PPPro 18V drill - short review

Like I said. Bad advice.

.andy

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Reply to
Andy Hall
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I suspect they haven't used anything with good battery life or speed control.

Reply to
Grunff

A friend has the 12V Makita, which is superb. But not quite beefy enough for what I want.

I'd love an 18V Makita, and have a feeling I'm going to end up with one sooner or later. But I'm gonna give the Axminster tool a go first. One of the factors that have convinced me to do so is their use of NiMH batteries. If they were being cheapskates, they certainly wouldn't have included NiMH as standard.

Reply to
Grunff

True. They also take the trouble to define what they mean by each grade of tool, which I find very useful when selecting.

I've also found Axminster very good at resolving problems and keeping customers happy. You might want to give their technical help desk a call, describe the problem that you've had with the PPoo product and whether what they have is likely to show an improvement and be more suitable for use. .andy

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Reply to
Andy Hall

If you're using it for "real" trade - day in, day out - or even for extended heavier jobs (which I believe you are), NiMH is probably a win over NiCad on capacity grounds. But for weekend warriors like me, the self-discharge on NiMH is so much greater than for NiCads that I'm happier with the older technology...

Awaiting your impressions on the Axminster White with interest, BTW; their writeups suggest the "White" stuff is more like mid-price trade tool than Performance Pro joke kit, but seductive prose (and, to be fair, a different branding - "Perform" - for the really "occasional use only" tools) is no substitute for an impartial review. And I imagine if you're really disappointed in the quality, Axminster will take it back and refund without hassle.

Cheers, Stefek

Reply to
stefek.zaba

In theory Ni-Cads are being phased out on environmental grounds. Sad, as they're a better battery unless size is a primary consideration which I don't think it is in a power tool.

Reply to
Dave Plowman

My usage is almost exclusively weekends, but I'm happy to accept the high self-discharge in exchange for lightness and capacity. It just means I have to start the weekend's work with a fresh battery.

Having said that, I was perfectly happy with the 18V 1.9Ah NiCd batteries on the Erbauer. It's just poor case design which let it down. Otherwise it was a superb drill.

I'll be sure to let you know. I'm ordering it tomorrow, which means it'll get a good workout next weekend. I'll post my initial findings next Sat/Sun.

Reply to
Grunff

The PP Pro range is not trade, it is better quality DIY.

I fear they have just bundled in nickel metal hydride batteries, which have their advanatges and disadvantages, and the quality is the same as B&Q etc. Which is fine for DIY.

You wll find that more expensive drills have better batteries to cope with every day use, which appears to be the bulk of the cost of these items.

Reply to
IMM

The real problem for regular use is that they don't last for nearly as many cycles.

Reply to
Dave Plowman

Based on my experiences with their tools I might have recommended looking at Atlas Copco/Milwaukee, however having just looked up the price of their 18v combi it is astronomical - you could have 2 of the Erbauers for the price it!

Richard

-- Richard Sampson

email me at richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk

Reply to
RichardS

The Milwaukee stuff is beloved by contractors in the U.S. for sure....

There are some heavier grade tools available there that are not imported for sale here at present. They are not so expensive there either of course. (Makes mental note to check during next trip).

.andy

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Reply to
Andy Hall

The trouble is that it isn't. What use are tools which can't be set up properly, don't cut straight or consistently and can't be controlled properly?

It can be argued that a tool for DIY purposes could have a lower duty cycle rating than a professional tool because it gets less use, but the notion that it's acceptable that it also does a poor and inaccurate job makes no sense at all.

Basically this is saying that because "it's only for DIY" that junk is acceptable. Why would people imagine that DIY work should automatically imply a poorer standard of job?

.andy

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Reply to
Andy Hall

I dunno - when you have an 18V drill weighing 2.5kg, if you can shave off half a kilo by going for NiMH I'm all for it.

On a more abstract note about the two types of batteries, I use them both regularly, and they each have their strong points. NiMH - high capacity in a small, light package. NiCd - lower internal resistance.

Reply to
Grunff

I got this last week so can't really assess the drill itself yet, but a few comments on the "package".

1) The drill instructions (online at
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say "Note that some RAPID chargers require a "rest" period between charges, read the instruction

manual concerning your specific charger to see if this is the case" But of course there are no separate charger instructions.

2) You need a screwdriver to pry out the driver bits from the moulded plastic carry-case. 3) They also supply a free box of screwdriver bits which contains an odd assortment of sizes; three flat, two each of pozi #1 and #3, and twenty (!) pozi #2.
Reply to
Elessar

All credit to Axminster for being honest about the source:

Jiangsu Jinding Electric Tools Group Co.

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So they're knocking out 12 million tools - blimey. No wonder they all look the same. When people say they all come from that factory in china, well it's true.

Reply to
Toby

Wickes have a run on a 18v hammer DIY 2 year guarantee job for around £30-35. One battery 1 hr charge. They also have a 14.4 v drill/driver too. The battery has a charge indicator on the side.

Reply to
IMM

Must be lots of bad advise based on experience here then.

Reply to
IMM

That is why most of them are all the same. This Axminster only has a different type of battery. I would go for the Wickes 18v or 14.4v drills. The same, much cheaper and a better guarantee.

Reply to
IMM

You trying to be funny? Have you ever handled one of those things? Do you ever actually *do* any diy, or is everything purely conceptual to you?

Reply to
Grunff

Does it have a motor though?

.andy

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Reply to
Andy Hall

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