Review of the Milwaukee M18 Lithium Ion 9.0 Ah

I love me some battery powered tools! With the technology in batteries and high efficiency brushless motors constantly moving forward, the old days of having to sacrifice the good power of a corded tool for the convenience and flexibility of cordless tools are effectively over. Today I’m going to lower the lens down on a recently released battery from Milwaukee: The M18 Lithium-Ion 9.0 Ah High Demand Battery. Short story – This thing is a BEAST.

If you’re already invested in the Milwaukee M18 line then I don’t have to convince you of their good quality and construction. The lower capacity batteries perform very well with these products and, while their battery efficiency is above average, this 9.0 Ah battery is just off the charts.

Let’s side step aside and define this squirrelly unit real quick – What does “Ah” stand for anyhow? “Ah” is an abbreviation for “Amp-hour” and, as you might guess, quantifies the capacity of a battery. A ‘1 Ah’ battery is theoretically capable of delivering 1 amp of electrical current for 1 hour of time. However, this does not mean that when a load is connected to something like our 9.0 Ah battery, that the battery will be dishing out 9 amps of current. That would be pretty nutty : )

Milwaukee uses a pretty snazzy battery management system that varies the output current of the battery depending on the load placed on the battery. Because of internal battery impedance (or resistance), batteries tend to get very hot while using them. Generally, this is exactly why our theoretical battery cannot exactly deliver that 1 amp for 1 hour like we mentioned above. This battery has been developed with a smart lay-out of the cells and thermally efficient materials to move the heat in a way that keeps the entire pack much cooler than one would expect.

So what about the performance? I am mainly using this battery for my Milwaukee M18 Miter Saw. I offered up a review for it a while back and it can be found here. This battery works so damn good I tend to forget that it’s battery powered because the charges last that long. I’d love to offer you things like “number of cuts per charge” but I simply have not collected that data because the battery has only required a charge twice since I unboxed the saw and I’ve made hundred of cuts with it.

Milwaukee reports that the battery delivers 5 times more run time, 35% more power, and runs 60% cooler than standard 18V batteries on the market. After looking around at what other are saying it’s easy to see that professionals are getting more cuts, drilling more holes, and driving more fasteners than ever before on a single charge using this 9.0 Ah pack.

The battery is a bit pricey but well worth the investment, especially if you’re buying it as a bundle with the rapid charger. When you consider the amount of time you’ll be saving by having the larger capacity, it shouldn’t take too long to see it’s well worth the money.

If you’re interested in buying one of these batteries, feel free to use this link. This link, along with some of the others are affiliate links established under The Home Depot ProSpective Campaign which has sponsored this post as well as some others. Purchases made using these links help this page to stay alive and kicking.  I appreciate your support in this way.

Have a great day – April : )

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Completing the Outdoor Kitchen Project - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

We wrap up our outdoor kitchen project with homeowners Ashley and Autumn Zellner.

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How to Renew your dated Curbs & Driveway

This summer, we spent A LOT of time outside updating our home’s curb appeal.   It’s such a nice feeling to finally drive up to our new and improved exterior.

It did take us many evenings and weekends to complete all our projects but I think the most rewarding DIY of them all was this one—our driveway and curb renewal.

The funny part about it all, I didn’t realize how bad our driveway looked until I started taking the “before pictures” for my blog. I was so used to overlooking the driveway that it didn’t occur to me that maintenance was desperately needed.

We ended up adding this project to the mix and the good news is you don’t have to spend a fortune hiring someone to do this, it can all be done on your own!

Now our driveway is old. It has a ton of cracks, the previous sealer has faded, and we have pink concrete curbs.  I needed to figure out a way to fix it.

For starters, I learned that driveways need regular maintenance every few years to help extend the life of the asphalt.  This consists of filling in the cracks and using a quality driveway sealer.

As for the curbs, I looked into purchasing new ones but after doing the math on $9 a sq. ft., I realized it wasn’t going to be a cheap fix just to change the colour I don’t like.  So I thought some more and “concrete paint” popped into my head.

Bingo!

The $1,000+ in materials I would of needed to purchase, is now just a $40 paint fix!

We began this project by removing our curbs, which is quite easy since they’re in 3 ft. sections.

