Re: Cheapo Power Tools

I've tried a few GMC tools and they seem fine. Lncc63 may be more able to help as he has experience with Australia tools.

Re: Cheapo Power Tools

for me as long as they are not bogus they will be fine.some tools specially the cheap ones are made of rewind motors.

Re: Cheapo Power Tools

There are actually 4 brands that are comming out of Australia: GMC, Ryobi, Ozito and XU1. GMC and Ryobi are the best, Ozito is a far third and XU1 varies. All of these are made in China. Some I suspect are actually OEM manufactured and then customized according to each brand's marketing strategy. One thing though is that I've observed diffrences in the amount of QA each brand does. Sometimes the parts also slightly differ. Obviously GMC and Ryobi have the best QA and use the better parts.

I've seen the tools being sold by Save on Surplus at Ever Ortigas. Those look real clean and they come with a 1 month warranty. SOS does sell them at much higher prices than you can get on eBay PH but hey there is a warranty AND it is a mall afterall. Another place you can try is HMR Pioneer.

Be careful with the compressors and any other tools that use induction motors. These have motors that are designed for 50Hz electricity and with suffer a theoretical 17% loss in their rated capacity and will also run hotter. Tools that have universal motors, distinguisable by the presence of carbon brushes, will work just fine.

Hope this helps. If anyone needs further advise on these tools just ask.

Re: Cheapo Power Tools

I was at HMR yesterday and saw a lot of GMC, Ryobi and Ozito like cordless drills, generators and bevel saws (some sliding). Unfortunately, all the parts are just lying around and there don't seem to be knowledgeable people. If you go there, it may be possible to mix and match parts: body of a cordless from one case, battery packs and chargers from another case, so you get the best possible combination of parts.

Ryobi 7.2 volt battery packs were sellng for P250.00 It may be possible to open these and just get the cels inside. Each nicad cell for power tools cost P250.00 new. A 7.2 volt pack will have 6 cells.

Re: Cheapo Power Tools

BTW, HMR was selling brand new unbranded DVD players with remote for P990. Last time I bought in Raon, it cost me P1,400 for a "Lexing". First time I bought a DVD 10 years ago, the Pioneer DV555 I bought cost me P14,000.

Re: Cheapo Power Tools

Re: HMR type batts & cordless stuff

Getting old battery packs and picking the best one's of the lot are such an 'iffy' thing that i don't think it is worth the work. Plus you have to spend money for them, naaaah ! Have done that too many times already years ago. 🙁

Which brings to mind that age-old saying, 'You pay peanuts, you get monkeys !!

Question: Is it really worth it to buy el cheapo cordless (rechargeable) power tools even brand new China stuff, or stick to the legit branded 'Makita' type ones ??

Consider: With such low (!) prices, one can be sure that if the power tool's mechanical portions are up to scratch, then they have the tools' casing and batteries to 'fool around' with. read: lowest quality possible to keep the export price down. Chances are it is a bad combination of all 3, so unless you want to experiment & write another thread on this, I do not think it will be worth it.

Having said that, take note that, to my knowledge, ALL new cordless branded power tools only carry a warranty for the unit itself and DOES NOT include the Ni-Cd battery packs, so even getting a branded cordless is a roll of the dice and cost an arm and a leg too !!

So where does it leave us ??

Well, if you have the time/patience and the skills, look for a good branded HMR/SOS type cordless, with the warranty of 1 month, (be sure you got the proper charger too!) use it like mad during that one month, buy a spare battery pack and 're-condition' it the best you can and have the money prepared to have all the battery packs' batts replaced sooner than later, depending of course on how you use the cordless power tool.

Me, I've changed the batts of only the powertools (branded & el Cheapo, either given to me free or I really, really rely on them/are my favourites) i.e., Dremels and a US 'branded' el Cheapo cordless screwdriver. I always changed the Ni-Cads to Ni-mh and got the ones with the welded on tabs (in Singapore) and carefully (never overheat a batt) soldered them together w/a mechanical bond by bending the tabs together of course.

I really would like though, a cordless drill/screwdriver, the best one yet with the 3/8 keyless chuck variable/reverse and hammer is the DeWalt which I've seen in a few local places. There is a Makita model, but have not seen one yet. Both unfortunately do not warranty the battery packs, ALWAYS !!
And the one's here are all old model/old stock from other countries and then stocked again here for a longer time, so you can be sure the Ni-Cds in the battery packs are marginal at best.... 🙁 🙁

So there, ... and i hope I'm wrong, but whatever, it makes for some interesting cordless powertool kwentos !!

🙂 🙂

Re: Cheapo Power Tools

I take better care of my battery packs than the tool they drive. BTW, can NiMH batteries be used for power packs? I've read in another post in this portal that NiMH while having a higher mAH rating, has lower maximum amperes.

Re: Cheapo Power Tools

Using computerese, Ni-cds have lower 'throughput.'

Ni-mhs can be substituted with the above difference but what about the original charger for Ni-cds, it will work but somehow I don't think the Ni-mh batts will last as long.

Will work though, but how will you monitor the charging times plus you cannot really monitor the heat generated in charging. Worth a try though.

If you do it, do keep us posted.

Cheers, 🙂

Re: Cheapo Power Tools

Don't settle for no brand name powertools for safety reason.
Black & Decker, Makita, Ryobi, Bosch, DeWalt though they are made in china now, its quality is already reliable.
NiCd, NiMh, Li-Ion batteries are now being used for battery packs and it usually goes with their own specific charger. So far there are already charger that can use for both NiCd and NiMh. In keeping your battery packs you have to make sure that all terminals are properly protected by the cap provided this is to avoid short circit and don't keep your powertools with battery attached. just my two cents... cheers!

Re: Cheapo Power Tools

I saw a sub-P2,000 KCT electric jigsaw ( http://www.kcttools.com/products.php ) in a hardware store in Sta. Lucia. Has anybody used KCT powertools? The value-for-money proposition is just too tempting.

Re: Cheapo Power Tools

Sorry for the late reply. Zook if your still out there, here is my 2-cents.

KCT tools are also sold in the DIY Shop near my place. I've not use any of them but from their looks, and even they cost the same, I'd still buy a GMC or Ryobi. I have a few XU1 drills that look better. Just so it is clear the brands I mentioned are in fact less expensive than the KTC tools.

Re: Cheapo Power Tools

Was canvassing power tools yesterday and saw some relatively cheap brands.

1. Maktec- by Makita. I don't know if it has the same quality. The salesman peeled the Maktec sticker to show me that it had "Makita" embossed underneath it..

2. Maxsell- the salesman from Wilcon Builders told me that they have the fastest repair service. Supposedly they will lend you a "service tool" if your unit is being serviced. But only the salesman of Wilcon told me that! Went to True Value and they didn't tell me about the service tool.

3. Black & Decker- surprisingly even cheaper than Maktec and Maxsell. They have a line for home use and professional. The home line is cheaper, but has a longer warranty. 2 years vs. 6 months for pro.

4. Dewalt- by black & Decker. Suppossedly more for professional use. Mid priced. Most expensive among these brands, but cheaper than Makita.

There were other brands that are even cheaper like Lotus, but for reliability, they recommended these ones only.

Another thing I learned while canvassing- there's Home Use, Professional, then Industrial.