Power Tools & General Tools Recommendations & Advice

Reuben klang · 13 Mar 2023 at 06:43

That video is brilliant.

jonneymendoza · 13 Mar 2023 at 09:41

ik9000 said:
that is so useful. I've watched a handful of youtube videos but nothing as clear as that. Ok, it might be doable with a jig saw after all. Fantastic. All I need to buy is a sliding bevel

Yes very useful. This is the video i saw a week or so ago when i was investigating how to cut the corner ends of a skirting board

SMN · 20 Mar 2023 at 10:31

So as usual, in my haste I mis-read a product advert and failed to notice the brad nailer I ordered requires a compressor: https://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-af506-50mm-first-fix-air-nail-gun/791XJ

Could someone help me make heads or tails of what type of compressor I should get? From my reading so far it appears I can buy pretty much any air compressor that can kick out 70-120 psi, and then just find a hose (?) that can connect to both the nailer and the compressor?

dlockers · 20 Mar 2023 at 10:34

You're entering a whole new dimension of complexity if you were just after a brad nailer tbh.

LuckyBenski · 20 Mar 2023 at 10:59

SMN said:
So as usual, in my haste I mis-read a product advert and failed to notice the brad nailer I ordered requires a compressor: https://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-af506-50mm-first-fix-air-nail-gun/791XJ

Could someone help me make heads or tails of what type of compressor I should get? From my reading so far it appears I can buy pretty much any air compressor that can kick out 70-120 psi, and then just find a hose (?) that can connect to both the nailer and the compressor?

It will not be small, it will not be quiet, it will not be portable (well, it will need to be plugged into the mains all the time).

Honestly for a simple tool just find a better option be it battery or mains.

b0rn2sk8 · 20 Mar 2023 at 12:12

Pretty much all compressors will get up to that PSI, what you need to look at is the air flow rates on the compressor and the tank size for the tool you want.

The more air a tool needs, the more air the compressor needs to flow to keep up and bigger tank buffer tank you need to keep everything going.

That nailer uses 1.9litres of air per shot, so I’d expect the compressor will be kicking on after a few shots if it was paired with a 25l tank to keep the pressure up. Something like an an impact wrench uses a lot of air and really needs a 50L tank as a minimum.

Compressed air very handy to have in the workshop and the tools are typically very cheap but starting from scratch is pretty pricey once you factor in a decent hose real, fittings etc.

Hotwired · 20 Mar 2023 at 12:19

I'd take it back and say you dun goofed unless you really wanted to invest in a compressor.

DXP55 · 20 Mar 2023 at 13:16

I have a Lidl nailer and it only needed half a dozen nails to start my 25ltr compressor up.

For a decent nailer you need to throw a bit money at it.

JRJ · 20 Mar 2023 at 22:40

Air Compressors | Air Tools & Air Compressors for Sale UK - Buy Online | SGS

View our range of air compressors and tools today online at SGS. Ideal not only for professionals, but also for many DIY projects around the home.

www.sgs-engineering.com

I've got a 50litre from here, very good value for money (although it doesn't look like they do my model anymore) came with a starter kit, hose/sprayer/few adapters etc worked a treat with a gravity fed spray gun with watered down on fresh plaster, keeps my Dewalt nailer happy all day with 50mm stainless brads in oak, they are very noisy though.

rodders · 21 Mar 2023 at 16:57

DeWalt dcf899 has finally turned up, it's a beast, it's massive lol!

JRJ · 22 Mar 2023 at 19:39

rodders said:
DeWalt dcf899 has finally turned up, it's a beast, it's massive lol!

Let me know what you think? tempted by one every time they pop up on hotukdeals but its probably overkill for my needs.

rodders · 22 Mar 2023 at 20:36

It's def over kill, but for £119 body only, it was by far the cheapest of any of them.

danlightbulb · 8 Apr 2023 at 13:08

Which DeWalt impact driver?

I bought a DeWalt drill already which 2x batteries and a case.

I never bothered with the impact driver twin kits because I didn't know if I'd need one, plus I wanted a better drill than comes in the twin kits.

