who dont appreciate our business or loyalty. Next time I will try Panosonic.

Overall, I am very pleased with the Milwaukee 14.4V 1/2" drill/driver. The construction is very sturdy. I accidentally dropped mine from an 8-foot ladder last year onto my concrete garage floor. At the time, I had a magnetic screw bit in the chuck which served to increase the bending force on the tool when it hit the concrete. The battery pack popped off. I re-inserted the battery and the tool has continued to operate normally.

The handle is comfortable and well balanced. I've had good luck with the battery packs. I use a pack until the drill begins to slow down and then pop it into the standard charger. No battery problems whatsoever over the two years that I have owned the tool.

On torque - I have had mixed results. I've used the tool to put hundreds of screws through Hardibacker down to subfloor with excellent results. However, I recently experienced what feels like a slipping clutch when trying to put 2-1/2" coarse-thread drywall screws into studs in a difficult position where I could not bear down on the drill with my full weight.

I like the tool, though when I eventually buy a new drill, it will be a beefier 18/19V or 28V tool.

drill works great with a lot of torque. i like that it has 1/2"
chuck and power to go with it. had the drill less then a year and one of the batteries wouldn't take a charge. i thought it was dead. what i did was take an old phone charger the kind where it plugs directly into wall. i cut off the end jack and split and stripped the double wire. after using a meter to determine which one was (+) and (-), the single contact on battery is (+). i hooked it up to battery for a few minutes. battery is now taking charge in milwaukee charger. they do say don't let the batteries completely discharge so it seems it just needed a little charge for the milwaukee charger to accept it. hope this helps.

We received this vac as a housewarming gift, and I thought that it was great the first 3 times I used it. Then the attachments would not stay on during use, it lost suction, and it died the 4th time I used it. This product was seriously disappointing. My dyson vaccume has such great attachments that I will never use a handheld like this one again.

I used this vacuum at work and it worked well for sweeping up dust and it was great for getting into tight spaces. I also liked how it was easy to clean--dump and start over. I used to even pick up some crazy stuff (on accident) like glass shredds and so forth...but it worked well afterwards; it also sucked up everything that I was trying to clean. It was powerful! I really enjoyed this vacuum and worked well for general cleaning.

...but after a stuggle with ants, the exterminator came to visit - my land lord let them into my apartment. I could not believe what I saw when I got home - dead ants everywhere! You mean to tell me they don't clean up the dead ants? So much for service. But Mini Turbo Shark came to the rescue. This thing was powerful enough to pick up all of the ants - and fast. I had the whole gross thing over with in less then 7 minutes for my whole apartment. The Shark is also great for the car, for picking up a pile of swept crumbs (I don't like using the dust pan) and a lot of other quick clean ups.

I use my drill on a daily basis. Having a higher 3rd speed is a real plus when drilling in metal. The only problem I've had is it's difficult to get into speed 2, I hope that it gets easier with more use. This drill is powerful, fast and balanced. The ratcheting keyless chuck holds good and strong. American buying American made.

And there I was in a Home Depot in Laplace, Louisiana and what did I see?
The very same Dewalt 14.4V xrp 1/2 cordless, drill/driver on the clearance rack for $149.99 plus 10% sales tax.
"Say it ain't so!" - I thought to myself. Why would this be a clearance item? Perhaps the batteries are not used in enough of the other tools - 18 volt units seem to be the new benchmark. Yet what a lovely price -so I bought one.
I've owned a Dewalt 12v xrp for 4 plus years and it's still going strong. When the 12v unit came out the xrp batteries were not available. I ultimately purchased 2 replacement 12v xrp batteries and have been enormously satisfied.
So recently I have been doing a lot of pre-drilling and screwing and have thought about purchasing another 12v xrp drill/driver; they are still holding their price at $169.00
And then I saw the 14.4 on the clearance rack. Half inch chuck, xrp batteries and case for the same price. Oh yeah!
The 14.4 is a bit heavier than my venerable 12v - not the lead weight of the xrp 18v, but all the features are the same:
3 speed, ratcheting steel chuck and great tough if not precision construction.
Some where between 12v and 18v - the torque of the drill becomes unmanageable with one hand. (when tightening wood screws or when a spade bit stops dead in a hole.) That is what the clutch is designed to alleviate. I have never used a cordless drill in the screw/clutch mode. I achieve my desired results by careful modulation of the trigger. The 14.4 works just about perfectly without wrenching your wrist.
There is the same slight bit wobble present in the 12v xrp but it is more of an irritation than a liability.
All Dewalt cordless drills are not created equal.
My 12v xrp has more torque and longer battery life than a friend's 18v dewalt heavy duty cordless drill/driver (non xrp model.)
Complaints: I am ready to see a nickel metal hydride battery made available for cordless hand tools. Knowing that the battery would have a longer run time - yet a much longer charge time would not deter me because the batteries would not be subject to failure in 2 years. ( the Nickel Cadmium short coming.)
My advice buy a 14.4v xrp cordless drill/driver at your home depot clearance rack or take advantage of the Amazon frequent tool discounts to make the DEWALT DC983KA 14.4-Volt XRP 1/2" Drill/Driver Kit your next best friend.