Now you could possibly keep you curbs in place and paint.  However, since we had so much weed growth and we are sealing the driveway right after, it was just easier for us to take them out. Mike ended up moving them into the garage.  At the time, there was rain in the forecast and we didn’t want to take the chance of down pour once we started painting.

I used Rust-Oleum’s Deck & Concrete Restore 10x paint, which we had tinted to grey (to match the colour of our home’s eavesdrops).  This is my first time using this product.  I wasn’t sure how well it was going to stick to the concrete but this stuff worked like a charm!

It had a thick coverage which soaked right into the concrete. After the paint dried, it still had the look and feel of aggregate. The best part—one coat and I was done.

We waited for the rain to subside before we moved on to the driveway.  Getting a top-notch sealing job on your driveway isn’t difficult, and the results are really dependent on only two things: quality materials and proper preparation.

We started off by using a leaf blower to make sure the driveway was free from dust, debris, vegetation, or anything that will keep the repair materials and sealer from adhering to the asphalt.

We thoroughly cleaned the driveway using EpoxyShield Premium Multi-Purpose Cleaner.

The bottle attaches right onto your garden hose which makes for a quick and easy application. Mike started from the top of the driveway and worked down.  Once everything was covered, he scrubbed the cleaner right into the surface using a large push broom.

We rinsed the driveway and waited for it to completely dry before moving on.

Next I repaired the cracks using EpoxyShield Premium Rubberized Crack Filler. This product is great for cracks 1/2″ or less.  You apply it right from the bottle into the crack and then smooth it out.

If you have any larger cracks or holes, it’s probably best to use something such as the EpoxyShield 2-in-1 Asphalt Patch & Crack Filler.

Again you want to let it cure completely before moving on.

In the meantime, I taped up all the edges where the driveway meets our pathway and the garage floor.  Then using a paint brush, I cut all the edges using EpoxyShield Driveway Sealer Plus 3X.

By the way, being curb-less saved us so much time from excessive tapping and cutting.

To seal the rest of the asphalt, we poured a line of sealant along the width of the driveway starting from the top.

Using a roller (or a squeegee), pull and compress the sealant on a 45-degree angle.  It takes a bit of playing around at first to get the hang of applying the right pressure. However, once you figure it out, it’s a breeze to apply to the rest of the driveway. One coat is all that is necessary.

Also another big thing that I want to point out is that the colour of this product is jet black!  It has the “just paved” look to it.

You could see the amazing results immediately.  By the time we got to the bottom of the driveway, the top was already drying. Of course, using this sealant on an old driveway won’t remove all the surface damage but it does one heck of a job disguising it.

We let the driveway cure for 24 hours before we walked or drove on it (even though the product says ready in four hours!).  The curbs were put back in place the next day.

We’re loving this new look.

What do you think?

Please share you experience using driveway sealant or concrete paint.

 

Disclosure: I am thrilled to collaborate with Rust-Oleum in our outdoor project. The views and opinions expressed in this post are 100% my own and based on my experience using this product.

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Review of the Bosch Multi-Purpose Drill Bit Set

I’ve got to admit I was pretty stoked to get these Bosch multipurpose carbide bits as part of the ProSpective Campaign from The Home Depot. I’ve since had a chance to use them a number of times and I’m pretty pleased with their performance.

Bosch managed to squeeze out a real multi-purpose bit with this set. Generally, I’ve always understood that masonry bits were not ideal for drilling through metal and such. So far, these bit have done well with drilling through 1/8” steel as well as through the stucko and hardie board (aka concrete board) on the side of my house and I haven’t killed ’em yet!

I recently had a mini-split air conditioner installed in the garage of my house which had a lot of drilling involved. This bit easily ate through all the layered material (including a metal thermal barrier) with the help of a hammer drill.

You can also use these guys in an impact driver. All of the bits have a ¼” shank which snaps right into the collar of an impact driver. Personally I am loving all of the advances in impact driver technology and bit accessories that have taken off in recent years. There seem to be a really wide variety of choices of bit types that are optimized for the snap in collars found in impact drivers.

Consider the two main killers of masonry bits by the users: applying too much force and killing the cutting tip, and not clearing the drill hole of debris/chips while drilling. This spike in friction around the bit and at the head of the bit, will basically heat the material causing it to relax enough to lose its sharp cutting edge. Bosch helped us out here with ultra-hard carbide cutting tips as well as a steep flute angle.

