Tibby Singh continues to investigate the latest advances in cordless equipment from Trend Tool Technology.
As for my previous review of the Cordless ¼” Router and Mitre Saw in the March issue, all the cordless tools discussed in this feature run off Trend’s T18 TX Lithium-Ion batteries which have light indication and are available in 2Ah, 4Ah and 5Ah. The 2Ah is better for lighter tasks, such as light drilling and sanding, 4Ah for more demanding tasks like routing and the 5Ah is for extended capacity and power usage such as repetitive cuts on the mitre saw or more demanding materials.
The 165mm Brushless Circular Saw feels well-built and has all the functions and features you’d expect a circular saw to have. I particularly admire the attention to detail such as having engraved measurements for depth setting, meaning you don’t have to guess later down the line. It does have a 55mm depth cut at 90 degrees, which is great for first fix work. Another couple of features I would never have guessed it would have, is a front mounted laser and a hanging hook. The laser does help for quick alignment and the hook means you can keep it close by for efficiency.
The Biscuit Jointer is a tool that only serves one purpose yet has several applications. It looks sophisticated but Trend have made it simple to use. The fence can be moved up and down, which allows you to use it on thicker stock. It has a dial and measurements meaning it can be finely tuned. It features six pre-set cutting depths, which can be quickly set to the size of the biscuit required. They’ve even covered all angles with the expected 0-90 degree cutting angles.
That brings me onto the Cordless Angle Grinder, which is probably the thinnest grinder I’ve seen. The slimline body makes it more comfortable to use in awkward places. It has a long paddle switch at the bottom which is much easier to turn on and as soon as you let go it will turn off which is a good safety feature. Inventively, it has an anti-vibration side handle that can be placed on either side of the body for right- and left-handed users. Although it’s a tool free disc change, incorporated within the handle there’s a slot that has the tool to change the blade just in case it becomes a little tight after use, giving it a handy dual functionality. A grinder probably see’s more dust than any other tool, leading to Trend engineering it to have a removable dust filter, leaving an impact on me.
