Tools you wish you'd bought sooner...

[V8mate]

V8mate said:

dickymint said:

smack said:

tight fart said:

Not a tool as such but the best thing I've bought for the garage recently, from Costco.

13amp plug in (long lead) PIR controlled LED strip light.

I'm always popping in the Garage for something or other, I often forget to turn lights off, or if I do I'm back 10 mins later and turn them back on again.

With this as you walk in it comes on, and off when you've gone, magic.

Photo and how much did it cost? That sounds perfect for one of my sheds....

My attic could use two as well.

Is it this one?

https://www.costco.co.uk/Furniture-Home/Lighting/F...

Picked one up in-store for £29

[Milkbuttons]

I have a DeWalt impact driver and I think it's amazing, I can't belive how good they are at driving screws.

I'm looking for jobs to do just so I can use it

[Doofus]

Milkbuttons said:

I have a DeWalt impact driver and I think it's amazing, I can't belive how good they are at driving screws.

I'm looking for jobs to do just so I can use it

You could try finding a job that makes it a bit dirty, to convince us that you've actually done a thing with it.

[Milkbuttons]

Doofus said:

Milkbuttons said:

I have a DeWalt impact driver and I think it's amazing, I can't belive how good they are at driving screws.

I'm looking for jobs to do just so I can use it

You could try finding a job that makes it a bit dirty, to convince us that you've actually done a thing with it.

Haha this was when I first bought it when it looked pretty

[ianrb]

Milkbuttons said:

I have a DeWalt impact driver and I think it's amazing, I can't belive how good they are at driving screws.

I'm looking for jobs to do just so I can use it

You know those screws which you think will never come out, the ones some muppet messed the up with the wrong bit and then painted over?

Those, it's hilarious.

[Quags]

Just bought this.

I only really needed it to push out two suspension bushes on my S2000 lower control arms, but god dam it's satisfying. I 'may' have gone overboard getting a 20 ton one, but it was only £100.

I have an 205 GTI that will also need a full suspension refresh at some point, so why not.

Easy to build apart from when I dropped a heavy bit of steel on my toe

[dickymint]

Quags said:

Just bought this.

I only really needed it to push out two suspension bushes on my S2000 lower control arms, but god dam it's satisfying. I 'may' have gone overboard getting a 20 ton one, but it was only £100.

I have an 205 GTI that will also need a full suspension refresh at some point, so why not.

Easy to build apart from when I dropped a heavy bit of steel on my toe

You could convert that into a log splitter too

[agent006]

Flibble said:

Any suggestions for impact driver bits that won't disintegrate after a handful of screws?

I've had a set of Wera Impaktor bits for years. They're eventually starting to round off on the heads, but have lasted brilliantly.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/wera-impaktor-tritorsio...

[Zoobeef]

Quags said:

Just bought this.

I only really needed it to push out two suspension bushes on my S2000 lower control arms, but god dam it's satisfying. I 'may' have gone overboard getting a 20 ton one, but it was only £100.

I have an 205 GTI that will also need a full suspension refresh at some point, so why not.

Easy to build apart from when I dropped a heavy bit of steel on my toe

I have the same/very similar. Only needed it for 1 job so for in the 14 months I've had it. But like all tools, it's a godsend when you need it.

[uncinqsix]

LeadFarmer said:

Stanley Junior Saw Horse

Span two lengths of suitably sized timber between them (using the cut outs), and a sheet of plywood for a mobile workbench.

I bought a pair of slightly more fancy metal ones like that. They take standard 4x2s as the linking timber and are very sturdy. Absolutely perfect for cutting up sheets of ply with the track saw (which I'm doing quite a bit of at the moment as I'm building a kitchen from birch ply).

[psi310398]

I don't know how I survived without a Bosch Quigo Plus laser level - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYrSPDtHgaE

I'm still savouring that moment when a piece of fitted furniture finally is stable and true in all three planes at the same time, and in a seventeenth century house with not a straight wall in sight. I've been using Ikea Billy bookcases as the base for fitted shelves floor to ceiling around three walls and have the whole installation all level and plumb ten times faster with the help of this nifty little tool.

[hotchy]

Milkbuttons said:

I have a DeWalt impact driver and I think it's amazing, I can't belive how good they are at driving screws.

I'm looking for jobs to do just so I can use it

Absolutely amazing at removing screws aswel. Was taking apart my old kitchen nicely, with a screwdriver. Really painstakingly slow. My dad turned up with his and done and dusted in seconds.

[Peanut Gallery]

May I ask a question to those with DeWalt, Makita, Milwakee, Erbauer or Bosch drills or drivers. - How long do your now old batteries last?

Bought a black and Decker drill about 5 years ago now, used in fair anger but not that regularly, now the battery that was very good only just lasts 12 hours after coming off charge and being completely flat.... without being used at all. If using it, I can maybe drill a 12mm hole from full to flat.

Any brands have better lasting batteries? Any brands to avoid?

[hotchy]

Peanut Gallery said:

May I ask a question to those with DeWalt, Makita, Milwakee, Erbauer or Bosch drills or drivers. - How long do your now old batteries last?

