Dave Plowman wrote:


Cheap tools get nicked too. Thieves are rarely fussy.

Even if true, would you prefer to lose a 30 quid NuTool or a 300 quid
Makita?

If I worked on a building site, I'd engrave every part of my drill with
identification.

It'd still get nicked, by the low life that raid vans, sites etc, even
some boys on the tools cannot be trusted, though they take their chances
with future employment (and procreation)....

Niel.

Adrian Simpson wrote:

Thanks for the various follow ups. Plenty to think on there. I must
admit that Argos wasn't somewhere that I would have thought of as a
likely place for such tools.


Adrian

There's a 1500 watt 1/4", 8mm, 1/2" router (JCB iirc) going for 40 quid
at the moment, thats not bad value for the money! I'm also tempted by
the sawzall at 35 quid, again branded JCB...If the blades are long
enough for chopping 4x2's the thick way.

I don't think this one has been aired for a while, and since the options
seem to vary with time, I hope you don't mind me bringing the topic up
again.

I'm looking at buying a SDS drill, bottom end of the range, as it will
only be used for domestic work. Looking through the Screwfix catalogue,
the options seem fairly wide, in the 2Kg range we seem to have 4
different models all offering broadly the same features and performance,
however power ratings vary from 600 to 780w, and prices range from £90
to £140. So what does the jury think, should I go for the Erbauer,
Bosch, DeWalt or Makita ?.

Any other advice for an SDS novice appreciated.


TIA

Adrian
--
To Reply :
replace "news" with "adrian" and "nospam" with "ffoil"
Sorry for the rigmarole, If I want spam, I'll go to the shops
Every time someone says "I don't believe in trolls", another one dies.

"Adrian Simpson" wrote in message
...
I don't think this one has been aired for a while, and since the options
seem to vary with time, I hope you don't mind me bringing the topic up
again.

I'm looking at buying a SDS drill, bottom end of the range, as it will
only be used for domestic work. Looking through the Screwfix catalogue,
the options seem fairly wide, in the 2Kg range we seem to have 4
different models all offering broadly the same features and performance,
however power ratings vary from 600 to 780w, and prices range from £90
to £140. So what does the jury think, should I go for the Erbauer,
Bosch, DeWalt or Makita ?.

Any other advice for an SDS novice appreciated.


TIA

Adrian
--
To Reply :
replace "news" with "adrian" and "nospam" with "ffoil"
Sorry for the rigmarole, If I want spam, I'll go to the shops
Every time someone says "I don't believe in trolls", another one dies.

Look on your news server for my post on 25 Sept titled "Which SDS?", I got a
lot of help before choosing the Makita. Yet to put it to serious use, but
happy with my decision.

Colin M

On Sun, 2 Nov 2003 17:01:31 +0000, Adrian Simpson
wrote:

I'm looking at buying a SDS drill, bottom end of the range, as it will
only be used for domestic work. Looking through the Screwfix catalogue,
the options seem fairly wide, in the 2Kg range we seem to have 4
different models all offering broadly the same features and performance,
however power ratings vary from 600 to 780w, and prices range from £90
to £140. So what does the jury think, should I go for the Erbauer,
Bosch, DeWalt or Makita ?.

I can't comment on the types listed, but I wonder whether if it is
intended only for domestic use you might be better considering one of
the heavier lumps? These lighter jobbies are good for tradesmen who
are drilling holes all day long, but a bit of overkill for occasional
domestic use.

I bought a Homebase special several months ago and it probably weighs
about 5Kg - which is heavy if you are going to be holding it aloft for
a while.

However it does me just fine for the occasional elevated drilling. I
do use it occasionally in a "professional" sense, but it's not as if
it is up high every day for hours on end. The other thing is that an
SDS drill cuts into brickwork like a hot knife through butter, so it
tends to be used for a couple of seconds at a time - literally.

If you haven't used an SDS before and are comparing its potential use
with a regular domestic-type hammer drill, forget it - the difference
in drilling holes in brickwork is very significant indeed, and
especially where hard bricks are concerned.

You can get the heavier lumps for about £30 now - and that would leave
you with £100 or more to spend on other tools which might be used more
frequently.

PoP

"Adrian Simpson" wrote in message
...
I don't think this one has been aired for a while, and since the options
seem to vary with time, I hope you don't mind me bringing the topic up
again.

