Milwaukee is clearly pushing hard on its UK cordless fastening range this week, with fresh coverage landing on its M18 FUEL Impact Drivers, Impact Wrenches, and Battery and Charger Kits. On the trade supply side, TradeKart has signed up as a Strategic Partner of Band of Builders, the charity that rallies behind construction workers when illness or injury strikes. There is also solid practical content doing the rounds: a Makita multi tool blade selector, a West Fraser brief on why OSB could replace plasterboard on your next fit-out, and a look at the Zippa Skip Loader, a remote-controlled gadget that may save your back at site clearance time.

What happened this week

Milwaukee M18 FUEL Impact Drivers: tightened up for 2026. Milwaukee's current M18 FUEL Impact Driver line sits at the top of the cordless fastening market in the UK. The headline model delivers 300Nm of torque, which is roughly the force you would need to crack a car wheel nut by hand. At that output, driving 6-inch structural screws into engineered timber barely registers as effort. Three output modes let you match the tool to the task, from light screw-driving to full-bore structural fixing, and the REDLINK PLUS electronics step in before you strip a head or snap a screw. Source: Milwaukee Tool UK

Milwaukee M18 FUEL Impact Wrenches: fastening power for the workshop. Milwaukee's UK impact wrench range spans compact 1/2" drive models suited to light automotive and mechanical work through to the high-torque M18 FHIWF12, which puts out 2,700Nm of nut-busting torque. To put 2,700Nm in perspective, that is roughly the force you would need to undo a bolt that has been fully seized and corroded onto a HGV wheel for five years. Source: Milwaukee Tool UK

Milwaukee Battery and Charger Kits: make the most of the M18 platform. Kits pairing REDLITHIUM batteries with Milwaukee's rapid chargers are the smart entry point into the M18 ecosystem. The range now runs from 2.0Ah to 12.0Ah, with the Rapid Charger bringing a 5.0Ah pack from flat to full in around 45 minutes. Source: Milwaukee Tool UK

TradeKart joins Band of Builders as Strategic Partner. TradeKart, the trade-focused building materials platform, has formalised a partnership with Band of Builders, one of the construction industry's most practical charities. Band of Builders steps in when tradespeople are seriously ill or injured and unable to complete their own homes or adaptations. Having a supply chain partner on board increases the fundraising reach across a sector that often struggles to ask for help. Source: Professional Builder

West Fraser argues the case for OSB over plasterboard. West Fraser has been making noise about the environmental case for using oriented strand board (OSB) in place of plasterboard in internal partitions and wall linings. Wet plasterboard in landfill produces hydrogen sulphide, a hazardous gas, which is why gypsum-based waste is now classified as hazardous and charged accordingly at the tip. OSB does not carry the same liability and its structural properties open up other design possibilities. Source: Professional Builder

The Zippa Skip Loader: a gadget to watch at site clearance. Professional Builder covered a demo of the Zippa Skip Loader with general builder Steven Gaal. The device is remote-controlled, designed to load waste into skips without the manual throwing that causes lower-back problems. Back injuries are one of the biggest reasons UK tradespeople end up on long-term sick, so anything that removes overhead or repeated heavy lifting from the clearance cycle deserves a look. Source: Professional Builder

Makita multi tool blade guide: picking the right accessory. Toolden has published a practical selector for Makita multi tool blades, covering wood, metal, grout removal, and sanding. The short version: bi-metal blades for most wood and nail-embedded work, carbide-tipped for grout and tile adhesive, and HSS for clean metal cuts. Source: Toolden Blog

Sandpaper grit explained for tradespeople. A new guide from Toolden cuts through the confusion around grit ratings. In short: below 80 grit for heavy removal, 80 to 120 for surface prep, 150 to 180 before finishing coats, and 220 or above between coats for a glass-smooth result. Source: Toolden Blog

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