"Andy Hall" wrote in message
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On Thu, 4 Dec 2003 21:54:17 -0000, "IMM" wrote:



Since when have DIYers costed their time? Many are time rich, cash poor.

I certainly do and I am sure that a lot of other people do as well.

The equation is between the cost of having the work done and doing it
yourself including the cost of materials and the lifetime cost of the
tools.



It just struck me that the angle
drill is a: occasionally quite useful and b: not much more complex to
make than
a standard hammer drill. So why isn't anyone selling a "cheepy"?

Because the volume isn't there.

It soon will be. Every 6 months or so a new battery angle drill comes
onto
the market, with Ryobi the latest with am excellent deal. the only point
so
far is that you can't buy the angle drills separately. Maybe just an
initial launch promotion. At £114 it is worth getting just for the angle
drill alone and throwing away the 14.4 v drill/driver, when looking the
price of the competition.

I've tried this one out,

It is only new on the market. Where? when?

and I am sorry but it is nowhere near
Makita's quality and usability level.

No one is saying Makita is poor quality. The point is, the tool for intened
use, which is DIY in tis case. Nevertheless the Ryobi is good quality,
works well and does what it is supposed to do. If you assess the price of
the 14.4 v drill/driver as about the same as the angle drill, then that is
£57 for the angle drill, when Makita's are going for £170. That is approx
THREE times the price.

Kitchen fitters are now adopting angle
drill/drivers now, becoming a "must have" tool, like their sliding mitre
saws.

Nothing new there.

But thanks for all the response! I've always managed joists with a
standard
mains drill and a spade bit (sometimes in an extension). Now I really
can't
decide if I must have a mains angle drill for this, or whether I need
a
"big
name" battery drill, or whether I should wait for a Ferm!

You can always cut down a spade bit if you need to get into a tighter
space with one, but there are also short augers on the market which
work more easily.

I've bought several Makita battery drills and all have performed
faultlessly.

The only fault with them is the price. Well for occasional DIY anyhow.

As I say, one needs to look at the complete equation, not just the
initial price tag

Exactly!

I am waiting for a mains cheapy to come along for the amont of use I would
give one. All they are is angle grinder geared down, and you can buy them
for £12.



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