Period power tools

[Pford75]

Unfortunately, we sufferred a burglary of some of our outbuildings recently. It was garden machinery and power tools which were taken. It's a major pain since and we're now extending the house alarm to outbuildings and have invested in my own 'sitesafe'.

Anyway, the better news is that our insurers have offerred a cash settlement (which we intend to take) and I now get to replace some power tools. I've been speaking with Power Tool Supplies in Norwich who seem to offer a decent price for bulk orders....but open to other suggestions (Toolstop and Screwfix both seem to have good deals on certain items...wonder if it might be better to split the order and seek out deals from different suppliers?)

Anyway....some thoughts required from others here.

1. I'm leaning towards DeWalt largely because of the universal battery size and the ability to keep costs down by purchasing several tools as 'bare units' and then using 3 batteries between them. I rarely use more than a couple of tools at a time. Thoughts on DeWalt as a brand?

2. I was going to choose Li-Ion batteries...bit more expensive, but believe they hold their charge better?

3. Most brands seem to offer a tool 'bundle' which (if you need everything) seems to represent good value. I've never used an impact driver before.....but most bundles seem to include one....have I been missing out on this tool?

4. Since it's a cash settlement, I get to choose what I need....based upon what I used to have and what got used most...this is my proposed shopping list...

18v Combi drill
Small angle grinder
Large angle grinder
Jigsaw
Mitre saw
Random orbital sander
Detail sander
Breaker
Decent set of assorted bits (any recommendations welcome)

Undecided on whether I need another drill in addition to combi (SDS/Hammer) and whether I would use a reciprocating saw enough to warrant this being on the list.



The thieving bastards left my crappy wallpaper stripper and hand tools

 

[Gervase]

A 6Kg breaker should be capable of taking SDS drills as well, so you can make holes in almost anything, as well as do chasing and chiselling. About the only thing I use my reciprocating saw for is cutting soft brick and thermalite block (with a 12-inch carbide blade from Bosch) and destructive stuff like cutting through rotten timber frames and lintels.
An impact driver is an incredibly useful tool - you can drive screws and bolts into almost anything with very little effort, great accuracy and minimal risk of mangling the screw or the timber. I'd take that over the reciprocating saw any day.
As for brand, it's horses for courses between DeWalt, Makita, Hitachi and Milwaukee. Nearly all my stuff is Makita (apart from a large DeWalt compound mitre saw), but the only cordless tools I use regularly are the impact driver and the combi-drill; everything else is corded (110v in my case, so I can work on commercial sites). There's considerably more oomph in a corded tool, and it's rare that you're so deep in the cuds that there's no power reachable with an extension reel (and that's where the generator comes in handy).
I went for Makita because of the huge range of spares that are readily available online at good prices, and because I had a couple of bad experiences with DeWalt drills, but I know plenty of tradesmen who are happy enough with DeWalt and Hitachi. Milwaukee stuff is considerable more expensive.
One point to consider - if you do go the cordless route and like to have the radio on while you work, the DeWalt site radio will charge batteries if it's plugged into the mains whereas the Makita radio will not.

 

[AMc]

1 - DeWalt are owned by the same company as Black and Decker. One of my builders would only buy their tools and reckoned they were bulletproof. The others swore by Makita for reasons of durability and readily available spares.
2 - My Nicad drill ran flat all the time, usually meaning it wasn't ready for use when I needed it. The Li-Ion replacements seem to be pretty strong several years and many hours of use later.
3 - I've no impact driver, but my joiner bought one and simply couldn't stop using it for all screwing tasks (fnar fnar).
4 - I might be tempted with a circular saw and the guide rails that allow you to clamp it across sheet material, able to fix angles etc.in preference to the mitre - Depends how much chopping you're likely to do? I ended up buying a Ryobi circular saw when I'd almost finished the big work and realised I should have bought it well before I got the sliding mitre as it was more flexible and portable.

As it is a cash settlement I'd be tempted to keep the list on the short side, buy what you need when you need it or it comes up in an offer.

No router in your list?

