Power Tools & General Tools Recommendations & Advice

As you say, they are the standards, I for 2 for £80 or something like that from PowertoolMate with an eBay code so that’s not even a good deal.
 
Unsure if this is the right thread or whether it warrants it's own, but i'm debating a battery power station thing. Something like this
bluettipower.co.uk

BLUETTI AC180 Portable Power Station | 1,800W 1,152Wh

Designed for both indoor and outdoor scenarios, AC180 is highly capable as it has a capacity of 1,152Wh and continuous output of 1,800W.
bluettipower.co.uk bluettipower.co.uk

My reasoning is that it would be brilliant for garden based tasks/DIY. At our current rental, outdoor sockets are minimal, and i'd like to setup a workbench under the carport to do some sanding/cutting. It's around 70m from the nearest socket. Looking at an extension reel it's around £100. I did debate whether to make my own with some T&E cable and male/female plug at each end. However this is still a limited length and if i wanted to do anything further away from a socket i'd be stuck again.

Buying one of these power stations, whilst not cheap, would give unlimited movement, and hopefully would last long enough with just some worklights/sander etc plugged in.

Other option is to just spend the money on cordless tools which i'll likely end up doing anyway but without the extra functionality of the power station. Thinking of things like a projector in the garden etc

Ryobi also does an 18v transformer, https://www.amazon.es/RYOBI-Inversor-batería-USB-excursiones/dp/B08KR9QNWQ/ref=asc_df_B08KR9QNWQ/?tag=googshopes-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=699707732352&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6536508232459867469&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1005493&hvtargid=pla-1190636355257&psc=1&mcid=08d29934bd5d32d1b4fa30c555a9b425&gad_source=1. But not sure what kind of things could be powered from this. Would a 240v sander work? Even if just for 10 mins from a 5ah battery?


Ultimately can't decide whether i just buy the extension reel and accept it's likely the best tool for the job, without worrying about capacity and accept the Blueletti is just a new gadget which i'm creating uses for to justify the price, or if it genuinely would be handy to have.
 
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Buy a cordless tools and a long lead for anything else.

The set up time on the power station will be the same as along lead.

By all means get the power station if you have use for it away from home where you have 10’s of sockets a few meters away but otherwise I wouldn’t bother.

Edit: that Ryobi adaptor is only 150w which is really not a lot.
 
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b0rn2sk8 said:
Buy a cordless tools and a long lead for anything else.

The set up time on the power station will be the same as along lead.

By all means get the power station if you have use for it away from home where you have 10’s of sockets a few meters away but otherwise I wouldn’t bother.

Edit: that Ryobi adaptor is only 150w which is really not a lot.
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Yeah, i guess i'm not too knowledgable on power draw for various tools so wasn't sure whether it'd be find for a worklight i have and then can use power tools for the rest.

Might just bite the bullet on cordless tools. Ultimately when we move into our house the plot if ~13acres, so cordless tools will be the way forward overall!
 
Martynt74 said:
Yeah, i guess i'm not too knowledgable on power draw for various tools so wasn't sure whether it'd be find for a worklight i have and then can use power tools for the rest.

Might just bite the bullet on cordless tools. Ultimately when we move into our house the plot if ~13acres, so cordless tools will be the way forward overall!
Click to expand...

I've no regrets over buying mostly battery powered tools and have bought plug in for the types of tools that you want all day grunt from the mains.

That said I've almost killed by SDS and will be looking for a heavy duty battery replacement soon.
 
Martynt74 said:
Unsure if this is the right thread or whether it warrants it's own, but i'm debating a battery power station thing. Something like this
bluettipower.co.uk

BLUETTI AC180 Portable Power Station | 1,800W 1,152Wh

Designed for both indoor and outdoor scenarios, AC180 is highly capable as it has a capacity of 1,152Wh and continuous output of 1,800W.
bluettipower.co.uk bluettipower.co.uk

My reasoning is that it would be brilliant for garden based tasks/DIY. At our current rental, outdoor sockets are minimal, and i'd like to setup a workbench under the carport to do some sanding/cutting. It's around 70m from the nearest socket. Looking at an extension reel it's around £100. I did debate whether to make my own with some T&E cable and male/female plug at each end. However this is still a limited length and if i wanted to do anything further away from a socket i'd be stuck again.

Buying one of these power stations, whilst not cheap, would give unlimited movement, and hopefully would last long enough with just some worklights/sander etc plugged in.

Other option is to just spend the money on cordless tools which i'll likely end up doing anyway but without the extra functionality of the power station. Thinking of things like a projector in the garden etc

Ryobi also does an 18v transformer, https://www.amazon.es/RYOBI-Inversor-batería-USB-excursiones/dp/B08KR9QNWQ/ref=asc_df_B08KR9QNWQ/?tag=googshopes-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=699707732352&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6536508232459867469&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1005493&hvtargid=pla-1190636355257&psc=1&mcid=08d29934bd5d32d1b4fa30c555a9b425&gad_source=1. But not sure what kind of things could be powered from this. Would a 240v sander work? Even if just for 10 mins from a 5ah battery?


Ultimately can't decide whether i just buy the extension reel and accept it's likely the best tool for the job, without worrying about capacity and accept the Blueletti is just a new gadget which i'm creating uses for to justify the price, or if it genuinely would be handy to have.
Click to expand...

These are such a good idea that I've been considering one for a while, especially with a solar panel to charge it up while camping. There are many makes so do your research.

I made my own a while back but obviously not as nice - I just used an old car battery that still had some life left and a 1000W inverter. Works well enough but I wouldn't trust my other half or son to use it :D.
 
aVdub said:
I've no regrets over buying mostly battery powered tools and have bought plug in for the types of tools that you want all day grunt from the mains.

