Power Tools & General Tools Recommendations & Advice

PlacidCasual · 30 Sep 2019 at 15:18

NoobCannon said:
Fish tank

Really to do what? Lighting?

NoobCannon · 30 Sep 2019 at 15:21

PlacidCasual said:
Really to do what? Lighting?

As a backup just incase of power out. Had a temporary out recently and the tank temp
Dropped too quick for comfort so just thinking of a plan b.

Just need to run heater and pumps so 700 watt should be enough with room for A couple extras

PlacidCasual · 30 Sep 2019 at 15:56

@NoobCannon Ah I've completely misunderstood you, you're after a 700W inverter generator but I read it like a piece of lab equipment that produces a pure sine wave at 700W not actually generating the electricity.

In which case I have a Clarke 700W petrol inverter generator (from Machine Mart), I bought it 7 years ago as a back up to power the oil fired heating in our house, we had a lot of power cuts. It's been excellent I've only fired it up once a year for the last 4 years and it starts really well.

b0rn2sk8 · 30 Sep 2019 at 21:48

I think what Noobcannon wants is something to hook up to batteries that can kick in automatically in the event of a power failure rather than a petrol generator.

NickK · 1 Oct 2019 at 05:34

UPS+generator then. I wouldn’t bother with the ups covering the light - only heating and pump.

An alternative is solar +battery bank.

Gets expensive for a while.

pastymuncher · 9 Oct 2019 at 19:35

If anybody wants a top quality 18v combi drill then Screwfix (exclusive to them) have the DeWalt DCD778M2T-SFGB with a charger and a pair of 4.0 AH batteries for £149.99, that's £100 off and the price goes up in January. It's a lot of money for a combi drill but I need a replacement for my old Silverline whose batteries no longer hold a charge so I am probably buying this and picking it up in town on Saturday.

Mark A · 9 Oct 2019 at 20:14

Also worth looking at the 796, although it's a bit more expensive as it is higher spec and more robust, but you can get it with 2x2ah batteries for £150 from toolstation. I think the 2ah batteries are better balanced for a small drill.

https://www.toolstation.com/dewalt-dcd796-18v-xr-li-ion-cordless-brushless-combi-drill/p30986

b0rn2sk8 · 9 Oct 2019 at 21:11

I agree with the comment about batteries, the 4ah ones do unbalance the drill compared to smaller ones. The larger batteries are more useful though if you are think about buying the other tools in the range.

pastymuncher · 10 Oct 2019 at 09:47

I just checked the weight of the 778 and with the 4AH battery it's only 1.85kg, that's almost a full kilo less than my 18v Silverline with it's 2AH Ni-cad battery!! Are these Li-ion batteries really that much lighter than the old ones?

Mark A · 10 Oct 2019 at 21:04

Yep loads lighter. I noticed straight away when I went from nicads to li-ion. Plus the drill itself will be lighter as cheaper makes always seem to be really heavy.

Oh and being brushless will be a factor in the lower weight as the brushless motors are tiny compared to the old brushed motors.

JRJ · 11 Oct 2019 at 09:38

Mark A said:
Also worth looking at the 796, although it's a bit more expensive as it is higher spec and more robust, but you can get it with 2x2ah batteries for £150 from toolstation. I think the 2ah batteries are better balanced for a small drill.

https://www.toolstation.com/dewalt-dcd796-18v-xr-li-ion-cordless-brushless-combi-drill/p30986

Go for this much better made and specced drill, if you can stretch your budget and wait for an Ebay voucher you can get the DCK266 which is the 796 and 887 Impact driver with 2 5.0ah batteries and charger for around £250.

My kit is brilliant and don't know how I've lived without a impact driver for so long.

SoliD · 11 Oct 2019 at 13:13

pastymuncher said:
If anybody wants a top quality 18v combi drill then Screwfix (exclusive to them) have the DeWalt DCD778M2T-SFGB with a charger and a pair of 4.0 AH batteries for £149.99, that's £100 off and the price goes up in January. It's a lot of money for a combi drill but I need a replacement for my old Silverline whose batteries no longer hold a charge so I am probably buying this and picking it up in town on Saturday.

I picked one of these up earlier in the week and impressed with it so far. Easy enough to handle even with the weight on the bottom.

b0rn2sk8 · 12 Oct 2019 at 08:53

I’m going to be hanging some new doors soon, they’ll be standard hollow doors, nothing fancy or hardwood. What’s the best tool for trimming the bottoms? Electric planer?

Anyone got any recommendations? I think it would be fair to say this is likely to be the only job like this I will be doing so it doesn’t need to a high end model, just one that is sufficient. Prices seem to vary significantly. I have screwfix and tool station nearby and online of course!

Hedge · 12 Oct 2019 at 08:59

b0rn2sk8 said:
I’m going to be hanging some new doors soon, they’ll be standard hollow doors, nothing fancy or hardwood. What’s the best tool for trimming the bottoms? Electric planer?

Anyone got any recommendations? I think it would be fair to say this is likely to be the only job like this I will be doing so it doesn’t need to a high end model, just one that is sufficient. Prices seem to vary significantly. I have screwfix and tool station nearby and online of course!

For a cheap door I'd probably just use a handsaw or a circular saw. Electric plane is probably overkill cos the doors are soft anyway.

(I'm probably about to get told I'm totally wrong. I'm no expert)

JRJ · 14 Oct 2019 at 17:28

JRJ said:
Go for this much better made and specced drill, if you can stretch your budget and wait for an Ebay voucher you can get the DCK266 which is the 796 and 887 Impact driver with 2 5.0ah batteries and charger for around £250.

My kit is brilliant and don't know how I've lived without a impact driver for so long.

Right on cue up pops a 20% off Ebay coupon Seller:buyaparcel

Dewalt DCK266P2T £251.99

zom247 · 19 Nov 2019 at 14:04

Looking for a combi drill for general use around the house, won't be doing masses of DIY though. I've heard of brushless ones but not sure if I need one of them or not? I know it's coming up to Black Friday but wondered if there was anything out now that I could buy? Not looking to spend a fortune but want something reliable.

pastymuncher · 19 Nov 2019 at 19:50

After a lot of umming and ahhing I ended up going for a Erbauer ECDT18-Li-2 kit with a pair of 5Ah batteries. I was a bit wary of the weight of the batteries but the balance is perfect. It's a cracking drill and is much quieter than my old Silverline. It's on offer at the moment for £115.

jellybeard999 · 19 Nov 2019 at 20:24

These look good buys for the money

https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/ry...es-with-6-accessories-r18pdidcsp-220s-3332049

https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/ryobi-christmass-offer-free-tool-3328969

Mark A · 20 Nov 2019 at 03:30

That doesn't look bad at all for the price @pastymuncher .

_tucker_ · 20 Nov 2019 at 07:20

b0rn2sk8 said:
I’m going to be hanging some new doors soon, they’ll be standard hollow doors, nothing fancy or hardwood. What’s the best tool for trimming the bottoms? Electric planer?

Anyone got any recommendations? I think it would be fair to say this is likely to be the only job like this I will be doing so it doesn’t need to a high end model, just one that is sufficient. Prices seem to vary significantly. I have screwfix and tool station nearby and online of course!

Hollow doors are quite simple or “egg box doors” us chippys call them. Don’t waste your money on power tools if you won’t use them again. If you have a block plane handy just use that and a hand saw and take your time. If you don’t have a block plane then just try and pick up a really cheap electric planer or borrow one if you can. Take your time and plane off small layers at a time. Get the door in tight first then trim as necessary rather than all in one go.