Recommendations for powertools

ronald reagan

I recently got a gift voucher for woodies and im wondering has anyone got a suggestion for a brand for the occasional diyer.
Had a look at the ryobi range and wasnt sure if the whole one battery idea is a gimmick or not.

I want a decent powertool that will last and will do more than flat pack furniture.

Sparkpea

I have a ryobi combi drill pack, came with a screw driver drill and a combi drill driver, 2 batteries and a charger. I've had it probably 4 years now and got it at a bargain of £70 at the time. Its easily my most used tool. I use it for screwing mainly, floor boards, ply sheeting, fitting showers, shower doors, radiators etc. I use the combi drill for drilling tiles and the odd soft brick hole. Its only now that I notice the batteries aren't holding the charge as well but it doesn't matter as theres 2 batteries (not the new type battery) so one is on charge while the other is in use.

My dad also has the ryobi combi drill/cordless jigsaw pack, it doesn't get much use but does the job as and when needed. Both kits are 18volt so the jigsaw is ok for cutting ply etc. but not for lifting floorboards.

I'm more than happy with ryobi.

similar to this and has a carry bag

http://www.tools4trade.com/d-141039-Ryobi-18V-2-Speed-Combi-Drill-Driver--18V-Single-Speed-Drill-Driver.aspx

studdlymurphy

Battery tools are fine but the battery eventually give in I would recommend mains power for everything except an 18v drill as the drill is usually used in awkward spots so makes life a little easier. With most other tools its not a problem to be mains powered.
I have a ryobi circular saw about 3-4 years hasnt missed a beat just had to change the blade once as it was worn. pretty much everything else in makita

antiskeptic

ronald reagan wrote: »

I recently got a gift voucher for woodies and im wondering has anyone got a suggestion for a brand for the occasional diyer. Had a look at the ryobi range and wasnt sure if the whole one battery idea is a gimmick or not. I want a decent powertool that will last and will do more than flat pack furniture.

I'd echo sticking clear of battery power for all but the cordless screwdriver. £ for £ you get a lot more power and a lot more longevity from cabled tools.

Lot's depends on your budget and what you want to add to your tool kit but the Ryobi brand is decent 'occasional use' kit - perhaps you could get a rechargable torch using the same battery as the screwdriver given they're a handy and cheap addition. Bosch isn't bad either.

The thing to do is to mix it up, quality wise, depending on the kind of use you envisage. For me:

Pro Makita circular saw (need top quality here)

Pro Makita hammer action battery drill/ screwdriver (pro quality here too)

Ryobo compound saw (good diy quality for occasional use)

Pro Makita jigsaw (don't use it a lot but there's nothing worse that a crap jigsaw)

DIY Makita router (occasional diy use)

Homebase rotary hammer drill (cheap as chips but only rare use envisaged)

Lidl belt sander (cheap as chips but only rare use envisaged.)

fodda

Mains power all the way, except for screwdriver rechargable 12volt+

You wont go wrong with Makita for mains and rechargable.

jack of all

I've a mix of mains and cordless tools, mostly trade/ pro quality with a few budget/ DIY tools thrown in. I'd definitely go for a mid range, mains power drill with hammer action, variable speed. A cordless drill/ driver (I find 12 volt is fine for most work) is a must as are two batteries. When selecting either of these tools (once you've decided on brand) examine the build quality- flimsy plastic and switches are a no-no, lookout for metal gears or gearbox, a quality chuck (ROHM or Jacobs) and see how the tool feels in the hand. In the DIY market much play is made on the number of speeds, torque control etc but if you look at the tools the pros use you'll invariably find they are simple but robust no-frills tools, with ease of use and durability being the key. Happy shopping!

cardwizzard

Festool if you can blow your budget. Best of the best.

Stove Fan

I have mostly bosch and dewalt tools.

Dewalt corded drill had about 7 years and gone through numerous house renovations. I used it for my plumbing buisiness in the UK too. Excellent but I killed it recently by using it for drilling doorways and window opening in a 50's property drilling lots of holes through concrete block on the flat. It was not a cango or demolition model just a £120 hammer drill.

Bosch drill but not as good as dewalt on power, the dewalt although same output as the bosch has a lot more umph.

Bosch circular saw. About 7 years old and still works great. I must change the original blade:rolleyes:

Bosch 12 volt drill/driver twin set. About 12 years old and the driver chuck has seazed but the drill one works great. Had a savage amount of use.

I will replace my dewalt drill or repair it/ replace with dewalt. I would reccomend dewalt or bosch.

I had a go/on angle grinder and it died after 5 minutes with sparks/smoke coming out of it. Replaced it with a black and decker. This works fine.

Stove Fan:)

Jimmy Garlic

HILTI, expencive but worth it in the long run, I have several HILTI products.
I have a mish mash of other brands but the one that stands out is a Milwaukee cordless drill I got a couple of years ago, great yoke, I must get my hands on another one.

