Power Tools & General Tools Recommendations & Advice

[Martynt74]

I'm looking for a DeWalt DCD996 drill, been doing quite a lot of work in the garden, my old Aldi Hammer drill packed up. I borrowed my friends drill, and it was a DCD996, my initial thoughts was just wow, such a brilliant drill for walls and woodwork.

Not had much luck buying one as Screwfix & Toolstation are all out in my area. Don't trust Amazon and eBay tbh.

Any other reputable places come to mind?

I got mine from My Tool Shed i think it was. Generally any of MyToolShed/Powertoolmate/FFX have been good for me in the past. If you're not in a rush then Ebay usually has a 10/15% voucher code for one of them fairly often.

Most deals are usually on bare tools though, do you need a bundle with charger/battery etc?


EDIT - Seems they've gone up a lot, i'm sure i only paid £80 for mine. I'd also consider the DCD795 or DCD796. It's not quite as powerful but should still be plenty good enough at a decent saving.

 

[divuk83]

Most of the eBay tool sellers are legit, avoid non uk sellers and non business sellers. Fixit, Abbey Tools, FFX etc are all DeWalt dealers. Take advantage of the frequent eBay voucher codes. I have never seen any DeWalt tool competitively prices on Amazon.

DeWalt stock is always poor. I had to drive 20 miles last weekend to get the last Dewalt cordless circular saw in Yorkshire the other day. The lack of stock is driving prices up in the places that do have stock. It was the same last year when I bought a cordless sander. DeWalt stock is inconsistent at best.

Dave

 

[JRJ]

Bought my DCD996 bare with a Tstak from powertoolmate on Ebay when they had a 10/15/20% discount code came in at £116ish, bought the majority of my Dewalt tools through the Ebay voucher either from FFX/powertoolmate/buyaparcel all approved dealers and stock registers on MyDewalt for warranty.

 

[mysticsniper]

Bought my DCD996 bare with a Tstak from powertoolmate on Ebay when they had a 10/15/20% discount code came in at £116ish, bought the majority of my Dewalt tools through the Ebay voucher either from FFX/powertoolmate/buyaparcel all approved dealers and stock registers on MyDewalt for warranty.

Nice one, just looking at powertoolmate & buyaparcel on the bay. Just deciding if I want 1x 9ah battery or 2x 5ah ones

 

[BurningHorizons]

Nice one, just looking at powertoolmate & buyaparcel on the bay. Just deciding if I want 1x 9ah battery or 2x 5ah ones

2x 5ah in my opinion. The 9ah is massive and very heavy. For reference I own 2x 2ah, 2x 5ah and 2x 9ah, and for round the house I just use the 2ah. For all day jobs or jobs using a lot of torque, I'll use the 5ah. The 5ah allows the drill to stand via the battery but the 2ah does not. I bought the 9ah for the lawnmower and that's the only time they get used. Hope that helps.

 

[cheesyboy]

For regular home use, I'd not want a 5ah just for the weight: a 9ah would be insane. 2ah has always given me all the drilling I've needed (I've got 2, but don't recall ever needing to swap when I started fully charged).

 

[b0rn2sk8]

A 996 with 9ah batteries for home use is a proper flex

 

[bainbridge]

My 4ah batteries last for ages unless I'm using the angle grinder. In the drill I ran in over 1000 screws on a 4ah battery before needing the swap batteries.

 

[200sols]

Proper stupid. The drill will be far out of balance with 9ah batteries.

 

[mysticsniper]

Interesting, I was leaning towards 2 batteries over the one. I have noticed there are some DeWalt 8ah batteries available, look like the best of both worlds.

 

[cheesyboy]

Interesting, I was leaning towards 2 batteries over the one. I have noticed there are some DeWalt 8ah batteries available, look like the best of both worlds.

8ah isn't the best of any worlds for a combi drill.

 

[Hotwired]

More battery = you can put a longer, fatter drill bit in without it falling over

 

[cheesyboy]

More battery = you can put a longer, fatter drill bit in without it falling over

I retract my earlier statement

 

[200sols]

Interesting, I was leaning towards 2 batteries over the one. I have noticed there are some DeWalt 8ah batteries available, look like the best of both worlds.

It really isn't, these big batteries are not designed for combi drills. The tools feel horrible with big batteries on.

 

[JRJ]

The 996 with a 5ah is a pretty hefty drill, dread to think the weight with a 9ah.

 

[Brabbinho]

I've got a myriad of tasks that are likely to need a sander/planer, but not sure which electric options are best. I fear i may need multiple.

Essentially,

• decorating where some rough walls will need a little sanding. Though mercifully not full walls just patch repair
• decking needs sanding back and re-oiling/treating
• general woodworking. Have some fencing and planters on the list to do
• paint stripping of bannisters (future project)

Random orbitals look a good general option, but will they cut it with larger areas?

Thanks

 

[robj20]

If you want to save some money on bags, just cut a corner off and empty it out. Fold it over and screw two pieces of wood together to clamp it shut. I wouldn't do it if your vacuuming lots of fine dust though as it blocks the pores of the bag and loses its vacuum.

I use one of those add-on bins that are advertised for fireplace cleaning. That collects all the large rubbish and a decent portion of the finer stuff, one bag lasts ages then and you just empty the add-on bin.

 

[ik9000]

I've got a myriad of tasks that are likely to need a sander/planer, but not sure which electric options are best. I fear i may need multiple.

Essentially,

• decorating where some rough walls will need a little sanding. Though mercifully not full walls just patch repair
• decking needs sanding back and re-oiling/treating
• general woodworking. Have some fencing and planters on the list to do
• paint stripping of bannisters (future project)

Random orbitals look a good general option, but will they cut it with larger areas?

Thanks

For paint stripping use paint stripper and clingfilm. Much safer than making all that fine lead dust and better on your nerves too.

Get orbit Sander for walls and large areas, plus a multi Sander (that should do rectangle and triangle) and get the abrasive porous pads for plasterwork and paint to avoid clogging of regular sandpaper. If large areas of floor and decking etc consider a belt sander but note that will give a smooth finish. Great for floorboards less good for outdoor decking where you want a textured surface for grip.

For all Sanders make sure your have a vacuum attachment and buy a builders vacuum that can take the abuse. Don't bother with clip on sacks or filter boxes. They're all rubbish after just modest amounts of use.

Also buy decent filter face masks. Your health is worth £40 of ppe. It's not just lead paint, plaster dust, oak dust, beech dust, etc are all nasty, even carcinogenic.

 

[Brabbinho]

For paint stripping use paint stripper and clingfilm. Much safer than making all that fine lead dust and better on your nerves too.

Get orbit Sander for walls and large areas, plus a multi Sander (that should do rectangle and triangle) and get the abrasive porous pads for plasterwork and paint to avoid clogging of regular sandpaper. If large areas of floor and decking etc consider a belt sander but note that will give a smooth finish. Great for floorboards less good for outdoor decking where you want a textured surface for grip.

For all Sanders make sure your have a vacuum attachment and buy a builders vacuum that can take the abuse. Don't bother with clip on sacks or filter boxes. They're all rubbish after just modest amounts of use.

Also buy decent filter face masks. Your health is worth £40 of ppe. It's not just lead paint, plaster dust, oak dust, beech dust, etc are all nasty, even carcinogenic.

Thank you, that gives me something to think about. Completely agree on the dust masks

 

[explicit4u]

That's great advice and all stuff I wish I knew a few weeks ago before sanding down some window reveals. I'm still dealing with the dust from that