18v (ish) tool systems for DIY'er - which is best?

I've recently bought into dewalt, following a post in the tools thread for the 4ah and drill driver.

Have to say, from the old makita to the dewalt it feels very nicely built, heavy and solid.

Ryobi always look good in b&q, but think they're aimed at DIY market, depends how hard you're pushing them I suppose!
 
divuk83 said:
Annoyingly Makita now do a better range of 18v tools that Dewalt don't make, eg trim router and random orbit sander. That said the random orbit sander is not meant to be that good compared to a corded one so it's not that bigger deal to not have one!
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Dewalt will probably bring these tools out eventually, if there is a demand for them. They are expanding their range all the time, even have a cordless hedge trimmer and a strimmer now..
 
i purchased a year ago a dewalt 10.2v drill and impact driver from b und q for £80.

now i know that the power is bottom end but they have really impressed me, impact driver had no issues driving 20cm screws into new wood sleepers (hard wood sleepers forget it! ) though, they are nice and light for the work i do with them and have a quick battery charge (again due to low v batts) but the batteries do last a long time.

for a kitchen install type work really good, small and light.
 
Makita UK warranty support is also brilliant providing you buy from an official reseller and register the serial number.

I can heartily recommend Howes Tools as their customer care is superb and they are very competitive on Makita and DeWalt.

Also Lidl Parkside kit is really good, crazy value and often rebranded big brand stuff like Scheppach. Plus their 3 year warranty is virtually no quibble.

Not quite as modular or readily available as DeWalt etc but the best of the budget imo.
 
I’ve actually seen a couple of quite good price deals on some Dewalt stuff, I think the XR? It’s not like I need a huge range, so I think I will keep my eyes peeled for a good deal on some of the slightly higher end stuff like Dewalt, Makita, Milwaukee and see if an impact driver/drill combo comes up with reasonable size batteries then go from there.

My dad was/is a kitchen fitter or many years and his kits a real mix as much of it is corded. Mostly makita and Bosch from memory, a few Dewalt bits more recently. Only advice he’s ever really given me is he’ll never buy a jigsaw that isn’t Bosch, he reckons they’re head and shoulders above everyone else.

I’ll keep my eyes peeled. I’m sure ryobi will do me but if I can do better I’m up for it.

As for parkside, I’ve got a corded impact wrench of theirs and it’s not too shabby, I’m pretty impressed with it considering it was £30 I think.
 
platypus said:
Any of the big brands are absolutely fine. Just avoid the diy superstore own brands because they are crap, and you'll be fine. Seriously. That Macallister jigsaw thats only £20? Just not worth it, and dangerous to boot. I purely went Makita because I was given an LXT drill.

As for the above scare story, well the chances of your batteries exploding and burning your house down are slim at best. The sheer convenience of cordless tools wins hands down for me. Ever used an SDS up a ladder? No way in hell I'd use a corded one any more. Ever used a corded jigsaw/circular saw and found that the cable pulls and makes it really easy to not cut a straight line? Ever had a corded tool just trip the electrics for whatever reason and not been able to actually use your tool? If you're using Corded tools you should be using a transformer, and how many people actually use one of those? Given just how good batteries are these days the only reason to go corded is cost, and if you shop around and have batteries the bare kit isn't hugely more expensive.
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Had no issues running circular saw and sander off the 1 plug yesterday. Never tripped. The sander is a beast. Sanding by hand would have taken 5 hours. 5 mins with it and done
 
PardonTheWait said:
I’ve actually seen a couple of quite good price deals on some Dewalt stuff, I think the XR? It’s not like I need a huge range, so I think I will keep my eyes peeled for a good deal on some of the slightly higher end stuff like Dewalt, Makita, Milwaukee and see if an impact driver/drill combo comes up with reasonable size batteries then go from there.

My dad was/is a kitchen fitter or many years and his kits a real mix as much of it is corded. Mostly makita and Bosch from memory, a few Dewalt bits more recently. Only advice he’s ever really given me is he’ll never buy a jigsaw that isn’t Bosch, he reckons they’re head and shoulders above everyone else.

