The most impressive of all the things I saw this year was definitely the Arcus circular saw blade. It was being demonstrated and I bought it on the spot. It's unique and exciting. We'll be setting up a demo area in our store just for this blade —it's one of those products that has to be seen in action for people to really believe what it can do.
I also liked the new line of compressors from DeWalt, they will fit well into our already extensive mix of DeWalt tools.
And, the new design of Milwaukee Electric Tool's hammer drills, and the company's new 18-volt lithium-ion lineup was good to see.
In a different kind of tool, the new vacuum from CS Unitec is a real step up and should do well in that segment of the business.
Also on the hand tool and accessory side, I found the line of Felo screwdrivers very interesting and think they will find a place with our customers.
I also added a line of tape measures from Komelon. They're stainless steel, double-sided tapes with big numbers and an automatic locking feature —the tape locks in place as you pull it out. They should be well received because they're versatile and because they look "cool."
Interesting year to come
There were some other things that I was able to get a sneak peek at, but they aren't available yet. Several manufacturers are promising new introductions in 2007, so it should be a very interesting year.
