mega_stream

After getting a Dewalt SDS Plus drill last week I'm now needing to get a collection of these tools, they are awesome.

Been looking at getting a cordless drill/driver DW928 to be exact, 14.4volt.
Any one used this or similar?
Also after cheap reliable online reseller.

Luke

DeWalt are all the rage at the moment. They took over Elu who made good tools.They are not as well made as they use to be.. Cheaper bearings ,motors and triggers etc....The best I have ever bought are "Craftman" from "SEARS" in America... Very good for the money.

boomer

Machine Mart have 'em at GBP164.44 - use that as a benchmark!

mb (who has a 996 and a 914, both from B&Q - but still no SDS )

Olly

We use lots of power tools, including Dewalt stuff, in our line of work and performances of different Dewalt products tend to blow hot and cold.

For instance, Dewalt SDS drills are belters, but Dewalt jigsaws are pants (Bosch is the daddy). Everyone loves the Dewalt plunge biscuiter at work, but Dewalt are the only company that produces the design we need, so we have no choice. The things rattle from new, and they blow up terminally every 18 months (the last one caught fire and quietly melted away. Very poor).

IMHO the Dewalt cordless drills are good, but not THAT good, as they are basically a mish-mash of Elu and Black & Decker components. In my job, a cordless is like another limb, and I have used and worn out many over the years.

Currently using a Hitachi 14.4v at the minute. 2Ah batteries last for ever between charges, comfy to use, bags of torque, not that heavy, and typical Jap reliability. Its a cracker, and eats the Dewalts, of which we are operating around 10 at work (mainly 12 volters). We have found Calders cheap. (www.caldertrade.co.uk)

Makita's are excellent, but pricier. We still have our first 9.6 volter (the L shaped one with the long battery in the handle). Its coming up for 20 years old and still going strong.

In short, if you wanna buy portable power tools for a proper job, stick to:

SDS: Dewalt
Jigsaw: Bosch
Router: Makita
Planer: Makita
Cordless: Makita or Hitachi
Sander: Makita
Biscuiter: Dewalt

All IMHO.


[Edited by Olly - 6/30/2002 11:04:37 PM]

Tim Bomford

The DeWalt stuff we use at work ie drills and the cordless screwdrivers all burn out really easily. Tend not to be powerful enough.

ian/555

I have got a DeWalt Circular Saw Kit and I am impressed with the cutting speed performance, the only downside is the battery life which did not seem to be holding a charge for very long, but this could of been down to not using it very often as it is hard to find jobs that warrent getting it out of the box.
Makita cordless drills get the big thumbs up from me also, I use a cordless one that I inherited from my father's collection of kit and he had it for as long as I can remember back. Probably about 20 years plus also.
I think I have got both Hitachi and Bosch SDS drills, bit hard to remember every tool as my dad had so many. Anyway I digress the Dewalt Circular Saw he picked up in the US when working out there, but he never purchased anything else made by them so perhaps the battery life/construction is not to good afterall.

mega_stream

Thanks for the replies, sounds like I'm better off with Makita or Hitachi then. Although to be honest I'm not using it nearly as much as you guys, maybe once a month for a bit of DIY here and there.

David_Wallis

Weve got a makita router and
the dewalt cordless that i used

www.machinemart.co.uk have a pretty good range.

David

CrisPDuk

I've got a DeWalt 14.4V cordless that I use for DIY at home and I think it is the dogs. The turnover of the same ones at work, where they are used continuously is horrendous, the switches burn out, the spindles bend, the cases disintegrate. In fact, I have recommended that we go over to the Hitachis like Olly's because I've used his and you can tell straight away that it is a better bit of kit. As Olly says typical japanese efficiency.

mega_stream

Thanks for the insider info

Just ordered a Makita from screwfix in the end

Adrian F

Makita are good Cordless units i have two that are 14 years old and i have 6 electricians working for me now each with Makita cordless and Bosch SDS. I also have a Dewalt cordless it lasted 13 months before the clutch went and the chuck. We have also used Elu SDS drills Motors burn out and these i think are now rebadged as Dewalt. Our trade suppliers stopped selling Dewalt as they said they had a lot of returns. A good drill for a trades man is critical but if it is DIY then maybe a cheaper unit is fine and just bin it every couple of years?

mega_stream

Noow thats what I call service

It arrived 9am this morning, just charging the batteries up now, looks like a serious bit of kit!