Most useful and practical power tools to have?

cormie

Hey folks,
I've been building a little power tool collection of what I feel are the most practical tools for me to own and from either a practical/useful point of view, without any regular specific need for their particular use, I so far have a Compact Combi Drill, a circular saw and an angle grinder. All are 18v cordless Makita.

I need a jig saw for a project, so thinking this will be my next one and I'm looking at either this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-DJV182Z-Cordless-Brushless-Jigsaw/dp/B00M215F6E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547639755&sr=8-1&keywords=makita+brushless+jigsaw

or this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Makita-DJV181Z-Cordless-Brushless-Li-Ion/dp/B00M215JBK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1547639755&sr=8-2&keywords=makita+brushless+jigsaw

but I'm just wondering is there any more versatile tools from the Makita range that will do what a jigsaw will do, and more?

This looks like it can do what a jigsaw can, albeit not so easily:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAHcK_tC9rk

Any advice would be appreciated

Roen

Jigsaw be way better.

I find multi tools are great to cut something in situ, where maybe you can't get the piece out or a decent sized saw in. Of course they can do way more with all the various attachments but I'd nearly be leaving that til your last purchase.

Usually there's a better tool for a job, but sometimes it's the only tool that will fit in.

Supercell

Tools I use the most:

1) Cordless screwdriver/drill (plasterboard drilling)
2) Hammer action drill for light stuff
3) SDS drill for mounting stuff outside or drilling long holes through the cavity blocks my 80's house was built from - a curse (hammer drill doesn't cut the mustard for serious stuff)
4) Reciprocating saw - versatile and brilliant for cutting up pallets, wood roughly where accuracy isnt a big concern
5) Circular saw for more serious projects, rarely used.

Bosch everything for me, buy cheap, buy twice as they say

I have other power tools in the shed, but honestly, they are boys toys mostly

listermint

What you will discover is that batteries are key to a tool range. Try keeping to a manfucturer that isnt known for just switching batteries for a range or across range. De Walt are a good man for switching up compatiblities and Makita have been known for it too.

This can be trouble when trying to keep tools in line.

As for buy cheap and buy twice. That is a true anology but its also a worn out one. Typical Manufacturers like Bosch have a multitude of layers in their product lineup from diy to diy professional to pro use. So it can be hard to strip back what tools are what.

Anyway i digress

Tools i use the most and often can depend on the project you are at at whatever time of year but the old faithfuls are always there

1- Impact driver - constant use all the time nearly ever project
2- Cordless Drill - goes hand in hand with impact for drilling holes or piloting .
3- SDS drill , i have wired and cordless one, both are used cordless for quick application SDS for heavy work.
4- Cordless angle grinder. I seem to be constantly using this for all sorts of things. Metal work, pvc cutting, slicing plasterboard just odds jobs and its very very handy.
5- Skilsaw corded, used alot but project depending
6- Cordless Tablesaw- use this alot and could not be without it in many situations its simply a time saver.
7- Jigsaw, i used it but its fleetingly and tbh i could get by without it more often than not, thats why its 7th



Finally i keep saying this but dont look past RYOBI products for quality and value, they really have surpassed many many manufacturers in their range width and quality. and the battery set is the same for all. Most people overlook them for typical brands but i have yet to fault them i have 4 Ryobi tools and they get a hammering and take it with Gusto.

cormie

Thanks a lot for all the replies folks

I think I'm good for drilling and screwing for the frequency I need to do both, I have a Makita DHP458RMJ so this takes care of everything I need really.

The jig saw probably would be a better choice, especially for what I need it for soon, but the mutli tool looks kinda cool and versatile too, just not sure it would cut it, but I think with a bit of patience and accuracy, it might do the job ok!

Lumen

That multi-tool is OK but it's quite specialist, for cutting things in situ where you have no room to manoeuvre. I'd use anything in preference to it.

It also makes the most awful noise I've heard from a tool.

hopeso

Do you really need a cordless jigsaw? Cordless is fine if you have other tools of the same brand, and can swap batteries around...Otherwise, for a tool that might only see occasional use, a corded one would offer far better value for money...........

Tell me how

hopeso wrote: »

Do you really need a cordless jigsaw? Cordless is fine if you have other tools of the same brand, and can swap batteries around...Otherwise, for a tool that might only see occasional use, a corded one would offer far better value for money...........