caslo

I have been very pleased with this heavy duty tool. I've used it for inserting long lag screws, as well as inserting small screws and drilling. It's heavy, but rugged.

My well-intentioned wife bought me the DeWalt radio/charger for Christmas (thinking all my tools were DeWalt). Little does she know I am a Milwaukee loyalist since picking up my first Milwaukee tool. :)

I really liked the DeWalt radio, but when my wife found out almost all my cordless tools were Milwaukee (only DeWalt I have it the 9.6V drill), she said I could exchange the DeWalt radio for the Milwaukee if I wanted. Since I am fairly sentimental, I really wanted to keep the DeWalt. However, I just couldn't resist a "listening competition" between my radio and my neighbor's Milwaukee. Unfortunately for my wife's gift, my sentimental side isn't quite as strong as my audio side. Given the side-by-side comparison, the choice was clear - Milwaukee.

If you really need the DeWalt charging function, then the Milwaukee isn't a choice for you. However, if you are looking primarily for a job-site radio, then go with the Milwaukee instead. Plus the Milwaukee has other nice features like easier to use digital tuning, a stereo/mono switch, longer cord, a 12V outlet, a pass-through plug, and a nice bag to hold various items.

Neither of these radios are going to provide high fidelity sound, but the Milwaukee will come much closer.

My husband bought this DW911 Job Site Radio & Battery Charger four years ago. About a month ago, the radio died without warning. We were tempted to throw away the radio but we decided that since this radio had never been abused in any way, perhaps it could be repaired. I found the website Dewalt.com after which I found a Dewalt Service Center only 18 miles from our home. It turned out that it was a FUSE that had gone bad as well as the 14.4 battery pack. Having the fuse replaced cost about $23 and replacing the 14.4 battery cost $66 plus tax. It would have been a shame NOT to keep this radio. So don't despair! If your radio goes out for no good reason, find the DeWalt Svc Ctr closest to you for a diagnosis. You'll save $ by having it repaired. As far as reception goes, we live within 25 miles of several radio stations so the reception tends to be good if not very good. This radio is used primarily outside on our property while we are working outdoors and we have NO COMPLAINTS!

OK, the audio is pretty scratchy, and the little antenna will not pull in weak, distant stations. But let's remember what this radio/charger was designed to do: provide audible music above the noise level of saws, drills, compressors, etc. For this mission, you will find it more than adequate. The high- treble audio, while perhaps irritating in the living room, is a plus to cut through loud jobsite noise.. and let's remember that this unit, with a built-in charger and drop-proof construction, basically costs little more that a charger itself. No, it will never win any audio awards, and if you need high-fidelity bass response (despite the jobsite noise), then the Milwaukee is your choice (without a charger). But if you have DeWalt cordless tools at the jobsite anyway, and if your priority is getting the work done (as opposed to listening to the finest music), this unit not disappoint you. Just be sure you are within 50 miles of a strong station!

I have 3 Dremels. 1 cordless and 2 corded including this one. There are only 2 reasons I keep using Dremel.

