Power Tools & General Tools Recommendations & Advice

Mark A said:
I'm thinking of getting the Dewalt DCM563 hedge trimmer. My old corded trimmer is more heatshrink than cord at this point and I just hate having to mess with cables these days. Anyone got one? The use reviews look good, but my only concern is with it being brushed. I thought most tools were brushless these days and a hedge trimmer thats in constant operation seems like a tool that would benefit from being brushless the most. Its a shame the next step up is the 54v version which is brushless. I would have gone for that if it was 18v.
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I've had mine for about 4 years and it's fantastic. I wish I'd bought it sooner. I ended up buying the pole trimmer version not long after as well. I had an old mains powered one and it was so faffy having to run the cable up to the top of the garden that I neglected doing the hedge as often. I've found because it's so quick to get ready and handy to use, I actually cut it more often and it's quicker to do. However, I did read that there is a brushless version available in the US, so they might release it here soon too.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
For the amount of time you are actually going to use this, just grab a screwfix special. As others have said, ditch the bag.


I think I paid under £50 for mine but that was pre Covid.
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I went for this in the end and it did a really good job. As you said, I just left the bag off and then raked it up afterwards (then ran the lawn mower over the garden to pick up the last bits). Thanks for the recommendation.
 
Mark A said:
I'm thinking of getting the Dewalt DCM563 hedge trimmer. My old corded trimmer is more heatshrink than cord at this point and I just hate having to mess with cables these days. Anyone got one? The use reviews look good, but my only concern is with it being brushed. I thought most tools were brushless these days and a hedge trimmer thats in constant operation seems like a tool that would benefit from being brushless the most. Its a shame the next step up is the 54v version which is brushless. I would have gone for that if it was 18v.
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I have one. Great tool. I have the standard trimmer and the pole trimmer for reaching up above my head! You need to watch it with the pole trimmer, though, the blade is seriously dangerous!

I have never managed to wear out a set of brushes in a DeWalt garden tool, and have been using them for many years. Unless you are a gardener and spend all day every day clipping hedges, I don't see a problem. Mine only gets a few hours use per year!

You can buy brushes for all DeWalt tools but of course they are not easy access. You need to pull the tool apart to replace them, or have the tool serviced.

You can get away with the 2AH batteries on the hedge trimmer, albeit it is more powerful with the 5AH and especially the PowerStack. Although they are the same voltage, the larger batteries can supply greater current.
 
chimponarope said:
I’d be interested in if you think it’s worth double the price (and more). I went and got my hands on a couple in B&Q (as it’s the only place local that has tools out) and you could feel the difference from the evolution 250 and the dewalt 773 but the price difference to a dewalt 250 is making me debate my usual policy of needing the best through spec creep.
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Ok, so there was a slight escalation and I went for the DeWalt 305mm (DWS-780).

I don’t really know how to describe the quality difference, they are not even comparable. You’d expect there to be a meaningful difference for how much the price gap is but I really was not expecting it to be that significant.

The best I can do is the Evolution is very much a ‘my first saw’ from fisher price and the DeWalt is very much the end game and the last saw you’d ever need to buy.

Now I just need to work out where I will put the thing, it’s HUGE and weighs a metric ton compared to the evolution.
 
Any thoughts on cordless/corded for mitre saws?

I've always owned Evolution saws in the past but sold mine before moving to Spain. Looking at prices over here and the Evolution doesn't seem quite as good value as some other brands.

I've seen an Einhell 36v cordless one "Like New on amazon" for €260 plus €80 for 2x 4ah batteries so ~€340 all in. Seems like it's a decent value, but there's an Erbauer one for €210 which is corded, there's also a double bevelled one for €280 which would be really handy. Too many times in the past i've wished for a double bevelled one. Cordless feels like it's handy and there seems to be a shift in that direction, but imagine batteries draining pretty quick if cutting big timbers.

I have a mix of cordless battery ecosystems, but their cordless offerings are expensive Ryobi (€550) and Dewalt (Not even looked!). I have just ordered some Parkside stuff from Lidl for where i just want cheap for occasional use (36v Chainsaw, 36v recipricating saw, Pole Trimmer, Impact Wrench, 18v vacuum, belt sander, 36v hammer drill). All in that was around €350 which seemed a bargain. I could cancel the Parkside order and probably re-order with Einhell tools for a bit more money (and likely slightly better tools) but then benefit from not ending up in too many eco-systems!

I doubt i really need a cordless mitre saw, but at the same time it'd probably be quite handy. Main concern is around battery life. I'd only have Einhell batteries for a single use before they need charging which isn't ideal. If i returned the Parkside tools i'd probably then pick up more Einhell ones to have a buffer which makes more sense.


EDIT to add that i'm only looking at 254mm saws. There are some cheaper battery cordless ones but they're only 210mm blades.
 
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I’ve not bothered with cordless ‘big tools’, the utility of them being cordless is greatly diminished for something that is big and bulky which requires a bit of setup anyway.

I try to use it with a vacuum which is corded and I’m never going to use it away from a power supply in reality.

Anything hand held then cordless all the way.

At this price point they will be a much of a muchness. Stuff from a mainline brand will be higher quality (see above) but you obviously pay the price.
 
