Triton Cordless tools

[crash]

I happen to be in a tool shop the other day and they had a display of Triton branded cordless tools. They said they were a new line. Anyone have any experience with them - they seemed reasonably priced.
I have a Triton branded circular saw that is over 15 years old and it has been faultless so I wonder what the cordless tools will be like.

[LandyAndy]

I had a Triton workbench,picked it up from a garage sale for $5.00.Leant it out years ago,never saw it again.Cant even remember who borrowed it.Darn alzimers:D:D:D:D:D:D
Andrew

[numpty]

I also have Triton saw benches etc and a Triton saw, which I bought last century, when they "were" Triton. GMC bought them out a number of years ago and then went bust.

Maybe this is a reincarnation of GMC?

[Gumnut]

Hi,

I had (have) an old Triton cordless drill. It is a big heavy brute of a thing, with good guides, jigs and frame. BUT, the batteries were utter garbage. Within about 18 months wouldn't hold a charge more than about 5 minutes. I have used it a few times with jumper leads on the boat, and that worked pretty well..... Hopefully the new ones have overcome this shortfall.....

[p38arover]

I was in Masters last night and saw they had Triton 18v cordless packs at half-price, e.g.,

https://media2.masters.com.au/media/MASTERS/Product/1000x1000/x101550351_0_9999_v1_m56577569831670852.jpg.pagesp eed.ic.WmJsAZqX22.webp

https://media1.masters.com.au/media/MASTERS/Product/1000x1000/101550335_0_9999_v1_m56577569831702520.jpg

https://media1.masters.com.au/media/MASTERS/Product/1000x1000/x101550327_0_9999_v1_m56577569831670853.jpg.pagesp eed.ic.tXXWA8dV1l.webp

Are Triton still any good? Will the batteries fail within a year or two as so many of mine have done?

It's a toss-up whether to buy this stuff or get new batteries for my existing tools. I hate tossing out perfectly usable stuff.

[Blknight.aus]

last I checked the triton batteries were NIMH/Nicad and the individual cells in the packs are availalbe from places like jaycar, it takes about 2 hours worth of time to dismantle assess and rebuild the packs with suitable cells + the travel time to get them.

Less as you get more practice at it.

[Don 130]

The new ones appear to be lithium-ion batteries.

https://www.tritontools.com/en-GB/Product/Power%20Tools/Cordless/T20DD

Don.

[PhilipA]

I personally think that its hard to go past Ryobi stuff.

I have an 18V drill over 10 years old, and the latest Lion batteries are compatable.
I also have an Impact drill (great), a leaf Blower (superb) and a vacuum (terrific) as well as the drill which has lasted forever.

Regards Philip A

[isuzutoo-eh]

I have had a Triton drill and vibrating cutter thingo for a few months doing home renos and it's worked well, but i'd much rather tools with cords.

[350RRC]

A cordless drill with a keyless chuck, with a plastic grip on the chuck ?

C'mon!

DL

[PhilipA]

Actually it looks like it came out of the Ryobi factory.

IMHO one of the most important considerations is whether you are sure the batteries will be available in a few years time.
Ryobi has had the same socket for about 15 years now.

I agree on the bloody chucks. As you cannot get them too tight the drills spin in them and they wear to the point they get worse. I tend to hold the chuck and spin the drill now. Bit hard on the hands. But the drill has really been fabulous in the work it has done.

But really they are for light duty only. I have a 30 year old Hitachi hammer drill with a 13MM chuck and metal gears for the hard stuff.

Regards Philip A

[p38arover]

A cordless drill with a keyless chuck, with a plastic grip on the chuck ?

C'mon!

DL

They are all like that. 25 years ago I made the mistake of buying a Makita with a keyed chuck when the option was a keyless. I'd never seen a keyless before so was reluctant to try it.

That keyed chuck often slips on drills, my plastic-gripped keyless chucks never do.

[gromit]

The thing is, where are the Triton tools made now ??

Initially sold to Hills (despite GMC making offers), Hills sold it to GMC a few years later then they folded.

Sold here by Kinchrome for a while, then Whites Wire ? No idea who is behind them now.

Looking at the range some of the older tools are still available but most of the newer stuff has to be made in Asia somewhere. Philip A's comment about batteries rings true.
My old Ryobi (1997) lets smoke escape occasionally but the NiCad battery still holds a good charge, has Made in Japan on the drill & battery.
My B&D drills with NiCads still work well but the batteries need to be replaced soon, time to upgrade but what to get ? Only for DIY use.....

Have a read of the Triton history here https://stusshed.com/tag/triton/ and where George Lewin ended up.
On the above page (some way down) is also an interesting comparison between a Triton planer & a GMC planer (they look almost identical). But GMC didn't actually manufacture anything as far as I understand, just a marketing company (formed by a couple of ex B&D guys) that outsourced everything.

https://www.tritontools.com/en-US


Just found this http://www.gmctools.com/en-GB/AboutUs website copyright 2016 ??

Colin

[crash]

I ended up purchasing Milwaukee cordless - has metal keyless chuck and works a treat.