u/remp945

The former head of TTI (2008-2024, Milwaukee, Ryobi) and new CEO of Chervon, Joe Galli, did an interview with former tool user and current influencer Vince from VCG Construction on YouTube.

Despite the underwhelming interviewer prompts, Joe Galli managed to reveal some interesting information and hints on the new direction of Chervon. He clearly believes they will be making waves in the coming months and years, and his track record makes that belief credible.

I hope that Galli and his team choose their online persona partners wisely going forward. I'd like to see them partner with working pros or thoughtful reviewers rather than clickbait factories. Even better, I'd like to see them develop their own media channel like Bosch UK does.

There are several very good deals on FLEX tools starting today with Amazon "Big Deals" promotion. You must be a Prime member to get the special pricing.

New patent filing from Chervon just dropped. An ultra-compact impact wrench. I'm just another idiot on the internet, so read my analysis below with skepticism.

Chervon already has a 12V line of tools under Devon branding in Asia, and a reasonable assumption is that this and similar filings in the US are for a forthcoming 12V lineup under FLEX branding. Prior US filings have revealed plans for a stem-style stacked lithium battery, and today's filing makes that even more clear. See the attached image.

The surprising part is that the filing discusses multiple battery configurations. The filing suggests that the stem-style battery packs have space for two pouch cells that fit in the stem and three pouch cells in the pack extension, and that this 12V size tool would actually pack 18V of power (5 pouches x 3.6V).

However, the filing also discusses other pack configurations, ranging in size from just one cell (4V) to five cells (18V), and that different packs may use cells in either series or parallel configurations. For example, a pack with just two pouch cells (fitting entirely inside the tool stem) could be configured as either 4V (parallel) or 8V (series). Some tools benefit from higher voltage (e.g., 18V, like the impact wrench detailed in the filing), but other tools only require very low voltage (e.g., 4V, like a stem-style screwdriver).

This is speculative, but it kind of sounds like the intention is to create a line of compact tools that all accept the same stem-style battery pack, but that different tools could draw high voltage (18V), low voltage (4V), and anywhere in between (e.g., 12V) depending on the tool's power requirements and the specific pack inserted.

A highly underrated youtube channel tested the new 1152 drill, and the competition isn't even close. The whole video is definitely worth a watch.

Finally available for pre-order. I think this was first announced (leaked) about a year ago.

No listing for a bare tool yet. The kit price is surprisingly expensive, but it does come with a 2.0Ah stacked lithium and 160W fast charger. In comparison, the full-size 5-inch angle grinder kit is currently $209 with a 5.0Ah battery and 160W charger, and the Kobalt 3-inch cut off bare tool is only $99.

I'm looking forward to seeing some reviews of this tool. It looks very handy.

Just listed on Amazon.

This seems like a reasonable pre-release price for the new detail sander as a kit. Maybe the bare tool price will be around $150?

What's surprising is that this is the first time we've seen the new "economy" battery and charger.

The new 2.0Ah cylindrical battery (FX0101-1) looks like a slightly smaller form factor than the old 2.5Ah battery. The four bulky screw post locations on the sides are gone. Zooming in on the battery is a bit blurry, but it looks like it states "480W" on the side which would make it the same output as the old 2.5Ah. At <500W, we can assume that this new economy battery does not use tabless cells.

The new 75W charger (FX0461-Z) looks compact. Maybe some people will like a slow charger.

The filing does not show any illustrations that make the battery or grip clear, so it isn't possible to say which Chervon brand this is for. The most likely guess IMO is definitely FLEX. But I'm just a moron with a keyboard, so don't take my word for it.

What we do know for certain is that there is no track saw with DEVON or FLEX 18V (EU/Germany) branding. So this patent appears to be for a tool that was explicitly developed with the US market in mind.

The track pictured appears to be DeWalt style. This is an interesting choice. IMO the best track profile is Maffell/Bosch because of how secure the track connector is. However, the Makita/Festool profile is by far the most common and has the ability to easily attach accessories (squares, parallel guides, miter gauges, etc). DeWalt is an outlier with neither a robust track connector nor the ability to attach accessories. But maybe the saw itself has a trick up its sleeve for compatibility with different manufacturer's guide rails - that would be awesome.

New US patent filing from FLEX today for a "mini" brad nailer. This is a smaller and lighter version of the regular brad nailer and I think actually beats the Milwaukee M12 on size and weight. The caveat is that it likely maxes out at about 1-3/16" brads compared to 2-1/8" for the full-size brad nailer.

I posted about the DEVON version of this a few months back. Looks like it is probably coming to the US under FLEX branding, and with a TUUURRRBO button. From what I can tell, the TURBO button is for quick sequential nailing ("greater than 6 per second").

Here's an in-use video on youtube for the DEVON version.

I came across a Taiwanese video demonstrating some newer DEVON tools at their headquarters. Some of these will probably come to the US under FLEX or SKIL branding.

This video is the first time I've seen this Chervon mini table saw in use. Who knows if this tool will come to the US market, and if it does, which brand(s) would get it. To my knowledge, none of the major tool brands have anything in this tool category (table saw with a blade under 8-1/4"), either corded or cordless. Do you think this is a tool that would be more useful for tradesmen or hobbyists in the US?

The video also demonstrates a new angle grinder that will definitely be released by FLEX (Miller's Construction on YouTube recently shared that he was sent an evaluation unit). IMO, the quick-change arbor lock is better than Bosch's X-Lock system because the FLEX design does not require proprietary (X-Lock) discs.

The video shows another new tool category that FLEX has developed: a tile placer and vibrator. This looks pretty useful for properly setting large format tiles.

Lastly, the video shows a new concrete / metal connector nail gun.

For all you guys that binged on StackPack recently, ACME has this box mount kit on sale for 56% off. This kit has enough mounting brackets for 4 StackPack boxes and also includes 2 wall mount rails. If you buy two kits and get over $99 then you can start applying the BMSM coupons.

There is an new, extensive patent filing for a 4-wheeled StackPack cart that has lots of illustrations showing the cart as well as numerous new StackPack items. I've included just a few of the more interesting images.

FLEX!

There has been speculation for years about when the Festool Domino patent(s) would expire and allow competitors to bring lower-priced Domino machines to market. The Festool (corded) costs around $1,400.

Maybe Kreg just answered that question because yesterday they announced a cordless Domino machine.

From what I can tell, Chervon may be the manufacturer of Kreg's new "Ionic" line of cordless power tools, possibly including this new "Edge" domino machine.

Maybe FLEX will release a 24V domino machine. If they did, would you be interested in buying one? I would.

Short in-use video posted by an Aussie retailer

I'm not sure why this tool has been delayed so long...still waiting for it to appear as "coming soon" in the US.