Yeah, it's something to consider, and i think for more use, then something from a main brand is well worth it. I've also looked at Metabo as i think they get a decent reputation in Europe. They seem a bit of a mid ground.

Current project is for a Pergola, so cordless would be nice to be able to do it by the pool vs carrying . Our plot is pretty huge so access to power is tricky. Even with a 100m extention reel! Although cutting in a fixed location probably makes sense.

The Einhell 36v would be a no brainer if i had other Einhell tools, but having 4 different ecosystems seems a bit daft.
 
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I have a 18V Milwaukee Mitre saw and any/all of the 18V Mitre saws are underpowered compared to 240v, the biggest change for me was changing to a Diablo blade designed for Battery powered saws.
In reality they will still cut fine, just slower so for a one off job like a pergola or infrequent use just go for a cheap 18V option, and spend the £50 on a decent blade.

But if you want to spend some money go for the Dewalt 54V Flexvolt Mitre saw :D
 
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Haha the Einhell is a 36v version so uses 2x 18v batteries which i hoped would be alright but still unlikely to have the power of a mains unit.

Think i'm convincing myself that 240v is the way to go as who knows what the future might hold.
 
I don't rate Einhell at all. I bought something assuming it would be Parkside or Erbauer level or better, it was genuinely junk. Rough edges on the metal castings, crappy plastic, bad build quality and packaging too. It was a palm sander and it vibrated my hand numb but didn't do a very good job of sanding...

For battery vs corded I'd stick with corded on a chop saw really, part of the appeal is they are low effort high efficiency. Battery saws always feel like harder work to me.

Martynt74 said:
Current project is for a Pergola, so cordless would be nice to be able to do it by the pool vs carrying . Our plot is pretty huge so access to power is tricky. Even with a 100m extention reel! Although cutting in a fixed location probably makes sense.
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Maybe a small generator is what you need? Let the scope creep commence!
 
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Martynt74 said:
Any thoughts on cordless/corded for mitre saws?

I've always owned Evolution saws in the past but sold mine before moving to Spain. Looking at prices over here and the Evolution doesn't seem quite as good value as some other brands.

I've seen an Einhell 36v cordless one "Like New on amazon" for €260 plus €80 for 2x 4ah batteries so ~€340 all in. Seems like it's a decent value, but there's an Erbauer one for €210 which is corded, there's also a double bevelled one for €280 which would be really handy. Too many times in the past i've wished for a double bevelled one. Cordless feels like it's handy and there seems to be a shift in that direction, but imagine batteries draining pretty quick if cutting big timbers.

I have a mix of cordless battery ecosystems, but their cordless offerings are expensive Ryobi (€550) and Dewalt (Not even looked!). I have just ordered some Parkside stuff from Lidl for where i just want cheap for occasional use (36v Chainsaw, 36v recipricating saw, Pole Trimmer, Impact Wrench, 18v vacuum, belt sander, 36v hammer drill). All in that was around €350 which seemed a bargain. I could cancel the Parkside order and probably re-order with Einhell tools for a bit more money (and likely slightly better tools) but then benefit from not ending up in too many eco-systems!

I doubt i really need a cordless mitre saw, but at the same time it'd probably be quite handy. Main concern is around battery life. I'd only have Einhell batteries for a single use before they need charging which isn't ideal. If i returned the Parkside tools i'd probably then pick up more Einhell ones to have a buffer which makes more sense.


EDIT to add that i'm only looking at 254mm saws. There are some cheaper battery cordless ones but they're only 210mm blades.
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I don't see the point in a cordless mitre saw. The main reason I buy cordless is because the cord gets in the way when you are using the tool. But a mitre saw isn't moving about so no problem.
 
LuckyBenski said:
I don't rate Einhell at all. I bought something assuming it would be Parkside or Erbauer level or better, it was genuinely junk. Rough edges on the metal castings, crappy plastic, bad build quality and packaging too. It was a palm sander and it vibrated my hand numb but didn't do a very good job of sanding...

For battery vs corded I'd stick with corded on a chop saw really, part of the appeal is they are low effort high efficiency. Battery saws always feel like harder work to me.


Maybe a small generator is what you need? Let the scope creep commence!
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A bad mitre saw will drive you bonkers - every cut will be out and often out in a different way. I've got a rusty Erbauer and I rarely use it as it's always a pain. I try to find ways to use my table saw if possible. I keep meaning to replace it, but always end up looking at a festool and then closing the tab because £££££
 
LuckyBenski said:
I don't rate Einhell at all. I bought something assuming it would be Parkside or Erbauer level or better, it was genuinely junk.
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I have an Einhell 15kg breaker, for the job it does, it decent but Einhell and Titan I don't see as 'precision' tools (my titan drill press really needs some attention to make it useable/useful in a precision situation). Erbauer seem to be a step up but not in the same level as the larger more respected players. I have a tile saw that works well in a precision situation.
 
LuckyBenski said:
In a proper photo that looks quite Fisher Price, but I bet on eBay the photos are all legit or poor enough quality to not know. :(
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I feel sorry for the people buying them. They (presumably) don't realise they are being ripped off. If you take the dewalt sticker off, these drills cost about £15.
 
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