Greetings everyone! Let me just say thank you to Mechanical Hub for reaching out to me for another tool review and inviting me to be on their new Pro Staff team! Since my early start in the Trades as a “Seasonal Helper” in residential plumbing and a Commercial HVAC installer to my now current full-time Read more
ShopTalk
Greetings everyone! Let me just say thank you to Mechanical Hub for reaching out to me for another tool review and inviting me to be on their new Pro Staff team! Since my early start in the Trades as a “Seasonal Helper” in residential plumbing and a Commercial HVAC installer to my now current full-time career as a Licensed Fire Sprinkler Fitter Foreman, I never thought I would be a part or involved with such a great opportunity and team. I’m grateful for all of it. Now let’s get down to this Bosch GSA18V-083B Reciprocating Saw review.
I was on a recent Retro fitting job for a major Grocery Chain moving into an existing shopping center. Part of my Job scope was the demo of now dead existing main and branch lines. The mains consisted of Schedule 10 and the branch line were threaded schedule 40. Normally we would go into the air with a 100’ cord hanging off the side of the lift (because the outlet was abused and dead in the lift) attached to a porta-band. This would be heavy and clumsy overhead use, as most time two hands are needed to hold the porta-band and try to balance the pipe being cut. So this time around I was excited and yet tempered my expectations to be able to use the Bosch GSA18V-083B Reciprocating Saw.
Some first impressions was that it was beefy yet manageable (4.4lbs) to hold and manipulate with one hand. The handle is large enough for different grips and rubber grips on both the back and front to avoid slipping, which is important when dealing with oil and water. The overall length without blade is 15-3/4” long. The trigger itself is large enough to be activated in most grips and angles. To be honest the look is uncanny identical to the Milwaukee M18 Cordless Hackzall Reciprocating Saw. Some nice features I noticed were the LED Light for the cutting zone and a lock out switch to prevent inadvertent startup.
Information courtesy of boschtools.com
Working with the Bosch GSA18V-083B I was provided with generic Bi-metal blades. So I already knew any cutting shortfalls could not all be shouldered by Bosch. The tool accepted the generic blades in its easy-to-operate blade-change system without problem. I decided to use the wireless charging batteries from the Bosch EC Brushless Socket-ready Impact Drill/Wrench (IDH182) that I previously reviewed. Maybe the staff will link that review here for you too. So when I previously stated that my expectations were tempered, it was because I expected the saw to fight or stall when cutting into steel. Whereas with a porta-band blade it has the finer teeth with a constant rpm and motion. To my surprise when cutting the 3” main it breezed right through. The schedule 10 steel was an easy cut for the generic blade and the Bosch. It was a nice little warm-up. Now with a little duller blade and a much thicker schedule of pipe, 40, I assumed when cutting I would get the snag and fight. In my head I would probably blame most of it on the cheapness of the bi-metal blade. Again Bosch impressed not only myself but my fellow Journeyman. A fast 3,050 strokes per minute was enough to handle said generic blade and about 12 cuts of 2” to 1-1/2” sched 40 pipe. On a side note; the battery lasted in power on one charge.
Overall in practicality and performance the Bosch GSA18V-083B Reciprocating Saw did the job. It was nice to be able to get into bar joists due to the compact design and make strategic cuts. The beefy weight was not too overwhelming for one handed grip cutting. The rpm was fantastic as it maximized material removal per stroke. The blade guard was not too bulky to get around the pipe and joist spaces. I can definitely see the potential for everyday general uses, and as far as job site use this tool is a must!
Just a couple weeks ago I shared two videos of a new (to us) product by Kaizen Foam Inserts but I’ve completed another and I’ve included a short video here to show the basic steps of how these inserts and the process of installing them plays out. You can check those videos out on our Read more
Just a couple weeks ago I shared two videos of a new (to us) product by Kaizen Foam Inserts but I’ve completed another and I’ve included a short video here to show the basic steps of how these inserts and the process of installing them plays out. You can check those videos out on our Instagram account or by clicking this link: Custom Tool Box Inserts by Kaizen.
I’ve had the Dewalt 20v Max compact impact driver for a while now, its a great tool. Super fast, plenty of power for any 1/4″ hex type of task and has decent battery capacity. I like to use the 20v Max around the shop for various projects and for use in my hobby wood shop; the problem is I have a omnipresent hatred for “stock” tool cases that always has me wanting for more. More organization, a better layout that I actually like and a box that matches my other boxes etc.
For this particular review I selected the Dewalt Deep Pro Organizer #DWST14825 for my new tool case. The corresponding Kaizen Foam Insert I chose is the 57mm [2-1/4″] depth black insert custom cut for this exact box. The inserts are available on kaizeninserts.com; click the “shop your tool box” tab on the left-side menu to select an insert for the box you’re working with.
Pic courtesy of kaizeninserts.com
The ordering process is simple; really the only choices you have to make are box type [by model#], color and depth. Since this box was going to organize my impact I chose the deeper foam insert to better secure the driver and batteries. I have found with the three boxes I’ve done to date that the thicker the foam the more secure overall for heavier, more bulky items like tools.