I've had some great deals on tools from Screwfix but the true professional tools never seem to be discounted. I waited in vain for my joiners Makita belt sander to drop from £200 but it never does nor does it get replaced by "this years model".
BTW I've bought a couple of Bosch sanders and both have been excellent buys, the orbital is still going strong many many floorboards after I first started to (ab)use it.

If you're shopping in person in Norwich I'd also check out http://www.builders-equipment.co.uk/ on City Road and Been and Queued sometimes have deals on professional tools (Makita, DeWalt) but never when I need them!

 

[LadyArowana]

Very sorry to hear about your unpleasant experience with the thieving barstewards. I can't add anything much that's useful about power tools, other than my observation that the large armies of trades people who were renovating everywhere posh in Chelsea and Kensington seemed to be armed with either De W or Makita. I thought the DeWalt was the prettiest, but I don't expect that is important :lol:

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Every cloud has a silver lining---

 

[eezageeza]

There's not much to choose between the "professional" brands of power tools I don't think -I have a mix of Dewalt, Bosch, Metabo, Makita. Given the choice when buying new, I'd go for Bosch first, and if they didn't offfer what I was looking for, any of the others.

Li-ion batteries are a world away from ni-cads and nickel metal - i've recently replaced an old combi with a new 18v Bosch with Li-ion batteries and they are way, way better than the nicads i was used to - last much longer, and work at somewhere near full output until they are discharged (when they give up somewhat abruptly!).

As has been mentioned before, the "special" offers on Screwfix et al are rarely much cop - the batteries supplied are nearly always very low power ones, and proper tools with batteries with proper capacities are rarely discounted. Decide exactly what you want, then google it to check out the best web prices, then go talk to your local tool shop!

 

[eezageeza]

Oh, and you will need a mains power SDS as well as the combi - a combi is good for occasional drilling in relatively soft materials, but the SDS will get you through pretty much anything you come across.

 

[Pford75]

Thanks for all the advice.

Have been scouring the web and so far, Toolstop seem to be cheaper than screwfix etc. by some distance on most items. There are the odd one or two where screwfix beat them by a few quid, but not many.

I'm of the same mind as Gervase...not sure I need a reciprocating saw really....excuse the dumb question, but does an impact driver remove the need for a cordless screwdriver or is there something the s/drvr can do which the impact driver cannot?

The power tools are the most straightforward bit...the garden machinery is proving to be a pain (seems that Husqvarna, Stihl etc control their dealers quite tightly)..and the big power tool suppliers carry Makita etc. (which I have never used in the garden). I must confess that I worry that Makita wont be a good choice for brushcutters, chainsaws etc and my preference would be Husqvarna. Thoughts from people on this?

I need to replace an 18" chainsaw, mid sized cultivator, line trimmer, brushcutter, hedgetrimmer and large rotary mower.

 

[eezageeza]

I think Stihl and Husky have the professional garden tool market pretty much stitched up - I'm a Stihl man myself, but know plenty of others who swear by Husqvarna. You're right - there is undoubtedly a price maintenance element in their distribution policies, but they still sell plenty of gear!

 

[Flyfisher]

Sorry to read about this Pford.

I'd really miss my cordless drill/driver but all my other power tools are mains-powered and I don't find it an inconvenience as I always have a couple of extension cable reels handy. Li-on batteries are a must, for the good reasons already mentioned, but you'll definitely need two or three because they do die very suddenly. I've got two and it's only very occasionally I've wished I had three - probably when I've been working too much and it's a good reminder to slow down and drink more tea. Mine are only 14.4v and are still going strong after nearly 5 years.

I used my reciprocating saw a lot when removing old pipework and also for cutting scaffold tubes, but now those jobs are past I don't use it a great deal. Most of the other power tools on your list I only use infrequently, though they are indispensible when needed. I might be tempted to replace the obvious ones but leave the others until I needed them again.

 

[eezageeza]

Do you need separate line trimmer and brushcutter? I have a clearing saw (basically a strimmer with a large enough engine that you can fit a metal blade to it) but use it most of the time with an ordinary nylon line head. I can't imagine needing 2 separate tools.

 

[Matt Green]

excuse the dumb question, but does an impact driver remove the need for a cordless screwdriver or is there something the s/drvr can do which the impact driver cannot?