Not if it meant having to lug a transformer and extension lead around as well.

cormie

All my power tools are the Makita 18v range and all take the same batteries. I'd definitely rather have cordless than corded and what I have so far are power houses so I'd guess the jigsaw will be too

jack of all

An impact driver is very nice to have, once you've used it on your first project with many screws you'll be glad of it. If you plan on building any furniture with sheet materials a biscuit jointer is very useful. Not a tool you'll use very often granted, but even the budget ones will do the job and make easy fork of putting carcasses together for book cases, shelving etc.

cormie

Thanks for the input. Don't want to overload myself with too many tools as I haven't much space to store even what I have already. The biscuit joiners are handy alright, but I don't think I'd have the work load for anything needing one to justify buying it at the moment. Same with the impact driver. Might just go with the jigsaw for now, but still tempted to go with the multi tool over the jig saw, but might regret that decision.

I've only ever used to traditional handle/grip type, I wonder what the barrel grip is like instead.


EDIT: Good comparison here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osgH7uSrGRc

EDIT 2: Some slight advantages of barrel grip here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vWPqHmB9Sc

Calahonda52

OP, u say in your first post that you need a js for a project: why a js?

Seve OB

+1 on an impact driver.
Can't believe I went so long without one.
And dont buy junk b&d and ryobi.

Makita are good quality tools

I've built a collection of Festool now, a world of difference if you can stretch the budget.

I had a reasonable jigsaw before. Wow the difference though with the festool jigsaw is unreal.

cormie

Calahonda52 wrote: »

OP, u say in your first post that you need a js for a project: why a js?

Doing some storage/shelving units where it'll definitely be handy to have

Seve OB wrote: »

+1 on an impact driver.
Can't believe I went so long without one.
And dont buy junk b&d and ryobi.

Makita are good quality tools

I've built a collection of Festool now, a world of difference if you can stretch the budget.

I had a reasonable jigsaw before. Wow the difference though with the festool jigsaw is unreal.

Festool look great, some really nice footage here: http://www.cana-creative.com/festool-1

I'll just stick with Makita though as they are perfect for the frequency of use they'll get.

jhenno78

Really depends on what you want to do?

Jigsaw:
Probably my most hated tool, but when you need one you absolutely need one. I got the cheapest one I could find because spending more than €25 was just too galling. It's done what was needed and I regret nothing.

Multi-tool:
Makes your life easier. It's not really something you take on whole jobs with (except maybe sanding), but is brilliant for those little bits of jobs that would otherwise be really awkward and time consuming.
Not something you'd use if a jigsaw/circular saw/grinder could be used instead because it's much slower.

Other?

SDS drill - Invaluable for anything masonry. Trying to drill into a wall with a combi-drill is no way to watch your brief days on the world drain away. Also used for chiseling. A cheap one is fine, you're probably not going to use it that often, but when you do you'll be grateful.

Impact Driver - Combi-drills do a decent job for screwing but just can't match the performance. It'll stop you pushing your combi-drill too hard and shortening its life. You'll survive fine without but if you get one it'll quickly become your favourite tool. Makita all the way.

Corded Circular saw - Cordless ones blow them away for general handiness but for bigger jobs you'll find them wanting.

Sanders - I find a belt sander invaluable, random orbital sander is great for other things.

Palm router - Makes a very neat job of things. A bit harder to justify ahead of other things though.

Sabre saw - never got one, could never see the appeal. Maybe if you're doing a lot of demolition.

Table saw/bench drill/table router - if you're planning on actually making a lot of stuff for your house the maybe, but they're a bit too much cost and room in your shed to justify otherwise.

...I can't really think of anything else I would buy (that you don't have) unless I was doing something that had a very particular need and I knew I was going to use it enough on that project to justify the purchase.

Cordless lawnmower - Why not? You've already got the batteries.

Not power tools - don't forget the other stuff. Hand tools, ear protection, measuring tools, a nice range of bits for your power tools.

listermint

Seve OB wrote: »

+1 on an impact driver.
Can't believe I went so long without one.
And dont buy junk b&d and ryobi.

Makita are good quality tools

I've built a collection of Festool now, a world of difference if you can stretch the budget.

I had a reasonable jigsaw before. Wow the difference though with the festool jigsaw is unreal.

have you used any Ryobi stuff lately ? because this is not the case for me nor several tradesmen i know. Pretty bloody bullet proof. I agree on the B&D stuff its terrible. But what specific experience of Ryobi stuff have you got give examples . I have x3 Ryobi tools and they havent give a days problem despite constant abuse.

And as for spending festool money on a jigsaw, thats mad advise altogether. A Jig saw is a rarely used tool on any site and most are as good as the blade on them and the variable speed.

Festool make some superb saws though worth the money all day. But the jigsaw, noo pissing money away just for the name on the side.