The installation for the Deep Pro Organizer was effortless when compared to my first box from another manufacturer (see video link above). No cutting of the box is necessary and, like my first two inserts from Kaizen the fit was perfect. The foam is cnc formed to fit each style of box they currently offer in their online store.
The foam is made up of laminated layers, once you decide on a layout of the items going in your box you’ll cut the foam thru multiple layers to the depth needed. By simply digging one or two fingers into the cut you’ve made you’ll “plow” thru the foam to remove the portion outline by your cut. Once you’ve got the foam out of the way you can test how well the item fit and make adjustments as needed. The whole process for this exact box took me about 15-20 minutes. At least 5 minutes of that time was spent re-positioning everything until I had it just the way I wanted it. There are also a couple helpful videos on Kaizen’s website showing the process, I’ve included a simple slideshow here of how I completed the box.
Overall I am impressed with this super simple yet useful product. The cost ranges anywhere from about $10-25 depending on the thickness of the insert and the box your ordering for. I would definitely recommend purchasing the very helpful long-nosed marker from Brian at Kaizen for the listed price of $5.50, its totally worth the extra buy and you’ll get multiple uses out of it….If you’re anything like me you’re gonna need it for your next box soon. And then your third and fourth and fifth…Ugh, eventually I’ll have all my tools organized, right?!
https://youtu.be/w6FauT2Sckg
As always I thank you for your time and hope you found this information useful. If you don’t already know we’ve got a team of industry pro’s all across North America working together as the mechanical-hub.com ProStaff. Our ProStaff will be providing job site tested feedback on tools and products we all use as they hit the market. We are also offering a tool/product for free each month for all those entered in our sweepstakes. You can enter the sweepstakes by clicking the ProStaff graphic below.
I recently ordered a couple new products introduced to me by a friend in the industry. The Kaizen Foam Inserts are cnc foam inserts available for a variety of tool boxes and tool cases. Check out the instagram videos below to see what they’re all about. You can also follow us on instagram here: @mechanicalhub Read more
I recently ordered a couple new products introduced to me by a friend in the industry. The Kaizen Foam Inserts are cnc foam inserts available for a variety of tool boxes and tool cases. Check out the instagram videos below to see what they’re all about. You can also follow us on instagram here: @mechanicalhub
TOOL: FLIR CM174 Imaging 600A AC/DC Clamp Meter With IGM (Infrared Guided Measurement) Mechanical Hub asked me to test out the FLIR CM174 Clamp Meter with the integrated IR Camera. I was excited yet skeptical to try out a new meter. In my line of electrical work I have my ‘go to’ meters and current Read more
TOOL: FLIR CM174 Imaging 600A AC/DC Clamp Meter With IGM (Infrared Guided Measurement)
Mechanical Hub asked me to test out the FLIR CM174 Clamp Meter with the integrated IR Camera. I was excited yet skeptical to try out a new meter. In my line of electrical work I have my ‘go to’ meters and current clamps that I know every in and out of. These have shared the same long days, weekends, overnights, and holiday emergency calls, so why look at product other than what I’ve carried for years? Well after I familiarized myself with the FLIR CM174, I was impressed by the added functionality that this meter provided.
Let’s be honest, in the electrical world there is voltage and current and you don’t need much of a complex device to tell you what these readings are; however, I didn’t realize what all I was missing without FLIR’s IGM technology (Infrared Guided Measurement). The IR function of this compact meter gave me an advantage and more importantly a safety aspect to my job that was not their previously. Not only can I easily troubleshoot hot spots and imminent failures with this meter, but when going through my procedures to test for ‘zero’ voltage or absence of voltage, I am also able to take a look at the thermal properties of the equipment. The old mentality is that I need to get to work and get this job done as quick as possible, so I only care about voltage – am I going to get shocked or not. Getting hit by a stiff 480V in the morning is not how I like to start my day, but the reality is I’m stuck in a time crunch and the customer is standing behind me tapping his feet because his plant is shut down and costing him big dollars every second it is down. So I hurry up and grab my ‘new’ meter, and as expected, the voltage is zero, but what about the temperature? Do I really have time to check this, and why would I care to even look at this, I have never done this in the past. So I have the meter in my hand and it is only 1 quick click away from telling me the temperature. To my surprise there is a section of the equipment that was extremely hot due to a loose connection. My heart takes off and I get a little clammy thinking about how bad I could have been burnt when I would have grabbed onto the equipment to get this repair completed while trying to get the customer back online. 
The silent killer, known as electricity, is not the only silent danger that I should be worried about. I thank the FLIR CM174 for identifying other safety aspects of my job and preventing me from being injured. The safety aspect alone is worth having the meter, but the ability to troubleshoot using the IR functionality of this meter is a huge step above what the industry is used to. At the end of day, the customer has the lights back on and was thoroughly impressed by the equipment not only to solve their problems, but to identify and resolve other pending issues that were not identified before. This customer is now loyal to us and continues to use us for their service needs.
Tool feature info courtesy of flir.com