1. The long warrnty.
2. It does the job I use it for.

This Dremel was sent in for repair shortly after I got it because it wouldn't hold a bit and it just stopped working. The other cordless was sent in TWICE for repair. And the cordless was sent in THREE times for repair, once for catching on fire. However, each time the tools were repaired and returned quickly.

The other reason I keep using Dremel is because I have not found another tool that can remove grout as well as the Dremel. Of course, I break a lot of bits in the process. But is does the job.

Even though grout removal is not a small job. I've found that the Dremel works best on small crafts and detail work.

Okay...again this is not a review, but when I see items coming soon. I would like to know what Soon is PRIOR to the order. In this case it is min. 1 month...maybe 2. Luckily, I'm in no rush for this.

Also reading thru these reviews, I have seen a few people complaining that they get sent the wrong item (77 piece) and the supplier maybe mislabeling items.

This is a great product, and you can get it, along with any other products on Amazon up to $500 Free! Participate in a special promotion and get a free $500 Amazon Gift Card at this web site: nocost4u.info/amazon

I had this machine for 7 months. While I was using it the yellow button that holds the extension handle on popped off and that let the handle come apart and steam came up in my face and hit my arm. When that happened I threw it. That saved me. I was so disappointed. I had bought mine off of a respected person on ebay that sells everything Delonghi. I tried emailing him for information to send it for repair and never heard anything. Very disappointed!
Melissa in KY

I wish I had found a review like mine before ordering a vapor cleaner. I looked at this steam cleaner and others here at Amazon about 6 weeks ago but came across a review about vapor cleaners. In particular, a good review for Vapor Systems.I ended up ordering a Vapor 2000 from them. Huge mistake. I have since looked through these reviews and found the bad reviews for TPA Impex, Vac International, Business Solutions, Vapor Systems and others. I haven't received my vapor cleaner and will not recieve one because of Vac International but Vapor Systems won't refund my money. I couldn't and still can't get anyone there to address my questions, answer email or phone calls. I think it's run by one person. I don't know how they have stayed in business this long. One of the reviews I read called them incompetent, I'd say at the least. Cathy, Heather, Barb, and Mark were right on. I don't know but I wonder which of these companies Robert works for. Amazon has always been an outstanding place to shop, great prices, reliable service and shipping. If I ever get my money back from Vapor Systems I will buy this DeLonghi steam cleaner.

I bought mine almost 6 years ago from another company for over $350. I wouldn't have anything else but a steam machine for my floors now. I'm spoiled with this and am willing to put up with the few inconveniences to use it. Cleaning is quick and easy. The floor dries almost instantly after it is cleaned, due to the steam evaporating. No streaking, no rinsing, no buckets, no residues. I have learned that to do my large kitchen and two other tiled areas, I pour in 3 cups of water, wait about 5 minutes for it to get hot enough and then the rest goes very quickly. Once, I had to replace part of the handle and being without it, doing my floors the old fashioned way, was a great setback. If you have a really tough spot ( like crayon or something very sticky or dried on) just let the steam rest over the area for 10 to 15 seconds, then procede and it will come off without scrubing or bending over. When I do a large area, I change the cloth half way thru. I use towels. Once they are dirty, it's into the washer. What you must realize is: 1. You must first sweep or vacuum before you stream (I plug unit in to heat before I sweep) 2. Once the water is finished, you have to wait for it to cool down and release the pressure, before you can open it, either for storage or to refill. Make sure all water is out before storing. 3. Regarding storage, since the hose doesn't detach and it is on wheels, it needs room on a floor, like in a closet, between uses. I don't have that space on my main floor, so I keep it in the bathtub of the guest room bath with the shower curtain drawn, when no guests are around. I'm too lazy to take it downstairs, although it isn't very heavy. When I do have guests, I put it on the floor of the hall coat closet or down stairs. For storage, you should detatch the long handle. It becomes easier to store and is less likely to stress out the hose connection from the handle. The electric cord easily wraps around the tank and locks onto itself. You will need an area of about 18" cubed. 4. It worked well on windows to get the dirt off, but then I had to go over it by hand with vinegar water, to get into the tight corners or streaks. Sometimes the hose wasn't long enough to reach high windows outside. 5. I tried the grout attachment on light colored grout and it did a fair job, but I found that using a grout cleaner first(Zep from Home Depot or Lowes), rincing that off and then going over the whole floor with the Steam it Clean, really did the trick. Since it doens't get dirty water all over the floor each time you clean, the grout stays cleaner longer. The grout attachment is fine for small jobs. With my large kitchen and hallway, I would have had to replace attacments frequently. 6. Sure there are things that aren't perfect about it, but in general, it makes the floor cleaning process so much easier and quicker without water all over, rinsing or drying time. Glad I have mine!!!! At this price, it's a steal.!!

