#oztooltalk

EGO's 18V battery blower is possibly their best tool. Yes, it's fun and well built and comfortable. But mostly it's just a powerhouse. What else do you want from a blower?

It doesn't have a vaccuum/sucking function, it just blows crap around really well. Specs are as follows:

$299 kit. Comes with 2Ah  battery & 40 minute charger

Runtime is around an hour (on low speed)

Turbine fan

Low Speed - 420 m³/h (high efficiency)

High Speed - 650 m³/h

Turbo - 810  m³/h

There's really not much else to say. If you need a blower, why not do away with a cord or 2-stroke mess and just get one of these?

Following on the heels of our other EGO reviews, comes the 56V Hedge Trimmer. I think this pips the blower for the funnest tool I've played with for ages. There is just instant gratification in seeing this quiet, comfortable tool neaten up a hedge or plant as if you were holding a lightsabre.

It runs at 2600 strokes per minute, which is on the lower side, so perhaps something EGO could improve on next time. Having said that, it didn't even remotely struggle with the tests that we asked of it.

Its super comfortable, got a long 61cm bar and is rated to cut 22mm branches. We think that may be a little optimistic, but we didn't have an old woody hedge to try it out on, so this is purely conjecture.

As with all the EGO tools, its the batteries that make them brilliant. The 2Ah battery that comes in the kit is rated to last 60 minutes. If you haven't read or watched the mower review, do so now because we talk about the batteries there. http://oztooltalk.com/ego-56v-battery-mower-review

EGO's line trimmer doesn't have the class-leading performance of the blower or the wow factor of the mower, but it does hold its own in the line up for one simple reason, noise.

Line trimmers are bloody noisy things, especially when up at full revs. The EGO 56V line trimmer takes a while to get used to, because its so damn quiet! It doesn't have variable speed, you just pull the trigger and go to work. And until you start hitting something solid, it sounds like a bathroom fan.

We like the following:

Plenty enough power for home use

45 minute run-time (I suspect most users will get 30-40)

Very light

Comfortable grips

Build quality is great

Bump feed works a treat

But we'd like to see a couple of improvements

30cm cut diameter is a little small

No shoulder strap means that it can get tiring to hold

Would I buy this trimmer? Absolutely. But anyone with a big yard will get frustrated by the line length. This is perfect for the lawns that you get with modern residential estates.

Write-up edited for accuracy upon further testing.

Makita has a tonne of 18V drills, and this isn't the first brushless one. But it IS their first brushless heavy duty drill, and they are making some big claims about it, 125N.m. of claim.

Newton metres (N.m.) is how torque is measured, and that's a good 50% more than any of it's competitors claim. To quell your doubts about it''s torque, Makita have included a side-handle long enough you could unblock your toilet with it (not a suggestion).

We like the feel of this drill, and it certainly ripped through some redgum with a 16mm and 24mm auger bit. However it's electronic protection seems to prevent it from shining in really intense torque tests. It was also able to pull down huge coach bolts into treated pine easier than competitors.