Kevin Finnerty

Had a Ryobi 24v SDS for 2 years couldn't fault it. Milwaukee for the last 18 months so far so good, nicer and lighter to work with.

massy086

Kevin Finnerty wrote: »

Had a Ryobi 24v SDS for 2 years couldn't fault it. Milwaukee for the last 18 months so far so good, nicer and lighter to work with.

I'm a glazier and use Ryobi last 3 years and can't fault them.key is 5amp battery,s.i have impact driver 2 nail guns and 18v drill and a sad drill.all cordless

cletus

massy086 wrote: »

I'm a glazier and use Ryobi last 3 years and can't fault them.key is 5amp battery,s.i have impact driver 2 nail guns and 18v drill and a sad drill.all cordless

Anything you could do to cheer it up, do you think? Something small, maybe. Bunch of flowers every now and then, perhaps take it out for a nice meal...

Festool for a Diyer is complete madness.
It is the best of the best by far I agree but the price of a festool chop saw/miter saw would kit out a diyer with a full set of tools!
I've gotten some of the ryobi one plus stuff recently and its good bang for buck.
Mostly brushed motors but the price reflects that.

uck51js9zml2yt

Bought a mitre saw recently.

cormie

Thanks again everyone!

The Makita Combi Drill I have has actually handled any masonry work I've thrown at it very well so it's definitely been a great all rounder instead of having a separate impact driver/drill/sds drill. I'm a bit of a minimalist so the less stuff I have the better in general

Kevin Finnerty

massy086 wrote: »

I'm a glazier and use Ryobi last 3 years and can't fault them.key is 5amp battery,s.i have impact driver 2 nail guns and 18v drill and a sad drill.all cordless

Yeah they were 4Ahours I have5Ahours in the Milwaukee.
What's the advantage of an impact gun over what i have now,a Milwaukee SDS and Bosch 18v screw gun?

Rows Grower

Chainsaw, strimmers, lawnmower, cordless drill, small grinder, chopsaw, jigsaw.

massy086

cletus wrote: »

Anything you could do to cheer it up, do you think? Something small, maybe. Bunch of flowers every now and then, perhaps take it out for a nice meal...

Lol

pauldavis123

I probably have 15-20 cordless Dewalt tools.

The most unexpectedly useful one is:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DEWALT-DCV100-XJ-Li-Ion-Compact-Cordless-x/dp/B01BU0I3W0/ref=sr_1_1?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1547769850&sr=1-1&keywords=dewalt+blower

basillarkin

listermint wrote: »

have you used any Ryobi stuff lately ? because this is not the case for me nor several tradesmen i know. Pretty bloody bullet proof. I agree on the B&D stuff its terrible. But what specific experience of Ryobi stuff have you got give examples . I have x3 Ryobi tools and they havent give a days problem despite constant abuse.

And as for spending festool money on a jigsaw, thats mad advise altogether. A Jig saw is a rarely used tool on any site and most are as good as the blade on them and the variable speed.

Festool make some superb saws though worth the money all day. But the jigsaw, noo pissing money away just for the name on the side.

the carvex is probably the worst product festool have produced

the_pen_turner

basillarkin wrote: »

the carvex is probably the worst product festool have produced

almost . as bad as the first carvex is/was it was not as bad as the Ti15 impact driver . pure useless

cormie

Was checking some reviews on the Makita and saw this one... I was actually thinking that lock and slow start thing might get annoying when I was looking at the videos I posted above:

Thought I share my experience here as I hope this will help buyers not make the same mistake I did. I also hope Makita will read this and take this feedback when designing future jigsaws. In short I didn't have a good time with this saw.
I make custom furniture. Most of my cordless tools are Makita. I buy it because it can keep up with the demands of a professional. I paid premium for this jigsaw for the extra power and battery life. The faster I work the more I earn. However, there are very odd features that hinder me. Every time I pick up the saw, it is auto-locked, which is fine. But the unlock button is out of reach from my holding hand. I am required to press the button to activate it each time, before I am allowed to pull the trigger. I want to pick up a tool and have it go as soon as I am ready to go. This feature is not required for a professional who is trained to respectfully use power tools. I can't turn this feature off.

The slow start feature further hinders my production speed. Speeds 4,5,6 start at the same speed as 3, under low blade resistance. When the blade meets heavy resistance ie thicker piece of wood it will then speed up. Makita claims that this reduces vibrations on the body for better control. This means I will never have the ability to quickly cut through low-resistance material. I can't turn this feature off either.
I gave it 2 star, it's harsh, but this saw is killing my earning potential.
I want a tool that does exactly what I want it to do. I've sold this and bought the Makita DJV180 instead.

