Today DeWALT tools has introduced an expanded lineup of tools including a revolutionary new technology for power tools, brushless motors. The brushless motor will be introduced with DeWALT's new cordless impact driver and will ship in April. There are a couple of other manufacturers that sell tools with brushless motors but none that have the market size of DeWALT and assuming these will be available in the big box home centers a lot of people will be introduced to these tools.

DeWALT showed a select group of us these new tools and started with the DeWALT 20V Max impact driver. The brushless motor works more efficiently compared to brushed motors and provides significantly more runtime in a smaller, cooler running cordless power tool.

Here's a video showing the improved runtime of the brushless impact driver.

The DeWALT brushless impact drivers feature 3-Speed selections for enhanced application control. The Electro-Mechanical speed selector is easily seen at all times and can be used with little effort. The selector allows for the ability to see what speed the tool is in without turning it on.

Noticeably different is the Push Button Chuck which allows users to change accessories and is preferred when compared to traditional 1/4” Chucks. It features a One Handed loading design along with accepting 1” bit tips.

Finally DeWALT has introduced Fuel Gauge Battery Packs. The batteries have three green LED lights that indicate charge level. A recessed push button design allows for durability and ease of use. By pushing this button, you will be able to check the amount of charge left in the battery before and after an application. These fuel gauge packs are fully interchangeable with existing 20V MAX* tools.

Here's a video showing the features of the new brushless impact driver.

Earlier this year we visited Husqvarna and they were working on some top secret battery powered chainsaws. Well it looks like Stihl has beat them to the punch and launched the first real entry into the battery powered chainsaw market.

There are other battery powered chainsaws available but the Stihl MSA-160 is the first to offer the lithium-ion battery power and life and coming from a company that specializes in chainsaws this is the model to get if you are concerned about environmental issues and want a clean burning chainsaw.

Here are some of the stand out features:

Environmentally responsible chain saw powered by a high performance, advanced STIHL Lithium-Ion battery
Toolless Quick Chain Adjuster for fast and easy chain adjustment
Lightweight and easy to use - no fuel, no filters, no power cords
Low noise for quiet applications
Run time up to 60 minutes w/AP 160 and up to 35 minutes w/AP 80

Check out the chainsaw here

WORX is offering Black Friday sales exclusively online.

Here are some super-deals on some of your favorite WORX yard tools, including:

WORX TriVac Blower & free Leaf Collection System, $89.00, plus freeshipping
WORX GT Trimmer & free Blower Sweeper, $119.00
WORX JawSaw & free sharpening for life, $119.00
WORX SnowThrower, $219.00
This exclusive online offer will be available on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24 and Black Friday,
Nov. 25, 2011.

Rockwell is offering some Black Friday deals on some of their most popular products and you can shop them from the comfort of your home with these online discounts.

Black Friday deals include:
Rockwell BladeRunner, $159.00, plus free shipping
Rockwell VersaCut Saw, $119.00, plus free shipping
Rockwell JawHorse & Plywood Jaw, $169.00, plus free shipping
Rockwell JawHorse & Work Table, $169.00, plus free shipping

These special exclusive online offers will be available on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24 and Black Friday, Nov. 25, 2011.

Start shopping here.

We were impressed as we saw them put the drill through some tests that no other cordless drill available today could match. Here's why this new lineup of power tools will be something special.

The new features include the POWERSTATE brushless motor, REDLITHIUM battery technology, and REDLINK PLUS Intelligence. This is what Milwaukee Tool has to say about these new features.

The new POWERSTATE brushless motor works harder and lives longer than all leading competitors, while reducing noise and cooling more rapidly to deliver years of maintenance-free performance. Milwaukee POWERSTATE brushless motors convert energy into power and torque more efficiently resulting in superior application performance.

Milwaukee REDLITHIUM batteries provide significantly more run-time, power and recharges than any other Lithium product on the market. REDLITHIUM also delivers best-in-class performance in extreme job-site conditions. With Milwaukee durability built into each pack, the REDLITHIUM battery operates cooler and performs in climates as low as 0°F/-18°C with fade free power.

REDLINK PLUS Intelligence hardware and software is the world's most advanced system of cordless power tool electronics that will maximize performance and protect the user's investment. REDLINK PLUS Intelligence is a best-in-class system that integrates full-circle communication between tool, battery and charger, and constantly monitors this internal network to maintain ideal conditions.

These tools will be available in Spring 2012.

These tools have become the standbys in our home -- perhaps it's the convenient packaging, the portability, or the fact that they were so darn inexpensive that we don't worry about ruining them too much, but whenever a small project pops up, you can be sure to see a FIXA kit nearby.