I have owned my Delta Sander for several months- bought due to the favorable review in one of my woodworking magazines.

Problems:

Mechanism to elevate table is flawed. Cog belt constantly slips- I have spent whole days just trying to get table parallel. Table is diffuclt to raise and lower. Called customer service a few times but they were of limited help= suggested I take to service center. At nearly 200 lbs this is somewhat impractical.

Motor must be removed to replace cog belt- not a one person job- motor is very heavy.

No way to avoid snip.

Tool might be good for small jobs- like crafts- but working with even small panel doors leads to disappointing results.

I have many delta tools in my shop- love them all except this one.

I have had this sander for 4 years, and the infeed cannot be adjusted to track correctly. I have tried a new belt and every adjustment, talked to delta for support, all to no avail.

I had mine set up and adjusted in about 2 or 3 hours. I burned a couple of boards feeding too fast or going too deep. Once I slowed down, It sands perfect.
It's not a planer. But it's a great sander.

First motor was under warranty and it was replaced, but I had to carry it to the repair shop which was 30 miles from my shop. Next motor lasted 13 months and it burned out, plus the capacitor burned up and 2 bearings were worn to the point of needing replacing. I think it was good that Black & Decker bought Delta Tools maybe they will improve the quality of the tools.

I have not yet been able to use it extensivly I found it easy to assemble and the intial use showed it to be of very good quality.

I am pleasantly surprised with power and ease of operation of this sander. After receiving this tool in a flimsy box without an instruction manual I was ready for the worst. After downloading the manual from Amazon, the sander went together pretty easy. Some of the parts are mislabeled on the assembly sheet but it's pretty easy to look at the picture of the completed sander and get the base built correctly. Make sure you check the alignment of the drive belt sprockets before you turn the sander on. If I had not, it probably would have chewed up my drive belt. Even if I had paid the list price without free shipping I would purchase this tool.

I have been using my 22-540 as a serious amateur cabinet and furniture maker for about seven years. I would hesitate to guess how many feet of wood have passed through the planer but it is a lot.

The Delta 22-540 performed well over the years but a few weeks ago a project came to a sudden stop when the bearings on the cutter head overheated and seized. I found that replacements are available but after a near total disassembly, I found that I could not remove the bearings from the main frame casting. Quite a disappointment.

So now I must choose a replacement. The winner is the DeWalt DW 733 even at the additional ($$$)cost over a replacement 22-540.

The Delta 22-540 does have a nasty habit of setting creep, I control this by blocking the handle or simply holding it with one hand while the lumber is running. I trust the four-post clamp of the new models will cure this problem. I didn't stay with Delta and their 13" 22-580K because of the lock handle design and the useless two-speed feature. Thank you to all of you who wrote reviews on the various planers. And, thank you to Amazon for publishing them. The final decision was easy to make when comparing the DeWalt and the Delta side by side in our local Home Center.Will the DW 733 live up to my expectations? I will let you know in about seven years.

I recently purchased a Delta 22-540 knowing that it had been damaged. The main casting holding the cutter head was broken on one side where the adjustment screw goes through. How I repaired that does not matter since I am writing this to show how to remove the bearings.

After the unit is stripped down you will have the casting that holds the cutter head and bearings, the four holes for the guide bars and the nuts for the adjusting screws. Remove the three cap screws holding the bearing retainer on the pulley end of the cutter head. Block the casting in a vertical position, (I used a low work table) with the pulley end down. You need enough clearance for the cutter bar to move about one inch. A couple of short two by fours worked for me. Set the 2 X 4s on edge as close to the pulley as possible. This gives good support. Use a section of 1 ½ inch pipe, or a large socket if you have one to drive the bearing out. The pipe or socket should rest on the outer race of the bearing but should not bind on the casting. It is fairly easy then to drive the bearing, along with the entire cutter head out of the casting.

