Power Tools & General Tools Recommendations & Advice

wonder_lander said:
Is this http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homebaseuk/worx-wx368-18v-li-hammer-drill---2-battery-172456 worth it with a 3 year warranty?

It's a 3rd of the price of http://www.diy.com/nav/fix/power-to...rdless-Combi-Drill-XR-13008707?skuId=13519410

I know its going against the mentioned makes but we are talking very light DIY use
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It'll be fine for light DIY. No point buying a light trade/industrial tool if it's just going to be putting up a couple of shelves.

The drill and drive speeds are fairly low, but it has decent enough torque as a result. Seems to have some good customer reviews on Argos and is £80 on there.

Speed 0-350rpm/0-1300rpm.
3 to 5 hours charging time.
Maximum torque 50Nm.
Drill weight 2.1kg.


The Dewalt you linked will take far more abuse, has faster drill and drive speed (600rpm/2000rpm), weighs less (1.6 kg), has faster charge time (30 mins), more torque (60nm), smaller size to get into tight spaces. It's a really good drill for the money imo, but it's overkill for a few odd jobs around the house.
 
Wet Tile cutter - Erbauer ERB337TCB 750W Tile Saw 230V - £64.99 from screwfix

IMG_0864 by Nick and Sandrine, on Flickr

From experience - it's very very good when cutting both rock hard floor tiles and softer wall tiles.

Like all wet saws.. use outside.. because it will spray!
 
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I've searched everywhere but does anybody know where I could get that case for my Makita? -

makitacase.jpg
 
Nightglow said:
Intresting collection you have there.

How do you find that tiddly Bosch screwdriver, there are times when I could use a compact screwdriver.
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I have a bosch screwdriver too, pros & cons:
Pros:
* screws with medium amount of torque - good for normal kit based fixing
* light illuminates the screwing area
* lights on top show direction and if the thing needs recharging.
* one handed screwing as it's light
* works with flexible screw adaptor.. so you can screw things where the standard driver/drill will not fit.
Cons
* no torque control - it's possible to break kit based fixings easily
* torque doesn't match a bosch Li-ion 18V drill/screwdriver and the drill has torque back off settings which ironically make it more suited to careful driving (it will stop before breaking the kit or plaster board etc!).
* inbuilt battery means once empty it's back to the charger.. fast charge though.
 
Bench drill - Titan TTB541DBT 700W Drill Press 230V

IMG_0809 by Nick and Sandrine, on Flickr

Pros
* good power - will do most things asked of it
* Has laser..
* simple to adjust speeds
* holds the object securely whilst drilling.
* works well on wood and metal.. has difficulty on stone.

Cons
* base table where the clamp sits is prone to rotating around the post. The clamp to secure it on the post is a bit pants and isn't a quick job to reposition as the table shifts in X,Y when you're just looking for a Z (height) repositioning.
* No rotation clamp on the said offending table.
* You have to fit the chuck.. as most DIYers aren't going to change it.. take your time to get it central because otherwise it will not cut straight.

So basically with a bit of time to tune it can be good (accurate on a repeating basis).
 
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Mark A said:
It'll be fine for light DIY. No point buying a light trade/industrial tool if it's just going to be putting up a couple of shelves.

The drill and drive speeds are fairly low, but it has decent enough torque as a result. Seems to have some good customer reviews on Argos and is £80 on there.

Speed 0-350rpm/0-1300rpm.
3 to 5 hours charging time.
Maximum torque 50Nm.
Drill weight 2.1kg.


The Dewalt you linked will take far more abuse, has faster drill and drive speed (600rpm/2000rpm), weighs less (1.6 kg), has faster charge time (30 mins), more torque (60nm), smaller size to get into tight spaces. It's a really good drill for the money imo, but it's overkill for a few odd jobs around the house.
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Cheers, not available for deliver and non available locally either....the search continues!
 
Just purchased a Bosch PMF 180E multi tool from B&Q, £52 with a few heads, looked like a good price to me.

Should come in handy for cutting a small slice from the bottom of skirting boards before fitting a wood floor.
 
Hello chaps!

I'm after some recommendations for a economically-priced sander. I'll be buying old furniture, sanding the paint and varnish off, then re-painting and re-upholstering them. I have literally no idea about this, so I need to buy everything to get started.

Any good sanders out there?
 
Edrof said:
Hello chaps!

I'm after some recommendations for a economically-priced sander. I'll be buying old furniture, sanding the paint and varnish off, then re-painting and re-upholstering them. I have literally no idea about this, so I need to buy everything to get started.

Any good sanders out there?
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Probably worth looking at this..
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/rules_for_sanding_wood

After lots of man-tool acquisition.. I think that screwfix is good but for serious tool age I make a trip here: http://www.axminster.co.uk/stores/basingstoke/
Have a look at the woodworking section in axminster.. table based sanders etc: http://www.axminster.co.uk/wood-working/sanders

I have a B&D orbital sander I used for the walls before painting. A couple of things to think about:
a) Dust extraction - seriously ignore the little bag on the back.. it needs a dyson on the back of it. With a bit of gaffer tape, the dyson was fitted to the port at the back - the result was no dust.. and the suction turbo charged the sander (you could hear the pitch increase as it sped up!). Better dust removal means less dust clumps appearing in the sanding surface.
b) clips top and bottom allow good selection of sand paper as well as the back.
 
Are the combi drill/drivers at the top of this thread still deemed the ones to go for or anything else worth considering in the £100-150 bracket?

My drill has just died and want to treat myself to something new as I'm about to do a mountain of all round DIY over the next several weeks
 
Anything from Makita, Bosch or Dewalt in that price range will be good. IMO the Dewalt DCD785 is a great choice for that price range, £148 at B&Q, but you can get 10% off if you know anyone with a diamond card, or 4% quidco.

Not sure what the Makita/Bosch equivalent would be.
 
I ended up picking up a 14v Dewalt twin pack, for the price bracket the 14v had a better spec than the 18v equivilant and seeing what I'll be using I'm sure it will be more than suitable.
 
Hello chaps,

I'm looking at buying a cordless drill and having read through this thread and many other sites I am still at ends as to what to buy... I'm looking for a cordless drill around the £150 range, and will be investing in other cordless tools in the future - namely a multi tool and circular saw. So Whatever tool I buy now I want the battery to be compatible with other tools.

I currently have a 10% off voucher for screwfix so will be looking at either getting:

Makita BHP453RFTK (includes 101pc accessory set)


DeWalt XR DCD785C2SF-GB


Bosch GSB 18V-LI 18V 4Ah

All have a 3 year warranty, the bosch has a larger 4ah battery,the dewalt has 2x 1.5ah batteries, and the makita has a 3ah battery (which is meant to be more compatible with the rest of their products than the 1.5ah or 1.3ah battery) and a 101pc accessory set.

These are the main differences I can note, oh and the dewalt has the little led light.

I'm tempted to go for the makita as people say they're a better brand. But no one ever says anything about bosch, and I've heard great and bad things about dewalt.

I will mainly be using it for diy around the house and for making things - for instance I am about to start making a chicken coup.

So... What would you guys recommend and why? Or would you recommend a different drill entirely?
 
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