brand factor

[iamneallyons]

hello everybody,

new here - just thought i would sign up to get some thoughts from some of you..

so im at the point where i fancy grabbing some cordless power tools from the same brand (for battery ease of use etc).

now iv got a few bits of ferrex and workzone gear from aldi some of which is actually quite alright (the impact driver made by walter) but some not so good, the workzone hammer drill which struggled to get through a house brick sticking up a security light for instance (pretty sure it hit a pebble).

So iv been having a look across all the different websites screwfix/b&q etc and reading reviews left right and centre.

They arent about to be used everyday for work but at the same time i dont want to have any problems or have to replace them again in 12 months time because they are crap so iv been looking at the following brands..

Erbauer/Einhell/Ryobi/Bosch.. as opposed to milwaukee/dewalt/makita which are premium trade level gear that i probably wouldnt really be able to justify the outlay for - not only that anything iv used for work on site with a dewalt name on (workgear not tools) has fell to pieces so i dont have a good impression of that brand from the get-go anyway.

I just wondered what peoples thoughts are on Erbauer/Einhell/Ryobi/Bosch -

You can pick up various Erbauer 18v brushless kits from b&q/screwfix one being..

• 1x 18V Combi Drill 1700 rpm - Is compact and lightweight product, making it ideal to tackle tasks in hard-to-reach areas.
• 1x 18V Impact Driver 2800 rpm - Allows you tackle all jobs due to its flexible EXT one battery system.
• 1x 18V Pendulum Action Jigsaw 3000 rpm - Features quick tool-free blade change (T&U) and bevel adjustment.
• 1x 18V Circular Saw 5400 rpm - Actions large cutting depths, offering the same cut capacity as a 7-1/4’’ (184mm) blade.
• 2x 18V Li-ion Battery - Is essential as it can run multiple tools and is compatible with all Erbauer EXT 18V battery chargers.

£370 - which sounds a bargain but if loads of you guys have had nothing but trouble with the brand maybe it isnt but they are progressive at least - brushless motors, metal chucks etc.

Ryobi - appears to get seriously mixed reviews, some love it while some hate it but the general thing i see the most is people complaining about ryobi batteries not lasting or being much use.

Bosch - seems to have a core following and they seem somewhat quality but iv noticed compared to say erbauer they arent pushing the envelope with brushless motors, most of their gear still seems to have brushed motors and plastic chucks.

Look forward to some responses, cheers.

 

[fillyboy]

Most of my kit is Makita, I had some Bosch professional many years ago but decided the premium in the price wasn't justified, I didn't find the quality / reliability any better than Makita which at that time (maybe 20 years ago) were notably cheaper.
My nephew who is also in the trade has made a full switch from Ryobi to De Walt and is pleased with the change.

Most of my kit, particularly the drill/drivers tend to get used day in day out so need to be a professional quality. It can get confusing where a lot of the manufacturers have what look like great offers, for example, Makita will often have an 18v combi drill, charger, 2 x 3ah batteries and a case for £120 (screwfix/toolstation) but if you read the full spec, the drill will likely have a maximum torque of 50nm and a plastic chuck, I made that mistake last year so I ended up buying a 'bare' Makita drill, 130nm torque and a metal chuck, £180 so it's fair to say you get what you pay for.

Anyway, to the point. Occasionally I may need to buy tool which I know will not have a great deal of use. Two years ago I had a job where I had to cut out a load of floor tile grout so decided to get a 'multitool' with a diamond grit cutter, I didn't want to spend £120 on a Makita one knowing it wouldn't get a lot of use so I bought an Erbauer one for about £60 and it's been a cracking little tool, also it's had a lot more use than I envisaged.

So if it's not daily hard professional use, I would say Erbauer are OK.
It might be worth checking out availability of spares and new batteries though, some of the cheaper brands you can't get replacement parts, I'm not sure about Erbauer in that respect.

 

[motorbiking]

I like my Makita kit too. Good battery life and would regard my impact driver as the most useful of all my power tools. I have had some premature failures though. My jigsaw barely lasted a year.

 

[noseall]

I'm an old sweat and have used many tools. Some take a right battering others come out every few months or so. With the tools we use frequently we balance cost, quality, servicing and longevity.
Bosch blue corded for example are indestructible for what they cost and provide adequate drilling. We treat these as throwaway, once they have served.

Our (DeWalt) impact drivers have the greatest usage - but as often with battery driven items, its the battery which limits the performance. Again, we treat the handsets as throwaway or at least chuck them in the repair shop and buy new handsets whilst they are being fixed as back-ups. DeWalt offer light-weight power and affordability.

However, we rarely buy tools that are not serviceable.

 

[Ihavenojob]

I just wondered what peoples thoughts are on Erbauer/Einhell/Ryobi/Bosch -

Bosch blue is ok, not the green. Ryobi is the diy kit from the same firm as AEG and Milwaukee. The erbauer stuff is pretty decent for the money, and screwfix warranty is excellent. I don't have many power tools left, but they are Milwaukee and German made AEG.

 

[iamneallyons]

Just checking the responses to this, thanks guys - anybody else have any input?

Ryobi appeal because they DO have so many tools available but weather the quality is up there im not sure - i REALLY like the worklights they have in various configurations, Erbauer for whatever reason dont seem to produce one that works with their batteries BUT do have one that is supplied with its own battery, that sort of irks me tho because i want everything to work with the same batteries so you never end up in a position where you need to wait for something to charge AKA you can always have one on charge while using the other.

Makita are appealing that bit more to me at the moment because of the vast availability of everything (the LXT range).

 

[ajohn]

Routers, track and plunge saw, multipurpose saw - Makita all corded. SDS drill AEG corded "some" time ago, also does as a core drill. Combi drill and jig saw Milwaukee cordless and same battery fitting also their low voltage drill driver. Alligator saw Bosch. One cordless and one corded. I needed to use one where an extension lead wasn't possible. Fixed router and table Trend*. Bought as have a lot of routing to do, not used much yet. Labour costs if I got some one else to do the work would be a lot more than the kit cost. Bandsaw Dewalt. Radial one trade Ryobi and one Dewalt. The Ryobi is great at making dust hence 2.

I've been collecting things for donkeys years. I've had a 1/4 Elu router for a very long time. It's easily done enough work to pay for itself. Also a corded Elu combi drill branded black and decker. Kept in case I need some real umph from an 1/2" drill even though it was supplied for 3/8

Router and tracksaw bought recently to completely fit a kitchen. I had a B&Q 1/2" powerpro router and an ancient Makita circular saw. It would have been cheaper to get a kitchen fitter to do the worktops but I'm sure they will be used again.

All cordless? Honestly can't see the point in many cases. Impact driver, my drills are more than powerful enough for what I need.

Whoops forgot 2 I have had for a long time. 2 angle grinders, corded and Makita, Larger one was produced to fettle castings with and at the time I bought it I needed something more powerful than the usual 4".It has been used with a 10" blade on it on brick.

*Whoops Trend is more or less a copy of Elu so mentioned that.

 

[ajohn]

Personally I think it pays to buy stuff as needed and try and spot the real trade items as they may turn out to be a buy once for diy use. Buy cordless and eventually replacement batteries can cause grief and often don't like being left unused for long periods. I also buy "useful" stuff when I see offers that fit in with any spare cash I have at the time.

When I started on the kitchen a green Bosch drill I had broke. Repaired under warrantee just before it was up. Then went again out of warrantee. I went for Milwaukee due to good reports from trade users and an entirely different clutch design. Then bought their cordless jigsaw as it also provided 2 spare batteries. Some Dewalt drills seem to be ok for trades as well.