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Looks reasonable , as said above I have just had less success than most with batteries. However I have mates who swear by them and they are in the one+ ecosystem. An impact driver will change your life with screwing 
Power Tools & General Tools Recommendations & Advice
- Thread starter Nightglow
- Start date
Hey folks,
Heads up on the Milwaukee warranty process. It's impeccable. My sander packed in 2 days before warranty expiry (make sure you register it when you purchase and you get 2 years total warranty).
I contacted Amazon who said blah blah. Remembered I had registered, I went to Milwaukee and they had a web form wizard to arrange a UPS collection the next day (this was like 9pm the day before).
Ups came, and then by the evening of the next day I had a shipping alert they were sending it back.
So end to end I was without sander for 3 days. Pretty epic!
Heads up on the Milwaukee warranty process. It's impeccable. My sander packed in 2 days before warranty expiry (make sure you register it when you purchase and you get 2 years total warranty).
I contacted Amazon who said blah blah. Remembered I had registered, I went to Milwaukee and they had a web form wizard to arrange a UPS collection the next day (this was like 9pm the day before).
Ups came, and then by the evening of the next day I had a shipping alert they were sending it back.
So end to end I was without sander for 3 days. Pretty epic!
Soldato
I sent a reciprocating saw back to Lidl -with in days they sent me another one !!!!! - That someone else had sent back as faulty - Threw it in bin.
SO chalk and Cheese. - Good one.
SO chalk and Cheese. - Good one.
Caporegime
I'm a big fan of Ryobi stuff, and happen to have all three of these. The mower is excellently designed but completely underpowered for heavy use, it suits me well because I have a Robot Mower and it's only called on for doing bits and pieces that for one reason or another the robot isn't handling. It'd be hard work for even a smallish lawn, I think. The leaf blower and strimmer are both lower end tools, but perfectly competent and well designed within that if you appreciate their limitations and aren't expecting them to munch through heavy duty workloads.
Hi folks,
I don't have a massive budget but could really do with a tracksaw and a table saw. I need to make up some cabinets and a shoe cupboard, and I don't see how else to achieve it.
Last night, I saw the Ryobi plunge saw (165mm) was £225 which seemed OK; it is now £299 again (presumably because 1st of October and the "sale" has ended, but I imagine it will be re-discounted).
I guess the table saw is happy on mains so perhaps second hand is the way forward?
Long term Ryobi seems a decent shout for nail guns etc too. The Milwaukee gear is just way too dear.
Thoughts? Is track saw the wrong "entry" item for Ryobi, and its a bit like a track saw and I should buy decent second hand?
Edit: someone selling a Parkside on eBay too. Maybe decent for the price?
I don't have a massive budget but could really do with a tracksaw and a table saw. I need to make up some cabinets and a shoe cupboard, and I don't see how else to achieve it.
Last night, I saw the Ryobi plunge saw (165mm) was £225 which seemed OK; it is now £299 again (presumably because 1st of October and the "sale" has ended, but I imagine it will be re-discounted).
I guess the table saw is happy on mains so perhaps second hand is the way forward?
Long term Ryobi seems a decent shout for nail guns etc too. The Milwaukee gear is just way too dear.
Thoughts? Is track saw the wrong "entry" item for Ryobi, and its a bit like a track saw and I should buy decent second hand?
Edit: someone selling a Parkside on eBay too. Maybe decent for the price?
Pardon our interruption...
www.ebay.co.uk
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Soldato
Parkside being resold on eBay usually includes a 50% markup on the original price. If you can get them in store, they're a bargain and good for what they are.
But I wouldn't be paying Bosch/DeWalt/Ryobi prices for them.
Why do you want a track saw AND a table saw?
For the most part, they do very similar tasks. There isn’t really anything you can do on a table saw that you can’t do on a track saw or vice versa.
In all honesty, when it comes to tools, buy cheap, buy twice, particularly for precision work like building furniture.
I’ve got a festool track saw (mains powered) and I couldn’t recommend it enough, it’s a fantastic piece of kit.
My track is evolution and you can really tell it’s built to a price, it works but it’s not great. I just couldn’t bring myself to spend festool money on extruded aluminium.
For the most part, they do very similar tasks. There isn’t really anything you can do on a table saw that you can’t do on a track saw or vice versa.
