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[Sir Tigger KC]

I'm very impressed with Screwfix!! I ordered some stuff yesterday at about 1600 and it arrived today at about 1330!! 

Good prices too!!! I'd have spent about £25 more in B&Q for the same stuff!!!  Can't beat that if your in a rural area!! 

toolstation are the same sort of shop as screwfix only some of thier stuff is cheaper

Yes, I've used Toolstation as well, but only from their shops!! 

[paul.lovejoy]

I dont touch anything other than Makita.  Japanese design, Japanese Build.

Ryobi Manufactured in China and Taiwan.

DeWalt are actually just Black & Decker's (spit) expensive range.


I have the luxury of the company supplying and paying for the upkeep of my power tools (Hand Tools at my cost)..... but, I would honestly only ever buy Makita.

I've dropped my current Battery Drill (18months old) from Scaffolding/Cherry Pickers/Scissor Lifts numerous times.  They just bounce and refuse to give up.

I just need advice on decent chucks for this kit.  None of the chucks I have tried over the past decade have lasted more than 6 months.

have to agree makita always been reliable and they were really the first battery drill on the market but all drills have thier faults dewalt always fail at some point on triggers. But spares and bare units quite cheap.

but pound for pound i found that royobi were very good for what you pay for them compared to the top end market

never had a dewalt fail on chuck swap you a chuck for a trigger

[paul.lovejoy]

I must try and get some batteries for my trusty old Hitachi, saved from landfill during a skip diving session

I have had a Hitachi Cordless Drill for years. Used everyday in my old job, the only thing I have had to get was new batteries..... And still going strong

makita do a nice pink range

[MaxV6]

I used to use Makita,  but went thru a period of breaking them....  and finding the new ones to have "eccentrically centered" Chucks....    got to the point of needing to replace a bunch of tools earlier this year.... and prices were not great....   so..... 


so I've moved en-masse to Ryobi 1+ 18V system.....   got a bunch of the Tools, and about half a shed load of batteries ,  both Ni and Li versions...   

the Jigsaw aint nothing to write home about....   to be honest it's the worst bit of the set.... it works, pretty much,   but that's as much as i can find to say about it....  a god send "go to" tool it is not..... 
one of the 18V hammer-drill-driver is a bit of a gem, nicely balanced, sensible weight (especially with the Li battery) , plenty of poke, decent range of adjustable torque,  easy on the wrist,  and neat little magnet tray and bit holder on the base...   the bigger Hammer drill is merely solidly competent, if a bit clunky...   
the little sander is ace,
 the Circular saw is fab....    cuts clean and straight..... 
 the right angle drill is a life saver, but a bit agricultural in terms of control...  a bit "on or off" really..    but i like the rotating battery base on it,  makes it much better at getting in to tight spaces...   

the more expensive "universal" chargers are FAR better than the older ones....   

the little version of the Li battery is a bit useless on any high load devices.....   
the big one with the charge state indicator is pretty good, but woe betide you if you put it down in a pile of goo....   there are 2 small vents with stupid little grilles on the base.....     and accidentally blocking them up with acoustic acrylic sealant  is apparently a bad idea....
as with most Li batteries, they give you next to bugger all warning about running out of puff.... they just stop.... mid-job ......   annoying on a roof unless you have a spare in your tool belt already..... 

[Richie London]

I've been using this site for stuff now. better than screwfix and more for the pro user. i still use screwfix as its only 100yrs walk from my house.

 http://www.itslondon.co.uk/.
send off for a free catalogue, very impressive   

[Marks DTM Calib]

Just as a note on the Lithium Ion cells, I have to be honest adn I say I have not found them better than the NiMh or even the NiCads IF, there is a decent charger (which many makes dont have).

In fact, my Bosch Lithium Ion celled drill has a failed battery pack with less use and shorter life than the Makita one which gets laods of use.

I guess its no surprise though realy as the modern laptop batteries have a habit of suddenly dying and not lasting a great deal of time.

[paul.lovejoy]

I've been using this site for stuff now. better than screwfix and more for the pro user. i still use screwfix as its only 100yrs walk from my house.

 http://www.itslondon.co.uk/.
send off for a free catalogue, very impressive   

toolstop normally a bit cheaper than itslondon is another good one but i always find ebay the cheapest as long as it states exactly what it is your buying that is

[mantahatch]

I've been using this site for stuff now. better than screwfix and more for the pro user. i still use screwfix as its only 100yrs walk from my house.

 http://www.itslondon.co.uk/.
send off for a free catalogue, very impressive   

My goodness Ritchie, how old are you ?    Sorry could not resist.

[pscocoa]

my tool has been cordless since it came adrift from the bedpost

[Richie London]

Just as a note on the Lithium Ion cells, I have to be honest adn I say I have not found them better than the NiMh or even the NiCads IF, there is a decent charger (which many makes dont have).

In fact, my Bosch Lithium Ion celled drill has a failed battery pack with less use and shorter life than the Makita one which gets laods of use.

I guess its no surprise though realy as the modern laptop batteries have a habit of suddenly dying and not lasting a great deal of time.

i worked at a company probably about 8yrs ago where the only power tools they had were hilti tools. nothing comes near them but so expensive so with the amount of thieving on site you just can't buy. but in my job you need 3amh  batteries to last for use 12hrs a day. i tend to have 2 cheaper drills to have so cheaper to replace all the time. but the main thing iz the quality of the battery. 

[Martian]

decided to buy a smaller cordless drill for lighter work and this is well worth its money.
on special offer reduced to 99 quid. nice and light and plenty of bite in it.

 http://m.screwfix.com/details.htm?id=25293

B&Q had the same drill on offer last year but it came with 3 batteries (which is just as well because those 1.3Ah jobbies don't last that long). The GSB range is about as close as you can get to the GBH (Professional) range without actually crossing that boundary and spending pro money.

Like you I bought one for home use, and I must say I'm moderately impressed with it given it is in the sub £100 bracket.
If I had to find fault with it, then it would only be because of the battery capacity and the 45 min charge time (my GBH 36 is ready to go after 15 mins of charging).

IMHO they are definately worth the £100, although I would be loath to pay much more than that as the GBH 14.4 comes in at £200.

[Ian_D]

Just as a note on the Lithium Ion cells, I have to be honest adn I say I have not found them better than the NiMh or even the NiCads IF, there is a decent charger (which many makes dont have).

In fact, my Bosch Lithium Ion celled drill has a failed battery pack with less use and shorter life than the Makita one which gets laods of use.

I guess its no surprise though realy as the modern laptop batteries have a habit of suddenly dying and not lasting a great deal of time.

Just as a note on the Lithium Ion cells, I have to be honest adn I say I have not found them better than the NiMh or even the NiCads IF, there is a decent charger (which many makes dont have).

In fact, my Bosch Lithium Ion celled drill has a failed battery pack with less use and shorter life than the Makita one which gets laods of use.

I guess its no surprise though realy as the modern laptop batteries have a habit of suddenly dying and not lasting a great deal of time.

Ive got an old model of this drill which uses ni-cads. Used it to build a shed end of summer (worked fine), then dug it out on Sunday, and the battery was dead. Left it on charge over night, popped it in the drill and it worked for about 10 seconds then dead. Back on charge -  same again... ah bugger i thought....

Dug out the old Arc Welder (AC), and attached a BIG diode to one terminal, then a red jump lead to the diode.

Switched on the welder, then touched the earth lead to -ve and briefly touched the red jump lead to the +ve a couple of times... and hay presto the drill works again!

Granted the battery doesn't last as long as it did, but its a lot more than the 10 seconds it lasted before the welder came out!