Best Low Priced Tool you have Bought

[paulkane1]

I would like to know from Forum Members,if they have went for the mid -ranged priced ,or,lower priced tools,and found that they surprised by the quality of the tool? I am talking about ,Routers, Drills,all kinds of Saws, Jointers etc,I would like whatever product is recommened,that it is still avialable to buy at present.The price of the big name company's tools,are out of my reach,no doubt,they are great tools,and I would love to own them,but,I'm hoping there is reasonable priced tools ,that have surprised many owners,of their quality.

Yours Kindly Paul

 

[RogerBoyle]

1. Chisel sets from Aldi/Lidl............. £7
2. Silverline brad nailer compressor driven fires brads up to 63mm now on its 8th year......£33
3. Clarke first fix nail gun compressor driven Mainly used now as a standby gun or for roofing ...... £58
4. Wood drill bits from Screwfix ........... £40 http://www.screwfix.com/p/wood-drill-bi ... 5-pc/75037


All were bought from new and they are all still going strong and all are used in a trade environment

 

[paulkane1]

1. Chisel sets from Aldi/Lidl............. £7
2. Silverline brad nailer compressor driven fires brads up to 63mm now on its 8th year......£33
3. Clarke first fix nail gun compressor driven Mainly used now as a standby gun or for roofing ...... £58
4. Wood drill bits from Screwfix ........... £40 http://www.screwfix.com/p/wood-drill-bi ... 5-pc/75037


All were bought from new and they are all still going strong and all are used in a trade environment

Thanks for your replye

 

[goldeneyedmonkey]

Multi tool from Aldi. £30. Obviously doesn't get used a great deal, but it has paid for itself over and over again when needed. Also got a magnetic reaching device thing, with an LED on it for when you have dropped stuff down a cavity etc. Very useful.

Cheers _Dan.

 

[Fergal]

Cheap stuff I've bought which has been better than expected:

Aldi F clamps
Aldi arc welder (£20)
Aldi small circular saw (£20)
Lidl vacuum (£35)
Lidl small pillar drill (£50)
Titan planer/thicknesser (£130 from Screwfix)
Set of 3 Japanese saws from Rutlands (£50)
UJK pocket hole jig (£60 from Axminster)
B&D mouse sander (£3 from car boot)
Various old planes & chisels from car boots

 

[Rhossydd]

Recent stuff from Lidl/Adli chisels, clamps, rechargeable multi tool, digital calliper have all been better than expected.
Other that that most other cheap stuff over the years has failed. I couldn't give an example of any low end kit I've bought in the last 40 years still being worth recommending.

It might seem a cliché, but buying the best kit really does save money in the long term, as well as being nicer to use and often more productive immediately.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Aldi chisels and F clamps.

 

[Paul200]

Up until 2 years ago I owned a small tool shop in Somerset and the only advice I would ever give to my customers without fear or favour was to buy the best you could afford. There's a reason why tools are pitched at the price they are. Rhossydd is so right - cheap tools can be a real let-down to use - the quality is just not there, they don't 'feel right', they don't last, no spares are available and, well, I could go on but (another cliché) 'you get what you pay for' really does apply here.

If I had the choice between a new 'cheap' tool or a used but 'known brand' tool I know which way I'd go.

 

[Woodchips2]

Setting out pins from Am Tech https://www.amtechtools.com/ProductDeta ... yout-Tools. Great for marking out where you need accurate spacing of two fixings and cheap as chips.

Regards Keith

 

[mailee]

My top cheapie tool has to be the Parkside electric planer I bought from Lidl many years ago which is still going strong. Second in line is the Power Pro SDS drill that cost £45 over 5 years ago which is still working well and has had a hard life. Or the lidl wet and dry vac with a power take off which has just stopped working after 4 years that cost £50. (it is just the power take off that has failed but the vac still works)

 

[dzj]

Sure, buy the best you can afford.
On the other hand, if it's for a one-off job or something you rarely do, you can stray from this adage a bit.
Within reason, most power tools built these days would do.

 

[Rhossydd]

the lidl wet and dry vac with a power take off which has just stopped working after 4 years

You consider that good ? or even acceptable ?

