Tools for Beginner - Loventools experience?

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33coupe

938 posts

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#153741 6-Oct-2014 17:37

It's time I got my hands on some power tools, and I'm in the market for three items: Drill, Circular or Jig saw, and a sander.

After a lot of searching I am still wondering whether a budget Ryobi / black and decker set would do the job, or should I spend a bit more and get a quality product that will last longer etc.

I came across this site, but have been unable to figure out if it's better to get 'reconditioned' over budget new:

http://loventools.com/dewalt-cordless-20v-2-tools-dcd985-dcs393-combo-kit-used.html

Does anyone have any experience with these guys, or any advice in general??

Cheers

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#1148476 6-Oct-2014 18:25

I thought Black and Decker were good quality items?

Sony

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Fred99

13684 posts

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#1148494 6-Oct-2014 18:58

sonyxperiageek: I thought Black and Decker were good quality items?

That's right - they were good quality items - in about nineteen sixty something.

These days - no thanks. Makita make good quality "DIY / handyman" range under "Maktec" label.

33coupe

938 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1148498 6-Oct-2014 19:04

I was close to buying the black and decker drill for $99. I picked up the display model and it felt cheap, plastic and very light like nothing was in it.
In comparrisson, the Dewalt felt solid and heavy.

Cool thanks, I'll have a look at Maktec.

chevrolux

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#1148536 6-Oct-2014 19:29

I personally LOVE DeWalt. They make awesome stuff. They make pretty much any tool you want but don't do ALL of them.

I know a few people with the Ryobi One (18V) range and the gear is really nice. They make ANY tool you can think of, even a lawn mower!!!

I buy stuff from http://www.i-tools.co.nz/ They will sell you a bare tool. So once you buy the first kit of batteries and charger you can just buy the bare tool.

nickb800

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#1148554 6-Oct-2014 19:56

I have Dewalt for my cordless tools (drill, driver, circ saw), Bosch for most of my corded tools (sander x2, jigsaw, router), and no-name brand for my rarely used corded (planer, angle grinder, heat gun). A few thoughts:

Dewalt is owned by Black and Decker (and supposedly not the other way around) so the quality difference isn't quite as large as it used to be. I love my Dewalts but if I was starting over again I would go Makita, since it is usually around the same price and seems to be more prevalent amongst tradies (which I take as an indicator of quality/durability).

I'm a big fan of Bosch, seems to be around the same price as B&D/Ryobi but really well built and surprisingly cheap spare parts/accessories

I'd take a reconditioned professional brand (Makita, Dewalt) over a new cheapie any day of the week. A good option

I've ordered from Loventools before, they messed up and had really bad after sales support but I got an apology from their manager eventually, so I'm neutral on them. That was 2012, they might have changed

The Dewalt saw (DCS393) that you linked to at Loventools has a pressed steel footplate, which isn't as strong as a cast alloy footplate. I got the DCS391 specifically to get the cast alloy plate. I'm glad that I did, it's a lot stiffer which helps with accuracy.

Amazon is another option for bare cordless tools, once you have bought a cordless kit with a NZ charger locally

mdf

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#1148579 6-Oct-2014 20:21

What are you planning to use them for? General around-the-house stuff?

In terms of brand, I've had a fair bit of Black and Decker stuff over the years and I've always found it to be a reasonable compromise between quality and price. This is very much at a DIY level though.

I would look towards corded for the heavier duty stuff. Battery circular saws and sanders are fine for light work, but if at some stage you're (say) cutting fence posts or pilings, you're going to get about 5 cuts on a battery even with a really good quality brand before the battery starts to give out. I've got tradie mates that can justify having 2+ of each type of tool that really like the no-cord convenience for some jobs, but for others you really need the grunt of AC power. If you're only getting one, better to lean towards the cord. Cords aren't usually that much of a hassle.

Drills on the other hand are usually fine with batteries, other than maybe if you're drilling concrete or steel. I had a B+D battery drill for years, but got an AEG drill/rattle gun last Xmas and it is AWESOME. Blows the B+D away, but I could probably never justify paying AEG prices myself though for the level I use it for.

A circular saw and a jigsaw are used for pretty different things, so you might want to consider what you're going to be cutting. I've got B+D corded for both of mine, and they've gone for years (although very much at a home/DIY level).

Similarly with a power sander, there's a few different types depending on what you're planning to sand. A random orbital is probably the best way to go for general purpose, and again, I'd go for corded rather than battery.

gzt

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#1148600 6-Oct-2014 20:31

33coupe: It's time I got my hands on some power tools, and I'm in the market for three items: Drill, Circular or Jig saw, and a sander.