I'm looking at buying a SDS drill, bottom end of the range,

Nutool 800w with roto stop and tools
£29.99 Woolworths + 5 year warranty

On Sun, 2 Nov 2003 17:01:31 +0000, Adrian Simpson
wrote:

I don't think this one has been aired for a while, and since the options
seem to vary with time, I hope you don't mind me bringing the topic up
again.

I'm looking at buying a SDS drill, bottom end of the range, as it will
only be used for domestic work. Looking through the Screwfix catalogue,
the options seem fairly wide, in the 2Kg range we seem to have 4
different models all offering broadly the same features and performance,
however power ratings vary from 600 to 780w, and prices range from £90
to £140. So what does the jury think, should I go for the Erbauer,
Bosch, DeWalt or Makita ?.

Any other advice for an SDS novice appreciated.


TIA

Adrian

Broke my Bosch one so bought the DeWalt one. ;-)

Wouldn't be without either one. :-)

Mark S.

"Adrian Simpson" wrote in message
...
I don't think this one has been aired for a while, and since the options
seem to vary with time, I hope you don't mind me bringing the topic up
again.

I'm looking at buying a SDS drill, bottom end of the range, as it will
only be used for domestic work. Looking through the Screwfix catalogue,
the options seem fairly wide, in the 2Kg range we seem to have 4
different models all offering broadly the same features and performance,
however power ratings vary from 600 to 780w, and prices range from £90
to £140. So what does the jury think, should I go for the Erbauer,
Bosch, DeWalt or Makita ?.

Any other advice for an SDS novice appreciated.


TIA

Adrian
--

Go to Makro and get any of the cheap NuTool brand ones. Should be about £30
plus VAT and will come with case and some bits.

The useful thing is to look for 'roto-stop' so you could use it for
chiselling should you wish.

NuTool have proved to be good power tools with me. I had an SDS drill break
on me last week, due partly to mis-use. I bought it 17 months ago and it
has seen some heavy use. I took it back to Makro and then refunded without
question on the 2 year guarantee, so I bought a later model for £20 less.

Some will say to pay more for these tools, but I will happily replace them
frequently at these prices, especially since tools seem to get mislaid or
stolen often. Frankly, I think a two year guarantee is worth that nowadays.
Bargain. Screwfix offer the Ferm brand with a 3 year guarantee. Let's hope
we see more of this.

In article ,
Adrian Simpson wrote:
I'm looking at buying a SDS drill, bottom end of the range, as it will
only be used for domestic work. Looking through the Screwfix catalogue,
the options seem fairly wide, in the 2Kg range we seem to have 4
different models all offering broadly the same features and performance,
however power ratings vary from 600 to 780w, and prices range from £90
to £140.

Those are nearer top of the range these days. Prices start from about 30
quid now. I've no direct experience of the cheapies, though, but they
might well be ok if a little heavy.

I've had good service out of my DeWalt, which when bought about 5 years
ago was near the bottom of the range. Others have had problems, though.

--
*Strip mining prevents forest fires.

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

I'm looking at buying a SDS drill, bottom end of the range,

For occasional DIY use, nothing beats the NuTool. It is so cheap, that you
can regard it as disposible. Mine still works after several years. I even
know several builders who use them. They'd rather have one of these (which
works fine) than an expensive model that gets half inched off the building
site within a week.

Christian.

Christian McArdle wrote in message
.. .
I'm looking at buying a SDS drill, bottom end of the range,

For occasional DIY use, nothing beats the NuTool. It is so cheap, that you
can regard it as disposible. Mine still works after several years. I even
know several builders who use them. They'd rather have one of these (which
works fine) than an expensive model that gets half inched off the building
site within a week.
I have the JCB/Argos which has sat in its box after 3 hours of use on the
first day. What do people actually use them for? Drilling into lintels? Yes.
Removing tiles? Quicker with a bolster and hammer. Breaking concrete? Forget
that if it's anything over an inch thick. My neighbour wanted to borrow mine
the other day to take his concrete drive up. I gave him a club hammer and
wrecking bar instead and he did the whole thing in a day.

In article ,
Christian McArdle wrote:
They'd rather have one of these (which works fine) than an expensive
model that gets half inched off the building site within a week.

