fed up with ‘power devil’, ‘skill’, etc!

[WhydidIstart]

Hi, as an amateur I have got fed up with buying ‘power devil’, ‘skill’, etc tools for £9.99 that bend, fall apart or just break after only a couple of uses. My friend and I have got through over 5 angle grinders working on cars, etc. some lasting less than an hour! However I don’t have the need or funds to spend out on professional equipment as I just wouldn’t use it enough.

Hiring is an option, but unless you have the time off work to complete the whole job in a day or so, it quickly becomes expensive.

So I have opted for buying fairly decent second hand tools, using them for as long as I need and then selling them again. Even if the outlay is a lot, I seem to usually get the majority of my money back, sometimes even more.

I just wondered what experiences other people had with tools – quality vs price, etc?

 

[breezer]

get what you pay for.

I am wondering with the number of chep tools you have brought, with the money you have spent could you have brought something decent in the first place.

Whats the point in buying selling, some day you will buy a "lemon" then you cant use it or sell it = waste of money.

Then you have the time you go to use a tool, oh, you can't you sold it.

 

[RF Lighting]

I have a local independant tool hire shop near me. They always have bargains in there selling off their ex - hire stock, like a paslode nail gun I bought from them for £120 (about £350 - £400 new)

Stuff like angle grinders etc can be had cheap enough anyway.

I've got a DeWalt 4" grinder which gets light trade / heavy DIY use. It cost about £40 but has lasted years.

I learned my lesson with cheap tools when I was an apprentice and that was all I could afford.

Now I buy quality every time, and try to avoid hiring where ever I can.

If you need something more than a couple of times, it works out nearly as cheap and much more convenient to buy rather than hiring.

 

[JonoPashley]

We were always told to buy the best tools you can afford to lose,break or get stolen. Has worked out pretty well so far.

 

[noseall]

Bosch blue (pro) take some beating, (corded sds drills and grinders).

So, in terms of value for money, unbeatable.

I have yet to use any of their cordless range though.....

 

[RF Lighting]

Their new 36V SDS drill is a load of poo, but the rest of their range is up there with the best of them.

 

[gcol]

Bosch blue (pro) take some beating...

Boss's brother's wife-to-be is a marketing manager for Bosch. She reckons that when Bosch blue models are superseeded, the guts are put into green plastic bodies. Therefore, what is this years green model may have been last years blue. Take nothing away from Bosch gear though - it's good stuff.

 

[mother]

in an ironic twist of fate, Skill of course is one of bosch's brands!

 

[WhydidIstart]

Great, thanks for all the replies. Sorry for the late reply I have been away for work - need to take whatever I get can these days.

Bosch seems to be popular - and wise words from JonoPashley about getting the best that I can afford to have stolen / broken / etc.

You're right with all the crap ones bought, I coudl have bought somethign better - just didn't know it at the time I bought the first one!

Thanks again.

 

[EddieM]

in an ironic twist of fate, Skill of course is one of bosch's brands!

Thought it was Makita

 

[screech]

site is makita

 

[EddieM]

site is makita

Oh, yeah, that's the one, knew it began with an s !

 

[Bilioustrumpstaine]

Have a look at Wickes pro range of power tools. I know that their cordless drills are made by Kress, a very well respected manufacturer in Europe.