Thread: Cordless power tool advice.

Originally Posted by catch-22

In order of preference (cordless or not) -

Festool
Metabo
Makita

The first two are in a class of their own with a price tag to match.....but the power of the motors is unbelievable.

Makita make great products and have proven themselves for years..

I agree and I also think DeWalt is fine.

Panasonic has just released their new range of Lithion Ion battery drills which has recieved rave reviews in the wood working mags. They are also lighter than the others which is important when you are using one all day.

Blythe

Originally Posted by waynep

Now I am involved in these Hut maintenance projects I was thinking of getting a few more cordless power tools. If I'm just fixing a couple of things I don't want to cart a genny around everywhere. But also for small projects around home.

I had a Ryobi 18V drill and got given the matching reciprocating saw and stapler/bradder for my birthday. They're OK but only "domestic" quality and struggle a bit. I don't think they'll last long.

I've seen a few of the guys using the DeWalt tools but those things are expensive. I don't really need trade quality for the times I use them.

The advantage of the Ryobi 18V range is there's plenty of tools to fit the batteries and you can pick up replacement batteries anywhere. ( eg Bunnings )They also have a 12V car charger which would be handy in the bush. But they do seem like toys compared to the other brands.

So what's a good medium priced brand that will handle the occasional heavy work? I was looking at Bosch.

Also which tools would be that best to cover most work needed (other than hammer drill/driver ) : maybe a recip/sabre saw, 100mm grinder and impact driver ?? Are those cordless circular saws ( any brand) any good ??

Thanks

Makita are good, but a bit exxy, Choice magazine did a comparo test of cordless electric drills a few years back and Ryobi outdid the Makita, the test was the number of 4" screws that could be screwed into some timber and the Ryobi left the Makita for dead in Torque and battery life. I have a Ryobi and I cant fault it, Regards Frank.

I bought an 18V dewalt from the US on ebay. Cost me $100 after shipping. I also picked up a US charger and the people selling it included a 240/110 transformer for not much more.

eBay Seller: rubygirl92: Tools, Home items on eBay Australia

I did have to wait a while to get one at the right price as there were some people making silly bids.

Cheers, Steve

Well thanks for the suggestions everyone ...so the Ryobi might not be so bad to stick with after all.

I've got a Festool 12C. Fantastic bit of kit. Brushless motor, eccentric and angle chucks and a quick release system for the bits. Expensive though! Very well balanced too.

I have used them all also and still use my trusty old Makita.
We have just bought a kit of the new Lithium Hitachi.
Wow.
Full kit with 18v batteries and fast chargers. Circ saw, recipricating saw and drill/hammer plus safety light and carry bag.

$1200 from memory. Absolutely fantastic.
There is cheap and yes one can get a free replacement etc.
Where do they go, Landfill?

I think if we all started thinking more longterm and more repair and refurbish than we can all put less out as rubbish and less landfill and polution.
I am not a tree-hugger or nothing but lets face it, the original philosophy for land rover was to buy one car for life and when/if something was to fail, just unbolt and replace.

That was land-rover with a vision some years ago.

My ten cents worth.

Best of luck.