The cutting teeth are intended for serious abuse and are ideal for absorbing impact energy as a consequence of use in an impact driver. The steep flute angle encourages the material out of the hole quickly reducing the time on contact with the outer edges of the bit. With those two simple little features these bits haul-ass through solid material. Check em out; they’ll surprise you.

Bosch refers to this bit set as the “all in one bit” set and I can see why. It’s a great all around set that would fit well into anyone’s tool bag as their “got-to” set for thrashing and abuse….especially for those involved in installation work where drilling into masonry materials are a daily thing.

Thanks for dropping by to learn more about the bits : ) This little set is pretty inexpensive and can be found at the local Home Depot or by using this link. If you use the link for a purchase, not only will you love the bits, but you’ll help this page out as well. Thanks so much for the support. : )

Cheers – April.

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Expanding the Patio for an Outdoor Kitchen - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

We help Ashley and Autumn Zellner add patio space to their backyard, so we can create a great outdoor kitchen for them.

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DIY Wood Wall and Floating Shelves

The TV wall in my living room has been bugging me since we moved into the house. It was just so plain and uninteresting, and the TV was off center which was also kinda bothering my sense of balance lol.  This week I turned my crosshairs onto the TV wall and totally transformed it’s appearance.  In the video down below, I show you how I created a nice faux wood layer over the dry wall using some basic materials and then whittled up four floating shelves I created from a pine 2×8. This project was super easy and only took about 3-4 hours from start to finish. Check it out!

Things I Used in This Project:

Bluetooth Hearing Protection
Drills
Stud Finder
Faux Wood Panels

Construction Adhesive
Brad Nailer
Project Saw
Miter Saw Stand

Miter Saw
Knot Sealer
Floating Shelf Hardware
Super Jaws

These links are affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase using one of these links then I will receive a small commission from the product sale. In a small way this really helps this website to stay alive and kicking and I sincerely appreciate the support. Take care and have a great day – April. 

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Home Exterior Makeover – Before & After

 

Our summer project has officially come to an end! That’s right, we finally completed our exterior. Insert all the happy face emojis here! 

As you may recall, this project initially started due to a number of exterior repairs that we could no longer ignore.  We needed to do something fast and this was the year to do it BUT I couldn’t wrap my head around doing all this work and not seeing any visual difference.  So I added a mini facelift to the mix!

It’s kind of amazing to watch how a few tweaks and lots of paint, can easily revive your curb appeal. We managed to get a lot done in between our busy summer schedule.  For the most part, some projects worked out great, some didn’t go as planned and some were added last minute.  I’ll go through all the details in just a minute.

So without further ado, I’m thrilled to present to you our before and after shots.

What do you think? It looks totally refreshed, right!?!

This project consisted of many small projects like repairing our crumbling concrete walls and re-painting the wood trim around our home.

Then we had some larger projects like replacing our garage doors, which of course, we left to the pros.  Not only has this made the biggest impact visually but it’s such a relief to know that we installed one of the most durable garage doors on the market.

And did you notice our brand new driveway?

Just kidding.

We sealed it and it looks fantastic.  Our driveway is actually pretty old with a ton of cracks.  This new coat of paint just makes your eyes skim right over it all.

Our once pink concrete curbs are magically grey now. This was definitely another painting project worth all the sweat—well my husband’s sweat—he had to move them all to the garage since it was raining non-stop at the time.

I’ll be posting all the details about both these projects very shortly and why we added it to the list last minute.

Our landscaping is as bare and minimal as it gets—I know.  I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve heard our parents say, “why don’t you plant something out front?”.

But here’s the deal, I’ve got a black thumb and an surface area way too large for a beginner to mess around with.

I’m slightly overwhelmed.

For now, we filled it with black mulch and I will revisit this once I master the art of flowers and shrubbery.

 

I had some big plans to build a new and improved gate system but this project didn’t happen this summer so we just stained the gates black.

We’ve also got new light fixtures! These fancy outdoor wall lantern make me extremely happy every time I see them on.

Our stone pathway is looking sharp, thanks to one of our repairs (view all the details here).  The stones on the right side were literally sloping away from the path.  Even with all this rain this summer, we still have no movement (yay!).

Lit pathways are a must!  Our friends at Deelat sent us these amazing solar powdered LED lights. Did I mention, they are three-in-one?  They can be used as lawn lights (as shown here), they can float in water or be hung and and used as a pendant. Oh yes, I’m going to have fun with these!