In all honesty, when it comes to tools, buy cheap, buy twice, particularly for precision work like building furniture.
I’ve got a festool track saw (mains powered) and I couldn’t recommend it enough, it’s a fantastic piece of kit.
My track is evolution and you can really tell it’s built to a price, it works but it’s not great. I just couldn’t bring myself to spend festool money on extruded aluminium.
Soldato
- Joined
- 21 Sep 2020
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- 4,337
I’d ditto this, I don’t do anything near as critical as making furniture where you need to be close so it’s not wonky. I tried a couple of different tools - the cheaper stuff, i think they’d be fine for putting together ikea stuff but I tried cutting thicker wood and the circular saw i had just didn’t cut it. I had a grinder from lidl or aldi i can’t quite remember which one it was but I tried to cut a the steel duct/housing/casing for my extract fan in the kitchen and it just wouldn’t do anything to it, would have been quicker using a butter knife.
Well I never thought h&g would be recommending Festool 
I mean it's fairly obvious but my thinking was the table saw is for ripping longer lengths (I need to fit my plinths at some point), tracksaw is for cutting anything too big to manage on the table saw (cutting out sheets from 2.4x1.2m MDF for example, for my cabinets).
I could manage without the table saw to be fair, but given the cost is a lot lower for something midrange didn't seem like a waste of money.
I'll refocus on the track saw though as you are correct.
I can't spend more than Ryobi money though unfortunately.
I mean it's fairly obvious but my thinking was the table saw is for ripping longer lengths (I need to fit my plinths at some point), tracksaw is for cutting anything too big to manage on the table saw (cutting out sheets from 2.4x1.2m MDF for example, for my cabinets).
I could manage without the table saw to be fair, but given the cost is a lot lower for something midrange didn't seem like a waste of money.
I'll refocus on the track saw though as you are correct.
I can't spend more than Ryobi money though unfortunately.
Yikes, I just looked how much a new one isWell I never thought h&g would be recommending Festool
Needless to say, I didn’t pay £500 for it. My invoice from 2020 was £350. If my wife asks it was <£200
But yeh, I’d buy a decent track saw rather than cheap and nasty one of each.
I think the dewalt uses proprietary track so I’d avoid that, I avoided it for that reason. I’m sure the Ryobi will be fine, just check it uses the festool style track.
Soldato
Big wrench and a tube to extend it if they're over tightened?
Soldato
Well I never thought h&g would be recommending Festool
I mean it's fairly obvious but my thinking was the table saw is for ripping longer lengths (I need to fit my plinths at some point), tracksaw is for cutting anything too big to manage on the table saw (cutting out sheets from 2.4x1.2m MDF for example, for my cabinets).
I could manage without the table saw to be fair, but given the cost is a lot lower for something midrange didn't seem like a waste of money.
I'll refocus on the track saw though as you are correct.
I can't spend more than Ryobi money though unfortunately.
Cant you just do that with a circular saw? That's what I did.
Use a 48mm tooth blade from Freud or similar to stop chipping the material you're cutting
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Soldato
- Joined
- 13 May 2003
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@dlockers The parkside track saw is good value for money. From memory it only comes with 1.4m of track as 2 x 700mm sections with joiner. That is marginal for a 8 by 4 ply sheet. It produces a lot of dust even with on tool extraction. It cuts well enough but the joins in the track can make running it smoothly a challenge. I generally have to use some clamps on the back side to stop the track slipping. I forget how much it was £70 I think and then another £15 or so to buy extra track, you get a lot of tool for that price but it's a value tool and you need to recognise that. I can't remember if it will also run on Festool track so you could buy a track that costs twice the price of the saw but get one long enough that it will run the distance.
I like mine but will definitely replace it when I have the dosh.
I like mine but will definitely replace it when I have the dosh.
The points about the track here are spot on and what I was meant to add but missed. This is the downside of a track saw compared to a table saw.
The cheap tracks are fine, except where they join. It’s very easy to misalign my evolution track at the joints making what was a straight line no longer straight.
I’ve got 2 1.2m lengths and therefore if doing a full sheet, you need both. If it’s out by just 1 degree, you are talking several mm out of square by the time you get to the other end. Drawing it all out helps prevent this rather than relying on the track being totally square.
I’ve not used festool track so I don’t know if it’s any better in that regard. I expect the tolerances on the connecting parts are better but I don’t know for sure. As above, you can get 2.4m sections or cut it in 2 passes with a single 1.2m track.