Cheap tools get nicked too. Thieves are rarely fussy.

--
*It is wrong to ever split an infinitive *

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

Cheap tools get nicked too. Thieves are rarely fussy.

Even if true, would you prefer to lose a 30 quid NuTool or a 300 quid
Makita?

Christian.

Removing tiles? Quicker with a bolster and hammer.

I disagree. When removing tiles, my chisel and hammer was taking 2 minutes
per tile and reducing them to shards embedded in lumps of adhesive. With the
SDS chisel, each tile popped off complete and almost undamaged in
approximately 2 seconds per tile.

Christian.

The cheap and hefty generic types are not much good for sinking a 5.5mm hole
for a rawlplug, they're just too brutish, and a bit of a liability if up a
ladder fixing the guttering. There is no speed control, no clutch, require
grease, and seem designed to burn out their brushes. (Why else would spares
be included?)

If I was choosing again I would pick something like the Bosch PBH2200RE (£95
at Argos so it would be easy to sample & includes bits), or the GBH2-20SRE
£90 at Screwfix.

--
Toby. (DeWalt566, PPro 5kg/800w, Bosch PSB24VE-2)

'One day son, all this will be finished'

stuart noble wrote
I have the JCB/Argos which has sat in its box after 3 hours of use on the
first day. What do people actually use them for? Drilling into lintels? Yes.
Removing tiles? Quicker with a bolster and hammer. Breaking concrete? Forget
that if it's anything over an inch thick. My neighbour wanted to borrow mine
the other day to take his concrete drive up. I gave him a club hammer and
wrecking bar instead and he did the whole thing in a day.

I bought one recently (cheapie Argos) after the new garage was
completed, I had all the electrical sockets, shelves, brackets, hooks
etc to fit. Drilled around 200 holes - it must have saved me hours of
work.

I might rarely use it in future but IMO it was worth the £35

--
Shaun Robertson
Sheffield, UK
http://www.srobertson.net

In article ,
Christian McArdle wrote:
Cheap tools get nicked too. Thieves are rarely fussy.

Even if true, would you prefer to lose a 30 quid NuTool or a 300 quid
Makita?

Well, I buy tools to use and hopefully enjoy, not have them stolen. So I'm
not the person to ask.

I'd get awfully bored and tired using one of those clodhoppers all day
rather than my DeWalt, though.

If I worked on a building site, I'd engrave every part of my drill with
identification.

--
*You are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

On Mon, 3 Nov 2003 14:45:22 -0000, "Toby"
wrote:

The cheap and hefty generic types are not much good for sinking a 5.5mm hole
for a rawlplug, they're just too brutish, and a bit of a liability if up a
ladder fixing the guttering. There is no speed control, no clutch, require
grease, and seem designed to burn out their brushes. (Why else would spares
be included?)

I think the specification for replacement brushes is something like 50
hours of use - I read a figure somewhere anyway, and it wasn't 10
minutes.

50 hours use for a domestic user is likely to translate to years of
ownership, unless they are doing a full scale demolition job or
something. It takes literally seconds to hammer holes into the hardest
of brick. And if they are doing some major work then the higher price
would be more sensible, but wouldn't fit the "domestic" category
anyway.

Being a liability up a ladder is fair enough, but guttering tends to
be fixed to woodwork rather than brick (if we are talking about the
guttering mounted on the eaves). So you wouldn't use an SDS for that
job, more likely a small rechargeable drill.

If you are fixing down pipes and the like these would be fixed to
brickwork. But downpipes tend to have only 2-3 fixing points so it's
hardly a big deal.

PoP

In article , Adrian Simpson
writes
I don't think this one has been aired for a while, and since the options
seem to vary with time, I hope you don't mind me bringing the topic up
again.



Thanks for the various follow ups. Plenty to think on there. I must
admit that Argos wasn't somewhere that I would have thought of as a
likely place for such tools.


Adrian
--
To Reply :
replace "news" with "adrian" and "nospam" with "ffoil"
Sorry for the rigmarole, If I want spam, I'll go to the shops
Every time someone says "I don't believe in trolls", another one dies.