I bought a Rowenta (hardly a prestige brand) wet and dry vacuum when I bought my first flat back in 1983, it's still working fine with almost daily use since then.
The items of Elu kit I bought back then are all still working fine as are; Freud biscuit jointer, Tyme lathe, Startrite bandsaw, Kity PT, DeWalt RAS......
That's what I think of as decent life spans for an electrical item, not one year out of guarantee.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I was brought up on the "buy the best, if not the best, the best you can afford" theory, but it doesn't ring true in all circumstances now. For planes etc. it makes sense, but all the masonry I've ever needed to cut (inc. a large patio) has been cut with two diamond discs costing £11 between them. Was there any real point in spending £100 on a pair of Nortons? I doubt it. If I were buying them to use all day every day or to leave to my children I'd look at it differently.
I sometimes wonder if the guiding principle would be better if it were "always avoid mid range tools"?

 

[Mark A]

Was there any real point in spending £100 on a pair of Nortons? I doubt it. If I were buying them to use all day every day or to leave to my children I'd look at it differently.

"To my children I leave two old worn diamond discs"

I'm sure they'd really appreciate the gesture!

 

[goldeneyedmonkey]

I usually buy towards the higher end of the market. But as said above, if it's something I use infrequently I don't mind trying something less expensive. Case in point my Aldi Oscilating Multi Tool only really gets used maybe twice per week. I could have spent £200 odd on a Fein like most seem to, if I was a plumber or sparky maybe I would have done. But I'd rather not pay the extra £170 if I don't have to. That can now go on another tool that will get a lot more use.

I don't think you have to spend as much as you possibly can to get something that meets your requirements, it's generally directly proportional(ish) to how often you use it. I've bought plenty of higher end tools in a used/ 2nd hand condition and they are still going strong. I would go down that route if I was restricted on price if I was in your position.

Makita Plunge Saw and tracks etc - £250 (original rrp approx £350)
Metabo 305mm mitre saw and stand £200 (original rrp approx £600-£700)

Both the above were bought from other members and they had only done 1 or 2 jobs and I saved a packet as they were in mint condition. So keep your eyes peeled on the forums wherever possible.


Cheers _Dan.

 

[Richard S]

Swiss Army knife, I've had several over the years, get used every day, never break but eventually they get lost. Current one is a Festool logo'd one but they are always manufactured by Victorinox, best twelve quid or so I ever spend.

 

[Bodgers]

Another vote for the Titan planer/thicknesser from Screwfix (It costs £150 now).

If you are going to get one of these cheap brush motor combo planers, you may as well buy this one because it's the cheapest and most powerful. Only the fence really lets it down.

 

[heimlaga]

I bought two cheap chineese sledge hammers once...... and surprise.... both of them actually work!
My Eastman wrenches have also proven to be pretty good.

Most other cheap far east tools I have bought over the years have proven to be wasted money.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Swiss Army knife, I've had several over the years, get used every day, never break but eventually they get lost. Current one is a Festool logo'd one but they are always manufactured by Victorinox, best twelve quid or so I ever spend.

I was given an actual Swiss army issue knife by my bil who had visited a good friend in Switzerland and I was amazed how much better made it was than the ones we buy. They were made by Wenger as well, but they were bought out by Victorinox in 2005.

 

[woodfarmer]

I have come to realise that the link between price and quality is no where near as strong as it used to be.
Two summers ago I thought I would treat myself to a Botche chainsaw. Unusable and unsafe. In response I tracked down the name of the 12 year old "cheapie" chainsaw that it tried to replace, To my surprise I discovered the company was not Chinese but German. More to the point they are still in business. Oddly yesterday I finally admitted that the botche has to be destroyed. To cut two 6 inch diameter logs it was quicker for me to change chains (the Ikra normally has a ripping chain on it) and use the Ikra. The difference in quality is astounding. Many times more than the difference in switching to my black and decker drill accessory lathe to the Axy 1628VS.

Ikra makes everything for their products and assemble them in their factory in North Germany. when a product ceases production they guarantee to hold spares for at least 15 years after. They make a range of garden tools.