Tell Me Something............Anything!

[walpurgis]

I have loads of old tools and newer stuff. I bought a plain Makita drill about forty years ago, just 3/8" chuck and single speed, still going strong after loads of use. I opened it up maybe twenty years ago and re-packed the bearings with grease, it's not needed anything else.

Got a Bosch hammer drill nearly as old. That needed a new chuck many years ago after the old one split its sides.

And there's a whopping B&D drill with handle on back and metal body out there too. That dates from the fifties or sixties. Still going well.

[alphaGT]

Ive bought a few Milwaukee brand wireless tools and am very pleased with the quality, and small size for the power. I’ve only had them 6 or 7 years, but they are still like new and the batteries still charge as always.

Russell

[Pigmy Pony]

Milwaukee power tools are the dog's bollocks, and I would have gone down that route if I hadn't already 'pledged allegiance' to Makita. They were very sneaky about how they got me - they brought out a really good DAB site radio which runs on the same L-Ion batteries as my tools - the batteries are compatible with all of them. If I bought another brand now it would be like starting from scratch.

I do have one Milwaukee cordless screwdriver, it came with one battery which goes on forever. It's been invaluable this last few days as it fits nicely in my broken hand.

[alphaGT]

Milwaukee power tools are the dog's bollocks, and I would have gone down that route if I hadn't already 'pledged allegiance' to Makita. They were very sneaky about how they got me - they brought out a really good DAB site radio which runs on the same L-Ion batteries as my tools - the batteries are compatible with all of them. If I bought another brand now it would be like starting from scratch.

I do have one Milwaukee cordless screwdriver, it came with one battery which goes on forever. It's been invaluable this last few days as it fits nicely in my broken hand.

I know what you mean, you buy into a brand, and you’re stuck with it. I found myself having to start over, so I looked around, and Milwaukee had a nice verity of tools that all used the super small M12 battery. So far I’ve got the 3/8” drill, and a similar screw gun, the small sawzall, super handy by the way, a very bright LED flashlight, and my daughter and Father both have heated pullover sweaters powered by the same battery, Milwaukee emblem on the chest. I’ve also got several of the extra capacity batteries, and a half dozen of the small batteries. I want to get the 3/8” ratchet wrench, it’s not as strong as an air powered ratchet, but being cordless it’s still very useful. And I want the full sized battery powered skill saw! It uses the 18 volt battery, so it’s not compatible, but I’ve read that it’s a good as a corded saw. Expensive at $260.

Russell

[Barry]

I have loads of old tools and newer stuff. I bought a plain Makita drill about forty years ago, just 3/8" chuck and single speed, still going strong after loads of use. I opened it up maybe twenty years ago and re-packed the bearings with grease, it's not needed anything else.

Got a Bosch hammer drill nearly as old. That needed a new chuck many years ago after the old one split its sides.

And there's a whopping B&D drill with handle on back and metal body out there too. That dates from the fifties or sixties. Still going well.

I have an old Stanley Bridges metal-cased drill, as well as several Black and Decker items (the two companies have now merged and are one), and all are still going strong. I also have a Dutch Skil drill (made in Holland) that has proved to very reliable. The point I was making was that all of these European power tool manufacturers (including Bosch) now have their items made in China, and that, along with the value engineering employed has made them less reliable and impossible to repair.

[Pigmy Pony]

I've got a Bosch cordless multi-tool with accessories a couple of years ago, and it is a bit crap - it cost thick end of 200 quid, came with two tiny batteries that don't last 5 minutes, and one of them has packed up altogether. Glad I didn't pay for it.

It seems all but impossible to 'buy British' anymore, virtually everything is made in China. With most stuff they don't even try for quality - it's usually about being cheaper. And I bet they often inflate their prices to give the illusion of quality.

My new year resolution will be to check country of origin for all purchases. I'll be easy to spot at next year's Cranage - I'll be the one cycling naked on my 70's Raleigh Chopper.

[walpurgis]

I have the LIDL equivalent. It works brilliantly. I give it a lot of use and it never plays up, the battery lasts about an hour of continuous work. I can put it away for a couple of months and the battery remains charged and ready to go.

[Pigmy Pony]

I should check out Lidl stuff, some of it I'm told is great value. But do you have to get there on a particular day to avoid disappointment?

[walpurgis]

I should check out Lidl stuff, some of it I'm told is great value. But do you have to get there on a particular day to avoid disappointment?

Best to look at their website. Tools are usually limited time 'specials'. They do good stuff and feature a new specials batch every couple of weeks.

[Beobloke]

I finally got fed up with cheap tools and splashed out on a Makita cordless drill and a big chunky Makita corded drill with a proper chuck, not one of these stupid twist-lock things that doesn’t grip the bit properly!

We had some building work done on the garage in the summer and I can no longer find the latter...