Best unexpectedly good tool you bought in 2015?

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sae

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Tell us your best find in 2015! Not just the best tool, the most unexpectedly good one (or two).

I'll start...Metabo LF724S paint remover, wasn't expecting it to do as much as it does, but boy this thing has saved me so much time (and sandpaper!). I can do a door frame in a couple minutes; I even did a small bedroom floor in about an hour before I started sanding. No more scouring w/ solvents beforehand to break down the top layer. Removing that top layer saves so much time and gummed up sandpaper. I have two now, for no good reason other than I found one cheap at a pawn shop.

For you wrenchers out there, the Bahco 7750-3/8 ratchet is basically a $109 Snap-On FH80 ratchet, but made in Spain and 1/4 the price. Super low back drag, very strong, pretty comfortable. Not as comfortable as my Beta ratchet, but I'm more willing to beat the snot out of this because you can drop in free rebuild kits from your Snap-On dealer.
 
My Milwaukee M18 Fuel 1/2" impact. I knew it was supposed to be good, I watched the reviews, and it was the tool that sold me on the M18 system.

But holy crap is that thing awesome! The best thing I use it for is keeping the screens on our gravel screener at work. Before I had to tighten them every hour or so by hand, and it was a workout. I'm strong but I'm lazy. With this tool I just hammer it down and they stay put all day. It turned screening from a crappy job to a tolerable one.
 
Two tools come to mind, one having a great impact, the other a small tool but one that served me well and deserves comment.

In 2015, I took on the Domino 500, probably the most extraordinary tool since I built my first router table. However, this year I also bought the Bridge City KM-1 Kerfmaker. I was surprised what good results I got right away and now how often I use it for a number of tasks.

http://www.bridgecitytools.com/default/featured/km-1-kerfmaker.html

Also 2015 marks the year I went to the dogs; that is Qwas dogs and my MFT-3 table. I am looking forward to greater advances in 2106 learning to use my two Festool track saws.

 
Cordless Metabo SCMS.

Awesome little tool for the money. Looking forward to using it a lot more [wink]
 
Kev said:
Cordless Metabo SCMS.

Awesome little tool for the money. Looking forward to using it a lot more [wink]
Click to expand...

You get some LiHD for that badboy yet?

I picked up a compact LiHD, they're pretty nice. Supposedly bumps the output of the brushless impact up another 10%. For the saw, you're supposed to get significantly more power and runtime as well. My cordless miter is non-sliding, $99 Craftsman version that is really useful, but pretty chintzy.

Mort said:
My Milwaukee M18 Fuel 1/2" impact. I knew it was supposed to be good, I watched the reviews, and it was the tool that sold me on the M18 system.

But holy crap is that thing awesome! The best thing I use it for is keeping the screens on our gravel screener at work. Before I had to tighten them every hour or so by hand, and it was a workout. I'm strong but I'm lazy. With this tool I just hammer it down and they stay put all day. It turned screening from a crappy job to a tolerable one.
Click to expand...

Is this the 4 lb or the 7 lb gun? Both are pretty nice, the 7 lb gun is almost as powerful as the baddest air impacts though.
 
sae said:
You get some LiHD for that badboy yet?

I picked up a compact LiHD, they're pretty nice. Supposedly bumps the output of the brushless impact up another 10%. For the saw, you're supposed to get significantly more power and runtime as well. My cordless miter is non-sliding, $99 Craftsman version that is really useful, but pretty chintzy.
Click to expand...

Go 2 6.2's waiting on 2 more. I put one of the batteries in a Metabo cordless fan. Jut put it on the low setting and left it to see how long it would run ... forgot about it and came out the next morning - it was still running [eek]
 
Probably the 7lb, it's pretty heavy. Rated at 700lb/ft in forward, 1100 in reverse. It's as powerful as any 1/2" pneumatic I've used but not as fast, so tire shops won't be replacing their guns with it.
 
So in 2015 I purchased every Festool tool I own: TS 55, OF 1400, DF500, 2 RO150's, ct mini, CT 36, CMS OF set, Kapex, RTS, and the CENTROTEC installers kit and almost forgot the MFK700. I love every one of them and I use them all almost daily.

For a non-festool tool I bought was the Jet 14" pro bandsaw with a 12" resaw capacity. I bought it for a cheaper bandsaw purely used for contours and quickly saw the amaxin ability to cut your own veneer book match drawers, cut edge banding and the list goes on.
 
I would say the Kapex. I was hesitant to go with it, even though I liked all the features, the one point that had me going in with hesitation was the vertical grip. I have had carpal tunnel and thought the saw would aggravate it since I do quite a bit of cutting and the horizontal cut of the Dewalt I had, seemed like it would be more comfortable. I finally decided to do the purchase, since I had 30 days to see if it would add to my wrist pain, and since I have been using the Kapex, my wrist pain has gone away. Could be coincidence, but it could be the Dewalt was aggravating my pain.
 
For me it would have to be the CXS. I knew from the reviews that it was a great little drill, I just didn't think it would see as much use in my shop as it does. I have honestly used the hell out of it over the last 6 months, way more powerful than I thought it would be.
 
Mafell Erika 85. With sliding table. I look for reasons to get it out of my trailer its like playing instead of working.
 
I have bought some awesome tools this year, unexpected suprises, my RALI planes, think these are great for site tuning of things. Planes you don't have to worry about. Metabo 18 ltx is a rock solid machine with even tougher batteries. Still can't believe the run life. Lamello zeta p joiner, just a solid machine that is so simple to use and has a million joining possibilities, be it knock down fittings or rock solid glued joints without clamps. And finally my Erika, the most stable and versitile mobile tablesaw/mitersaw portable dream machine I've ever laid my hands on. No festool this year but i have come very close to pulling the trigger on an of2200 a couple of times
 
Another vote for the cordless Metabo mitre saw, for the money it cost has to be the best value So far.
 
I got a few good tools this year, but I expected them to be good.

So it seems easier to find unexpectedly bad tools, when one expects them to be good.
 
Kapex for me. I already had a TS75 in a CMS unit plus a good bandsaw so held off from buying the Kapex for a long time. The Kapex is so quick and easy to use and gives excellent results so gets used in preference to the alternatives.
 
a couple of days ago I picked up a second hand, unused (maybe) Protool 18 v l-ion PDC 18-4 TEC Quadrive portable drill. I already liked Protool but this is unbelievable. Was very very cheap and the guy was in a hurry to go out so I couldn't test it before I parted with my cash. Didn't matter, he wanted $100 so I grabbed it and ran. I thought that there might be a problem so I wasn't surprised when one of the 2 batteries failed to charge. I was still happy, but later I looked carefully and discovered that the battery wasn't fitting in to the charger far enough. Same on the drill but if you gave it a bit of a knock it seemed to work OK. Only trouble is that it doesn't click in the drill so can just fall out.

Question. Anyone seen this problem before. Can't really see which part of the battery is stopping it going in fully. Hard to believe that there was only one badly moulded battery case that got through quality control.
Whatever, a great Christmas present to myself - the seller probably thought he had diddled me. [smile]
 
For the metric types on here.

Hultafors Talmeter

Had it sat gathering dust for so long on a shelf as it was so expensive (compared to my normal tapes) I didn't want it to get ruined by actually "using" it.

Broke the seal and am totally converted, plus I have three now, so am less precious.

Happy Christmas.
 
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