For peer review, new FAQ section: Power Tools.

[stejonda]

In message , Andy Hall writes

trying a bit of DIY on your plumbing system can not only be dangerous and expensive, but could also drop you in hot water with the law!

ahaha :-<

[Jim Alexander]

No, its BER thanks partly to the new cost of the similar model being about half what I paid, at the stroke of a pen neatly invalidating any costing calculations made at purchase. When I have a new project which requires SDS will possibly get the Wickes/Kress with the underslung motor as the balance is superb. And when its "clapped out" Kress will take it back to avoid upsetting those with environmental sensitivites.

Jim A

[John Rumm]

That is where the realy good speed control of the better drills comes in. You can have it spin slow and hammer gently!

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I find mine ok even for small holes in London stocks by using a very slow speed.

[Doctor Evil]

This is one reason why not to buy some kit as it may date too soon and as prices are dropping and quality rising in a market that has far from stabilised, a new tack has to be viewed.

I have one of these and balance is good for such a big drill. Occasionally Wickes have deals on tools and this can go for £110.

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[Andy Hall]

That really depends on what you mean by "big" and the drill.

I've had very good results for 6-8mm holes and above for plugs into hard brick using my Bosch Multidrill (4kg SDS with exchangeable chuck) as well as a 2kg Bosch. It doesn't automatically explode the brick on the other side if one takes reasonable care.

Obviously the Multidrill will do "big stuff" as well.

At and below the 6-8mm range into lighter masonry I manage perfectly well with the Makita 14.4v

That's not to say that a mains drill in there somewhere might not be useful, but it's by no means a requirement.

[Andy Hall]

That depends a great deal on the SDS, your choice of bits and the motor control.

[Andy Hall]

[John Stumbles]

Really? B&D must have improved a _lot_ since I last used any (although AIUI they used to source their stuff from all over, all different quality, so there was no canonical B&D). Certainly the 14.4 cordless and

18V jigsaw (DW933) I have are vastly better than the Ryobi-sourced (AIUI) PPPro ones I was using before (which I think were Ryobi's equivalent of Bosch green stuff).

[John Stumbles]

Odd, I thought Bosch were quite good. Driving screws into flooring is the canonical task for which a cordless excels on convenience (no tripping over mains leads) and control. Mind you I tend to use 50 or

60mm x 6mm Goldscrews which I think are waxed and single-threaded so maybe other screws are harder work. Perhaps too much for a 12V without optimum gearing, but both my 14.4Vs are a joy to use for this sort of job. They're certainly torquey enough to shear the screws if you give them too much welly (and/or they hit a particularly tough bit of wood). I've had no problem with 4" x No 12s either (except bit slip).

[John Stumbles]

I think you can get a good cordless (i.e. with good batteries & charger) for that.

John Rumm addresses the question of 'What is DIY (to you)' in his piece. I implicitly addressed it when I said "unless it's really only ever for drilling a couple of holes once in a blue moon" OK I exaggerated a bit but the point I was making (or trying to) is that if you just need a drill for occasional use get mains, but just because you're a DIYer doesn't mean you won't use it much so if you find yourself working with the tool more frequently than the time it takes for the batteries to self-discharge to a useless state then consider getting a _good_ cordless.

Depends on the drill: single-speed mains drills don't have huge torgue compared to quite cheap cordlesses.

The universal/cordless ones cut through masonry without hammering and without going blunt (unless you let them spin uselessly on material that's too hard for them and overheat them).

[Doctor Evil]

I'm certain you can. The point is that the mains drill can do more, except run away from a power socket. It will also outlive the battery drill too.

I'm sure some must available cheaper than the Bosch.

I disagree after using a 500W mains drill to finish off screw driving that a

12v Bosch could not handle.

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[Kaiser]

PPPro are not Ryobi. They are manufactured by GMC Australia.

[Rod Hewitt]

"Doctor Evil" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Recently 'acquired' a grey Wickes jigsaw. Draper. Not, in my opinion, either a pro maker or re-labeller. (Actually, better than I expected.)

[Rod Hewitt]

"Doctor Evil" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I keep seeing that Bosch blue = pro. The other day, in Isaac Lord's shop, I noticed a green Bosch box with 'Pro' emblazoned. Does this mean the Bosch blue = really pro and Bosch green = pro like PPRo?

[Andy Hall]

Mmmmm.....

Generally I've felt that the Bosch green range has been better on average than B&D - some products of which are pretty poor like the planers, jigsaws, sanders and cordless multiple tools.

It's worth checking the origin of Bosch green stuff. For example, I have a few items originating from Scintilla such as a sabre saw, which are excellent.

I've had good and conistent results from Bosch blue products such as the blue jig saws.

DeWalt seems to have more variation depending on tool type and source. For example, the routers, originating from Elu like the DW625 are best of breed with the possible exception of Festo. I posted a disappointment about the biscuit jointer. I have a laminate trimmer bought in the U.S. which is good, as is a cordless screwdriver. A mitre saw stand is good, but a mitre saw is pipped at the post by Makita. I have a contractor portable table saw which is solid and does the job and is better than others in its class.

So I'd say with DW that careful research is a good idea. They have some really good stuff, some mediochre and some complete garbage.

[Kaiser]

You can normally tell Bosch Pro by the prefix in the model number, Pro models are prefixed with "G" and DIY models are prefixed with "P".

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'd always thought Draper made nothing, but simply re-labelled other's stuff?

[Kaiser]

They have a Draper Expert (Pro) range, but who makes it is anyone's guess.

[Andy Hall]

They do.

If you thought that switching credit cards made one a rate tart, this is definitely a case of tool pie.....

as it were...