Brandwise it depends what kind of work you will do with them. Different trades/professions favor different form factors. What is your budget?

JayADee

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#1148614 6-Oct-2014 20:48

I love our Dewalt mitre saw and Bosch drill. We put them through the wars and had them for a long time. We'll be hauling them out again tomorrow. We've gone through a fair number of bits and blades. I went through three cheaper brand belt sanders. I think we're on number four. We have a Triton table saw that does the job. My advice is pay extra and have them long term or go cheap and consider them disposable. Our cordless drills are semi disposable, I think we're on number two or three but we've kept the power packs so one is always on standby if we're using them.

Fred99

13684 posts

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#1148616 6-Oct-2014 20:55

For battery tools, the best I have used to date are Milwaukee "Fuel" (brushless) M18 range. Particularly impact drivers / wrench, drills, and grinders - they seem to have a big edge on torque/performance and battery life over anything else, but equal build quality to Makita / DeWalt. However Makita probably have a more extensive range.

I'd also give a thumbs-up to i-tools. Phone them up rather than use the web if you have questions - they are good to deal with in person.

timmmay

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#1148622 6-Oct-2014 21:05

I really like my Bosch 18V cordless drill. I have a couple of Bosch tools (and a dishwasher), they all seem to be good quality and durable.

33coupe

938 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1148683 6-Oct-2014 21:59

Thanks for all the replies, some really good info.

Main use will be for general DIY around the house.

For the amount of use I cant really justify spending a lot of money in them, maybe $500-$600 all up. Saying that, I would like to keep the tools for a very long time, that's why I'm considering dewalt over the cheaper brands.

Bung

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#1148731 6-Oct-2014 22:50

I bought a secondhand barely used DeWalt jigsaw with part of the bladeholder broken. It still works well but changing blades is a bit fiddly. No problem I thought, I'll get a new blade holder. That would be possible if I imported the part myself. Black & Decker in NZ have sold out of that part and that's the end of their interest. The latest part number for that item doesn't even appear in their system. A retailer that I deal with says that is typical of their performance "Unless it's over $200 regard tools as disposable" Well the jigsaw new was over $400 here.

I have a Bosch orbital sander that is very good if the work is horizontal. You could sand table tops all day long but it turned out to be useless doing weatherboards as the sanding discs fall off the velcro pad. A cheap Ozito works well on weatherboards and at $40 if I had anyone silly enough to help me I'd buy them one. Don't discount cheap tools. some work well and have warranties longer than the job you'll be doing.

Item

1672 posts

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#1148843 7-Oct-2014 07:45

I bought into the Milwaukee m18 cordless ecosystem. Expensive to start with, but now I have a charger and few batteries of varying sizes and capacities, I can buy new "skins" for the additional tools I want from Amazon in the US at half the price they would cost me here.

The tools themselves have been excellent - tough enough for anything and everything I have thrown at them, so more than happy.

I also have some Makita stuff - an older circular saw and a few sanders and these are also top-notch devices. Finally I have a Bosch oscillating multi-tool, which is also good, but it was the only purchase I made which failed on me and had to be swapped out under warranty. Has been fine since though, so probably just "one of those things"

I would shop around a bit in a brick and mortar and get your hands on some stuff first - see how heavy and comfortable they feel and what the range of prices are and what accessories are available locally. I have come across decent sales and offers in both Mitre10 and Placemakers were the prices were competitive with online and often you can negotiate a bit, especially if you mention that the items are available cheaper online locally.

Fred99

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#1148852 7-Oct-2014 08:01

Bung: I bought a secondhand barely used DeWalt jigsaw with part of the bladeholder broken. It still works well but changing blades is a bit fiddly. No problem I thought, I'll get a new blade holder. That would be possible if I imported the part myself. Black & Decker in NZ have sold out of that part and that's the end of their interest. The latest part number for that item doesn't even appear in their system. A retailer that I deal with says that is typical of their performance "Unless it's over $200 regard tools as disposable" Well the jigsaw new was over $400 here.

This site:
http://www.partshopdirect.co.uk/
was good when I needed some DeWalt parts. Sent via air-post (inexpensive) delivered here in about a week.

Fred99

13684 posts

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#1148855 7-Oct-2014 08:07

Item: I bought into the Milwaukee m18 cordless ecosystem. Expensive to start with, but now I have a charger and few batteries of varying sizes and capacities, I can buy new "skins" for the additional tools I want from Amazon in the US at half the price they would cost me here.

I have done the same, but remember that you're practically forgoing their 5 year trade-use warranty if buying overseas.

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