Angle drills

[OldScrawn]

Anyone know of cheaper "unbranded" ones? For the limited use I'd make of one,

90 squid for a Bosch from Screwfix seems a bit much

[IMM]

That is for a driver really. 7.2V is not that powerful to use for constant drilling, say in wooden joists. It only has one battery too. Do a google on "angle drill", I recall seeing a mains operated one for around £90. These have much more power. Unfortunately there are no cheap mains angle drills. Protrade

sent me a catalogue and are pushing a Roybio 14.4 v angle drill and a 14.4 v drill/driver and charger and bag for £114 inc VAT & del. If you need two drills then is the one to go for. DeWalt are selling a similar angle drill with two batteries for around £170 Tool shops sell angle converters for around £12-15.

[Jim]

You should be able to find the angle adapter that fits into you ordinary drill chuck. Mine works great but don't often use it.

[OldScrawn]

cabinets) rather than joists, but that Ryobi deal looks good. Is everyone happy with Ryobi (serious amateur, rather than pro)?

S

[IMM]

I would say into the pro range. Protrade don't sell amateur DIY from what I know.

[Andy Hall]

A better solution is to go for one of the branded makes and share the batteries among several tools.

Take a look at

while ago I bought a Makita angle drill and actually have ended up using it much more than I thought I would. This site has the 12v version without battery and charger for £81 The torque on it is excellent because it is more highly geared than regular drills and will comfortably drill through joists using an auger bit rather than a spade bit. For pilot holes and driving screws it's excellent.

I then have another Makita 12v drill which came with three batteries and a fast charger in a special deal from Axminster Tools. I can cycle three batteries through the charger and can basically run both tools concurrently on a job.

.andy

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[IMM]

Ryobi is a brand, it's called, Ryobi.

Screwfix sell the 9.6v Makita for £160 and its cmes with"two" batteries. One battery is worth about £60-70

How much for this 12v drill?

[Paul Mc Cann]

I find them a PITA if used for driving screws. It can be difficult to hold the angle attachment to the screw and manipulate the drill at the same time. Needs 3 hands !

Paul Mc Cann

[Andy Hall]

Not in the same sense as Makita, Bosch, etc.

They are more of an OEM manufacturer with products being labelled for various outlets. For example, in the U.S. their own named products are sold only through Home Depot.

At the time, IIRC, about £100 or so.

.andy

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[IMM]

You are right. They begin with M and B not R.

[IMM]

Mains angle drill £119.39 Inc VAT & del

£17:

[IMM]

have seen this attachment for sale in tool shops for £12

[Dave Plowman]

That would put each cell at approximately 8 quid. Don't be silly.

[Andy Hall]

The important issue is the quality point in the market, the product design and manufacturing and the service backup.

These are closely related to the strength of a brand in the market and a well defined positioning.

For example, Bosch have a green range (DIY) and a blue range (professional). Makita have predominantly a professional range.

They are broadly distributed and have the service backup to match. I don't consider three year warranties with no real service and repair a valid service offering because typically the product is junked at the end of that period since it will have been superceded. I would rather pay more for a higher quality product that will work better throughout its long life.

Ryobi position themselves with a range of predominantly DIY tools but do not have a strong brand position. Sorry, but a web site in Japan doesn't cut it.

I suggest you read their annual report. In 2003 their power tool sales fell by nealry 25% and they sold off their power tools subsidiaries outside Japan. Their sales of power tools were at only around $200M which is small for what they are doing. This, coupled with the financial data does not give a strong impression of commitment to the power tools market. Their main business is diecastings and printing machines.

A lot of what they make goes in rebadged form on the U.S. market, where as I mentioned they only sell their own bramd through Home Depot. Home Depot has a service arrangement worse than anything one has seen in the UK and plays the numbers game just like most UK sheds do with their own brand tools.

For example, Ryobi produces Sears Craftsman tool range, which has an apalling reputation nowadays in the U.S.

Private labelling of products has the advantage for a manufacturer that they can deliver product to more outlets without incurring the costs of maintaining their own support infrastructure. It's also a way to fill the factory. The problem is that this way of doing business is fiercely competitive and products have to be made down to a price. This way of working suits products positioned for the consumer market and sold through volume retail channels at cheap prices.

That's fine for what it is, but it has nothing to do with quality. This almost always comes from manufacturers who design and build good quality products and take responsibility themselves for them.

As a comparison, take a look at Makita's annual report. This has a much clearer message as to strategy and indicated increased sales figures to nearly $1500M for the same period in 2002/2003. There was a 20% increase in sales in Europe which also accounts for a third of their business. They have subsidiary sales and support organisations in virtually every country.

I would rather buy a higher quality and properly supported product, which, when all is taken into account costs the about the same in the long run as one that isn't, yet runs better and produces better results.

dimensions of the gearbox appear to be a lot more than those of an angle drill and may not fit into a small space which is where an angle drill is often needed.

.andy

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[Dave Plowman]

I've only got the one Ryobi tool which is several years old now - it's a rechargeable Dremmel type device which gets heavy use (on light work, though) and I really can't fault it. Its batteries are original and have lasted better than any other rechargeable I own regardless - and this is IMHO the sign of quality. Nor was it expensive when bought from B&Q.

Sad that they didn't retain this quality/value compromise.

[Witchy]

That URL should be

witchy/binarydinosaurs

[IMM]

They are a lathe Japanese corporation, not a Chinese DIY outfit.

Not in the UK. In some countries some brands have status, while in other countries they do.

Making them in Japan gives status and they must be introducing new products. Not many do battery angle drills.

Maybe that is what they sold off the overseas subs.

The point is: Ryobi are a Mickey Mouse outfit and are not poor quality.

It is fine for the occasional drilling of say joists and the likes. I would not use it for driving.

[Andy Hall]

I don't think that they make lathes. Printing machines, but not lathes. They are far from being large in japanese terms and in power tools very small and apparently shrinking.

Like most companies, some production has moved to China. The issue then becomes the effectiveness of the quality control.

They sold off the subs, as stated in the annual report, because they were losing money heavily. This raises a big question mark concerning long term viability in the business area, certainly over the support and maintenance.

I wouldn't go as far as to describe them as a Mickey Mouse outfit, but they are not, by their own positioning in the professional quality market. Undoubtedly they are fit for purpose up to a point,.......

.andy

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[Thomas Prufer]

Dunno if the OP wants to drive screws or drill...

I've seen a chap who fit a drill chuck on an angle grinder (M14 thread?), which was fine for drilling, and sounds cheap...

Thomas Prufer

[IMM]

Sounds dangerous too.