After months of use, varied from thawing frozen AC coils to straightening PEX-a kinks on radiant tubing installs I think its time to set the record straight on cordless heat guns. Of, the only cordless heat gun, Milwaukee’s M18 #2688-20. Its legit. First let me say its not a complete replacement for a corded, multiple Read more
ShopTalk
After months of use, varied from thawing frozen AC coils to straightening PEX-a kinks on radiant tubing installs I think its time to set the record straight on cordless heat guns. Of, the only cordless heat gun, Milwaukee’s M18 #2688-20.
Its legit.
First let me say its not a complete replacement for a corded, multiple temperature heat gun. The M18 is a single temp (listed at 875F on acmetoosl.com) but that is enough for typical tasks like heat shrink for wiring, simple thawing of small diameter piping and even PEX repair.
The 2688 Heat Gun has a well designed hook for carrying or storage. The hook fits well onto a belt or pants pocket but wont hang on a ladder rung or anything larger than about an inch in thickness.
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Available accessories kit (49-80-0300) includes four different heat gun nozzles for a variety of specialty tasks. Each nozzle is fully compatible with any of Milwaukee’s heat guns. The deflector nozzle directs hot air to specific points, which is most useful when you want to strip a window of sealants without cracking the glass under heat. Air reduction nozzles further refine the blast of hot air to a small, circular point for spot melting. A hook nozzle moves the air flow in a circular pattern, which seals shrink wrap around cables or other similarly-shaped pieces instantly. The air spreader nozzle increases the width of the air blast and is useful for a variety of heat gun applications, including drying paint, putty, concrete filler and other construction materials.
The 2688 is not a full power heat gun and likely never will be, battery tech has come a long way but there are certain limits that we may always be up against with tools like this. Its a very useful tool and has earned a spot in my daily PACKOUT case for sure.
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I had some projects going in the shop late last night and I was able to give the new M18 table saw a good try . I ripped 94’-6 1/8” of 2X Pine and Doug Fir. I know it’s not hardwood but it’s wet wood and the fully charged HD 12.0ah battery and saw did Read more
I had some projects going in the shop late last night and I was able to give the new M18 table saw a good try . 
I ripped 94’-6 1/8” of 2X Pine and Doug Fir. I know it’s not hardwood but it’s wet wood and the fully charged HD 12.0ah battery and saw did a great job, only stopping short of finishing the work by about 15”. I’m using the factory supplied 24T framing blade .
It’s amazing what you can do without a cord. I like the saw, it’s compact and easy to carry. Only thing I need to get used to is locking the fence after adjustment, the locking lever is below the table and out of the way because its not locking the fence itself but the rails. Not a problem, just not something I’m not used to.
I don’t own the Dewalt 60V saw to compare. The dust collection on the M18 won’t blow you away, it’s not terrible but you’ll need to vac it out pretty well on the underside before transporting if leaving a mess is an issue.
So far I’m not a fan of the stand (accessory) for the M18 and I’ve already ditched it, setting the saw on either my tabletop or…(see last pic????????).
A few months ago I started using the Milwaukee 8-gallon dust extractor. I’ve put it thru the ringer cleaning out old dirty oil boiler fire boxes, job site messes, used it around the shop and at home. This thing is a beast! Take a look at the video, I can say with honesty that as Read more
Milwaukee 8960-20
A few months ago I started using the Milwaukee 8-gallon dust extractor. I’ve put it thru the ringer cleaning out old dirty oil boiler fire boxes, job site messes, used it around the shop and at home. This thing is a beast!
Take a look at the video, I can say with honesty that as bad as that filter looks that thing just kept sucking.
There are a lot of well thought out features on this dust extractor, the first would be the low-profile design. Coupled with the perfect casters and large rear wheels the low center of gravity keeps it from tipping like other extractors I’ve owned or used. The longer than wide tub makes this deign possible. Its tool activation setting works without delay and keeps the vac running to clear the hose and filter once you’ve turned whatever you’ve got attached off. It also has a standard continuous run mode.
It comes with a 13 ft long anti-static hose and can be ran with or without fleece or plastic bags. From the start I have not used bags; I wanted to see how it performed and how long the filter life fared out without the bags. Using a bag will keep things cleaner overall though.
The extractor’s dual filtration system includes a HEPA filter, which captures 99.97% of all particles greater than 0.3 microns for best in class filtration and safety and provides users with an OSHA-compliant solution for the regulation on crystalline silica dust (29 cfr 1926.1153).
This is not a typical vac and its priced to reflect the technology built in to it. Do not make the mistake of comparing this to a typical ” shop vac “, the two are not the same nor are they designed for the same use and regulations.
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ProStaff’er Andy Mickelson and I are working with the new RIDGID (@ridgidtools) RT-9X thermal imager. RIDGID’s thermal imagers have a new pixel shift technology which effectively doubles the resolution of the camera. The RT-9X (the highest end model of four imagers) has 320×240 pixel resolution standard w/ 640×480 pixel resolution in SuperResolution mode. The processing Read more
ProStaff’er Andy Mickelson and I are working with the new RIDGID (@ridgidtools) RT-9X thermal imager.
RIDGID’s thermal imagers have a new pixel shift technology which effectively doubles the resolution of the camera. The RT-9X (the highest end model of four imagers) has 320×240 pixel resolution standard w/ 640×480 pixel resolution in SuperResolution mode.
The processing speed is way faster than other imagers Andy & I own and use regularly. The e-Assist and ScaleAssist tech make setting the camera for different materials and reflectivity super simple. The high/low identification is very useful when trying to measure extreme temp differences too. Overall we are both impressed with the rechargeable handheld imagery and will report more soon.
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Here’s a quick trick I learned a while back, I’m not sure how I cam about doing this but I credit the unknown source. Fiber washers can be a bear when turning the water on for the first time on a piping system. They’re stiff and often leak, requiring you to snug the union fitting Read more
Here’s a quick trick I learned a while back, I’m not sure how I cam about doing this but I credit the unknown source. Fiber washers can be a bear when turning the water on for the first time on a piping system. They’re stiff and often leak, requiring you to snug the union fitting once or more to stop the leak. I found that if I get the washers wet before assembling they soak up just enough water to form a solid seal when first tightened. This typically eliminates the need to chase down leaks.