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2017 Best of Power Tools

Hand tools have a way of forging a kind of connection between user and workpiece, but sometimes there’s no substitute for attaching a tool to a power source and letting ‘er rip. Here’s a look at our favorite power tool stories from this year:

This Insane DIY Spiral-Action Chainsaw-Wielding Automatic Tree Trimmer is as awesome as it is terrifying:

A more conventional sort of innovation came from Makita, who released the world’s first cordless worm-drive circular saw:

Makita also seemed to be muscling in on Festool territory, coming up with this clever design for a dust-collecting Cordless Cutout Saw:

Speaking of Festool, this year the company surprised many by launching a website where you can buy their reconditioned tools at a discount:

We saw some unusual tool designs from manufacuturer Worx , like this reciprocating saw that turns into a jigsaw…

…and this unusual twist on the chainsaw:

A rather amazing tool combination is Metabo’s cordless angle grinder and U.S. Saw’s Core EZ System, which when paired enabled you to drill enormous holes in concrete, cordlessly:

DeWalt borrowed a design trick from snap-blade utility knives, designing a line of Breakaway Blades for reciprocating saws:

We saw another wildly unusual blade, as a couple of YouTubers discovered that using paper blades in an angle grinder is surprisingly effective:

A lot of us own Dremels, but reader Nathan D. pointed out that heavy-duty users favor overhead flex-shaft grinder set-ups:

And finally, we got to hear observations from an ex-power-tool-designer. Ironically, it turns out that Joel Moskowitz, who runs our hand-tool-heavy Tools & Craft section, used to design power tools for Black & Decker’s Industrial Construction division in the '80s.