Alternately you can use a brass drift pin with at least a ¼ inch face to drive the bearing out. Use firm blows but avoid really hammering on it. Tap the bearing once or twice then shift a third of the way around the bearing, tap again and shift another third of the way around. Continue this until the assembly drops free. You should be able to "feel" the bearing shift but don't try shifting it too far all at once.

Once free of the casting a standard wheel puller can be used to remove the bearing, either one or both. Of course, the pulley has to be removed if that bearing is the one to be replaced,

Don't have a press to reinstall the bearings. I didn't need to change the bearings but to reinstall the cutter head and bearing in the main casting I put a small amount of wheel bearing grease on the outer race of the bearing and inside the housing for the bearing in the main casting. Then I placed the cutter head in the freezer and while it was chilling down I put the main casting in the oven. With the oven at 400 deg for about 20 minutes and after the cutter head had chilled for 45 minutes, (I didn't want to take chances) I was able to slip the assembly together using a rubber mallet. Plan the hot and cold parts. Have plenty of rags, gloves ect. handy and it wouldn't hurt to have a helper to steady the casting.

This method works for all sorts of bearing instillation. I have been using it for years and even put a ring gear on a flywheel for a friend using this procedure. Just take your time and plan the , what I call hot and cold work, so there is no loss of time. No big deal if you don't get it all the way the first time. Drive it back out and do it over. Give it a try, I think you will be pleased.

I have owned my 540 for about 2 years and have run at least 2000bd ft through it. The unit has seen oak, cherry, maple, pine The planer performed well on all. The steel knives do dull fairly quick, but are reasonable to change if your careful. Snipe is a problem with the short outfeed tables but can be minimized using caution. This is not a high production machine and requires extra care, but at [asignificantly lower price] than its DeWalt counterpart, I feel it is an ideal addition to any personal woodworking shop.

Can't remember why I thought I needed this sander sitter. You have to set the sander down in it perfectly or it spins off the bench. If using a variable speed on highest setting the whole thing will "walk" off the bench if you leave it running more than a few seconds. First time my sander hit the floor I was a little more than upset. The whole mech is too light. As for the cleaning aspect, with the new stearite disks you can get, here on Amazon and from suppliers like Klingspor, you are hard pressed to ever load em up anyway. It's another one of those "good ideas" that just doesn't transfer from concept to actual use very well. If you just really have to have one, let me know, I'll send ya mine for the cost of postage. Can't recommend this one.

It seems odd that you need to 'break in' this simple device but you need to. After following the directions, it works like a charm.

I make a lot of small stuff and I continually need to stop and rotate the part in the vise. I was doing these small spindles for a bookcase. 4 spindles x 4 rows x 2 sides x 4 sides per spindle = a helluva lot of time waiting for the sander to wind down. This thingamajiggie probably cut down the time needed by half. Really. No kidding.

If time is money, this investment started making profits for me the first day I owned it. Still, it seems awfully expensive for what it is. So, it only gets 4 stars.

UPDATE: I paid $24 for mine. I see that these are now selling for about $15. So, I'd give it a five.

This is truly a good product.I had a little trouble at first,it wanted just to shake in the carousel. I called the manufacturer (Baxter Creek Tools) to inquire about it. They were a great help. It seems that I didn't fan the paper disc upward with the palm of my hand enough, as per the instructions. Apparently paper comes in all different sizes, some a little smaller than 5" and some a little larger than 5", The Sander Sitter will actually roll the paper automatically but it has to have some room in the carousel to start with in order for it to work properly,according to the guys at Baxter Creek. After that it did spin like it was suppose to.This is great because it allows me to set my sander down while running for a momment, to move my project around.My sander is a little older and the braking mechanism is worn, and it seems like forever when I shut it off to come to a stop.Now with the Sander Sitter, it allows me to shut off my sander and set it down and go on to the next job without waiting. My sander winds down safely to a stop in the carousel.All this does save me time. And remarkably it does clean my paper extending the life of the disc. If you have a ROS. this is a good purchase.