Well, that was the most expensive two minutes...

[grimly4]

The new drillbit I bought - 30mm of Armeg goodness - was in use for exactly two minutes as I drilled out a hole in 10" concrete block for an overflow. Coke and hookers are cheaper.

[David WE Roberts]

But can that combination make a 10" hole in a concrete block? [And if so, how and do you have pictures...]

[RustyCrampon]

I don't think of it like that. Tools are never an expense, they are an

*investment* that will increase productivity now and in the future. You can also pass them on to your children when you die.

[The Natural Philosopher]

When I was laying sandstone SWMBO wanted a curved edge. After half a day chipping and tow smashed slabs I drove into town and hired a diamond bladed angle grinder of heroic proportions. I think it was about 12 quid all in, though it spent less than 2 minutes switched on.

Sometimes its not what it costs, but what it costs without it.

And you can always hire.

[Owain]

Couldn't you sell it on ebay for more than you paid for it?

And easier to obtain at 11pm on a Saturday night.

Owain

[Clive George]

And in the case of a 30mm masonry drill bit, beat them with it when they annoy you.

[ARWadsworth]

Depends if you can last longer than 2 minutes or not:-)

[GB]

I read this (wrongly as it appears) that the drill bit broke. You can easily get more use out of the drill. Find an old concrete block and drill multiple holes in it.

[grimly4]

No, it was only in use to enlarge the hole from the previously largest drill I had - 25mm, so it wasn't working hard. Just one of those things - nothing else easily available to do the job, especially in a really awkward position. My SDS-Max with 50mm core would have been next to impossible in the situation.

No matter; I'll find other uses for it over the next few years.

[The Medway Handyman]

Exactly - the more holes you drill the cheaper each hole becomes.

[Adrian C]

Ya standards drop, ye mean?

[Andrew May]

Of course, the hourly rate would have been a lot cheaper if it had taken

20 minutes to drill the hole. You just need to work slower.

[Paul - xxx]

How much would it have cost with a cheaper bit, or more likely a number of cheaper bits, that may have broken? Would the hole have been as good?

I see buying good tools as an insurance that makes a job go well.

I see buying cheap tools as a necessity sometimes for one-off jobs .. ;)

[grimly4]

I need a 30mm drill once in a blue moon - in fact, that's the first time in a decade.

In this instance a cheapy would have done - a tenner for a one-off hole. If the hire shop was nearer, I could have got one for the day - as I already have an SDS-Max machine it would have been a doddle, but the positioning was awkward and likely to have resulted in ladder/me parting company. As it happened, the SDS-Plus was the right choice.

[RustyCrampon]

I find that even top-of-the-range tools are often cheaper than paying someone else to do the job.

[Bob Martin]

Yep, and the second time it's cheaper still!