Remember our existing exterior entrance?

We made a few tweaks to update the look of the molding and repair some of water damage we had.  I just love how this turned out and it was such a cheap fix.  You can read all about this project in my previous post.

The front door is original to the home, although it does need to be replaced, we made some minor repairs and cosmetic changes to it in the meantime.

We painting, adding new weather stripping, changed out the insert glass, added a mirrored privacy film and installed new door hardware (<—which has basically changed my life!).

I can’t wait to go into more detail about what we did in an upcoming post.

And that’s a wrap! Our exterior makeover is (for now) complete.

You can view all the sources below. Let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers to enjoying the rest of the summer!

 

 

 

Garage Doors: GARAGA Standard+ Garage Doors

White Trim Paint: PARA Paints, Exterior Primer (750) + JoJo Whitewash (PF17)

Light Fixtures: Wayfair

Solar Powered LED Lights: Deelat

Doormat: Wayfair

House Numbers: Distinction

Mirrored Window Film: Brewster Home

Front Door Lock: Schlage Sense Smart Deadlock

Front Door Handleset: Schlage Century Handle and lever

Black stain on gates: Minwax

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Review of The DeWalt 20V Cordless Brad Nailer

This week we are taking a look at the new DeWalt 20V 18 gauge cordless brad nailer. I recently used this brad nailer for an interior project and was able to become quite familiar with it. I used this brad nailer to attach faux boards to drywall in order to create a nice backdrop for the TV and entertainment area.

This brad nailer weighs in at about 6.8 lbs when fully loaded with 2” brad nails. The great thing about it is it’s battery operated meaning I did not have to deal with the weight of or noise of an air compressor or hassle with an air hose. Just grab the nailer and a fresh charged battery and get to work.

It’s worth pointing out that this is not a finish nailer. It worked perfect for the rough/coarse material I was working with but it may not be ideal if you are working with sensitive material that is prone to denting. The nylon nose cover has a stiff spring on the back side and it can cause the nose to leave small impressions on softer material.

I love the quickness of the firing action. The nailer spools up immediately and has 2 settings DeWalt refers to as “contact or sequential actuation”. Basically you can shoot it like a standard nail gun, hold the trigger and compress the nose for each round, or you can fire it as a single action brad-nailer where the trigger must be released between rounds. I prefer the former personally.

The same type of settings can be found on other late model brad nailers. However this one stands out to me simply because it did not jam one single time through a full box of brad nails which is impressive in my opinion. If it were to jam though, DeWalt incorporated a really nice tool-less hatch that folds out and away from the firing head so you can easily clear the tool.

DeWalt built in a trigger lock to prevent accidental discharge but it also serves another purpose as well. When the trigger lock is engaged, the internal pump will not turn on in the case that the nose is pushed. To be clear, if the nose is pushed and the trigger is not locked, then the compressor will continue to run just like a drill turning inside your tool box by accidentally compressing the trigger. Same concept applies here……lesson learned: lock the trigger when its not in use.

The last point I wanted to make was around the overall balance. Just going off looks, I thought this was going to be very top heavy, and I suppose it is but when using it I never thought it felt completely unbalanced or was annoying to use. The only slight problem I have with the design is since the top is so large and the base is smaller, any time I went to quickly set it down I always had to keep my hand on it for a few seconds to make sure I stuck the landing. Meaning I would try and quickly set it down on the battery instead of using the hook, and it wasn’t stable yet and would fall over. Not a huge thing but it did annoy me while working. A solution would be to wear my tool belt and use the hook feature instead.

Ultimately it’s a damn good tool that has already served me well with the first project I’ve used it for. I’ve used other late model cordless brad nailers that may have been balanced a bit more but were certainly not as reliable as this one in terms of not jamming.

If you’re interested in checking it out a little further on The Home Depot’s web page you can find it here. Thanks so much for stopping by to learn more about this nailer.

Yall take care – April

This review is sponsored by The Home Depot through their ProSpective campaign. 

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Taking on the Summer Checklist - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

We use the 4 Seasons of Home Ownership summer checklist to help Jeff and Stephanie Jones address some issues around their home.

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Building a Kayak Trailer – Hauls Four Yaks!

