Sick of inadequate tools - time to spend!!

[Marchrider]

The other is a sander, and quite apart from my dim view of the usefulness of electric sanders in general, it's nigh on impossible to get the dust box off it. It's far too tight, and with nothing to get a grip of. Not quite as useless as the strimmer, but still a PITA to use.

dreadful things, they make a mess of the room you're in, you're lungs and the work piece you are using them on. Machines for folk who do not know what they are doing

 

[OldShep]

I have a Dewalt drill and Bosch driver both around 20yo and too old for modern systems.
Seven years ago while looking for another cordless tool I decided I want to stick to a one battery system. I decided on Einhell and their X system battery. Now have reciprocating saw, mini chain saw, impact driver, and vacuum cleaner. They all work well and a fault with the, 8 month old, reciprocating saw was replaced without question.
I would recommend looking at their range.

 

[Jameshow]

For a basic drill these are good little beasties..

https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-10-...cHvj_roKJVKMT5qb-X_8TShWxaXO31LxoCbeAQAvD_BwE

Powerful enough for general drilling but light.

Of the big 4 Milwaukee would be my choose but the tools are more limited.

The other three are much of muchness... But they have a DIY range and a pro range very different DIY nearer Ryobi and pro nearer Milwaukee...

 

[SpokeyDokey]

I have two Bosch tools, and I wouldn't recommend either of them.

First was the strimmer, I decided to buy a new one because it was so difficult to get the spool case cover off the Flymo one I have, and I checked before I bought the Bosch that the cover came off easily. The problem with it is that you're lucky if you get 5-10 seconds use out of it before the cord breaks and you have to stop and rethread it. No wonder it's so easy to remove the cover.

The other is a sander, and quite apart from my dim view of the usefulness of electric sanders in general, it's nigh on impossible to get the dust box off it. It's far too tight, and with nothing to get a grip of. Not quite as useless as the strimmer, but still a PITA to use.

How experiences differ:

1 Bosch cordless mower, 1 mini cordless screwdriver as #14, 1 Bosch corded mini 'mouse' sander, and all have been flawless in operation.

The little sander (not a dustbox model) is superb - I buy the much cheaper 11 hole clone packs (assorted grits) and they work perfectly with it. 180G gives an effortless and very smooth finish betwixt paint layers and 80G sands old paintwork off like a demon.

 

[Vantage]

Makita. Every time.
I used to work for a company that made furniture for static caravans and my job was using a jigsaw to cut out headboards and stool tops.
That jigsaw was running near constant 8 hours 5 days a week for over 2 years and had the bushes replaced twice.
When the company went tits up my manager gave me the jigsaw to keep. Over 10 years later that same jigsaw has been used upteen times for all sorts of jobs and has never once given me any trouble.
Makitas are bombproof.

Bosch.....not so much.
I splashed out on a fancy drill in my early woodworking days. The chuck on it tended to loosen in use and the whole drill died about a year after buying it. Rubbish. I've a 20 year old black and decker drill that cost 50 quid and is still running.
My Bosch electric hand planer leaves a dip in the wood at the beginning and end of each run. Useless.
Bosch bought Dremmel a number of years ago. My first Dremmel was the top of the line digital one and was smooth as anything in running. It's replacement also top of the line is rougher than a hedgehogs arse.

 

[newts]

dreadful things, they make a mess of the room you're in, you're lungs and the work piece you are using them on. Machines for folk who do not know what they are doing

If you're ruining the work piece you must be doing something very wrong☹️
Can't agree with you on that, a random orbit sander will remove material 1000x faster than rubbing by hand🙄 Appropriate ppe & dust extractor on the tool will have the job done much faster.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

dreadful things, they make a mess of the room you're in, you're lungs and the work piece you are using them on. Machines for folk who do not know what they are doing

I use mine outside under the carport whilst wearing a FFP3 mask.

What is the difference in terms of finish on eg a door being prepped for painting between an electric sander and hand sanding?

None to my eye, tbh.

180 grit or 240 grit on my little Bosch produces a lovely finish.