On Mon, 3 Nov 2003 13:14:18 -0000, "stuart noble"
wrote:


Christian McArdle wrote in message
. ..
I'm looking at buying a SDS drill, bottom end of the range,

For occasional DIY use, nothing beats the NuTool. It is so cheap, that you
can regard it as disposible. Mine still works after several years. I even
know several builders who use them. They'd rather have one of these (which
works fine) than an expensive model that gets half inched off the building
site within a week.
I have the JCB/Argos which has sat in its box after 3 hours of use on the
first day. What do people actually use them for? Drilling into lintels? Yes.
Removing tiles? Quicker with a bolster and hammer. Breaking concrete? Forget
that if it's anything over an inch thick. My neighbour wanted to borrow mine
the other day to take his concrete drive up. I gave him a club hammer and
wrecking bar instead and he did the whole thing in a day.


I think it's the use you know you are going to get from it that
decides the price in my point.
I have a full house to strip and refurbish from top to bottom plus the
gardens and drive so the extra spent on a bigger brand tool makes
sense in the longterm.

I bought a cheap chop saw from Screwfix which no longer cuts straight
- spindles bent on motor I think will be sent back when I get time. I
bought a 18V cordless Bosch drill three years ago and it's as good as
the day I bought it, same with the jigsaw and orbital sander and
believe me I've hammered the crap out of them. :-)

On the other hand had I moved into a less shoddy house I'd have
perhaps managed without the SDS knowing it wouldn't be used enough to
warrant the price.

Mark S.

On Mon, 3 Nov 2003 13:14:18 -0000, stuart noble wrote:

I have the JCB/Argos which has sat in its box after 3 hours of use
on the first day. What do people actually use them for?

I take it you live in a modern house where the hardest material used
in construction is the timber? This house is random stone and I mean
that both in the construction method and the stone used. Some is nice
relatively soft(*) sandstone and limestone but there is the odd lump
of granite.


(*) Still makes a ordinary hammer drill think even with a 5 or 6mm
hole. The SDS, brrrrwwp hole done.

Removing tiles? Quicker with a bolster and hammer.

Maybe but less tiring than swinging a lump hammer.

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

wrote in message
...
There's a 1500 watt 1/4", 8mm, 1/2" router (JCB iirc) going for 40 quid
at the moment, thats not bad value for the money! I'm also tempted by
the sawzall at 35 quid, again branded JCB...If the blades are long
enough for chopping 4x2's the thick way.


I am also tempted by this router. I would like a 1/2" jobbie for the
occasional DIY use, I already have a 1/4" one but sometimes it's not 'meaty'
enough! Anybody had any experience with JCB tools or is it just rebadged
Far Eastern stuff?

TIA

John

I reported on my experience here previously. In one week I
went through four NuTool SDS drills.

Odd. Mine works just fine. Could have been a bad batch. Each one you took
back getting replaced by an identically faulty model.

The rotostop doesn't work properly, engage rotostop and the tool
is free to rotate. Bloody useless if one is trying to remove tiles.

Again, no sign of this on mine.

Christian.

"Toby" wrote in message ...
The cheap and hefty generic types are not much good for sinking a 5.5mm hole
for a rawlplug, they're just too brutish
:
If I was choosing again I would pick something like the Bosch PBH2200RE (£95
at Argos
:

FWIW I bought a cheap hefty B&Q generic type for £30, which went
through walls with no problem at all.
Right through, several times, leaving impressive conical exit wounds.
Mostly my stupidity in trying to use long frame fixings in
single-thickness walls, shattering the untypical-for-Cambridge soft
red bricks as the bit got near the other side. But it's not
particularly subtle - you have to push the bit back into the springy
chuck until the hammer can reach it, and then it just blasts through.
So just got the Bosch at Argos, down to £85 + £5 voucher (new ranges
of both green & blue Bosch reaching shops now). Is it "discretion" or
"variable speed control" which is the better part of valour?
Al

There's a 1500 watt 1/4", 8mm, 1/2" router (JCB iirc) going for 40 quid
at the moment, thats not bad value for the money! I'm also tempted by
the sawzall at 35 quid, again branded JCB...If the blades are long
enough for chopping 4x2's the thick way.

Who is behind the JCB brand, apart from the obvious? Anyone know if they
are any good?

Also, I must be missing something because I have never felt the need to buy
a router. Is there some job that they get used for that I am overlooking,
perhaps?

