Power Tools & General Tools Recommendations & Advice

You could half that budget and get something from de Walt, Makita or Milwaukee and you’ll be fine.

personally I’d just get 18V because the batteries are compatible with a far wider range of tools you may want in the future. Like an impact driver or a hedge trimmer or something.

Likewise if it’s really just for light bits of DIY, just get an Aldi/Lidl special and be done with it. For the price they are good value.
 
TonyLewis said:
Any recommendations for a good 12v hammer drill? Budget circa £300.

Mainly for light jobs around the house, 18v would be overkill.

Thanks!
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Probably any small hammer action drill would be useable, I just have a 18V Bosch green thing. Not an impact driver but has hammer/drill/driver. If you go smaller then you're looking at a non-hammer drill and possibly a impact driver territory.

What are the walls made of?
 
TonyLewis said:
Any recommendations for a good 12v hammer drill? Budget circa £300.

Mainly for light jobs around the house, 18v would be overkill.

Thanks!
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https://www.sgs-engineering.com/m12...oE-joHJNPqKBECXduZojAMwSw9nrgl8BoCuiMQAvD_BwE

I have the older version of the above set and they really are great bits of kit. They are nice and compact and lightweight weight, but are still more than powerful enough for around the house. I've used my set almost daily at work for a good few years now and other than replacing the chuck on the drill they've been bulletproof.
 
I just got a Makita 40v kit and only after the thought dawned on my that I spent £650 on a couple made in China drills where my old 18v Makita set was £270 and made in Japan.

Should've looked at other brands as well, Makita are nice but the 40v range is stupid compared to Dewalt Flex.
 
I don’t think you can attribute ‘made in china’ to mean it’s somehow lower quality.

It will be built to the exact spec Makita set out, the fact it’s made in China has very little to do with its quality.

Case in point, an iPhone is made in China but so are nasty knock off ‘ifones’, that doesn’t make iPhones poor quality.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
I don’t think you can attribute ‘made in china’ to mean it’s somehow lower quality.

It will be built to the exact spec Makita set out, the fact it’s made in China has very little to do with its quality.

Case in point, an iPhone is made in China but so are nasty knock off ‘ifones’, that doesn’t make iPhones poor quality.
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Well, you can, can't you? At least at a parting glance.

Why? Standards, supply chain control, a general indifference to poor quality knock-offs etc.

The quality of steel may vary significantly where as the UK has much stricter and mature controls.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
I don’t think you can attribute ‘made in china’ to mean it’s somehow lower quality.

It will be built to the exact spec Makita set out, the fact it’s made in China has very little to do with its quality.

Case in point, an iPhone is made in China but so are nasty knock off ‘ifones’, that doesn’t make iPhones poor quality.
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The point is they're made in China but priced much higher. Quality-wise I noticed the triggers are much looser (don't fit as snug), but that's about it on basic inspection.
 
dLockers said:
Well, you can, can't you? At least at a parting glance.

Why? Standards, supply chain control, a general indifference to poor quality knock-offs etc.

The quality of steel may vary significantly where as the UK has much stricter and mature controls.
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If something is poor quality coming from China it’s because the company which has commissioned the product allows it to be, it’s really that simple. Poor quality is all down to financial margins and cost cutting, not the country it’s made in.

They design it, set the spec, QC requirements, sample the product before during and after mass production and sign it off. The buck stops with them.

Another example, the Polestar 2 and BMW iX3 are both built in China and are excellent quality. Tesla cars coming from China tend to be better put together than those coming from America.

SquirrelMadness said:
The point is they're made in China but priced much higher.
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So?


SquirrelMadness said:
Quality-wise I noticed the triggers are much looser (don't fit as snug), but that's about it on basic inspection.
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Speak to the manufacturer about if you don’t like it, it’s built to their spec at the end of the day.


I’m not some China worshiper, just merely pointing out the stereotype that something which is made in China is worse quality is just that and doesn’t really mean anything in real life anymore. Their manufacturing capabilities far exceeds ours in many cases.
 
