The Moment Has Arrived: Bosch's New 18v & 14.4v Li-Ion Platforms
Bosch is introducing six new cordless Litheon battery powered tools fill the gap between their ultra-cool 12v Max Litheon compact line and their powermonger 36v line . Meet the new BruteTough cordless tools: the 17618-01 18V Litheon hammer drill/Driver, 17614-01 14.4V Litheon Hammer drill/Driver, 37618-01 18V Litheon Drill/Driver, and the 37614-01 14.4V Litheon Drill/Driver.

The core of Bosch’s mid-range Litheon™ launch is a full range of cordless drill/drivers and hammer drill/drivers purpose-built to offer the best runtime, battery life, durability and performance in the industry.

If you really love your Irwin Vise-Grip, here's your chance to win a lavish prize just for telling a story about it!  Irwin is running a story contest, a sweepstakes (random drawing) and an story voting/instant win game that will all culminate in an enormous prize giveaway.  All you have to do to enter is head over to this website where you will find instructions on how to submit your story as well as a listing of stories that have already been submitted for your perusal.  Story submissions are being accepted until October 31st.  There's quite a bit of competition already; check out the story on page 3 about the guy who used his vise-grip to stop his brother's severed finger from bleeding until it could be reattached at the hospital!

Keep reading for details on the sweepstakes and instant win game and a listing of the prizes that you can win.

They've been working very hard up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Engineering, field testing, gathering data and reengineering their tools to create the best of the best. The new fall lineup from Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation includes a M18 Cordless Lithium-Ion High Performance hammer drill which is perfect for a wide range of applications including plumbing, electrical, HVAC, MRO and remodeling work.

As the cornerstone of the new M18 cordless family, the new 2611 Hammer drill delivers revolutionary power, run-time and ergonomics. This is accomplished with a new Milwaukee 4-Pole Frameless Motor which generates a best-in-class 650 in/lbs. of torque. All this is for you, the person pushing the power tool, to help you work more efficiently and effectively on the job.

When you pick up Milwaukee's new M18 6½” Cordless Lithium-Ion Circular saw 2630-22, you'll instantly feel the difference between this one and "the rest". The 2630-22 sports a magnesium lower guard, making it lightweight and durable to carry around all day when you are cutting, framing, plumbing, finishing, and doing electrical and carpentry work.

Milwaukee put the emphasis on power, run-time and durability with this cordless circular saw. The 2630-22 has 2.8 amp/hours on the Lithium-ion battery and like the rest of their Li-Ion cordless tools, a battery Level indicator to let you know just how much time you have left before you run out of power.

BernzOmatic's got a brand new fuel cylinder called the Fat Boy that they're hoping will make a big splash; they hold 20% more gas than the skinny guys and they're more recyclable thanks to a new GreenKey tool.  To inaugurate these pudgy fellows, BernzOmatic has launched the "Laugh Your Gas Off" contest, which will net the winner the Ultimate Race Weekend in Talladega!

Here's the deal: you can enter by submitting a witty one-liner about the Fat Boy at www.laughyourgasoff.com.  The first 500 entrants will receive t-shirts with Fat Boy one-liners on them, so make haste!  Entries will be accepted until September 16th, and the person who submitted the best one-liner will win the Ultimate Race Weekend.

Keep reading for some more details and a couple of interesting videos from BernzOmatic...

I had a good opportunity to test out the new Bosch PS30 Compact drill/Driver this weekend. I was refinishing my deck and part of that project included pulling up loose nails and replacing them with deck screws (yup, shoulda used screws in the first place but then i wouldn't have had so much fun trying out the Bosch PS30).

As you can see from the photos, I replaced the nails with 3" deck screws, so the holes were "predrilled". The results were just like Bosch has declared and I was able to drive in 98-3" screws before the battery ran out of juice. And that was just how it happened, screw number 98 went in fine with plenty of torque and when I got to screw number 99, nothing. It didn't slowly run out of power like a NiCad battery would. The 12v lithium-ion battery just stopped. A little whrrrr, then stopped.

The PS30 comes with two batteries however, so I didn't have to stop working. With a 30 minute recharge rate, I could have kept screwing all day. Thankfully, I ran out of nails to pull.

Continuing the discussion of Milwaukee's New Fall Tool Lineup is the M18 SAWZALL Cordless Reciprocating saw. Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation continues to improve upon what they do best: their sawzall. With legendary durability and best-in-class performance for electrical, plumbing, and HVAC, MRO and fire and rescue work, Milwaukee is offering a new, lightweight 18volt Lithium Ion Cordless version, the 2620-22.

Truly an over achiever, this cordless SAWZALL powered by an 18V XC High Capacity LITHIUM-ION battery offers up to 75 more cuts per charge and is designed to cut up to 30 percent faster with less vibration. The 2620-22 features a patented gear-protecting clutch, which absorbs impact and extends the life of the tool. The QUIK-LOK™ blade clamp provides quick and efficient blade changes while the variable speed trigger optimizes speed for different applications. Weighing only 7.9 lbs., the saw is designed for maximum power, operator comfort and convenience, including an On-board Battery Fuel Gauge to display the remaining run-time.

Backed by Milwaukee’s 5-year 2,000-charge warranty, the 2620-22 comes equipped with two 18V XC High Capacity LITHIUM-ION batteries, 1-hour charger and carrying case.

The Milwaukee M18 Sawzall 2620-22 will be available at Toolking.com in October.