That said I've almost killed by SDS and will be looking for a heavy duty battery replacement soon.
Click to expand...

Yeah, i think i'm going to sack of the battery station plan. The cost just doesn't seem feasible.

Most of my tools are 18v (Mix of Dewalt and Ryobi). I sold my mains powered tools before moving to Spain, so looking to replace (Belt Sander, Orbital Sander, Planer, SDS, then garden tools). The only one particularly urgent at the moment is a sander (belt or orbital doesn't matter), so that could be cordless and probably is easier if it is.
The garden tools will likely be 18v or petrol. On a plot our size mains power isn't really feasible, so chainsaw/strimmer will probably be battery.
 
Mysterae_ said:
These are such a good idea that I've been considering one for a while, especially with a solar panel to charge it up while camping. There are many makes so do your research.

I made my own a while back but obviously not as nice - I just used an old car battery that still had some life left and a 1000W inverter. Works well enough but I wouldn't trust my other half or son to use it :D.
Click to expand...

Hmmm thats tempting too. I think if i did more outdoor stuff, camping, beach trips etc they'd be fantastic, but i don't think my lifestyle fits the needs as much as i'd like it to.
 
Martynt74 said:
Yeah, i think i'm going to sack of the battery station plan. The cost just doesn't seem feasible.

Most of my tools are 18v (Mix of Dewalt and Ryobi). I sold my mains powered tools before moving to Spain, so looking to replace (Belt Sander, Orbital Sander, Planer, SDS, then garden tools). The only one particularly urgent at the moment is a sander (belt or orbital doesn't matter), so that could be cordless and probably is easier if it is.
The garden tools will likely be 18v or petrol. On a plot our size mains power isn't really feasible, so chainsaw/strimmer will probably be battery.
Click to expand...

I've been thinking of buying one of those battery stations for a while now for camping. Not sure how long it'll last with constant power tool use tbh?

If you are happy with the lifespan of the tools and batteries you use, then carry on with replacing for battery operation imo and is something I will be doing as and when my corded tools go fizz pop pop bang.

Yeah, petrol or very high AH battery would be my choice for garden.
 
aVdub said:
Yeah, petrol or very high AH battery would be my choice for garden.
Click to expand...

It's why i tried to get exposure to the Ryobi system. I don't need Dewalt level garden tools (i don't think), so the cheaper entry point for bare tools makes sense. The main annoyance is they're overpriced and then discounted down multiple times a year, so it can be annoying if you need a specific tool at a specific time and it's not on offer as you know there's a good chance it will be in a few weeks.
 
Getting this thread back on the ground I have just forked out a fiver for my first hacksaw purchase (Stanley) for 40 yrs. Mine are bent and wobbly.
 
Martynt74 said:
Unsure if this is the right thread or whether it warrants it's own, but i'm debating a battery power station thing. Something like this
bluettipower.co.uk

BLUETTI AC180 Portable Power Station | 1,800W 1,152Wh

Designed for both indoor and outdoor scenarios, AC180 is highly capable as it has a capacity of 1,152Wh and continuous output of 1,800W.
bluettipower.co.uk bluettipower.co.uk

My reasoning is that it would be brilliant for garden based tasks/DIY. At our current rental, outdoor sockets are minimal, and i'd like to setup a workbench under the carport to do some sanding/cutting. It's around 70m from the nearest socket. Looking at an extension reel it's around £100. I did debate whether to make my own with some T&E cable and male/female plug at each end. However this is still a limited length and if i wanted to do anything further away from a socket i'd be stuck again.

Buying one of these power stations, whilst not cheap, would give unlimited movement, and hopefully would last long enough with just some worklights/sander etc plugged in.

Other option is to just spend the money on cordless tools which i'll likely end up doing anyway but without the extra functionality of the power station. Thinking of things like a projector in the garden etc

Ryobi also does an 18v transformer, https://www.amazon.es/RYOBI-Inversor-batería-USB-excursiones/dp/B08KR9QNWQ/ref=asc_df_B08KR9QNWQ/?tag=googshopes-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=699707732352&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6536508232459867469&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1005493&hvtargid=pla-1190636355257&psc=1&mcid=08d29934bd5d32d1b4fa30c555a9b425&gad_source=1. But not sure what kind of things could be powered from this. Would a 240v sander work? Even if just for 10 mins from a 5ah battery?


Ultimately can't decide whether i just buy the extension reel and accept it's likely the best tool for the job, without worrying about capacity and accept the Blueletti is just a new gadget which i'm creating uses for to justify the price, or if it genuinely would be handy to have.
Click to expand...

Small generator would be good. Problem with batteries is you have to plan ahead and charge them, plus in cold weather they have issues (ion batteries drop in performance and capacity temporarily, wet batteries freeze and burst).
 
Local builders merchant were running a DeWalt promo which gave me a chance to replace my broken drill, which was a brushed variant bought as part of a twin pack with an impact driver back in 2019.

Also had a £100 voucher gifted to me for my birthday in 2022, which meant I paid a full £9.99 for this;

gh27dCT.jpeg


DeWalt 18v tools owned;

Drill, impact driver, random orbital, multitool, circular saw, plasterboard gun (favourite of the bunch), hedge cutter and leaf blower.

3 x 5ah, 2 x 4ah, 2 x 2ah and 1 x 1.5ah batteries.

I'm a bit of a fan boy it seems!
 
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LuckyBenski said:
I have been eyeing up the collated DeWalt for a good while. I have one big boarding job coming up so keep waiting for a deal on a used one
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Worth their weight in gold for that. Even if you can’t get a deal on a used one, i’d just buy one. Even if it wasn’t on a deal! The issue you’ve got is no one is really going to sell one because they’re amazing. They only do one job but my god, it’s worth it. :cry:
 
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