Rob

--
Tel. 07010 703 702

Replace SPAM with ORG to reply

"Christian McArdle" wrote in message
t...
I reported on my experience here previously. In one week I
went through four NuTool SDS drills.

Odd. Mine works just fine. Could have been a bad batch. Each one you took
back getting replaced by an identically faulty model.

The rotostop doesn't work properly, engage rotostop and the tool
is free to rotate. Bloody useless if one is trying to remove tiles.

Again, no sign of this on mine.

Christian.


I agree that you must have had a bad one. True that the rotostop is not the
best but I have had extremely good experience with NuTool.

It is also interesting that they give a 2 year guarantee when brands
costing several times the NuTool price only offer 12 months.

Rob

--
Tel. 07010 703 702

Replace SPAM with ORG to reply

Kalico wrote:

There's a 1500 watt 1/4", 8mm, 1/2" router (JCB iirc) going for 40 quid
at the moment, thats not bad value for the money! I'm also tempted by
the sawzall at 35 quid, again branded JCB...If the blades are long
enough for chopping 4x2's the thick way.

Who is behind the JCB brand, apart from the obvious?

Alba/Goodmans handle it, but the trademark is JCB's.

Anyone know if they are any good?

Average stuff from what I've seen, but the pricing is better than average at
the moment.


Also, I must be missing something because I have never felt the need to buy
a router. Is there some job that they get used for that I am overlooking,
perhaps?

Depends on what your into....

Niel, at work.

Shaun Robertson wrote:

stuart noble wrote
I have the JCB/Argos which has sat in its box after 3 hours of use on the
first day. What do people actually use them for? Drilling into lintels? Yes.
Removing tiles? Quicker with a bolster and hammer. Breaking concrete? Forget
that if it's anything over an inch thick. My neighbour wanted to borrow mine
the other day to take his concrete drive up. I gave him a club hammer and
wrecking bar instead and he did the whole thing in a day.

I bought one recently (cheapie Argos) after the new garage was
completed, I had all the electrical sockets, shelves, brackets, hooks
etc to fit. Drilled around 200 holes - it must have saved me hours of
work.

I might rarely use it in future but IMO it was worth the £35

This thread came up in time for me to decide what SDS drill to get. I
looked at the Argos site and their drill is rated at 1000w and was
£29.99. Placed an order online which was reserved at my local store
(easier for me than delivery). I picked it up late this afternoon.

Impressions? Its big and its heavy. But for £30?

I'm about to start putting in new electric boxs for TV, telephone and
networking. I'm adding some lights to the walls and I may just get
rid of the horrible tiles in the kitchen.

So if it helps out on all those tasks then it'll be a bargin. If it
breaks with two years I'll take it back.

Did I mention it's heavy?



--
Big Tim
RD400E, Bandit 12, XR400R (in length of service order)
Currently having "More Time than Tasks"

Big Tim wrote
This thread came up in time for me to decide what SDS drill to get. I
looked at the Argos site and their drill is rated at 1000w and was
£29.99. Placed an order online which was reserved at my local store
(easier for me than delivery). I picked it up late this afternoon.

Impressions? Its big and its heavy. But for £30?

Heavy isn't it?

I'm about to start putting in new electric boxs for TV, telephone and
networking. I'm adding some lights to the walls and I may just get
rid of the horrible tiles in the kitchen.

I asked in an earlier thread as I found it so powerful that it tended to
take a hefty chunk out of the surface, so I'll pass on the hints and add
what worked for me.

Drill the first 5mm with a normal hammer drill.

Then use the SDS, at right angles and making firm contact with the wall.

If you're drilling all the way through, it will make a hefty exit hole
too, so best to finish off with a standard hammer drill too.

--
Shaun Robertson
Sheffield, UK
http://www.srobertson.net

In message ,
Big Tim wrote:

Shaun Robertson wrote:

stuart noble wrote
I have the JCB/Argos which has sat in its box after 3 hours of use on the
first day. What do people actually use them for? Drilling into lintels? Yes.
Removing tiles? Quicker with a bolster and hammer. Breaking concrete? Forget
that if it's anything over an inch thick. My neighbour wanted to borrow mine
the other day to take his concrete drive up. I gave him a club hammer and
wrecking bar instead and he did the whole thing in a day.

