Father's Day Gift Ideas 2004

I have the good fortune to test and review products on a very regular basis. New power tools are always being brought to the marketplace and they always seem to be more and more innovative. There are so many wonderful tools, both power and hand, that it is very hard to pick one or more as clear winners. But I will do my best to show you a few that have caught my eye recently.

Ryobi has a very cool drill that might be a big hit with your Dad for Father's Day 2004. It is an 18 volt cordless hammer drill. Yes, I said hammer drill. It gets better. This is a 3 speed hammer drill and it comes as a kit with a handy flashlight. I have quite a few 18 volt cordless tools and they produce plenty of power for all the jobs I have around my home and when I use them to help friends with their projects.

The kit comes with a battery for each tool.

This drill features a one-half inch keyless chuck. I love keyless chucks. Old-fashioned drills had a key that had a gear and spindle on it that was used to tighten and loosen the actual drill bits in the drill. Often it was very hard to get a tight fit. Keyless chucks eliminate this hassle completely.

This drill also has all sorts of other features you would typically find on a professional model such as a swivel auxiliary handle to help you hold the drill in place as it spins. The drill has a die-cast aluminum gearbox that will take a beating.

This looks like an ordinary drill or a driver tool. Don't be fooled. It is a powerful impact driver!

The 24 position clutch also allows you to adjust torque output and turn the hammer mode on and off. But don't forget, this is a cordless hammer drill! The combo kit part number is HD1830K2F. You better react quickly and get to a home center store near you and catch one of these as they fly off the shelves.

Sears also has a cordless tool that really rocks. It is a 14.4 volt cordless impact driver. This tool is very similar to an air tool used by auto mechanics. Surely you have heard the unmistakable sound of those air tools they use to take lug nuts off of car wheels. Perhaps you have cursed one or more unkown mechanics who has used one of those tools to overtighten the lug nuts on your car.

Imagine having one of these tools to drive large lag bolts into wood. Or maybe you want to use it on your own car. This particular tool devlops over 800 inch pounds of torque! Your Dad's regular cordless drill driver will not even come close to this type of power.

If you are lucky, you will have a Sears store near you that has a Tool Territory sales area where you can actually do a side-by-side comparison of this impact driver against other similar tools. That will be your biggest challenge of course - finding a similar cordless impact driver! My guess is you will be amazed at how it drives bolt after bolt effortlessly.

The laser line created when the saw is operating is clear and straight.

The second power tool is a traditional 7 and 1/4 inch circular saw, but this one has a laser-guided alignment system. Circular saws are very handy and laser-enhanced ones are the rage right now. This saw produces a laser line that helps you keep the saw cutting where it is supposed to cut - on the line!

Both Sears and Ryobi have an assortment of laser-guided saws, so take a look at all of them while you are shopping. Remember, those who hesitate are lost and may arrive at the Father's Day celebration empty handed or with an inferior tool as a gift.