2013-09-04

This post started out with the title “You Guys Are Awesome So I Want To Give You Drill Bits, Seriously” but that looked like far too many consecutive words starting with capital letters so I randomly decapitalized a few. Sort of like decapitating but… less permanent. And with far less conviction. And apparently the part of my brain that’s supposed to be telling you that Makita sponsored this post and is letting me give away some drill bits is now preoccupied with proper capitalization, which, let’s face it, around here is a bit of a Joke. (Capital J.)

So here’s why you guys are awesome:

Never once in the history of this website has anyone corrected my capitalization. (I feel like this is an unspoken agreement between us… I am going to eff it up, and you all choose to cut me some slack because I spent thirty hours last weekend building a not-finished chicken coop, and I’m writing this after midnight.)

You are funny as hell. Have you ever read the comments section of these posts? Any time I’m having a frustrated minute during my day, I pop in to read some recent comments and then pretend like I’m not laughing hysterically at my own website. Awkward.

You build awesome stuff. Seriously. I get so many emails about people deciding they’re going to up and build their own tables, bathroom vanities, wall art, freaking houses, whatever. And then you send me pictures and they are amazing.

You love tools. You might be a little unsure as to the depth of your love… like, maybe you don’t sleep with your drill under your pillow. But you do occasionally whisper sweet nothings when you’re changing the drill bits. I know you do. Either way, I know you don’t come here just for pictures of donkey noses…

Or, maybe you do actually. Half the time I only show up for donkey noses.

But still. Tools are awesome. And, while I keep sponsored posts and giveaways to a minimum around here, every once in a while someone contacts me and is like, “Hey, we know you’re busy hugging chickens, but do you maybe want to check out our top-of-the-line drill bits?” Guys. GUYS. Do I want free drill bits? Do you know how much time I spend looking for drill bits? I could build a whole other house with those minutes. Hell yes.

So, Makita (you already know how I feel about my drill, and I can tell you those are pure un-sponsored little hearts in my eyes when I talk about it) and Home Depot asked me to test out the new Makita Impact GOLD™ line of drill bits, and see if I could wear them out.

They also sent me some gear, since the last impact driver I had access to is actually still back at my last house with my last boyfriend. (It was totally his, but that didn’t mean I didn’t steal it and misplace the battery with regularity. One of my many charms.)



But now I have my own, and it just makes my little heart go pitty pat.

So, let’s talk about bits. First of all, this is the smartest damn thing I’ve ever seen…



It’s basically saying, “We know you’re going to lose the shit out of these things, so we’ve included a few extra. And by “a few” we mean “ten”. You’re welcome.”

Well played, Makita.

As you well know, over the last two weekends I’ve built a barn door and most of a chicken coop. As far as I can tell, I’ve driven approximately 3 full boxes of deck screws in to treated lumber over the course of these projects.

So I would like to think I gave it my all–567 individual times–to wear even one of these damn things down. And…

Nope. Other than a little discoloration on the end? Not even a dent. These things are designed to be used with high-torque impact drivers, and, apparently, by girls who are wedged into a 12″ space underneath a workbench trying to fasten the bottom on some nesting boxes. For eternity.

The bit holder works great (I do all sorts of stupid shit with my tools, and not even one bit popped out while I was working on the coop) although it is supposed to be a two-part deal with an extra strong holder sleeve, and I will say this… two-part bit holders are a little too much for me, since I already lost the sleeve. It’s probably in the pocket of one of my work jeans, but that’s the problem with small, detachable parts.

However, I have no complaint about the bit holder sans-sleeve. It’s significantly better than the old DeWalt bit holder I’ve been using that drops bits if I happen to gesture a bit to wildly while holding my drill. Which, as you can imagine, I do often.

So, want some?

This is a two part giveaway. Makita and the Home Depot want to give you this 21 piece Impact GOLD™ bit set…

And I personally want to give you a $50 gift card to Home Depot to jump-start your next project. (That part isn’t sponsored, it’s just because I want to spread a little sawdust joy this week.)

So. Here’s what you’ve got to do: Leave a comment.

That’s it. No gimmicks, no random questions, no posting this shit to eight different social networks. I’m not trying to drive a bunch a traffic here, I just want to give you some fun stuff. One comment per person, and the giveaway will stay open until 11:59 EST on Friday September 6th. I’ll announce the winner Monday, and then the two of us can face-off to see who can wear down even one of these bits sooner.

Just in case it wasn’t clear, this is the part where I tell you that Makita and Home Depot sponsored this post. Obviously. They didn’t tell me what to say, because that’s just effing laughable. If they told me what to say, bet your ass it wouldn’t include donkey noses. So, clearly Makita supports our collective ability to form our own opinions about their tools and share them any damn way we please. I heart them for that.  And because–bless their little tool-making hearts– they are literally making me copy and paste this exact legal jargon here instead of making up my own… something I’ve never done in a decade of blogging: Makita partnered with bloggers such as me for their tool review program. As part of this program, I received compensation for my time. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about any product mentioned in these posts. Makita believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Makita’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations. (Clearly I didn’t write that part because it didn’t even use the word “shit” once. But whatever.) 

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