Q. I’d like to know why cordless tools don’t have trigger guards anymore. Bosch used to make one, but they gave it up, or so it seems. Does it have something to do with government requirements? With the gun I use now (Bosch), I hang it in the spare hammer loop on my left hand nail bag, but the new guns without trigger guards cannot be hung this way without the trigger being depressed.
I use three nail bags and a separate hammer loop, so I don’t have room for an additional drill holster. If you have any influence on the manufacturers, please bring this to their attention.

A.Tool editor Dave Crosby responds: I called several cordless tool manufacturers about your question, and it seems that the disappearance of the trigger guard is a change in style as much as anything. To keep your cordless driver-drill from running by itself in your hammer loop or nail bag, try putting the forward/reverse selector in the midway, or "neutral," position. Some tools are intentionally designed by the manufacturers to lock the trigger in this position. Most tools, even if not specifically designed to do so, will resist light to moderate trigger pressure with the selector set halfway between forward and reverse.

But heavy pressure on certain tools will allow the selector to engage one way or the other, so even though this usually works, it’s obviously a compromise. If your particular tool isn’t designed to actually lock the trigger securely, there could be a safety consideration here, so if you decide to do this, use care. As for bringing this common and irritating problem to the manufacturer’s attention, consider it done.