 

[presta]

dreadful things, they make a mess of the room you're in, you're lungs and the work piece you are using them on. Machines for folk who do not know what they are doing

I wouldn't have bought my second sander if it didn't have a dust box and a union for a vacuum cleaner hose, but the fact is they don't make any difference, electric sanders get clogged with dust within a couple of minutes of starting work precisely because they're producing it faster than it can clear. The problem is that the dust conglomerates into hard patches that effectively act as spacers lifting the sandpaper off the workpiece. The other problem with electric sanders is that they round off external corners and don't reach into internal corners. A classic example of where it takes more time and effort to be lazy than it does to do the job properly.

I'll only use power tools if they'll do the job better, not to do it quicker or easier.

 

[Jameshow]

I wouldn't have bought my second sander if it didn't have a dust box and a union for a vacuum cleaner hose, but the fact is they don't make any difference, electric sanders get clogged with dust within a couple of minutes of starting work precisely because they're producing it faster than it can clear. The problem is that the dust conglomerates into hard patches that effectively act as spacers lifting the sandpaper off the workpiece. The other problem with electric sanders is that they round off external corners and don't reach into internal corners. A classic example of where it takes more time and effort to be lazy than it does to do the job properly.

I'll only use power tools if they'll do the job better, not to do it quicker or easier.

Have you tried abranet mesh sanding discs they are the bees knees apparently light and day I. Terms of dust extraction and lifespan so I'm told!
https://www.axminstertools.com/mirka-abranet-abrasive-discs-150mm-ax851133

 

[Pat "5mph"]

I have two Bosch tools, and I wouldn't recommend either of them.

First was the strimmer

I have got Bosh cordless:
strimmer, reciprocating saw, hand held hoover, hedge cutter, mini chainsaw.
Apart from the mini chainsaw that I haven't had a chance to use, the rest of the tools perform fine for my needs.
The hand held hoover's battery died soon after purchase, but I had spares more powerful ones so I didn't bother claiming for it.

 

[Marchrider]

If you're ruining the work piece you must be doing something very wrong☹️
Can't agree with you on that, a random orbit sander will remove material 1000x faster than rubbing by hand🙄 Appropriate ppe & dust extractor on the tool will have the job done much faster.

In most situations I will use a Scraper, far better finish and you also work across the grain - and there is no fine dust

we have loads of electric sanders, orbital and belt, I just think they make a mess of whatever you're trying to do.
we do have a couple of large sanding machines, orbital thing? they arn't too bad for really rough work, and I do use them.

 

[PaulSB]

Bosch used to get good reviews but I did read some negatives about something from them last year and made me wonder about them.

I am thinking too much. I guess at the end of the day for my needs I could buy pretty much anything from B&Q and it'll do the job good enough for my needs. I guess the thing is to decide on one brand and battery type then stick to it. After that I guess it is to choose what model of each type to get (as in driver, drill, etc).

I've had very good results with Bosch DIY tools and based on this I bought some Bosch garden tools. My experience is Bosch garden equipment is very poor and doesn't match the brand reputation.

I'm no great DIY person but I know this is a dangerous assumption. Some "brands" in B&Q are made only for B&Q and aren't a brand, just a badge. This is fine until something goes wrong. I have a B&Q "brand" garden mower in need of repair. No one is prepared to look at it. Why? The parts will not be available. Now if it was a Stihl, Mountfield, etc. it would be a different story.

Look only at established brands. There's a reason they've stood the test of time.

 

[Profpointy]

I wouldn't have bought my second sander if it didn't have a dust box and a union for a vacuum cleaner hose, but the fact is they don't make any difference, electric sanders get clogged with dust within a couple of minutes of starting work precisely because they're producing it faster than it can clear. The problem is that the dust conglomerates into hard patches that effectively act as spacers lifting the sandpaper off the workpiece. The other problem with electric sanders is that they round off external corners and don't reach into internal corners. A classic example of where it takes more time and effort to be lazy than it does to do the job properly.

I'll only use power tools if they'll do the job better, not to do it quicker or easier.

Power sanding does indeed clog or wear out the sheets maybe a hundred times faster. By an amazing coincidence the job is done a hundred times quicker too.

The idea of sanding, say, a house full of floorboards by hand is just nuts

 

[CXRAndy]

Of the big 4 Milwaukee would be my choose but the tools are more limited.

Have you seen their range, it's vast. I admit not every manufacturer has everything, but Milwaukee do have virtually everything a tradesman will need

 

[Moodyman]

OP - do you need tradesman quality?

Screwfix own brand (Titan) or Aldi/Lidl offerings are plenty for most DIYers.