Bought a black and Decker drill about 5 years ago now, used in fair anger but not that regularly, now the battery that was very good only just lasts 12 hours after coming off charge and being completely flat.... without being used at all. If using it, I can maybe drill a 12mm hole from full to flat.

Any brands have better lasting batteries? Any brands to avoid?

Iv been using an ancient Woolworths £20 drill for a near entire house refurb and somehow the battery is still alive all these years later lol

[dickymint]

Peanut Gallery said:

May I ask a question to those with DeWalt, Makita, Milwakee, Erbauer or Bosch drills or drivers. - How long do your now old batteries last?

Bought a black and Decker drill about 5 years ago now, used in fair anger but not that regularly, now the battery that was very good only just lasts 12 hours after coming off charge and being completely flat.... without being used at all. If using it, I can maybe drill a 12mm hole from full to flat.

Any brands have better lasting batteries? Any brands to avoid?

Useful info here..............

https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to...

It amazes me how many people believe that Li-On batteries should be fully discharged regularly "to condition" them. I suspect it's a throwback to the NiCd days.

For work use (all day long heavy use) we have a mix of 4Ah and 5Ah and a couple of 2Ah older, ones about ten in total. Two have failed in about 5 years. At home I have 4 x 5Ah batteries and 2 x 6Ah Chinese knock offs (one of which has failed and the other feels as though it's about to).

Even though the above link advises not to fully discharge them we always do with no apparent loss of performance.

My advice is buy only brushless tools and use a minimum 5Ah batteries. All my kit (and work stuff) is Makita LXT stuff.

PS. It's a PH myth that you still need mains powered SDS drills and grinders

[sheldimus]

allegro said:

will be getting some of these tomorrow. Extremely usefully bit of kit for no money!
https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/p/product-recommendation...

Link has now broken and couldn't find in store so presume I've missed out..

[Trustmeimadoctor]

dickymint said:

Peanut Gallery said:

May I ask a question to those with DeWalt, Makita, Milwakee, Erbauer or Bosch drills or drivers. - How long do your now old batteries last?

Bought a black and Decker drill about 5 years ago now, used in fair anger but not that regularly, now the battery that was very good only just lasts 12 hours after coming off charge and being completely flat.... without being used at all. If using it, I can maybe drill a 12mm hole from full to flat.

Any brands have better lasting batteries? Any brands to avoid?

Useful info here..............

https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to...

It amazes me how many people believe that Li-On batteries should be fully discharged regularly "to condition" them. I suspect it's a throwback to the NiCd days.

For work use (all day long heavy use) we have a mix of 4Ah and 5Ah and a couple of 2Ah older, ones about ten in total. Two have failed in about 5 years. At home I have 4 x 5Ah batteries and 2 x 6Ah Chinese knock offs (one of which has failed and the other feels as though it's about to).

Even though the above link advises not to fully discharge them we always do with no apparent loss of performance.

My advice is buy only brushless tools and use a minimum 5Ah batteries. All my kit (and work stuff) is Makita LXT stuff.

PS. It's a PH myth that you still need mains powered SDS drills and grinders

You shouldnt be able to fully flatten them as they stop allowing drain at certain voltage (genuine batteries)

[dickymint]

Trustmeimadoctor said:

dickymint said:

Peanut Gallery said:

May I ask a question to those with DeWalt, Makita, Milwakee, Erbauer or Bosch drills or drivers. - How long do your now old batteries last?

Bought a black and Decker drill about 5 years ago now, used in fair anger but not that regularly, now the battery that was very good only just lasts 12 hours after coming off charge and being completely flat.... without being used at all. If using it, I can maybe drill a 12mm hole from full to flat.

Any brands have better lasting batteries? Any brands to avoid?

Useful info here..............

https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to...

It amazes me how many people believe that Li-On batteries should be fully discharged regularly "to condition" them. I suspect it's a throwback to the NiCd days.

For work use (all day long heavy use) we have a mix of 4Ah and 5Ah and a couple of 2Ah older, ones about ten in total. Two have failed in about 5 years. At home I have 4 x 5Ah batteries and 2 x 6Ah Chinese knock offs (one of which has failed and the other feels as though it's about to).

Even though the above link advises not to fully discharge them we always do with no apparent loss of performance.

My advice is buy only brushless tools and use a minimum 5Ah batteries. All my kit (and work stuff) is Makita LXT stuff.

PS. It's a PH myth that you still need mains powered SDS drills and grinders

You shouldnt be able to fully flatten them as they stop allowing drain at certain voltage (genuine batteries)

that probably explains why Li-On tools more or less stop immediately as opposed to slow up then stop. That could also explain why one of knock offs failed - they have a Voltmeter on them that will drain to 0.0V

[Peanut Gallery]

(I should probably add the old drill is a NiCd battery, it is not a lithium battery.)

[dickymint]

Peanut Gallery said:

(I should probably add the old drill is a NiCd battery, it is not a lithium battery.)

I thought as much - time to move on