Les Henson Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 DeWalt - any good? Angle Grinders, drills, etc. Ta Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Jenkins Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 DeWalt - any good? Angle Grinders, drills, etc.Ta Les. Yes, very good. Makita are a bit cheaper without much difference in quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88 Nick Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Yes, but the're bright yellow!,........I really like the Bosch angle grinders and Makita drills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Wightman Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I have a lot of Hitachi tools which have a hard life but do last. Their grinders are particularly good, in fact all my grinders are Hitachi, 8 are 4 1/2" and a 9". 18v battery drill is good but have got expensive, I do have a Panasonic 15.6v which is the best battery drill by far I have owned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvio Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Sorry to hijack this thread: and what about a 12-volt battery drill, so that it might be used with the vehicle supply?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 The Dewalt range of drills and grinders are all black and decker with a posh cover and big pricetag (ask most builders) but there still not that bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 90 Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Not been overly impressed with Dewalt stuff and wouldn't buy again. Overpriced and only average quality. Had trouble with switch's, Motors, poor batteries, broken battery contacts, gear box's and generally falling apart. Plus some of their stuff just doesn't feel good quality. My money goes Bosch or Hitachi these days. Far superior, quality and will last many times longer. I have always liked Makita but the quality seems to have been dropping recently (but so has the price) or ive been unlucky. two 4 1/2 inch grinders have burst their gear box's in 12 months (both were replaced under warranty) where as the Hitachi ive had for years is still going strong. Also a 9 1/2 inch makita grinder stripped a gear when it wasn't very old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinny Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 as said before black and decker batts used to fit dewalt drills ive always bought makita or hilti but hilti aint cheap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanny Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 When still working the trade i tended to go round with 4 Dewalt cordless drills, 2 XRP, a basic driver and a 24v hammer drill, and a HUGE bag of batteries. Batteries wouldn't last 4 months, but then there where 2 of us using the drills and pretty much continuous. Repairs are very expensive, even on trade contract with Northern Power Tools, the parts where the killer. One big issue i have with big motored dewalts (has heppened on a grinder and a radial arm saw) change the brushes regular, regardless of what they look like, the brushes have a form for suddenly vanishing once they get ot a certain age, and the motors don't like the brush carrier being slammed intot hem. Cue a new motor! Best and most comfortable drill i've used is an 18v Ryobi cordless, big, but well balanced. Now i'm not using company tools i'm buying a LOT from B+Q, with amazing results, but all have been corded so far. I guess thats a bonus of Dewalt cordless, the batteries are VERY easy to come by. I've got 5 grinders (no really) the best one i've got i've had for 6 years and was bought in Aldi, on its second set of brushes (which came with it) and its been dropped from serious heights without a problem (normally of steel sheet roofs). Still going strong, and cost a whopping £15. Just bought its replacement for when it dies, again from aldi, £12 and this one included goggles! Also got one from Lidl (heavy, long, ugly, noisey, very square), a low end B&D one (orange, comfy, seems damped), a cheapo one from Makro (a good 10+ years old on original brushes (go figure) heavy but metal cased) and another cheap BIG one. The last Dewalt one i used went poof when i turned it on (brushes failed) and a new one was bought for £80. Oh, i like power tools Especially whirry choppy ones! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davie Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 just recently bought some makita stuff, its one of their sets, so a drill and impact driver type screwdriver pair. spent the extra to get the ones with 3amp lithium ion batterys 18v and they are truly awesome compared to the 24v bosch one i killed!! Also bought a really expensive milwauke cordless impact wrench for wheel nuts etc - its great! definetly recommend makita stuff but get the 3amp li ion batterys or else they die quickly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Train Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I use deWalt battery tools and Bosch 240v at the moment. The Bosch were all bought new 20 years ago and still going strong the deWalt were second hand 15 years ago. All still going strong. The deWalt batteries have been rebuilt a couple of times but no problems. I use both 12v and 14.4v with a smart charger. I have also tried the B&Q Pro range and found the little discontinued trim saw so good as a tool that I converted it to take a 12v deWalt battery. The Pro 18v circular saw was rubbish. I also have a little discontinued Pro 190mm slidig mitre saw and that is excellent. I did manage to break a couple of teeth off the main gear wheel though through abuse (using it to cut a cove into a lump of wood) and spares are not available so I welded new teeth on to it and it is fine now. My dad uses Makita a lot and swears by them over deWalt as he repairs mine and hasn't had to with the Makita. Having said that he doesn't work his as hard as I do with mine. I also have a Hitachi nibbler which has been great but doesn't get used much and some really old Black and Decker alloy body drills that are best part of 30 years old. I don't use the 12v tools powered from teh car but I do have an inverter for battery charging and running the 240v tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 when I bought my makita drill, I spoke to, and ended up buying from a hire shop. They said their trade arm sells loads of DeWalts, cos they are yellow, and everyone loves them, but they will only hire out makitas, as they last so much better and generally stand up well to abuse - hence I bought a makita. Grinders-wise, I have a metabo (very nice) a B&D (dieing) and a cheap homebase one (still happy as the day I bought it) all in 4 1/2" and a makita 9" - if I were buying another one, I would probably get a hitachi though, having seen the amount of use they get at Paul's (see above) and the fact that they were on offer from parkers for £30 each last week. can't really go wrong with that imho. Incidentally, Makita seem to have 2 distinct ranges, and the prices reflect that. the cheaper makita stuff is just that, and I don't rate it much... Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I have a 23 year old Makita grinder thatr is still going strong - it has outlasted several other Bosch 'pro' grinders and one Hitachi. I love Dewalt stuff. Yes it's made by Black & Decker, but in my opinion it's better designed and built than your average B&D. I've had three of their best 12v drills to date. One was nicked, one was in my 90 when it caught fire and the other I have now. I bought 12v with the intention of being able to run them off the vehicle - but I've never needed to do it. The patterned batteries are rubbish, but the modern genuine NiMH 3AH ones just go on and on. My next drill will be DeWalt too! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LandyManLuke Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I've got a bosch 12v drill, I've given it some stick, but it's doing ok. it's light and very comfortable to use, but it's not up to the bigger jobs. I made an adapter to run it off a battery, which works well. Of course a 12v battery is at more than 12v most of the time, and the drill reflected that by getting warmer much quicker than on it's own battery power, when used for longer periods of time. My advice would be, if you want to power the drill of a vehicle, to get a 14.4v drill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvio Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 My advice would be, if you want to power the drill of a vehicle, to get a 14.4v drill. Yes, this sounds quite sensible, especially if you let the engine idle, 'cause then you are quite near the 14v threshold, rather than the 12v. My thought was that, if I ever have to buy a cordless drill, the possibility of powering it through the vehicle battery could be a useful bonus. TYA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyb Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Sorry to hijack this thread: and what about a 12-volt battery drill, so that it might be used with the vehicle supply?? In a word Yes. I know of someone who got a 12v battery drill from a car boot that had no battery, opened it up and rigged leads with croc clips and uses that straight off the vehicle battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzar Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Current makita stuff isn't up to the standards of the older equipment - the grinders used to have thermostatic protection - this feature is no longer fitted. I have seen one or two which have been burned out. And gearboxes bust. The Hitachi stuff I've used and seen is good. Tough, well built and can take continious heavy use in dusty hot environment. But you can't beat the Aldi grinders - cheap, rough but solid and reliable. And they have a switch lock so can be left running without having to hold the handle! I can't stand stuff that is so safe it can't be used. Black and decker "diy" is best avoided if you have the money or other options, Bosch green range is ok, but only marginally better than B&D.. Bosch blue is much better. Bosch 110v is very tough, as is the DeWalt, my 12 v is a great little drill, used and abused and still kicking! B& Q "P" or "Pro" ranges are good value for money, but crude. G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tychoS Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 My most recent powertool acquisition was a Bosch GSR 10,8 V-LI I used it for refurbishing an apartment and found that it will drive 5 mm screws into hardwood or 6-8 mm screws into softer woods with ease. It drives 40-80 screws on a charge with new batteries. It's small, light and a joy to use. During the apartment refurbishment project I only reached for the larger tools when absolutely necessary. Have any of you tried its impact cousin GDR 10,8 V-LI for mechanical jobs such as Land Rover maintenance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headhunter Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 The chippie I use has a DeWalt 18v cordless. It keeps going back for repair. The chuck bearing has become wobbly twice now in the first six months. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest noggy Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 my dewalt has been ok for the past 6 months, but ive only given it light abuse, but so far so good. Ive had 2 Hitachi grinders for 10years and theyve never skiped a beat. I think theyre ready for new bushes tho. Also ive got a Hitachi drill and thats also very good, and 10 years old. i would deffo buy Hitachi again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
istruggle2gate11 Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I do have a Panasonic 15.6v which is the best battery drill by far I have owned. Here here: I have the drill and the drill / nut runner and the torch - fantastic bits of kit. Torch is a nightmare to get bulbs though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmatt Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 All my 110volt power tools bar the grinder are DeWalt, and have been very very good. My old 12 volt cordless drill lasted 7 years and I still have the original batteries on the new driver and these have been used daily up until last year. Grinders wise it has to be Bosch Blue industrial range they go on for ever and ever. All the tools I buy if they are not cordless are 110volt. Its no big hassle to buy a transformer mine was 60 quid 13 years ago, 110 volt stuff seems to last much much better than 240 volt. Makkita well they used to be good 20 years ago but everything I've bought by them of late is total rubbish wouldn't waste my money now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted May 9, 2008 Author Share Posted May 9, 2008 At least DeWalt seem to be fairly good. I just bought 3 x mains angle grinders and a jigsaw. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest noggy Posted May 11, 2008 Share Posted May 11, 2008 why did you buy three? last time i tryed i couldnt pick a grinder up with my feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WALFY Posted May 11, 2008 Share Posted May 11, 2008 At work we have Makita tools. Comes as a set, Genny in a frame on wheels, BIG drills, compactor, smaller drils, circ saw, 9" grinder. Cordless drill. Very good kit and takes a lot of abuse. At the end of the day it costs the user nothing and it gets treated accordingly and it survives. Also we have a smoothing unit which allows us to run laptops from the genny. Very convienient when out in the field for doing the site diary and other admin tasks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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