I use mine with a small chuck and a drill bit in it more than I use it as a screwdriver. Pre-drilling screw holes and wotnot with it for odd-jobs is far easier than reeling out the 240V SDS. Equally, when dry-lining a cellar with GlassFibre board I was happy to have it help me with the 400+ screws rather than a handtool.

Another +1 for Lithium batteries too.


M.

 

[Gervase]

1 - DeWalt are owned by the same company as Black and Decker...

That, according to a carpenter friend, is why he no longer uses DeWalt; the quality went downhill dramatically when B&D took over and the company went from being a saw specialist to making every conceivable tool.
That said, I've had a DW 771 saw for ages now and it's never let me down. The telescopic stand is also an excellent piece of kit, which will cope with ridiculously long and large pieces of timber.
A little, stubby torpedo-shaped cordless screwdriver might be useful, but I tend to use the impact driver for all general-purpose screwing, both assembly and dismantling. The impact action only kicks in when a certain level of torque is reached and the speed is infinitely variable, so with care you can use it on brass screws and more delicate jobs too.

 

[Feltwell]

My two-penn'orth......

Ask a group of people about power tools (men in particular, let's be honest... ) and you won't be short of opinions!

I broadly agree with a lot of the above:-

- Dewalt used to be good, their expensive stuff still is but is over-priced compared to Makita I'd say, the cheap stuff is B&D rebadged tat and best avoided
- Makita cordless tools are excellent, I always buy them now. Their 18 volt LXT range is widely available, is Li-Ion, I have 2 batteries (it's all you need - they charge very quickly), a hammer combi drill, an impact driver and a circular saw. All are great and come highly recommended. You'll get a better deal on Ebay or Amazon than Screwfix or Toolstation I've found. When the batteries do eventually go, you can get pattern batteries which are half the price of genuine Makita - available as the range is so popular. You can also pick up "manufacturer refurb" (in other words, returned to Makita as faulty when brand new and then fixed by them) on Ebay - full Makita waranty and about £100 saved when I bought my drill & impact driver set.
- Impact drivers are brilliant, once you've got one you'll wonder why you didn't buy one before. Vastly superior to putting in screws with a drill/driver. I have a cordless screwdriver as well, I now never use it.
- Look at Axminster tools as well, they are well regarded. They sell customer returns that have been fixed, through Ebay, with a full warranty. I bought an own brand mitre saw from them after consulting with others on here and am very pleased with it.
- I'd buy corded sanders, angle grinders and an SDS drill personally. For the number of times you need them it's no real hassle to run an extension lead out and they are more powerful. Unless you'll use them a lot I wouldn't spend big money on these. Hitachi make good cheap-ish angle grinders (again - Ebay is the best source I've found). My mid-level B&Q own brand SDS drill has had much abuse over about 8 years and is still going strong, I wouldn't spend big money on one of these for "domestic" use
- Buy yourself a decent pair of ear defenders. There is a big difference in quality and it makes using the likes of an SDS drill so much more comfortable! I have a pair of "Peltor" brand defenders and they are vastly superior to a cheap pair I also have.
- I've found Dewalt drill bit sets to be good for general masonry / HSS / wood drills. For SDS a cheap multi-set is fine unless you'll use a particular size a lot. Buying them individually is expensive.
- If you get an impact driver get a decent bit holder and bits. They will quickly break cheap soft bits. These are OK I've found.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/wera-bitorsion-extra-hard-pozi-2-pack-of-20/69360

A CEL oscillating Multitool is worth a look as well - a much cheaper alternative to the Fein model. I only use mine occasionally but when I do it's damn useful and nothing else would take it's place! See this old thread:-

http://periodproperty.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=12595&p=168716&hilit=fein#p168716

Has anyone got themselves one of the new "tracked" type circular saws? I'm intrigued - I've always found circular saws to be difficult to get a good straight line, even with a good straight edge. Apparently this new type of saw is good- has anyone taken the plunge (pun intended)? This sort of thing - this a cheaper one, they are pricey!

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/p...system-with-1-4m?da=1&TC=SRC-plunge saw track

 

[Flyfisher]

Ask a group of people about power tools (men in particular, let's be honest... ) and you won't be short of opinions!

