Power Tools & General Tools Recommendations & Advice

divuk83 · 25 Feb 2017 at 19:24

I have the non brushless version of that dewalt kit (DCF885 impact and DCD785 combi) and it's brilliant. I upgraded to a 2ah and a 4ah battery (from 2x 1.5ah ones). While there is nothing wrong with the smaller than 2ah batteries (1.5 and 1.3ah), you don't get the charge indicator on them so can't easily tell how charged they are. That said if you are upgrading from old ni-cad tools, even if the only drill a few holes straight from the box you will still be amazed as old ni-cad cordless generally needs a charge before doing anything!

Dave

tigerstyle · 26 Feb 2017 at 10:13

Marvt74 said:
Not that set but i have the DCD795 drill and i've been pretty impressed by it.

Got the 796 here, the newer led torch is really handy!
Crappy stickers though, paper!?
And the trigger plastic is a bit weak and of slightly poor (cheap) design

JustBen · 26 Feb 2017 at 12:33

Trying to decide if it's worth the £100 over the old model

tsinc80697 · 26 Feb 2017 at 14:45

I got fed up with a crappy wired power drill I was trying to use for everything so decided to grab a few DeWalt power tools after borrowing a drill off the neighbour. Wish I'd done it a while ago! Makes working on cars a lot quicker instead of spending 5 minutes on a bolt it takes 5 seconds.

After much deliberating I went for 899HN (Impact Wrench), 796 (Combi Drill), DCL040 (Light) & a couple of 5Ah batteries. The light is a bit flimsy/cheap feeling but it does the job!

The only downside to such a powerful impact wrench is the weight :eek:

I definitely couldn't be holding that for a long period of time.

Edit: Correction

divuk83 · 26 Feb 2017 at 19:25

tsinc80697 said:
The only downside to such a powerful impact driver is the weight I definitely couldn't be holding that for a long period of time.

Isn't the 899HN an impact wrench rather than a driver?

Dave

tsinc80697 · 26 Feb 2017 at 20:37

divuk83 said:
Isn't the 899HN an impact wrench rather than a driver?

Dave

Yes! My bad

divuk83 · 26 Feb 2017 at 20:48

I did wonder, as generally impact drivers are nice and light and easy to handle, I just thought you had puny arms or something at first!

Dave

platypus · 3 Mar 2017 at 08:26

I'm in need of a new combi drill, and am looking at this: http://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-dhp453sfew-18v-3-0ah-li-ion-lxt-cordless-combi-drill/2290j.

Anyone got one? I'm drawn to the two batteries, and as its LXT would work with my sabre/circular saw as well. Looks good value to me, but I've never bought a white makita tool and the paranoid in me wonders if they are different somehow.

jellybeard999 · 3 Mar 2017 at 09:46

platypus said:
I'm in need of a new combi drill, and am looking at this: http://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-dhp453sfew-18v-3-0ah-li-ion-lxt-cordless-combi-drill/2290j.

Anyone got one? I'm drawn to the two batteries, and as its LXT would work with my sabre/circular saw as well. Looks good value to me, but I've never bought a white makita tool and the paranoid in me wonders if they are different somehow.

Just a different colour. I'm looking at this drill too. The 453 is a DIY spec drill, but I'm sure it'll do most people (me included). Homebase have a higher spec drill with 2x 3ah batteries and a case for £175 if you have a higher budget.

platypus · 3 Mar 2017 at 10:43

Whilst I do use my drill an awful lot I'm not trade so think its probably fine for my uses. I actually went with the £229 drill/impact driver set anyway.

jellybeard999 · 3 Mar 2017 at 13:30

platypus said:
Whilst I do use my drill an awful lot I'm not trade so think its probably fine for my uses. I actually went with the £229 drill/impact driver set anyway.

Good choice

I think any of the LXT range is more than up to DIY.

divuk83 · 6 Mar 2017 at 07:52

Bargain alert: £149.99 for 18v Dewalt combi and impact driver + TSTAK.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dc...twin-pack/9801t?cm_sp=homepage-_-home-_-9801t

Dave

Matt-Page · 6 Mar 2017 at 15:42

divuk83 said:
Bargain alert: £149.99 for 18v Dewalt combi and impact driver + TSTAK.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dc...twin-pack/9801t?cm_sp=homepage-_-home-_-9801t

Dave

Saw this.... Anyone got one and can comment on how good it is?

divuk83 · 6 Mar 2017 at 15:55

I have that impact driver and a near identical drill (DCD785) and they are brilliant.

Dave

chief barker · 6 Mar 2017 at 15:57

Matt-Page said:
Saw this.... Anyone got one and can comment on how good it is?

I have this similar kit,

http://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dc...n-xr-cordless-combi-drill-impact-driver/7017j

Can't complain because it's been excellent.

The combo linked is indeed a bargain with slightly bigger capacity batteries and the TSTAK case.

Mark A · 7 Mar 2017 at 23:59

Matt-Page said:
Saw this.... Anyone got one and can comment on how good it is?

It looks to be a good price, but the drill you get in the kit is Dewalts DIY offering. You can always tell the models that are heavier duty as they usually have a metal collar/gearbox housing. It'll still be good enough for heavy DIY use around the house, but its got a lower drill speed and torque and wont stand up to quite as much abuse as their more expensive drills.

jellybeard999 · 26 Mar 2017 at 17:27

Dad bought himself a Dewalt twin pack ( http://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dc...ion-combi-drill-impact-driver-twin-pack/9801t )from Screwfix and is after some impact bits.

I use 50mm impact bits with my Makita driver, as I found the 25mm bits don't seem to fit/lock properly and just feel out. I've tried the 50mm impact bits in Dads driver and they fit well, locking in with a push and requiring the collar to be pulled out to remove. I tried a freebie 25mm screwdriver bit I had lying around and this didn't seem to lock in the same way the 50mm does and feel like they are just held in magnetically? This is better than my makita, but still not ideal IMO.

See here for the notch I'm on about (left hand side) - http://www.on-sitetools.co.uk/WebRo.../0F20/664C/8AB6/0A0C/05E9/2F98/4932352592.jpg

Can anyone confirm if this applies to all 25mm bits? Is it the design of the 25mm bit or the driver that means they don't lock?

The 50mm bits seem to have a notch, do I need to find 25mm bits that have this notch, or will all 25mm bits act in this way?

He's wanting to buy http://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dt...-torsion-bit-box-pz-2-x-25mm-pack-of-25/2722f but this doesn't seem to have the notch either, so though they'll work as above, they won't be fitted properly as the tool is designed.

Thanks

Mark A · 26 Mar 2017 at 20:55

There should be small notches on the 25mm bits that are used for locking the bit into bit holder. My dewalt impact driver seems to hold the 25mm bits with these notches, but its not the same model as your dads.

Martynt74 · 28 Mar 2017 at 22:16

Can anyone recommend a heat gun?

I've seen a few which look decent (Einhell, Titan and Earlex) but I have no idea.

I also saw the Dewalt one but it's quite a bit dearer and doesn't come with case/nozzles.

platypus · 30 Mar 2017 at 09:40

I've got https://www.howetools.co.uk/black-decker-kx1650-240v-heat-gun and can't fault it really, and whilst I don't use it industrially, it was from someone who did use it in a professional capacity.

But then its twice the price (I didn't buy it, it was given to me) of something like http://www.screwfix.com/p/energer-enb467htg-2000w-heat-gun-240v/59740, which reviews really well.