Power Tools & General Tools Recommendations & Advice

[divuk83]

If you are just doing a small amount of chasing and want to minimise mess I would avoid a grinder if possible (unless you have one with good dust extraction). Score the edges of the chase with a stanley knife as deep as you can, this should help give neater edges to the chase. Swiss cheese (drill loads of holes) the centre of the chase with a drill, mark the depth of the chase on the drill bit with a bit of tape so you don't go deeper than you need to. Depending on what your walls are made of you might find that you don't need to use the SDS chisel as some blockwork and bricks are quite easy to chisel. A Hammer and a bolster might be all you need, it will still make a mess, but should avoid the fine dust a grinder will make.

Dave

 

[lewism]

On a separate note. Is there a technique for using an SDS for chasing cables? The only time i've tried it i made a real mess and didn't get a nice even flat channel. Whereas i've seen some pictures of perfect neat square channels created using an SDS chisel.

Am also considering buying the 18v Dewalt SDS. I need to chip off some render and want to avoid damaging the bricks underneath. I have one of the 6kg Titan ones and it's a bit heavy to be accurate.

https://www.toolstation.com/sds-plus-gouge-chisel/p40513

For your channels. Or you can get a skutch and a mash hammer. However, if you don't want to spring for a raggler (£75 from screwfix) then have you called HSS or Speedy for a price for renting one?

 

[Martynt74]

Raggler?

Ah google finally worked. I don't mind buying one, just dont really want to deal with the dust it produces!

 

[lewism]

Raggler?

Ah google finally worked. I don't mind buying one, just dont really want to deal with the dust it produces!

There is no true dustless solution to chasing brickwork. It's going to make a mess trust me i've done it all ways. You'd honestly be better trying to empty the room before looking at other options. Your time would be better spent cleaning up what mess has been made rather than trying to prevent it.

 

[divuk83]

It's incredible how the dust spreads. I took the random orbit sander (that had an old hoover hooked up to it which I reckon got about 90% of the mess) to all the walls in my living room that had been extensively filled with easyfil which produces a nice fine smoke like dust. I covered everything with sheets, removed what I could from the room and shut the doors. There I was working away with the noise of the sander and the hoover and I failed to notice the dog wander in from the kitchen, pushing open all the doors to the living room, the hallway and to the kitchen then wander out again. By the time I realised there was a fine layer of white dust over the whole downstairs of the house. Not impressed.

Dave

 

[Mark A]

A petrol cut off saw with diamond blade and a hose pipe hooked up would be dust free .

Edit: Speaking of cut off saws, I just came across this while browsing Toolstation. Wow, I never thought I'd see a battery powered one. Batter and cordless tools are coming on leaps and bounds. 9ah batteries as well!

https://www.toolstation.com/dewalt-dcs690-54v-xr-flexvolt-230mm-cut-off-saw/p33386

Do want.

 

[Participant]

Does the lack of safety clutch on the Screwfix Titan SDS drill make it a deal breaker?

If so, what's the next best option for the home DIYer with lots of concrete lintels in their house?

Thanks.

 

[NickK]

Does the lack of safety clutch on the Screwfix Titan SDS drill make it a deal breaker?

If so, what's the next best option for the home DIYer with lots of concrete lintels in their house?

Thanks.

Having cored 100&150mm with a couple of jams each time along with long drills - yes it will save your hands/wrists and possibly face when the drill flips around.

Erbauer dill bits are ok, and their tilesaw too - so if you don’t want to go for a big brand they work. Again check for a clutch.

 

[lewism]

Does the lack of safety clutch on the Screwfix Titan SDS drill make it a deal breaker?

If so, what's the next best option for the home DIYer with lots of concrete lintels in their house?

Thanks.

I wouldn't bother with the Titan SDS, the weight alone makes it not worth it. weighs a bloody ton.

 

[Martynt74]

That does look good, but the reviews confirmed what I thought when I saw it, that it wont last long. It should do the job if your brick is soft.


Grr, I missed out on some really cheap Record 6" clamps and ultra cheap old combination square and some Marples chisels in the last week on ebay from getting bored in the last 15 minutes of the auction and forgetting about it lol. I really need to look into one of them auction sniper apps.

The clamps went for £11 for 2 with £2.50 delivery , doubt i'll ever get them for that price again. The combination square went for like £2 odd, really gutted about that one.

The combination square was a really old Ficher cast iron/steel jobbie and looked to be really chunky. All the modern ones are made out of really thin alloy and go out of square if you drop them or knock them even slightly.

Since you seem to be after old tools at the minute. I just spotted some old Record sash clamps on Facebook 3 for £35.

If you want the details give me a shout and I’ll fire over the link.

 

[Mark A]

Since you seem to be after old tools at the minute. I just spotted some old Record sash clamps on Facebook 3 for £35.

If you want the details give me a shout and I’ll fire over the link.

That would be great thanks for the heads up . I should really join all the buy and sells near me as people seem to sell a lot cheaper on FB than ebay.