That's a bit unfair. Milady has already provided invaluable advice on the best looking power tools. :wink:

 

[Feltwell]

Milady has already provided invaluable advice on the best looking power tools. :wink:

I was at a "leading DIY retailer" some years ago when they launched a range of power tools aimed at women. The tools were pastel pink and lilac, small and low powered.

What do you mean, patronising????? Needless to say they didn't sell and were quickly discontinued.

A German DIY chain (part of the same group) produced a great advert one time. The shot was of two men showing each other their wallets in turn, each nodding approvingly and smiling at the other. The camera then pans round so you can see that each wallet, rather than containing a picture of their family, contained a picture of a drill.

 

[Gervase]

Has anyone got themselves one of the new "tracked" type circular saws? I'm intrigued - I've always found circular saws to be difficult to get a good straight line, even with a good straight edge. Apparently this new type of saw is good- has anyone taken the plunge (pun intended)? This sort of thing - this a cheaper one, they are pricey!

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/p...system-with-1-4m?da=1&TC=SRC-plunge saw track

It's cheaper and simpler to make a track out of two bits of ply on which to run a circular saw; just glue a six-inch wide strip onto another strip about a foot wide and run the saw down it with the offside sole plate tight against the edge of the upper strip. Hey presto - the blade will cut the guide for you. Just clamp your guide onto any sheet you want to cut and run the saw down it.

 

[geoff]

I'd strongly recommend considering one of the multitools as well - the fein, bosch or makita oscillating types. I got a cheapish bosch one a couple of years ago - a few years after I started renovating unfortunately - and have found it a godsend. Old buildings are often cramped for access and everything seems to have been installed in an ad hoc manner all over the place. Cutting, trimming and generally fiddling about with pipework, skirting, woodwork etc. in situ is much easier with one - they weren't about when I first started on the house, dammit.

Definitely go for Li ion batteries on cordless, they're far superior (though expensive to replace if they go wrong). I got an Li ion Erbauer combi cordless drill on offer with Screwfix a couple of years ago and have been very pleased with it - if you can't afford the makita or de walt have a look. Metal gears and good power and batteries seem to last well.

A good SDS is essential for any masonry drilling and most can be used as a breaker (if it has rotostop), but should definitely be mains powered - battery power just can't cut it for SDS drilling.

If you're doing a lot of wood cutting, pay more for a good adjustable mitre saw and try and look at them first - check the adjustment mechanism is firm and smooth, the cheaper ones can be a bit wobbly and make cutting accuracy more difficult and time consuming. I'd definitely go for a more pro type on that.

I wouldn't buy both orbital and detail sanders - I did originally but when one broke I got a multi purpose orbital (the ones that have the different plates, like round or triangular or shaped like an iron or a thin bar) and wished I'd done that at the start as it was just as good as two separates.

 

[Gervase]

Thirded for the multitool - I got a Fein a few years back and it's been invaluable. The ability to cut flush and to plunge down through floorboards is a huge boon. For detail sanding it's also pretty unbeatable. Now that Fein's patent has run out, there are other multitools on the market, all working on the same principle. A very useful gadget indeed.

 

[Feltwell]

Has anyone got themselves one of the new "tracked" type circular saws? I'm intrigued - I've always found circular saws to be difficult to get a good straight line, even with a good straight edge. Apparently this new type of saw is good- has anyone taken the plunge (pun intended)? This sort of thing - this a cheaper one, they are pricey!

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/p...system-with-1-4m?da=1&TC=SRC-plunge saw track

It's cheaper and simpler to make a track out of two bits of ply on which to run a circular saw; just glue a six-inch wide strip onto another strip about a foot wide and run the saw down it with the offside sole plate tight against the edge of the upper strip. Hey presto - the blade will cut the guide for you. Just clamp your guide onto any sheet you want to cut and run the saw down it.

Gervase, this is almost without doubt me being thick - why is that any better than running the circular saw against a straight edge? Is it not still guided on one edge only?

At the moment I use an 8' long, 6" wide strip of 1/2" MDF as a straight edge and run the saw with the sole plate against one side of that.