is it me or the tools dont last as long as they used to

[gsjheeta]

i have gone through soooo many coreless 18v drills in the past few years, Dewalts , Matika, Bosch, etc

Who makes the best drills nowadays as they dont make them how they used tooo

 

[EddieM]

Panasonic and hitachi according to Dr Drivel. Personally my Makitas been excellent. Dewalt kit seems a bit variable, some good, some bad.

 

[Richard C]

Used to buy Bosch & Makita but nothing seems to last as it used to & they were always getting nicked so I now buy budget tools that look like they will do the job. You can usually get 3 or 4 reasonable priced budget tools for the same price as branded units & if they break in the first year (& I’ve had a couple), just take them back to the DIY shed & get a replacement; they nearly all come from China now regardless of the name on them!

 

[RF Lighting]

I like makita at the moment. DeWalt are not as good as they used to be.

 

[EddieM]

Used to buy Bosch & Makita but nothing seems to last as it used to & they were always getting nicked so I now buy budget tools that look like they will do the job. You can usually get 3 or 4 reasonable priced budget tools for the same price as branded units & if they break in the first year (& I’ve had a couple), just take them back to the DIY shed & get a replacement; they nearly all come from China now regardless of the name on them!

Aye, but it's not all about longevity is it? There is a question of quality too.

 

[Hitachimad]

I think a lot of people get tempted by the cheap gear, i know many makes will have a few different models in the same voltage range, a sub £100, then £100- £200 and £200+

Its a shame some people dont notice the differences, they just see a £250 18v drill, then a £100 18v drill from the same maker, but think its the same thing.

I cant fault mine, a 18v Hitachi, the expensive one, 3x3.3ah batteries, metal chuck, metal gearbox.... doesnt get used everyday, but takes a pasting when it does, will happily drill a 13mm hole in steel.

 

[EddieM]

Totally agree, put a new dewalt extreme 2 bit in my charged makita, then drilling holes even into engineering brick is quick and extremely precise.

 

[^neo^]

The new DeWalts are pretty good now, but need to be the very new LiIon ones

 

[regsmyth]

Get Hilti.

 

[R5GTT]

they nearly all come from China now regardless of the name on them!

Dear oh dear, maybe you're cheap stuff from the sheds is all made in China, but very little of the decent branded stuff is - with the exception of the £99 Hitachi or Makita type deals which go on the front cover of the screwfix catalogue and are built to hit a price.

I can tell you for a fact that none of the high end Dewalt (Mexico), Bosch (Switzerland) or Makita (UK) are made in China.


Got to be honest, if a builder, plumber etc turned up to work on my house with a van full of no name cheapo tools I'd have my concerns.

As the old saying goes - buy cheap, buy twice.

 

[Richard C]

Dear oh dear, ------ Got to be honest, if a builder, plumber etc turned up to work on my house with a van full of no name cheapo tools I'd have my concerns.

As the old saying goes - buy cheap, buy twice.

That would be your prerogative my friend but don’t make assumptions or criticise someone you don’t know ; its skill & how you use the tools you have that counts. I don’t buy the cheapest crap available, I buy on the basis of weather or not I think they will do the job (& I can tell), are good value & will last a reasonable length of time. I’ve got a 35 quid SDS breaker that’s cut many wall holes, dug holes in foundations & demolished several walls. It’s still going strong after 3 years & I think that’s good value.

As another old saying goes - "a bad workman always blames his tools" & the best tools in the world will not turn a cowboy into a Master Builder.

 

[R5GTT]

That would be your prerogative my friend but don’t make assumptions or criticise someone you don’t know

Isn't that the same as you did when you said nearly everyones tools were made in China


As for my comment about someone turning up with a pile of cheapo tools to do work for me, it wasn't a slight against anyone who does that - I'm sure if I was constantly getting £100's or £1,000's of tools stolen I wouldn't be to keen on forking out a lot of money to keep replacing them. What I meant by the comment was that I would be more confident if someone came to fit my shiny new kitchen with a van full of Festo & Hilti, rather than Erbaur / Performance Pro / Nu Tool.

Wouldn't you agree?

 

[Paul Barker]

I buy second hand Hilti.

No cheap tool lasts me long enough to be worth the bother and doesn't do a good job when it is working.

 

[Richard C]

That would be your prerogative my friend but don’t make assumptions or criticise someone you don’t know

Isn't that the same as you did when you said nearly everyones tools were made in China

Er, no that’s not my assumption; if you check in detail you will find that many/most of the quality European, Japanese & even American brand names (not just tools) have at least part of their product range made in China. It’s not a criticism of China or demeaning their manufacturing capabilities; they are in the same position that Japan was in the 70’s & Korea & Taiwan were in the 80/90’s, expanding economy (or at least until recently), investment that would blow your mind & the benefit of pittance labour, until the plebs sus it out; they make cheap crap products but also make very good ones. They will, like the other 4 dragons, eventually lift their game to total quality like Japan did & currently Korea are doing & then their own quality brand names will be made in --- who knows where, maybe Africa!

As for my comment about someone turning up with a pile of cheapo tools to do work for me, it wasn't a slight against anyone who does that - I'm sure if I was constantly getting £100's or £1,000's of tools stolen I wouldn't be to keen on forking out a lot of money to keep replacing them. What I meant by the comment was that I would be more confident if someone came to fit my shiny new kitchen with a van full of Festo & Hilti, rather than Erbaur / Performance Pro / Nu Tool.
Wouldn't you agree?

Why on earth would you be impressed by the brand name of tools that someone has in the back of their pick up or tool bag; so if I turn up in a pair of overalls & some notepaper with "Feeration of Master Buiders" logo on, would you give me the job; that’s so shallow . As I’ve already said, it’s what you do with the tools you have & the quality of the work you produce that should impress & that’s what makes the difference.

I would check out Nu Tool pedigree, you may be in for a surprise & if you like Performance Pro, I’ve go a couple; so would you be impressed then?

 

[R5GTT]

Er, no that’s not my assumption; if you check in detail you will find that many/most of the quality European, Japanese & even American brand names (not just tools) have at least part of their product range made in China.

You said that they nearly all come from China, I'm sorry but if you are talking about what most people would class as the top brands (Dewalt, Makita, Bosch Blue, Festo, Hilti etc) then you are entirely wrong. As I said before they may make the odd cheap cordless or SDS drill built to a price for someone like Screwfix, however >75% doesn't come out of China.

Why on earth would you be impressed by the brand name of tools that someone has in the back of their pick up or tool bag;

I didn't say I would be impressed by the brand name, I said that I would be less inclined to use someone who turned up with no-name tools. It's nothing to do with the brand, it's more to do with the fact that I know the difference between using a £29.99 jigsaw against a £200 Festo equivalent is night and day.

so if I turn up in a pair of overalls & some notepaper with "Feeration of Master Buiders" logo on, would you give me the job; that’s so shallow

No, what's that got to do with the type of tools you use?

I would check out Nu Tool pedigree, you may be in for a surprise

I'd disagree, I've sold and repaired professional power tools for nearly 20 years, trust me I know all about the quality of Nu-Tool and I (personally) wouldn't have one for free.

& if you like Performance Pro, I’ve go a couple; so would you be impressed then?

Not particularly, but you crack on, I'm sure they're just as good as Hilti in your little world.