Screwfix - cheap power tools

BobRobUK

I am looking to purchase an SDS drill and a few other power tool items for occasional domestic diy.
Screwfix do many budget power tools; the thing is are they any good?
Has anyone used these manufactures? : Erbaeur, Ferm, Ryobi. I know they say you get what you pay for but why pay £550 for an 1100 watt Bosch when you can get the same motor for £44.99. Any advice welcome here as like most people on this site I don't like being ripped off.

Also, are Screwfix the cheapest for power tools?

Thanks in anticipation

Bob

YorkshireBoy

Keep a look out at B & Q for special offers. I recently bought a Performance Power 850W SDS drill.

It came in a decent case, with 5 SDS drill bits and 2 SDS chisels (point and flat).

It drills, hammer drills, and chisels (no rotation!).

How much?

£39.95 - seriously good value in my opinion (I normally buy top-end Bosch DIY power tools and this is good kit in comparison)

Party_Animal

You can get some great DIY power tools at either Focus or B and Q which will last for ever with normal DIY use. Its a lot different when you're using them all day for a living when you need something more substantial.

niff_noff

I've got the Ferm SDS drill from Screwfix (£29.99). Nothing wrong with it for the money - and comes with a 3 year guarantee.
In fact, several of the cheap makes - Ferm, Blackspur, Challenge (Argos), McKeller (Focus) - all look exactly the same, just with different colour plastic bits! Could they all be made in the same Far Eastern factory??

In General, I have found any of the power tools sold by Aldi to be of excellent quality (PowerCraft brand). They always have a 3 year warranty and often use high quality parts. For example, I bought an 18V Cordless drill with 2 batteries and a 1 hour charger for £19.99 which has a Mabuchi motor.

I have also bought from Aldi a 1100W Saw Table (£29.99) and a 1000W Router inc. 10 bits (£17.99).

At these prices and with the spec and warranty, they are unbeatable for the average DIYer

Baz_Bee_2

Did I not see somewhere recently that Screwfix is in fact now the mail order arm of the parent company of (Kingfisher?) B&Q?

plumb1_2

Baz_Bee wrote:

Did I not see somewhere recently that Screwfix is in fact now the mail order arm of the parent company of (Kingfisher?) B&Q?

Yes screwfix owed by Kingfisher,
as regards cheap tools,drill etc @ £29.99 these are throwaway tools,the are good value for the occasional diy-er,weekend person,but will not stand up to everyday use.So with a 3yr warrenty they wouldnt have had much use.

N9eav

I have a 15 yr old Makita driver/drill. Still works fine and I have used it constantly all that time. I have bought the cheaper but they did not last, but if you are only going to do the odd job around the house, can't be beaten.

garyclay

I bought one of these drills a year ago from Screwfix for 29.99.

It has paid for itself a thousand times over, plenty of power, not too heavy and has rotary stop to boot.

I have used this drill on a seriously hard housebuild project and it has been a godsend for the money.

Last month the SDS chuck started to become a bit tempremental so I rang screwfix and they sent me a new one the following day!! WITH A NEW 3 YEAR GURANTEE.

I usually buy Dewalt for the likes of cordless drills where cheap components stand out a mile but an SDS drill doesn't really have to be a precission bit of kit it just needs serious grunt.

So get on the phone and buy one!

BTW I'd steer clear of Erbauer as you tend to see loads of these for sales at markets and they are all apparently faulty-repaired Screwfix catalogue returns(dodgy switches etc). So the original build quality must be poor.

mike_the_bike_2

I've just finished building an extension on my house

I bought an "Extreme" Angle grinder from Argos for 39.99 and it has done all the work on cutting the brickwork, cut through steel Lintels etc and is still working fine

..From Aldi I bought an SDS drill in a case complete with chisels etc (with a three year guarantee!)..for 17.99 Its done all my drilling and I used it to demolish all the walls that needed to come down...Only criticism is its a bit heavy compared to a really modern drill..Still working though..

Well at those prices even if I have to chuck them away I feel i've had my moneys worth!

gromituk

BobRobUK wrote:

I know they say you get what you pay for but why pay £550 for an 1100 watt Bosch when you can get the same motor for £44.99.

Ah, the great "motor power" con. One of my bugbears. This is the amount of power the motor consumes and is not a good indication of the amount of power you actually get for drilling. I recently bought an 850W hammer drill for £15 from Netto. It works fine, but sounds like a jet engine because its motor is so inefficient and hence requires a huge amount of cooling. Instead of the power going to the bit it goes to heating air. I reckon this is done deliberately - fan heaters are cheaper to make than efficient motors! And everyone will think "wow" at the figure so the more power you can get it to waste, the better.

I'm not dismissing cheap tools; just that you cannot use wattage to compare performance - especially as the drive chain efficiency can vary, too.

Also, are Screwfix the cheapest for power tools?

They're pretty competitive - better than the DIY sheds. But when places like Lidl, Aldi or Netto have power tools in, they're very unlikely to be beaten. Of course the flip side is that you can't get them on demand.