John Rumm wrote:
wrote:

I added this in response to coment on the first draft (needless to
say I
am not going to please everyone here)

For many it would seem to be a key motivation - certainly one that
will
push them in to more "serious" DIY (and hence choice of tool).

perhaps youre right (grudgingly


The prices of budget tools in recent years have fallen
dramatically.
majority of tools are manufactured in the far east and then
"branded"
for the eventual retailer.

redundant, snip

Don't think it is, in the sense that recognising the two classes of
tool
will immediatly tell you a fair bit about what you can expect.

that idea is covered below with the 3 headings, budget, midrange,
topend. But its your faq, not mine.


getting any after
sales service and spares for these tools can be difficult or
impossible.

but also not important, since a new tool is generally cheaper than
a
repair anyway. If I buy this type of tool I'm not expecting to get
it
repaired any day.


I will reply to this here, as several folks have mentioned it.

The assumption seems to be that service and support will only ever be

required should the tool break and need fixing. I think this is a too

narrow view.

What if I want to get a replacement rip fence for my circular saw? If
it
was a B&D or bosch it would be simple enough given a helpful
retailer.
For a shed special probably impossible. The argument that the tool is

cheap enough does not seem to hold water in this case.

ok. This can be said in one sentence.
Normally no replacement parts or repair are available for budget tools.


If you want the best and most knowledgeable advice
and after sales service you will need to seek out a dedicated tool
merchant.

seek out uk.d-i-y, much more knowledgeable and impartial. In most
cases.

True, but if they are reading the FAQ chances are they have found us,
or
will do shortly ;-)

yes, i spose my point was that they might think they need to run to a
tool merchant when really speaking to us will inform/confuse them
fairly thoroughly. I would pick ukdiy before a tool merchant anyway.


There are cases where a average quality tool purchased from an
above
average retailer will offer some of the benefits and after sales
care


that usually only comes with much higher price tools.


would you explain?

Axminster would be a good example... in that they will go the extra
mile
for customers. I would anticipate more luck getting a replacement rip

fence for one of their "white" circular saws than from B&Q for
example.

gotcha


Assuming you have dismissed hiring a tool,

that might be worth a paragraph actually, since it is often an
option
in peoples minds, though not one I'd often encourage.

What would you want to see it cover?

hmm... I guess just briefly the pros and cons of hire vs buy, and
really i think it needs to be honest, hire tools are the most
unreliable of all tool types.

Hi
+ high power trade quality tool
- highest incidence of duff or faulty tools and blades
- if the work goes over time, you usually pay more.
- 2 journeys for the tool instead of one
- significant deposit usually required


Buy:
- Lower cost less rugged tools
+ much more reliable
+ you keep the tool for other jobs, at no further cost
+/- In many cases, buying a new budget tool is cheaper than hiring, but
by no means all.

Check: compare prices, sometimes buying is the clear winner, sometimes
hiring is.


Yup, but could all be said in 2-3 lines.

Sure it could... then again we are not writing a text book here.

why else would they sell them? Even the stuff theyre hiring out can
be
like that.

True, sometimes it is a case they will replace a bunch of similar
tools
in one go - some will be better than others.

yep... I'd bet theyre replacing them for a reason though, ie too many
complaints.


Bear in mind if tempted, and many are, that megapacks of drill bits
bundled with tools can be junk in some cases.

Yup - worth adding somewhere I think

other groups, and spares and after sales service should be readily
available.


if sometimes pricey

If I want to buy new battey for a Makita drill it will be much the
same
cost as had I have bought it with the drill... If I want one for a
"challenge extreame" it will cost the same as a new drill and what is

more will come with one!

heh, yup


always, and much less. Its inevitable. Codless is a feature you
will
pay for. To make codless tools affordable, heavy compromises are
made.
They have to be. Codless tools are rated in volts instead of watts
precisely because they are not comparable, and they dont want to
tell
you how big the difference is. This is getting into what I'm
properly
qualified in.

Then you will know that it is quite easy to drain a well matched NiCd

pack at 2kW for example...

The trade of (on better tools) is between power and run time - you
can
have all the power you want if you don't mind a 5 min battery life

you could, but you usually dont get it.


Take a codless scerwdriver: expect a fraction of the power, far
lower

Not compared to a decent 18V high end tool. There is also the point
to
bear in mind that once it has enough torque to snap a 6" screw, more
is
not going to be of much practical use.

otoh a 2.4v screwdriver couldnt snap a 3mm thick 1" screw. Many readers
will be considering this sort of tool, because they know no better.


top speed in order to reclaim some of the lost torque, often cheap
plastic gears to trim the price, low duty cycle motor to trim
price,
and low duty cycle batteries.

Exactly what I would avoid budget cordless tools.

This isnt some personal pet issue, there is a big difference, and
the

There is also a huge difference between the worst and best of
bread...

yes, you seem to be thinking more of better quality kit with your
comments, me more of budget to midrange, which is what I expected most
faq readers to be considering. I guess this all needs explaining a bit
more then.

Somewhere in this, People do need to get just how limited low end
codless tools are. They can be a big disappointment.


mfrs try to disguise it as much as poss. You only need look at the
sizes of the motor in mains vs codless drill to realise just how
much
difference exists. Electronics is my subject.

The main thing a mains drill (for example) will give you over a top
end
cordless is endurance. If you want to run a wire brush for an hour
and a
half then mains is the way to go.

That certainly is a major difference. So is power. Just look at the
size of the motor. I tend to use mains drills for screwing if there are
many screws involved, as theyre far faster and have far more torque.
Both at the same time. You just can not get that with a little motor.


With all the comments in this thread, it will be a well honed faq I
think.


NT