Tool kit - cordless stuff.

[aprilsweetheartrose.]

I am ,looking to get myself ( for Christmas) a set of tools. I am sick of asking OH for anything. I have a little rolson ( came from B&M) tool kit with hammer, screwdriver, spanner , tape measure in it ( OH has better tools than mine but uses it , so I cant be that bad! His are a mess by the way). However, I wasnt some power tools - a drill ( or two Hammer + ordinary?) , a jig saw and a sander are high on my list - is there anything else that should be there?

Now - is it OK to get one of those tool sets you see on amazon or ebay, they are unbranded and usually have five or six pieces in the kit or should I be looking at something branded. Its only for me to hang ;pictures and knock nails and screws in things.( Not too heavy and cordless because it needs to move and we dont have too many power points and trailing wires are a bit of a trip hazard these days). This is just for me. Its not going on a building site or anything. Thanks in advance.

[John J]

The Parkside stuff in Lidl is perfectly fine. Most seem to be sold as bare tools but use a common battery and charger. I'd suggest getting 2 off 4 AH batteries, 1 charger and your choice of tools which use the 4ah battery. Note some use a different battery so avoid unless you want to have range of batteries and chargers. (Says he who owns an Aldi drill and angle grinder😎 but Aldi seem to be discontinuing their tool range).

[GB]

Lidl rotate their stock, so it will take a few weeks to build up a collection of their tools.

Be aware that battery tools generally come in two varieties, 12v and

18v. You can't mix them, so I suggest getting 18v only, and don't buy any 12v stuff.

You don't need a hammer drill plus an ordinary one. Just get a hammer drill. If you do want to treat yourself, get an SDS hammer drill, plus a drill driver. SDS take different drill bits, but they are great for making holes in masonry.

[Sid]

I bought the Makita 18V range of drills, hedgetrimmer and strimmer.

[Tricky Dicky]

To reiterate GB’s comment an 18V hammer drill and driver will probably be sufficient to drill holes in most bricks and blocks. With hammer switched off it will comfortably drill wood and steel as well as drive most screws.

Only consider an SDS drill if you expect to be drilling concrete or engineering bricks and if you need a machine capable of chiselling. Even an impact driver is a luxury unless you plan to drive some heavy duty screws. For occasional use Aldi/ Lidl stuff is OK, I have a Lidl impact driver and it has done everything I have asked of it. If you plan to do a lot of drilling consider a more professional quality drill, I can vouch for Makita and DeWalt. If you plan on getting a range of battery tools consider one particular brand so you can swap batteries when needed.

[HVS]

On 01 Nov 2023, John J wrote

I never successfully switched to cordless, even in the days when I did more frequent and large-project work around our house(s). Now that my diy tends to be maintenance and repair -- putting up shelves or heavy pictures, fixing garden furniture and other small jobs -- the main down-side of cordless is even more relevant.

I don't see the point (or expense) of keeping tool batteries plugged in, charged up, and ready to go if a month or two is going to go by between uses. I really dislike not being able to just fetch the drill/screwdriver or whatever and set to work, since I'll need to charge the thing for a few hours before it will be ready to use.

I've thus stuck with corded tools -- a plug-in, variable-speed, forward/reverse, normal/hammer drill is always ready to go, and since I'm not using it daily or weekly, using an extension reel isn't a big issue. It's a lot less of a faff than having to remember to pre- charge batteries before I can even start.

Horses/courses, and all that, but I'll stick with corded.....

[charles]

I seem to remember that as a problem before lithium batteries. Yes, NiCads used to drain away in store, but that's a thing of the past. I use all sorts of battery operated tools - in the garden; in the house; where ever.

I just pick it up and go. I always check the state of charge before I put the tool away - I might need to charge it then.

[fred]

Harvey,

just get two batteries and keep them charged. Modern 18v batteries hold their charge well and the correct charger will not over charge them. I have 18v amd 12v drills and 240v hammer and sds drills. Its rarely I would pick the 240v version

[Tricky Dicky]

Most of my power tools are corded since I do not do any off-site work and I feel they have more ooomph, they are also much cheaper than equivalent battery tools.

I do have a few battery tools namely a reciprocating saw which I feel is safer without a cord and a hammer drill a impact driver which when screw driving are more convenient battery driven. I do not know where you have got the idea that tool batteries need to be constantly on charge. I have battery tools which can often remain unused for months and still remain charged ready to go. Most people have at least two batteries available per tool so one can be charged whilst the other is in use, besides with many modern tools batteries can charged in 30 -20 minutes giving hours of use.

[wrights...]

No, this is poor advice. There's no point in buying a non-SDS drill. Even for normal brick SDS is a million times better than non-SDS. If you want to use non-SDS bits (for wood or whatever) just get an SDS chuck adaptor (£20).

Bill

[wrights...]

Yes, this is absolutely right.

Bill

[SH]

I had a SDS chuck adapter. Do NOT use this on screwdriver bits because as soon as you use the SDS chuck adapter to unscrew screws, the SDS chuck adapter literally unscrews itself into bits in front of you!

DAMHIKT!

[alan_m]

I disagree. SDS is usually a heavier machine and SDS chuck adapters tend to be a bit "floppy", especially at the cheap end of the market.

SDS is essential for drilling hard brick and concrete but for most of the jobs around my house the 2Kg SDS stays in its case and I use my cordless drill with conventional hammer action if required.

Possibly the better advice for basic tools is to also get a decent set of drill bits. For more general use I find the the Bosch Multi Construction drills to more than up to it for most jobs, and especially suitable for someone who is only going to use them on an occasional basis.

[Sam Plusnet]

SDS is essential if you live in a house with stone walls (inc, rubble masonry). In many new builds, a sharpened pencil might be sufficient.

[Sam Plusnet]

We have an EGO cordless mower. The (Lithium Ion) batteries each contain a circuit which will partially discharge the battery, if left fully charged for a period of weeks. I assume there is some reason for this.

[Joe]

I've never seen that happen that I know of, though most battery-powered items don't show charge more precisely than four or five blobs.

But most battery types, and certainly lithium, should ideally not be left in a state of full charge for long periods.

[Theo]

I'd guess it's so that a mower parked up over the winter doesn't sit with a full battery the whole time, which will reduce the battery lifetime. Since that's something almost guaranteed to happen to a mower every year.

But a storage charge is say 40%. So the tool will still work when you pick it up out of storage, just for not as long. That might matter more for a mower than a drill - for what was at the time my primary drill driver (with a dedicated battery), I managed to go a year without needing to charge it. If it went to a storage charge and I only got half a year out of it, it wouldn't be an issue.

Theo

[Chris Green]

My one, major, objection to Lidl/Parkside cordless is the 'fat' batteries. I hate working with cordless drill drivers that have that lump at the end of the handle.

My, quite old now, Titan (Screwfix) 10.8v drill/driver and impact drill are quite powerful enough for screws up to 6mm diameter and the battery life is fine. I have three batteries for two drills. Why would I need bigger bettries?

[Andy Burns]

Sounds more like you're describing NiCd or NiMH batteries, Lithium batteries have very modest self-discharge ...

[Andy Burns]

I've got various 18V combi-drills, impact drivers, 36V SDS, but I also have two smaller 11V pistol-drills with hex chucks, very handy to keep drill bit in one, and pozi bit or countersink in the other to save swapping all the time.