Getting the kayaks to the river can be a bit tricky and since I’ve been wanting to build a trailer for a while this project just seemed to make a lot of sense.  I had so much fun building this kayak trailer : )  I started with a basic harbor freight trailer and added a bunch of steel to it in order to make the side rails and center mast. After pricing the material out it was more cost effective to buy a small trailer from harbor freight, which comes in a box, and then modify it to fit my needs. It came out very stiff and feels great when loading the kayaks as well as pulling it down the road.  Check out the video down below to learn a bit more.

Things I Used in This Project:

Trailer
Bluetooth Hearing Protection
Right Angle Grinder
Portaband Saw
Women Work Pants

Welder
Welding Hood
Welding Jacket
Welding Gloves
Welding Cart

Magnetic Ground Clamp
Metal Marking Pencil
Chop Saw
Plasma Cutter
Drills
Self Tapping Screws

These links are affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase using one of these links then I will receive a small commission from the product sale. In a small way this really helps this website to stay alive and kicking and I sincerely appreciate the support. Take care and have a great day – April. 

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Review of the RIDGID Cordless Vacuum

Today we’re reviewing a vacuum cleaner! Lol Really though, this thing is pretty cool. Although I never thought I would be in a position where I offered a deep dive on the performance of a vacuum cleaner – here we are – The RIGID GEN5X 18 Volt Brushless Vacuum : )

Rigid did a good job on designing a light weight little hand vac and while I can see it being very useful for a quick pick up job, I’m still a little skeptical about it having a place around the shop. I see this more of a unit I will reach for in the house or even for my vehicle. However, I did place it in the shop to see what all it could get into.

Until my shop is built later this year, my dust collection system is marginal at best so I’ve been relying on my big shop vac as my main dust picker-upper. The downside to my current system is it’s big and bulky and limited to where it can roll. If I want it across the shop where my lumber rack is, I have to clear a path then bring it and my canister over to it. With this hand held unit, if I need to pick up a small pile I swept together then I can very quickly pick it up, squeeze the trigger and go. Cordless for the win!

I really enjoy a nice clean workshop and having a cordless vacuum helps in my maintenance effort by taking care of the small bits that my stand-alone dust collector from Dust Right either didn’t get or cant reach.

For instance, I currently do not have my DC plumbed over to my band saw, which makes quite a bit of fine dust. This unit has been perfect for short clean up jobs as soon as I am finished using the saw. No cords, no hoses, no b.s. – just point and shoot. In the future I’ll actually probably end up keeping this right next to my bandsaw to act as my clean up aid.

The vacuum is powered by a Lithium Ion battery. Like many of the other tools out on the market, Rigid also uses a brushless motor and it uses the same batteries found in their other cordless tools. As you would expect, there are a couple of attachments that come in the box with this unit. It comes with an extension tube, a crevice nozzle for tight spots, and a floor nozzle. I found the floor nozzle to be the perfect size for my indoor stairs and carrying this unit up and down the stairs for a quick clean is a lot easier than my Dyson.

I really like that it has a pre-filter before the paper filter element. This kind of technology is becoming more common on a lot of “filtered” devices. The fine woven mesh pre-filter really helps to keep the filter in good condition by keeping large dust and debris from ever coming in contact with the filter element itself. The filter element is also really easy to remove, does not require ay tools, and is cleanable.

So here is what might be a drawback for some – battery and charger not included. Consequently, this is an ideal product for those who are already committed to the Rigid cordless line-up. Otherwise you are on the hook for a charger and battery which brings your total cost to about $180…..$80 for the vacuum and $100 for a charger+battery kit according to the latest prices at The Home Depot. BUT! Something always worth mentioning when buying a Ridgid tool is it comes with a lifetime warranty if you register your product right after purchase.

All and all I think this is handy vacuum. It certainly can’t replace an dedicated shop vac in a shop that producing as much dust as mine but I don’t think Ridgid designed it with that intention. This is a perfect unit for getting into nooks and crannies where bigger units can’t get to, or where the pile of debris you’re going after just doesn’t require something as large as a traditional vac. The cordless feature is a big leg up for this unit so while I will use it once in a while in my shop I really see it being more useful in the house and trucks.

 

If you’re interested in checking it out a little further on The Home Depot’s web page you can find it here. Thanks so much for stopping by to learn more about this little hand-vac.

Yall take care – April

This review is sponsored by The Home Depot through their ProSpective campaign. 

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