More than 50 online tool reviewers and trade editors got a first-hand look at new tools available this spring at Home Depot during the retailer’s ProSpective Event, April 11, at a loft in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood.

The tool companies at the event included Makita, Milwaukee Tool, DeWalt, Ryobi, Dremel, Bosch, Ridgid, Husky and Diablo.

Batteries were just one of the major highlights at the show:

• Ridgid introduced Hyper Octane, an 18-volt smart battery that features Bluetooth connectivity that, among other benefits, deters theft by disabling the battery if it goes beyond a point set by a paired smart phone. The battery also can scale down power based on the performance of whatever Octane tool line it’s powering.
• DeWalt introduced a slimmer and lighter FLEXVOLT battery. The 20-volt Max Compact 3.0Ah battery offers the same capacity and is 20 percent lighter than the previous models.

With OSHA enforcing a tough standard on crystalline silica, several toolmakers highlighted their solutions:

• Makita showcased a line of subcompact 18-volt tools, including a scaled-down 4-pound brushless rotary hammer that can collect dusts through a backpack vacuum rig.
• Bosch’s Speed Clean uses specialty bits hollowed out to collect dust rather than the more typical dust shroud. The company says the Speed Clean bits save time by as much as 50 percent compared the standard anchoring process.

Other highlights

Bosch also highlighted its new Blaze laser measurement device that can be easily paired with a smartphone app and can also import data to a laptop for further design work. The rangefinder can also zero in on the reference point to within 1/6 of an inch over 100 feet.

Diablo introduced a line a carbide recip blades that, depending one the choice of blade, can be used to cut wood, nail-embedded wood, strut and pipe of various thickness.

This was the second annual ProSpective media event for Home Depot.