Carlow52

ronald reagan wrote: »

I want a decent powertool that will last and will do more than flat pack furniture.

You are really looking for a second one:D

Humour aside, describe what u want to do and the key point is what usage level, based on good advice given already.
As noted the cordless drill is the best battery tool, I have 5 18.6V Makitas the same and v handy for pilot drill, bigger bit, countersink, pozi, phillips screw heads for multiple projects. the reason I have 5 is that it was cheaper to buy a new drill with 2 batteries rather than a new battery.

I tend to buy good brands for the heavier duty stuff

ronald reagan

really the level off work i want will be on the occasional side of things. hanging plying in my shed put up the odd floating shelf or two and mirrors when the bathroom is finished.

i had a cordless drill i bought in argos and when it ran its life i decided to get a daecent replacement.

im not going building houses but when i will be doin some diy i want to have proper kit for doing it. this is all very informative btw.

Buford T Justice

Ryobi are fairly ok. I have two cordless 18V drills (one just a screw gun) and two batteries from the one for all system. I also have a Ryobi cordless jigsaw. I agree that corded is better for a jigsaw but its handy for quick jobs.

On top of that I have:

Argos demolition hammer: Cheap and takes a ton of abuse. At the price it was I can afford to break it if it happens.
Lidl Corded Jigsaw: The switch is going in it, but its served me well when I could only afford to buy this.
Makita 9" Circular Saw
Makita Rotary SDS
Makita Demolition Hammer
Makita Angle Drill
Argos Router: Very occasional use, and handy to have, hence the cheap one
Draper Compound Mitre Saw
Draper Cordless Drill with 2 batteries: Excellent as a paddle drill
Worx Professional Impact Screwdriver: What a machine!
Makita Electric Planer

Thats all I can think of at the minute.

yoshytoshy

If you want to drill into concrete or brick ,buying a corded drill. SDS type is better at concrete.

If you want a drill for drilling holes in wood and small holes in brick ,buy a corded HSS drill.

The reason I wouldn't buy cordless stuff in your position ,is because the batteries die if they're not used often enough.

I've a few large hiltis myself and various saws etc ,they get used everyday.

chuchyface

Ryobi Everything!! They have a new range of 18v 1+ Lithium ion, the advantage with litium ion batteries is that they have No Memory, you can store it away and take out a couple of months later and it will still have it's charge.

Drake66

I know it is not woodies, but B&Q are doing a special on a de walt 18v cordless drill. It comes with a spare battery; the only downside is that the batteries are only 1.3 AH. The whole thing is €102. It is all metal gearing as well.

Sparkpea

would be better going mains with variable speed, batteries die out sitting around as much..


makita are prob the best tools imo but pricey. happy with what I have anyway

used daily
ryobi 18v screwdriver & combi drill
makita sds drill
makita wired jigsaw


rarely used but required
ryobi 4" angle grinder
ryobi mains variable speed drill
ryobi 18v cordless jigsaw & combi drill pack
makita rotary drill for core bits
makita 110v demolition kango
bosch 110v lightweight kango
aeg demolition kango
draper 700w kango
pro circular saw (cheap and cheerful)
bosch multitool
bosch hammer drill
mcallister mitre slide saw (b&q)

not to mention the handtools fs lost a pair of 9" footprints yesterday, raging! my old man took them to the loft and can't be found anywhere ffs hate it when my tools get lost, new stuff hasn't wore in

Buford T Justice

Sparkpea wrote: »

lost a pair of 9" footprints yesterday, raging! my old man took them to the loft and can't be found anywhere ffs hate it when my tools get lost, new stuff hasn't wore in

Eh? 9" Footprints? What are they?

Agree on Makita, but I also have a fondness for Dewalt. They have some really excellent stuff.

On the other hand, I'd say we all love Hilti, but they are savage money.

Hand Tools, god, I'd be all day listing all the stuff I've accumulated over the last while.

Oh, forgot.
I also have a 240 4" Makita angle grinder and a 110V 9" Grinder.

It becomes quite difficult to actually list out what you have just from memory. You'd nearly want to be looking into the back of the van....

Sparkpea

footprints, come in 7", 9" and 12" sizes iirc

Buford T Justice

Aaaah, a Pipewrench - Simples......:D

Why Call it a footprint?

Sparkpea

Fingers McGee wrote: »

Aaaah, a Pipewrench - Simples......:D

Why Call it a footprint?

see the bottom hole.. just to the right of it theres a footprint and below the bottom hole in the grove it says footprint... thats the product name :P

cassiusclay

Tis because footprint make the the best of the best in some simple hand tools. Tradesmen are usually the only ones that have ever heard of them. Quality things.