I bought one recently (cheapie Argos) after the new garage was
completed, I had all the electrical sockets, shelves, brackets, hooks
etc to fit. Drilled around 200 holes - it must have saved me hours of
work.

I might rarely use it in future but IMO it was worth the £35

This thread came up in time for me to decide what SDS drill to get. I
looked at the Argos site and their drill is rated at 1000w and was
£29.99. Placed an order online which was reserved at my local store
(easier for me than delivery). I picked it up late this afternoon.

Impressions? Its big and its heavy. But for £30?

I'm about to start putting in new electric boxs for TV, telephone and
networking. I'm adding some lights to the walls and I may just get
rid of the horrible tiles in the kitchen.

So if it helps out on all those tasks then it'll be a bargin. If it
breaks with two years I'll take it back.

Did I mention it's heavy?


Yeah, 7.9kg! Just bought one of these too - it still said £35 in the
catalogue so I was pleased to see it at £30 on the till! Focus had what
appeared to be the same Challenge model at £50. I also have a Makita,
which is *very* nice, but bought this one as I have some heavy
dismantling to do which I didn't want to chance with the Mak. Thoughts:

It has two little selectors for hammer on/off and rotate on/off. Wierd,
but also dangerous - the switch (near the front of the machine) which
stops the rotation has several times spontaneously clicked back into
rotation mode, right in the middle of chiselling. Not so bad with a
pointy chisel, but a right wrist-wrencher with a flat chisel of any sort.
AFAICT is has no clutch - the Mak does, which helps when you get stuck
down a hole.

The first one (I'm on number two at the moment) "exploded" after about
2 hours on the job - no more than 45 or 50 minutes real use. The chuck
fell apart, and a vital part of it went missing in all the debris so
that tools no longer clicked into place. Of course, Argos swapped it
with no questions, but it was a round-trip to the shop I shouldn't have
had to make. I check this one every ten minutes or so.

The lead is too short! I'm dismantling a chimney breast and I have to
have an extension lead up the ladder with me in order to reach the three
or four courses of bricks nearest the ceiling.

It takes a lot of pressure for the hammer action to "kick in". Not sure
why, but it makes chiselling a longer job than need be.

Other than that, well worth £30 IMO. Ok, it doesn't reverse and is
single speed, but 1000W can be very useful. I bought it as a disposable
to get rid of this chimney for me, and even if I'm on number 4 or 5 by
the time I've finished, I reckon I'll have saved a fair bit of
wear-and-tear on my Makita. Oh, and I'll have built a fair set of biceps
too :-)

Hwyl!

M.

--
Martin Angove: http://www.tridwr.demon.co.uk/
Don't fight technology, live with it: http://www.livtech.co.uk/
.... 'E's an 'alibut.

Martin Angove wrote:

In message ,
Big Tim wrote:

SDS Drills at Argos

Yeah, 7.9kg! Just bought one of these too - it still said £35 in the
catalogue so I was pleased to see it at £30 on the till! Focus had what
appeared to be the same Challenge model at £50. I also have a Makita,
which is *very* nice, but bought this one as I have some heavy
dismantling to do which I didn't want to chance with the Mak. Thoughts:

It has two little selectors for hammer on/off and rotate on/off. Wierd,
but also dangerous - the switch (near the front of the machine) which
stops the rotation has several times spontaneously clicked back into
rotation mode, right in the middle of chiselling. Not so bad with a
pointy chisel, but a right wrist-wrencher with a flat chisel of any sort.
AFAICT is has no clutch - the Mak does, which helps when you get stuck
down a hole.

Usage tips noted


The first one (I'm on number two at the moment) "exploded" after about
2 hours on the job - no more than 45 or 50 minutes real use. The chuck
fell apart, and a vital part of it went missing in all the debris so
that tools no longer clicked into place. Of course, Argos swapped it
with no questions, but it was a round-trip to the shop I shouldn't have
had to make. I check this one every ten minutes or so.


My local Argos is 15 mins tops from my house, so swapping them (if
needed) is't much of a problem.


The lead is too short! I'm dismantling a chimney breast and I have to
have an extension lead up the ladder with me in order to reach the three
or four courses of bricks nearest the ceiling.

I noticed that as well while I was checking the drill and contents
out.


