The clearest results of the year came from products that did not just win but
won by an obvious margin. The Stihl MS250 took 37 lb of downward force before
its chain stalled, where most of its rivals gave up between 24 and 27, and it
led on chain speed at 14,800 RPM as well, so it was fastest in wood even
carrying 5 lb of added load. The NOCO GBX155 pulled 896 amps while holding 7.5
volts for 6,720 watts, better than a thousand watts clear of anything else,
and started a Cummins diesel three times running with the truck's own
batteries out of the circuit. The Milwaukee M18 Tire Inflator topped a car
tire in 18 seconds, roughly twice as fast as the Ridgid it is usually compared
with, and gained five minutes on a flat load-range E truck tire.
Value ran the other direction, and three products stand out for what they cost.
The Permatex Windshield Repair Kit finished a close second to a $319 kit when a
professional windshield technician graded the repairs, tied for hardest cured
resin, and held a bond that outlasted the glass at 20.6 lb, all for $13. The
YESWELDER MIG-205DS made 211 amps at its highest setting, broke a weld at
5,143 lb, landed within five thousandths of an inch of a $2,300 Lincoln on
penetration, and was one of the machines that finished a full five-minute run
at temperature. The AT-205 Re-seal stop leak Kit returned an
oil-hardened O-ring to 0.2055 inch against a 0.206 inch original and left it
softer than new at 65.5, the best seal recovery in its test.
Where the premium is genuinely earned, it shows up in time and in wear. The
All American Sharpener rebuilt a rock-chipped mower blade edge in 30 seconds,
less than half what a $1,200 machine needed, and gave up only 8 g of a 800 g
blade doing it. The Drill Doctor DD750X turned concrete-wrecked bits into a
135-degree split point that drilled half-inch mild steel in 7.9 seconds,
faster than a new bit off the shelf, and still managed 7.7 seconds on the
second hole. The Honda EU2200i Generator gave up a minute and a half of
runtime per tank to the Predator but held voltage best under load, ran
quietest at 58.9 dB, vibrated least, and came back from an oil analysis with
the lowest wear metals of the three. For anyone working under a vehicle, the
US Jack stands are worth the attention they got: first in all three stability
tests, at least 25 lb clear sideways and 40 lb clear fore-and-aft, and holding
9,500 lb of downward load. And if a vehicle is going to need pulling out, the
Bubba Rope stretches further and hits softer than anything else tested, both
new and after 25 pulls.