Spec me some power tools :D

jinxpad

jinxpad

jinxpad

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Hey guys,


Up until this point in my PC building days, I've always kind of shied away from doing any significant modifications to any of my equipment in terms of drilling/cutting/soldering etc.

But I'm really looking into expanding the bottom compartment of my 800D case to accomodate an addition 240mm Radiator.

This got me thinking along the lines of what kind of tools I would need and such. I personally have always been one to invest quite heavily into equipment that I feel I can make good use out of, both in the immediate future, but also stuff that I can use for future projects.

I've come to the conclusion that I'd love to start getting my hand dirty with some case modding and really get into that facet of PC building.

With that in mind I'm a bit new to buying powertools and such and would be very grateful if anyone with experience would be able to offer some advice on the which products to buy.

I'd like to get the following:

1 x Dremel (for filing down anything or making smaller cutouts/cuts)
1 x Jigsaw (larger scale cutouts such as the radiator vent at the bottom of my 800D)
1 x Cordless Drill (removing rivets, creating fillports, adding any other holes :P)

While I wish that my budget was limitless, I don't want to spend a fortune per tool but I do want ones which will obviously be reliable and quite perform adequately for the tasks that I'd put them to, which will be for the very most part, case modding.

So I won't be cutting through titanium or 4" blocks of aluminium, but I would like products which could make my case modding life a little easier.

So if anybody has particular brands/part numbers for any of the above tools, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Additionally, if I'll be needing any other equipment in to compliment the above tools, please let me know (safety goggles already in possession :D )
 
Try one of these, excelent tool and will do everything from drilling to polishing and cutting.
ALIM1108.jpg

ALIM1109.jpg
 
Yeah I was looking at this Dremel and it seems like a good bit of kit, a bit pricey, but if I can use it for a host of projects in the future I'll accept it as a good investment.

Still looking for a Jigsaw recommendations though as it seems significantly easier to make larger cuts using one, which could come in handy :)

So I could use this to drill out rivets and create holes for fillports just fine then too?
 
Maybe instead of a jigsaw you could get a good drill and a 117mm hole saw and that will make perfect holes for fans all day long.

As far as using a dremel to drill fillports im not sure but i think if you get a dremel and a good drill you should have no problems.
 
Try a Bosch PST800 PEL for around £50 and it would be ideal for your requirments.
And its a Bosch, same company that makes the dremel, reliable and a good bit of kit.
 
Thanks for the input, and I think I'll be going with the Dremel 4000 and the Bosh jigsaw max recommended.

I'll basically be following this guide for my mod:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc6Cr7G4S6E

And the jigsaw just makes much more sense, and like I said, never know when I might need it again :)

Would the dremmel be able to drill the holes I need as shown in this vid? If not then I still need a nice cordless drill specced :D
 
jinxpad said:
Thanks for the input, and I think I'll be going with the Dremel 4000 and the Bosh jigsaw max recommended.

I'll basically be following this guide for my mod:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc6Cr7G4S6E

And the jigsaw just makes much more sense, and like I said, never know when I might need it again :)

Would the dremmel be able to drill the holes I need as shown in this vid? If not then I still need a nice cordless drill specced :D
Click to expand...

I’m 99.9% sure you’ll need a real drill for those holes.

Check the pricing but you used to be able to get quite a good mains drill for the same cost as a really cheap and nasty cordless version. Cordless drills worth having start at around £100, and they’re still only suitable for very light work (but tend to make decent screwdrivers).
 
I can highly recommend DeWalt drills, they are really good quality and have decent batteries on them. They also sell some really handy drill kits.
 
bremen1874 said:
I’m 99.9% sure you’ll need a real drill for those holes.

Check the pricing but you used to be able to get quite a good mains drill for the same cost as a really cheap and nasty cordless version. Cordless drills worth having start at around £100, and they’re still only suitable for very light work (but tend to make decent screwdrivers).
Click to expand...

Good to know, in that case, I was looking around and spotted the Bosch PSB 650 RE Impact Drill for £50.

Thing is, I dont actually know what the difference is between an impact drill and a normal (?) drill is. Anybody care to enlighten me? Would this drill be fine for what I plan to do?

EDIT: I did take a look at the dewalt tools, but those sadly are out of my price range.
 
An impact drill is a hammer drill. You switch the hammer action on when you're drilling masonry.

If you’re looking cordless a 'combi drill' will have hammer and a 'drill driver' won't.

For light case moding duties (and hanging the occasional shelf) you should be able to get a perfectly competent mains drill for about £25.
 
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bremen1874 said:
An impact drill is a hammer drill. You switch the hammer action on when you're drilling masonry.

If you’re looking cordless a 'combi drill' will have hammer and a 'drill driver' won't.

For light case moding duties (and hanging the occasional shelf) you should be able to get a perfectly competent mains drill for about £25.
Click to expand...

So are impact drills not recommended for case modding?

The Bosch drill I mentioned would be something I could forsee using on other projects around the house as well which would be very useful, but if an Impact drill would not be suitable for case modding then I'll keep on looking :)
 
Do you mean an Impact wrench/drill? which is a different thing to a Hammer drill.

IMG_0679.jpg


A impact wrench is used to undo/do up nuts/screws etc using a "shocking" action when its put under load (i.e- when you want that initial "shock" action to undo a stiff nut, or to tighten a nut/screw) when it doesnt meet resistance it acts like a normal cordless drill without a hammer action.
 
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jinxpad

The PSB 650 RE Impact Drill you refered to in your post is a hammer drill. You can switch the hammer action on and off as required.

It will be fine for drilling holes in computer cases as well as normal diy jobs. A cordless drill of the same capacity is going to cost the wrong side of £200.
 
B and Q are doing a great cordless 18v makita hammer drill set for under 100 quid and i have been using them for over 5 years..

a decent corded drill can be had under 30.00 but needs soft start really not some much the hammer function..

dewalt has gone so down hill i will never buy them again..
 
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