It takes a lot of pressure for the hammer action to "kick in". Not sure
why, but it makes chiselling a longer job than need be.

Other than that, well worth £30 IMO. Ok, it doesn't reverse and is
single speed, but 1000W can be very useful. I bought it as a disposable
to get rid of this chimney for me, and even if I'm on number 4 or 5 by
the time I've finished, I reckon I'll have saved a fair bit of
wear-and-tear on my Makita. Oh, and I'll have built a fair set of biceps
too :-)


My thought as well. It also sounds like I'll save on the Gym subs as
well :-) so it's even more of a bargain.

Now, what shall I use to practice on tomorrow...


--
Big Tim
RD400E, Bandit 12, XR400R (in length of service order)
Currently having "More Time than Tasks"

In article ,
Shaun Robertson ] wrote:
I asked in an earlier thread as I found it so powerful that it tended to
take a hefty chunk out of the surface, so I'll pass on the hints and add
what worked for me.

Drill the first 5mm with a normal hammer drill.

Then use the SDS, at right angles and making firm contact with the wall.

If you're drilling all the way through, it will make a hefty exit hole
too, so best to finish off with a standard hammer drill too.

Why not just use the SDS drill with the hammer action switched off to
finish - and/or start? I do this with mine to get a more accurate start,
and at very low speed.

--
*It's o.k. to laugh during sexŒ.Œ.just don't point!

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

On Tue, 04 Nov 2003 22:52:02 GMT, Big Tim wrote:

My local Argos is 15 mins tops from my house, so swapping them (if
needed) is't much of a problem.

Thats fine , if they have stock... By the time you've returned a
broken one 3 or 4 times they might be out of stock. Check the stock
level machine next time your passing... B-)

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

Dave Plowman wrote
Shaun Robertson wrote:
Drill the first 5mm with a normal hammer drill.

Then use the SDS, at right angles and making firm contact with the wall.

If you're drilling all the way through, it will make a hefty exit hole
too, so best to finish off with a standard hammer drill too.

Why not just use the SDS drill with the hammer action switched off to
finish - and/or start? I do this with mine to get a more accurate start,
and at very low speed.

With hammer off I found it useless, much easier to use my other drill
which at least has *some* hammer action. I tended to start off each
hole with my hammer drill (9 shelves, 3 brackets each, 3 holes per
bracket = 81 holes to drill one morning), then put away my old drill and
get the SDS out to "finish them off". Loads of fun, took no time.

--
Shaun Robertson
Sheffield, UK
http://www.srobertson.net

Dave Liquorice wrote:

On Tue, 04 Nov 2003 22:52:02 GMT, Big Tim wrote:

My local Argos is 15 mins tops from my house, so swapping them (if
needed) is't much of a problem.

Thats fine , if they have stock... By the time you've returned a
broken one 3 or 4 times they might be out of stock. Check the stock
level machine next time your passing... B-)

Good point.

However I can always use the web-site to check stock levels before
leaving the house.

--
Big Tim
RD400E, Bandit 12, XR400R (in length of service order)
Currently having "More Time than Tasks"

Kalico wrote:

Also, I must be missing something because I have never felt the need to buy
a router. Is there some job that they get used for that I am overlooking,
perhaps?

To an extent it is a case of until you have one, you don't spot all the
opportunities to use it... a bit like why does a dog lick his balls?
Because he can! ;-)

I think the biggest single use I put my routers to is edge finishing -
e.g. adding rounded over edges on shelves etc. After that comes jointing
and channeling.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

Toby wrote:

If I was choosing again I would pick something like the Bosch PBH2200RE (£95
at Argos so it would be easy to sample & includes bits)

Reduced to £85 now on their web site. I think one for my shopping list.

-Duncan

Shaun Robertson wrote:
[ SDS drills, drilling through walls ]
I asked in an earlier thread as I found it so powerful that it
tended to take a hefty chunk out of the surface, so I'll pass
on the hints and add what worked for me.

Drill the first 5mm with a normal hammer drill.

Then use the SDS, at right angles and making firm contact
with the wall.

If you're drilling all the way through, it will make a hefty exit
hole too, so best to finish off with a standard hammer drill too.

It's always best to drill a small pilot hole first, then you can go
most of the way through, and finish off from outside.

be !
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