Ebay has the 10% off code again and there are a few tool shops in it this time, including Abbey Power if anyones interested. They sell loads of Dewalt gear.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/abbeypower

http://www.ebaystores.co.uk/thetoolacademyltd

http://www.ebaystores.co.uk/toolsave

Code is PAPA10 and gets 10% off with £20 min spend

I have my eye on this tap and die set, which comes out at £26 odd after the 10% is deducted. Seems a great price for a 40 piece kit. Looks very similar to the Sealey kit, which is £50+. I know it'll be Chinese made and probably only good for light use, but thats all I need it for.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/40pc-Metric-Tap-and-Die-Set-Wrench-Steel-Case-Taper-Tool/362304952330

 

[Martynt74]

That would be great thanks for the heads up . I should really join all the buy and sells near me as people seem to sell a lot cheaper on FB than ebay.


Ebay has the 10% off code again and there are a few tool shops in it this time, including Abbey Power if anyones interested. They sell loads of Dewalt gear.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/abbeypower

http://www.ebaystores.co.uk/thetoolacademyltd

http://www.ebaystores.co.uk/toolsave

Code is PAPA10 and gets 10% off with £20 min spend

I have my eye on this tap and die set, which comes out at £26 odd after the 10% is deducted. Seems a great price for a 40 piece kit. Looks very similar to the Sealey kit, which is £50+. I know it'll be Chinese made and probably only good for light use, but thats all I need it for.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/40pc-Metric-Tap-and-Die-Set-Wrench-Steel-Case-Taper-Tool/362304952330

Sorry fella. They seem to have disappeared.

There are some Record corner clamps but they’re hugely expensive.

Well worth joining though.

 

[Participant]

Having cored 100&150mm with a couple of jams each time along with long drills - yes it will save your hands/wrists and possibly face when the drill flips around.

Erbauer dill bits are ok, and their tilesaw too - so if you don’t want to go for a big brand they work. Again check for a clutch.

I wouldn't bother with the Titan SDS, the weight alone makes it not worth it. weighs a bloody ton.

Thanks both. In the end I bought this with two batteries and some DeWalt SDS bits. DeWalt DCH033M2 SDS Plus, £200 from my local Screwfix.

 

[Mark A]

No worries Marvt, thanks anyway, they were a great price, so probably snapped up.

@Participant That will be loads better than the Titan and a good price with two 4ah batteries.

 

[NoobCannon]

Where are you all getting the missing safety clutch on the titan sds drill from?





Mines been fantastic, cordless has its place but cant beat the titan for its price. That dewalt drill above doesn't provide even half the hammer power of the titan 2j v 8j its only benefits are being lighter (but suffers for it) and its cordless (and suffers for it)

 

[Mark A]

Plus the Dewalt will last a lot longer and the batteries can be used with other bare tools now.

You can't compare the price of a diy tool and a trade rated tool. It's not all about power, if 2J will do the job then why use a 6.3kg drill?

The newest model does 2.6J, which is up there with similar sized corded drills. Battery tools are getting to the point where they are pretty equal to their corded equivalents. Especially with the new 54V flexivolt gear.

 

[NoobCannon]

Plus the Dewalt will last a lot longer and the batteries can be used with other bare tools now.

You can't compare the price of a diy tool and a trade rated tool. It's not all about power, if 2J will do the job then why use a 6.3kg drill?

The newest model does 2.6J, which is up there with similar sized corded drills. Battery tools are getting to the point where they are pretty equal to their corded equivalents. Especially with the new 54V flexivolt gear.

I didnt mention the price difference anywhere. i can use your same logic, why buy a 2j tool when you might find out you need 8j?

I own many many battery tools and know their place and limit, same as the titan has a place limit, as for lasting longer i can buy 3 of the titan drills for the price of the dewalt if i really need to but its survived so far.

I believe there is some brand snobbery involved in peoples opinions.

 

[Participant]

I've got to get up there on a ladder tomorrow and drill through a concrete lintel 6 times, holding the drill with one hand and the window handle with the other. I'll pass on a 6.3Kg corded drill thanks .

It also looks like that Titan varies its speed through a dial on the side rather than through a variable trigger, which is definitely a deal breaker for me.

 

[Mark A]

Theres no brand snobbery from me, I often recommend cheap tools if they're only going to be used for DIY. You said "the only difference between them is" sic (which you have now edited out) so I disagreed and listed other differences. You get what you pay for with tools, so a higher priced tool is going to last longer.

Yes your drill is more powerful, but if he only needs it to drill holes for shelves then what use is 8j? Its just going to be less accurate, twice as heavy and probably snap small drill bits for fun. Edit:also what Participant said

Plus like I mentioned, a lot of that money is the battery system, which can now be used for other bare tools in the XR range.

@Participant If you haven't used it yet and you think you might need a bit more power then you could take that back to Skrewfix and get the DCH133 from Abbey power. Its a little bit more powerful at 2.6J and works out at £193 with their current %10 off deal.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DEWALT-1...146680?hash=item468e8a6ab8:g:CwQAAOSwxgtbbbsI

 

[NoobCannon]

I've got to get up there on a ladder tomorrow and drill through a concrete lintel 6 times, holding the drill with one hand and the window handle with the other. I'll pass on a 6.3Kg corded drill thanks .

It also looks like that Titan varies its speed through a dial on the side rather than through a variable trigger, which is definitely a deal breaker for me.

Wrong again.

The dial is just for different functions. Anyway im not here to argue.

@Mark A all i edited out was my location that i left on the screwfix screener