Lidl tool kit

[Alex321]

Parkside is a German firm, part of the Einhell group I believe, and not a Lidl's own brand as such. On mainland Europe, and Germany in particular, Parkside gear is available all over the place and not just in Lidl.

Einhell is a more up market offering, Parkside more a value workaday choice.

In my limited experience some Parkside stuff is very good, some a bit meh, but very little is actually bad.

That makes sense. You don't see Parkside here in the UK other than in Lidl, which is why I assumed it was "own brand" (and also Crivit).

I've never thought of Einhell as being up market, I've thought of them as low end power tools. At, or even slightly below the level of Black & Decker.

 

[Drago]

Indeed, I think Einhell's own view of their products place in the food chain is a little optimistic. That said, I've an Einhell strimmer and it's a very nice bit of kit for reasonable coin.

 

[BoldonLad]

That has never been my experience, with cycling stuff (or with most of their other stuff TBH). But I have tended to use Aldi & Lidl in what are generally relatively prosperous areas, maybe it is different elsewhere.

I would suspect you are right. I know of an Aldi and a lidl which are in, shall we say, less affluent areas, and, their stock of "special buy"type stuff is different to those I frequent.

 

[FrankCrank]

Seem to remember Aldi/Lidl doing a more comprehensive toolkit in a hard plastic case, for around 30 quid? Though it might be a good way to start out if new to the hobby. Personally, I've assembled stuff over the years (decades) and still add the odd new tool from time to time.

 

[fossyant]

I do have a decent socket set from Lidl/Parkside which I've been very happy with on the car - my lad uses it the most. It's great for most jobs, but when the impact driver comes out, we use the 'impact sockets'.

 

[KneesUp]

Seem to remember Aldi/Lidl doing a more comprehensive toolkit in a hard plastic case, for around 30 quid? Though it might be a good way to start out if new to the hobby. Personally, I've assembled stuff over the years (decades) and still add the odd new tool from time to time.

I’ve got one of those from maybe 10 years ago from Aldi (I think mine was £20) I still use the crank extractor when needed but everything else in it has been duplicated by a Park tools set I won in a raffle. All the Aldi stuff still works, but I use the Park stuff. The power of branding I guess. (That said some of the Park tools are just better. Their chain whip has a 15mm pedal spanner on the end that is perfect - long handle, thin but not too thin spanner bit. The Aldi chain whip has one of those claw things for the lock nuts on old bottom brackets, which is, er, not so useful.)

 

[youngoldbloke]

I remember when there would be queues outside Lidl and Aldi when their cycling kit was due. Punters filling their trolleys so as to sell it later on ebay. Shoes, pedals, good quality jerseys, winter tights. mitts. Not the stuff we are presented with now. What happened? I haven't been even tempted to buy any of it for years now

 

[Alex321]

I remember when there would be queues outside Lidl and Aldi when their cycling kit was due. Punters filling their trolleys so as to sell it later on ebay. Shoes, pedals, good quality jerseys, winter tights. mitts. Not the stuff we are presented with now. What happened? I haven't been even tempted to buy any of it for years now

What happened is that everybody else's kit has got much better, while Lidl stuff is still the same as it was 30 years ago.

 

[Drago]

I remember when there would be queues outside Lidl and Aldi when their cycling kit was due. Punters filling their trolleys so as to sell it later on ebay. Shoes, pedals, good quality jerseys, winter tights. mitts. Not the stuff we are presented with now. What happened? I haven't been even tempted to buy any of it for years now

Many years ago I bought an Aldi cycle tool kit. A short while later I saw what they were selling for on Ebay, so nipped back and bought three more, flogged them in short order, and ended up with nearly double my money and an Aldi toolkit.

 

[youngoldbloke]

What happened is that everybody else's kit has got much better, while Lidl stuff is still the same as it was 30 years ago.

I'd dispute that. You always had to be selective. The range is certainly not as good, and seems to be aimed very much at the beginner cyclist. The mitts are frankly rubbish. I'm still wearing kit I bought a long time ago - not 30 years but early noughties perhaps - Merino mix tops, base layers, winter weight tights.

 

[Mike_P]

I'm still using mitts from one of them bought a decade ago while more recent ones have fallen apart. Similarly their Jerseys from around then, more recent stuff has a distinct lower quality about them, Merino baselayer excepted.
On topic this is a weird set, its as if they had a stack of socket / screwdriver sets sat in a warehouse, took a couple of items out and added the tyre levers.

 

[Fastpedaller]

I find the Lidl cycling clothing has been lower quality than earlier years. The Allen key set are IMHO better than any others I've used - and (certainly for the money) can't be bettered. I've not used Wera ones