Roen

cormie wrote: »

Was checking some reviews on the Makita and saw this one... I was actually thinking that lock and slow start thing might get annoying when I was looking at the videos I posted above:

In fairness if that professional spent 5 minutes reading about that saw before he bought it he'd have known it wasn't suited to his ability or working style.

I think Makita usually do about half a dozen or more different models in each tool. There'll be something there to suit.

jhenno78

Kevin Finnerty wrote: »

What's the advantage of an impact gun over what i have now,a Milwaukee SDS and Bosch 18v screw gun?

I'd think of screw guns as being specifically for plasterboard.

Impact drivers are fast and powerful. They just power through when a normal combi-drill/whatever starts to feel the strain. You need to pre-drill a lot less and will knock in much bigger screws. They tend to hold onto the head much better so camming out is rare.

Inside they're completely different. It doesn't go straight motor-gears-chuck, there's a cylindrical hammer/anvil inside - when a certain amount of torque is reached the hammer pops up, spins, goes down and hammers the anvil and gives it a sharp shock that makes it turn with more force but without straining the motor. Hard to get it from my description, but a quick look on youtube will make it clear.

jhenno78

I have no idea why a battery tool would have slow start?

cletus

Strange thread lads. Who ever bought tools based on usefulness and practicability? Buy all the tools. Every time I see a tool I don't have, I get a serious case of the wants.

Bandsaw, bench vices, coping saw, car trim removal tools, flush cutting side cutters, calipers, 80 piece bit sets in imperial, O2 sensor spanners, micrometers electricians screwdrivers, literally any tools I can convince the better three quarters I need...

jhenno78

cletus wrote: »

Strange thread lads. Who ever bought tools based on usefulness and practicability? Buy all the tools. Every time I see a tool I don't have, I get a serious case of the wants.

Ha! Funny thing is that a few of those impulse buys where you think "I'm such a sap" when you're buying them have turned out to be some of the most useful things in the shed. Right-angled bit-holder comes to mind, don't know why I was struggling for years without one.

cormie

jhenno78 wrote: »

Right-angled bit-holder comes to mind, don't know why I was struggling for years without one.

Just had a look, nice, I doubt you can get drill bits in them though?

jhenno78

cormie wrote: »

Just had a look, nice, I doubt you can get drill bits in them though?

I use it for screwing in tight corners. You can get ones that take drill bits afaik.

cletus

cormie wrote: »

Just had a look, nice, I doubt you can get drill bits in them though?

You can get right angled chucks as well as bit holders. Damn handy things

In fact, standing in Lidl at the moment, they have both types for 4.99 apiece

Lumen

cletus wrote: »

You can get right angled chucks as well as bit holders. Damn handy things

In fact, standing in Lidl at the moment, they have both types for 4.99 apiece

Right angled chuck for 4.99? I think mine cost about €60! :eek:

cormie

I see them here: https://www.lidl.ie/en/special-offers.htm?articleId=15358


They also have a multi detector which I've been meaning to get one of, if they work well that is... maybe better to do some review reading on amazon offerings instead

Bonzo Delaney

Lumen wrote: »

Right angled chuck for 4.99? I think mine cost about €60! :eek:

Had one of those lidil ones and once it hit a bit of torque it came apart in my hand grand for very very light work that you'd be to lazy to use a stuby screw driver

fred funk }{

Bonzo Delaney wrote: »

Had one of those lidil ones and once it hit a bit of torque it came apart in my hand grand for very very light work that you'd be to lazy to use a stuby screw driver

Yeah, I'd imagine there's a substantial difference in quality between a €5 one and a €60 one.

cletus

Only have the bit holder, grand for driving in screws in awkward spots, haven't tried their chuck

Lumen

fred funk }{ wrote: »

Yeah, I'd imagine there's a substantial difference in quality between a €5 one and a €60 one.

Phew! My one was driving in 6" coach screws into hardwood no bother.

Kevin Finnerty

jhenno78 wrote: »

I'd think of screw guns as being specifically for plasterboard.

Impact drivers are fast and powerful. They just power through when a normal combi-drill/whatever starts to feel the strain. You need to pre-drill a lot less and will knock in much bigger screws. They tend to hold onto the head much better so camming out is rare.

Inside they're completely different. It doesn't go straight motor-gears-chuck, there's a cylindrical hammer/anvil inside - when a certain amount of torque is reached the hammer pops up, spins, goes down and hammers the anvil and gives it a sharp shock that makes it turn with more force but without straining the motor. Hard to get it from my description, but a quick look on youtube will make it clear.

Must look into getting one when the screwgun packs it in. I see chippies on site using them so obviously they're the deal.