The other option is also to pay wicks or B&q to rip down the big sheets into the main pieces you need.
The cheap tracks are fine, except where they join. It’s very easy to misalign my evolution track at the joints making what was a straight line no longer straight.
I’ve got 2 1.2m lengths and therefore if doing a full sheet, you need both. If it’s out by just 1 degree, you are talking several mm out of square by the time you get to the other end. Drawing it all out helps prevent this rather than relying on the track being totally square.
I’ve not used festool track so I don’t know if it’s any better in that regard. I expect the tolerances on the connecting parts are better but I don’t know for sure. As above, you can get 2.4m sections or cut it in 2 passes with a single 1.2m track.
The other option is also to pay wicks or B&q to rip down the big sheets into the main pieces you need.
Soldato
- Joined
- 21 Sep 2020
- Posts
- 4,337
They do up to 10 cuts for free I think, just make multiple trips and get it them to cut it all.
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Looking to become a man and get some callouses on my soft, well moustirused, IT hands.
Basically, I just want to secure some furniture to the wall so it doesn't fall on the kid but also put up a few shelves. We live in a new build house; plasterboard everywhere.
I went to buy a £50 Black and Decker drill but then remembered that brand often falls apart. So I know of DeWalt, Makita and Ryobi being considered decent tools. I expect DeWalt and Makita are the tradies choice and Ryobi probably decent around the home?
I'm waffling but I just want a basic and decent drill to drill into plasterboard/wood. Quite like the idea of the Ryobi ecosystem as we'd like to get a cordless lawn mower eventually but it's not the be all and end all. Do I need a brushless drill or is brushed fine for what I want to do?
Basically, I just want to secure some furniture to the wall so it doesn't fall on the kid but also put up a few shelves. We live in a new build house; plasterboard everywhere.
I went to buy a £50 Black and Decker drill but then remembered that brand often falls apart. So I know of DeWalt, Makita and Ryobi being considered decent tools. I expect DeWalt and Makita are the tradies choice and Ryobi probably decent around the home?
I'm waffling but I just want a basic and decent drill to drill into plasterboard/wood. Quite like the idea of the Ryobi ecosystem as we'd like to get a cordless lawn mower eventually but it's not the be all and end all. Do I need a brushless drill or is brushed fine for what I want to do?
Don
Add Bosch and Milwaukee to that list
Basically pick the ecosystem that has the tools that you will end up buying - if Ryobi are the only one with decent mowers then no harm in investing in that ecosystem now.
A decent combi drill should do that (as well as much more!), and if your requirements expand in the future, then partner it with an impact driver (e.g. so you can drill pilot holes, and then drive screws without continually changing bits).
Brushed is fine (I have a Dewalt brushed combi drill that has only struggled with drilling thick concrete), but if there isn't much price difference then a brushless makes batteries last a bit longer, and likely will have a little more torque.
Small batteries (1.5Ah or 2.0Ah) are fine as a starting point, then when you get more tools pick up bigger batteries further down the line. Even when you have bigger batteries, it's still nice to have smaller, lighter batteries for working up ladders and the like.
Plenty of choice here:
Order Power Tools Online - PowerToolMate
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Thanks for the reply though you've made me realise I really no nothing and not sure if I should even be allowed to use a drill without supervision!Add Bosch and Milwaukee to that list
Basically pick the ecosystem that has the tools that you will end up buying - if Ryobi are the only one with decent mowers then no harm in investing in that ecosystem now.
A decent combi drill should do that (as well as much more!), and if your requirements expand in the future, then partner it with an impact driver (e.g. so you can drill pilot holes, and then drive screws without continually changing bits).
Brushed is fine (I have a Dewalt brushed combi drill that has only struggled with drilling thick concrete), but if there isn't much price difference then a brushless makes batteries last a bit longer, and likely will have a little more torque.
Small batteries (1.5Ah or 2.0Ah) are fine as a starting point, then when you get more tools pick up bigger batteries further down the line. Even when you have bigger batteries, it's still nice to have smaller, lighter batteries for working up ladders and the like.
Plenty of choice here:
Order Power Tools Online - PowerToolMate
www.powertoolmate.co.uk
Safe to assume if I pick this up on my way home, it wont be awful?