Protective gloves are one of the best investments for a do-it-yourselfer. They not only protect you from cuts and scrapes but also from damage due to chemicals as well as simply keep your hands clean so at the end of your project you simply need to clean your gloves, not scrub your hands for hours.

Ansell just launched ActivArmr Do-It-Yourself construction gloves and they have a wide variety to choose from. They sent us a couple of pairs to try out. We opted for the Landscaper and their Light Duty gloves.

Pumpkin carving can be less of a chore by tackling it with your power tools. Nothing can replace the finesse needed to carve pumpkins but for some of the tougher jobs or larger pumpkins, a little 12 or 18 volt power can make the job go much faster.

Here are five power tools that can help you with your pumpkin carving.

1. Jigsaw
The jigsaw (shown above) is the perfect tool for cutting the tops off a pumpkin. Just plunge the blade straight into the pumpkin and go for it. We found that turning the pumpkin around the saw instead of moving the saw, works much better.

2. Oscillating Tool
There is a reason this is the fastest growing power tool category. Oscillating tools can do everything and that's no exception when it comes to pumpkin carving. Place a cutting blade on it and you can trim a stem or cut out eyes. Use a circular blade and cut tops out or carve eyebrows. The scraper is perfect for removing the pumpkin guts from the top giving you a smooth surface. You could even use the sander attachment and create some interesting textures on the pumpkin surface. You're only limited by your imagination with this tool.

3. Mini-recip Saw
Our Milwaukee Hackzall is a down-sized version of the popular Sawzall recip-saw which makes it ideal for slicing up a pumpkin. It's grip and size will dice up a pumpkin like butter.

One of the coolest parts about the event (besides seeing the tools and catching up with old friends, of course!) was getting to test the tools during a building competition. We split into teams of 5 and were instructed to build what everyone at the event called a "cornhole" but I know as a "bean bag toss." (Anyone else out there call them bean bag tosses? Or is it just me?)

Each team had to build two sets, and I'm proud to say that our team came in second place! But I digress - back to the tools!

Along with the races, which are done tournament style, there was also the debut of a brand new gourmet food truck (which was AMAZING), Jeni's Ice Cream (listed recently as one of the top ten ice creameries in the nation) and a great deal of local vendors selling everything from art and baked goods to novelty items and handmade creations.

Let's see the trucks!

Dan Maxey - Tools in Action
2011 Ford F-150 4x4

Dan Maxey of Tools in Action is the proud owner of a 2011 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4x4. He's got the Lariat package and opted for EcoBoost.

Dan says, "I like my truck because it has the power I need to tow heavy loads, its comfortable and the sound of the EcoBoost twin turbos is awesome! Its Ford Tough. The 4x4 gets me around any job site."

"I don't like the payment and the mpg isn't quite as advertised. But if I had to do it all over again it would be another F150 EcoBoost."

Sounds like a great endorsement! The EcoBoost in 4x4 is rated at 15 city/21 hwy which sure beats my 2001 5.7 Triton at the pump and at 365 HP and 420 torque it's got more power.

For tool geeks it was cool to see the ubiquitous Milwaukee Sawzall make an appearance in the latest video from Jay-Z and Kanye West, Otis. The opener is ominous with both rappers walking towards a new Maybach, Kanye with a cutoff saw and Jay-Z with a torch. 20 seconds in and you see the Sawzall doing work.

The rest of the video isn't much and you'd think they would come up with a better modification on that Maybach. The Aziz Ansari cameo was a nice touch. He's street.

Milwaukee gave this tool it's own presentation as we walked into a room with a wall size projection of a thermal view of the room. They had an HVAC display which we could use to identify the warm and cold areas of ducts and machinery. But our group had more fun looking at the walls and each other. Think of the movie Predator and it's vision, that's what this camera shows. It will create a heat map of whatever you point it at, showing the hot areas as read and the cold areas as blue with various other temperatures shades of orange.

The theme for the day was "disruptive innovation". Milwaukee Tool prides itself on innovating among core users such as electricians, plumbers and HVAC specialists. These might be considered niche user categories but Milwaukee wants to own them.

We broke out into groups and rotated among five stations throughout the day. Our group started in hand tools and they introduced some amazing innovations that we can't talk of now but electricians everywhere will love. We then moved out to the tents and saw their latest cutting blades and accessories.

The Husqvarna 562XP is a new model that includes a lot of features that will improve performance and efficiency that are new to the chainsaw industry.

The new chasis is sleeker and slimmer than previous models and the weight has also been dropped. The distance between the front and rear handles has also been optimized for efficient, comfortable operation.