Cordless Drills

[Graham]

Cordless drills are pretty much a throwaway item now. New Li ion batteries cost practically the same as a whole new drill.

[Paul Hannaby]

Unfortunately the rechargable batteries have a limited life and need replacing after 500 - 1000 charges. I have a 24V drill which was in need of new batteries. I looked in to replacing them myself but with 18 batteries per unit, it worked out cheaper to buy another drill!

[woodndesign]

Cordless drills are pretty much a throwaway item now. New Li ion batteries cost practically the same as a whole new drill.

I can't recall the quoted hours now .. I'd been told, by design, it had been worked out (manufactured in) the life expectancy of an Electric Drill and it needed only to be 5hrs maybe as much as 8>10hrs based on an average DIY-er only needing to every drill 10>20 holes tops in their lifetime, so why facture in longevity, the need to replace brushes etc ... my quote.. should it blows up in the warranty it gets replaced, is it ever in warranty that anything blows up.

The case must be on DIY as I've used many Drills, Grinders and Disc Cutters for countless hours, few have ever failed, if any the brushes or the armature had worn out. 

At best research the options to suit your needs as with anything you buy.

Cheers  David

[Eric Harvey]

I had a power devil 24 volt combi drill from Argos for 15 yrs,till the charger played up and fried the batteries,it got used 2-3 times a week all the time I had it and well used,like drilling holes through exteria walls with 16-20 mm bits all that sort of stuff,it cost me £28.00p,the replacement is also from Argos and 24v,not quite as powerful as the old one,but still goes through house walls no trouble,this one gets used more,so we`ll see how long it lasts,the run out on both these drills is excellent.I did buy an Aldi 18 volt combi drill once,was a heap of sh-t,batteries never held their charge,everytime I went to use it had to recharge them and after 6 months they died,when the current drill breaks,(its 2 yrs old now),I`ll replace it with another Argos one,oh this one cost me £49.00p.cheers,

Eric.

[MCB]

..... but Aldi Customer Services tracked down a store with stock and then rang the store to confirm. Nice touch.

I  didn't know that Aldi had Customer Services.

I've  never seen the contact details published!

MC

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

Aldi? Argos? are they part of Fortnum and Mason?

[MCB]

Aldi? Argos? are they part of Fortnum and Mason?

I  believe not.

Argos is  the same group as Homebase.

Aldi is  a company based in Germany.

Do Fortnum & Mason sell cordless drills?

Their biscuits are very nice!

MC

[julcle]

Aldi customer service can't be faulted. At least not in my local store

[bodrighywood]

Aldi and Lidl are both from the continent are are far bigger than the main supermarkets in this country. A lot of the stuff they sell such as drills etc are made in Germany or at least labelled as such so are perhaps a bit better quality than your cheapo ones from some of the DIY stores.

Pete

[Jacktownhill]

Are these Drills really just considered as being "Throw Away" Item's ??

I have three really good drill's here which are rendered useless by having Dud batteries - The serious convenience of having a "Cordless" way outclasses any "Corded" unit. Both types have their uses & are in many ways quite different tools.

The replacement battery market has much to be desired. A good quality replacement Drill is going to be circa £300. Are the makers saying that all Lithium Battery models are simply obsolete & need to be discarded ?

I feel so reluctant to just "Chuck away" good quality tools, just for the sake of being able to buy a replacement spare Battery,  & in the certain knowledge that any new replacement drill from any maker is going to suffer the same problems when the "Planned Obsolescence" period expires.

[woodndesign]

Good Olde Axminster ...  http://www.axminster.co.uk/18v-li-ion-4-0ah-battery-pack-for-makita-cordless/ ...

[Graham]

But.... as Axi are at great pains to point out. YOU WILL INVALIDATE THE MAKITA WARRANTEE


IF YOU TELL THEM

[Jacktownhill]

Good Olde Axminster ...  http://www.axminster.co.uk/18v-li-ion-4-0ah-battery-pack-for-makita-cordless/ ...

You will note that this latest Axminster offer is only for the newer Makita Drill with Lithium Ion Battery

Not suitable for any of their earlier products ??

[MCB]

If anybody is  interested, the Aldi shop at Hemel Hempstead had a large container full of the Cordless Drills at £19.99 each

I  noticed that it doesn't have a carrying case in the box (unlike the slightly more expensive Lidl ones)

MCB