You can buy superclones of high end watches which are indistinguishable from or hilariously have improvements on the real thing if you're willing to pay for the effort, materials and QC because while it's a ripoff it is being done to match the standards but not the cost of the originals.

You don't get high quality for trash prices but people love trash prices a lot more than high quality prices and china makes what gets requested.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
If something is poor quality coming from China it’s because the company which has commissioned the product allows it to be, it’s really that simple. Poor quality is all down to financial margins and cost cutting, not the country it’s made in.

They design it, set the spec, QC requirements, sample the product before during and after mass production and sign it off. The buck stops with them.

Another example, the Polestar 2 and BMW iX3 are both built in China and are excellent quality. Tesla cars coming from China tend to be better put together than those coming from America.



So?




Speak to the manufacturer about if you don’t like it, it’s built to their spec at the end of the day.


I’m not some China worshiper, just merely pointing out the stereotype that something which is made in China is worse quality is just that and doesn’t really mean anything in real life anymore. Their manufacturing capabilities far exceeds ours in many cases.
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The point your missing is that the controls and governance landscape in China is such that dodgy materials can and do enter the supply chain much more than in fully developed nations. You can specify whatever you want but if the nation you are buying from is indifferent to how much they abide by it, or how much they're inclined to ignore it to save a buck they will.

When I worked in retail we could easily spot a Chinese made Bosch versus a German made Bosch by the door spring. I doubt they were different specs, it was just a difference in adherence to those specs.
 
I have an ancient 10.8v drill which I think I have abused so much that is on its way out. It was a black and decker brushed job, but a harsh pergola build I think has finally killed it, or at least damaged it.

Not sure if I need 18v stuff, but Makita LXT 18V 3Ah Li-ion Cordless Brushless Combi drill DHP485SFE - 2 batteries included | DIY at B&Q at £124 feels it might be worth while? Any thoughts? It's just for occasional home use stuff, like mounting stuff to masonry (external lights/shelves/flower boxes) as well as interior drilling/screwing to mount things to wood studs and some dot dab/brick work (TV mounting etc).
 
VaderDSL said:
Not sure if I need 18v stuff, but Makita LXT 18V 3Ah Li-ion Cordless Brushless Combi drill DHP485SFE - 2 batteries included | DIY at B&Q at £124 feels it might be worth while? Any thoughts? It's just for occasional home use stuff, like mounting stuff to masonry (external lights/shelves/flower boxes) as well as interior drilling/screwing to mount things to wood studs and some dot dab/brick work (TV mounting etc).
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Make sure the batteries are compatible with other tools. I know B&Q have in the past sold Makita tools which are incompatible with the rest of the range. If it's sold elsewhere you're probably ok :)

EDIT - That was the G series https://makitauk.com/g-series

hartgeh3 said:
Anyone recommend an impact wrench for removing car bolts?
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Do you have any tools from a particular brand already?
 
To be perfectly honest, for a home user, you are really splitting hairs when comparing dewalt/Makita/Milwaukee/Bosch at similar price points. Even then the likes of Ryobi or even an Aldi special will most likely be fine.

Just buy whichever makes the most sense to you, whether that is price, the wider ecosystem or you just fancy blue instead of yellow.

You can’t really go wrong with any of the major brands. I’d just look at the wider ecosystem get get what made sense to me. For an impact wrench, get some big batteries.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
To be perfectly honest, for a home user, you are really splitting hairs when comparing dewalt/Makita/Milwaukee/Bosch at similar price points. Even then the likes of Ryobi or even an Aldi special will most likely be fine.

Just buy whichever makes the most sense to you, whether that is price, the wider ecosystem or you just fancy blue instead of yellow.

You can’t really go wrong with any of the major brands. I’d just look at the wider ecosystem get get what made sense to me. For an impact wrench, get some big batteries.
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This.

I got mine as it was an offer too good to miss, it came with 2x 5.0ah batteries, which are a godsend.

It was this one, except I only paid £278 inc VAT

https://www.toolstation.com/dewalt-dcd996-18v-xr-cordless-brushless-3-speed-combi-drill/p39411
 
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