"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
Following on from the frequent "discussions" that happen round these
parts regarding power tools and their selection, here is a first draft
of a potential FAQ section on power tool selection.

Please feel free to offer (constructive) criticism. Suggest any sections
you think I have missed, fill in any missing pros and cons, and (this
will be fun) add more brands to the categories at the end!

****

Choosing a power tool

Choice of power tool is a topic that comes up for discussion at regular
intervals on uk.d i y, which frequently generates long threads of
opinion and counter opinion! Much of this discussion seems to stem from
different peoples understanding of what "DIY" is all about, as well as
each person having often conflicting needs and expectations.

To help focus discussion, this section of the FAQ sets out some of the
various tool buying policies. If you use this to identify which
description most closely resembles your current need, you should be able
to solicit advice from the group that takes this need into
consideration, and will save you needing to wade through too many heated
debates!

What do *you* mean by DIY?

DIY will mean different things to different people. For some it will be
about saving money, for others it may be a relaxing hobby. It could be
as simple as occasionally erecting a shelf, or changing a tap washer.
For others it could be as elaborate as building your own house! It is
safe to say that the tool you purchase to with the expectation that it
will love in a cupboard for 362 days a year, may well be very different
to the one that with which you indulge your hobby of fine furniture
making five days a week. Hence before deciding on much else it is
advisable to decide on what level of use you anticipate making of the
tool.

Class of tool:

There is a huge variety of power tools available from the general
purpose to the highly specialised. Almost every DIY shop will not only
stock a selection of well know brands, they will often offer their own
range of "own brand" tools, and prices for similar looking tools can
range from as little as £5 to well over £500. Understanding the
manufacturing and distribution model for these tools can go a long way
to help understand this range.

Budget tools

At the cheaper end of the market, the majority of tools are manufactured
in the far east at low prices and then "branded" for the eventual
retailer. Tools in this category can often be purchased for very small
initial cost. Typically however since access to the original equipment
manufacturer (OEM) is limited, getting any after sales service and
spares for these tools can be difficult or impossible. Often the
retailer may offer more attractive warranty terms to mitigate some of
these limitations. So if a tool breaks during its warranty period, then
the retailer will simply replace it. However, after this time the tool
will need to be discarded and a replacement sought. Note also that you
may need to factor in the cost of your time should frequent trips to the
shop be needed to acquire a warranty replacement.

You make it sound as if all budget tools will fail after a year or so. 6
years ago I bought a £15 Power Devil to drill pilot holes so I would not be
changing drills. It still works.

6-7 years ago buying cheapo tools was a waste of money, now the
"price/performance" has moved from high end tools to the mid range: Wickes
(Kress) , Ryobi, etc. The quality of cheap tools has increased enormously.
The lower end of the mid range is highly cost effective if reasonable
quality is needed and the tools are infrequently used or bought for a
project, e.g., an extension. If high precision is needed, mitre saws,
routers, etc, then only some top end tools can fit the bill. Most jobs
don't require high precision.




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