I’ll keep my eyes peeled. I’m sure ryobi will do me but if I can do better I’m up for it.

As for parkside, I’ve got a corded impact wrench of theirs and it’s not too shabby, I’m pretty impressed with it considering it was £30 I think.
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This is the Makita one you want and a great price https://www.howetools.co.uk/makita-dlx2131jx1-18v-twin-pack

It's brushed but better specced than the equivalent priced brushless. To get significantly better you need to spend £100-£150 more.

The three batteries may only be 3.0mAh but last ages and give you that flexibility of the extra battery. They also fast charge in 20mins.

For all your heavy duty hammer/sds needs if the combi drill above needs more juice then this compliments really well and makes good use of the third battery.

https://www.howetools.co.uk/makita-dhr202z-18v-sds-hammer.
 
I'm also look to pick some power tools (mainly just a combi drill) and I'm having a hard time justifying the prices of Mitika / DeWalt vs Lidl Parkside / Aldi drills. A parkside impact driver with battery and charger is £37, brushless 18v combi is £50 from Aldi and the cheapest main brand alternatives start at £100..... hmmmm...
 
ultralaser said:
I'm also look to pick some power tools (mainly just a combi drill) and I'm having a hard time justifying the prices of Mitika / DeWalt vs Lidl Parkside / Aldi drills. A parkside impact driver with battery and charger is £37, brushless 18v combi is £50 from Aldi and the cheapest main brand alternatives start at £100..... hmmmm...
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The Aldi Workzone stuff is fine, as is Lidl Parkside. A lot of the Parkside stuff is rebranded big name much like and same as Machine Mart's own brand, eg Scheppach, Bosch etc.

From tomorrow Lidl have all the 20v Parkside system on sale again. Drills, saws etc etc.

Nothing else close for the money.
 
Scrutinize said:
The Aldi Workzone stuff is fine, as is Lidl Parkside. A lot of the Parkside stuff is rebranded big name much like and same as Machine Mart's own brand, eg Scheppach, Bosch etc.

From tomorrow Lidl have all the 20v Parkside system on sale again. Drills, saws etc etc.

Nothing else close for the money.
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Cheers Scrutinize I did see Lidl had them coming up (no combi but a impact this time and some other tools I'd be less interested in). thanks for the post.
 
Makita kit has been faultless for me, and it gets fairly well abused! Grinder/Impact Driver/Drill/Impact wrench/Jigsaw all work hard on car restoration and DIY jobs in the house. Missus even bought me a Makita coffee machine as a joke, makes an OK brew though :)
 
I just bought an 18v Workzone Titanium driver drill from Aldi.
First one went back as the torque settings changed nothing, electric and not mechanical type.
Second went back as the battery was missing.
The third I'm not sure ...

It works ok but when on torque setting 1, there are 9 altogether for screws and then an A, doesn't say what that is, it will drive a large screw into a fence post all the way until the head is buried an inch into it.
Increase that number and it gets greater, in other words the torque can't be reduced.
My larger 18v Dewalt has 13 mechanical slip type torque settings and on 1 you can stop it with one finger.

Surely the Aldi one is faulty or simply not suitable for screws if on the first torque settingit is so powerful..?
The lit symbol of a screw is selected when changing those numbers. If you increase it beyond what it can offer on that scale it then flips to a drill symbol, and there is no torque control.

This is the driver drill.....

https://www.aldi.co.uk/workzone-bru...gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CJunvrLuk9wCFQSMUQod2xAMZw
 
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Be carefully before spending money on all the ryobi kit. I blew 2 grand getting all their brushless stuff and loads of their little nice to have. 2 battery failures first month, 2 chargers failed. Brand new angle grinder failed in first five minutes. Grinder completely rubbish, just avoid, torch rubbish too, no wonder its free. I've had every excuse possible. Out of pocket about 400, never again. Going to switch brands.
 
I initially got a dewalt combi to get started and have added an impact driver and multi tool, but went for the Ryobi outdoor tools partly due to cost and partly their range was more expansive and I use a battery adapter. I have a leaf blower, hedge trimmer and strimmer, have just ordered the wet and dry vac. No issues with either system or the adapter.
 
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