But now I would like one. Don't know if it will fit in the existing case or do I need a case too? Don't need batteries.

b0rn2sk8 · 8 Apr 2023 at 13:14

Any of the mid range brushless units are perfectly serviceable for home/DIY use.

Mines the 787, it’s not need defeated by anything yet.

danlightbulb · 8 Apr 2023 at 13:25

The pricing is confusing me, I paid £100 for the dcd709 drill plus 2x2ah batteries, charger and case.

Just the bare tool impact drivers seem to be £80-100 I would expect more like £50?

Also will the standard tstak case fit both tools?

danlightbulb · 8 Apr 2023 at 15:51

Can anyone recommend a good variety bit set?

The ones on the market all seem to not offer much variety. Eg the dewalt 37 piece impact set only really has several different lengths of either PH2 or PZ2 bits. I don't need 10 bits that are the same I want a wide variety of bits for all types of screws or sockets. Allen bits, torx, torx security, male torx, female torx etc.

b0rn2sk8 · 8 Apr 2023 at 19:36

danlightbulb said:
The pricing is confusing me, I paid £100 for the dcd709 drill plus 2x2ah batteries, charger and case.

Just the bare tool impact drivers seem to be £80-100 I would expect more like £50?

Also will the standard tstak case fit both tools?

Those kits are loss leaders (or certainly zero profit) for the likes of Screwfix etc.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but Screwfix regularly have a DeWalt Combi Drill, Impact Driver and 2x 4Ah batteries for £200. You could Facebay your existing kit and but the £200 kit.

danlightbulb · 8 Apr 2023 at 19:53

Yeah I just didn't think I'd need the impact driver tbh, and a lot of advice suggested it's not really needed. However after making a wooden planter and keep needing to switch the drill bit and screwdriver bit, it would have been better to have both tools.

I've now ordered the dcf887 bare tool with case for £71.

So total spend will be £171 and I'll have the dcd709 drill, dcf887 driver, 2xtstak cases and 2x2ah batteries with charger, so I think that's better than the all in kit.

Reuben klang · 8 Apr 2023 at 20:33

danlightbulb said:
Can anyone recommend a good variety bit set?

The ones on the market all seem to not offer much variety. Eg the dewalt 37 piece impact set only really has several different lengths of either PH2 or PZ2 bits. I don't need 10 bits that are the same I want a wide variety of bits for all types of screws or sockets. Allen bits, torx, torx security, male torx, female torx etc.

If you don’t need impact rated I’d get this Wera bit set but if you really want to cover all bases and have super handy set that’ll allow you do pretty much everything possible I’d go for this Wera tool check it’s quite pricy but I ended up getting the imperial one too.

BennyC · 8 Apr 2023 at 21:53

danlightbulb said:
Can anyone recommend a good variety bit set?

The ones on the market all seem to not offer much variety. Eg the dewalt 37 piece impact set only really has several different lengths of either PH2 or PZ2 bits. I don't need 10 bits that are the same I want a wide variety of bits for all types of screws or sockets. Allen bits, torx, torx security, male torx, female torx etc.

This was a half price Black Friday steal.

98 x 25mm screwdriver bits (16 x Phillips (4 x PH0, PH1, PH2 and PH3), (18 x slotted (3 x SL3, SL4, SL5, SL5.5, SL6 and SL6.5), (12 x PZ (3 x PZ0, PZ1, PZ2 and PZ3), (12 x Hex (3 x H3, H4, H5 and H6), (12 x Square (3 x SQ0, SQ1, SQ2 and SQ3), (21 x TX (3 x T10, T15, T20, T25, T27, T30 and T40), (7 x TS (1 x TS10, TS15, TS20, TS25, TS27, TS30 and TS40)), 13 x 90mm screwdriver bits (3 x Phillips (PH2)), (3 x PZ ( PZ2)), (7 x TX (2 x T10 and T15)), (1 x T20, T25 and T30), 1 x bit holder and 1 x quick change chuck.