Cheap tools heads up

That sort of thing is often a good indication of quality. If it survives reasonable use.

Chris Whelan gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Yes, but why would I _want_ to?

Save waiting with it on the hard shoulder?

"Mrcheerful" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

When the bloatybarge Winne fails? True.

Those are exactly the sorts of things I avoid like the plague from shops like Lidl, assuming them to be as soft as butter. So thanks for the heads-up, I'll give 'em a try.

Dave Plowman (News) submitted this idea :

They sometimes have stock of items not advertised as 'special'.

They are very good, as good as any you can buy - I bought four sets.

Very well made indeed and feel satisfying in use.

Was it Lidl or Aldi who sold sets of Stanley pliers, snips etc.? They also sold sets of Stanley drivers.

Over the years I bought four of them, very good value.

I have had some items turn out to be rubbish, but generally the quality is very good indeed.

I tend to buy odd items which don't need to be top quality to do their job. The £1 rubber hammers are good value.

Rather than walking to fetch tools, I tend to now keep several sets of what I might need in my various workshops at home, boot of car etc. These tools are cheap enough to do that.

on 17/07/2009, Willy Eckerslyke supposed :

I don't think you would be disappointed.

Yup - pretty well my idea too for some things. For example I have some cheap combination spanners in the house workshop for the odd occasion I'll want them there - it's only really used for woodworking and electronics. So it's nice to have clean ones handy rather than use the car stuff. Which is in the main 'quality' brands.

Have you considered moving somewhere more pikey? ;-)

Someone's probably beaten me to it, but I haven't yet looked so I'll be the first in my mind at least....

Have you ever considered moving somewhere more pikey?

One down in Blackwater too. You've only got to drive down through the estate just north of the A30 there in December and look at the decorations on the houses there to make a conclusion about that area....

LOL - funnily enough, on local radio they were talking about motorhomes, and someone said that in some tourist attractions it's a pain having it as your sole means of getting about as they're got height restrictions on entry to the car parks, and suggested towing your car around with the motorhome. I couldn't help but piss myself.

If your aim is to provide the best possible value you're hardly likely to build a store in a high rent area. Which is why Lidl tend to avoid the retail parks and posh high streets. Many are perfectly happy to drive to a shopping centre so what's the difference driving to a Lidl? As regards groceries etc they are rather mixed. Poor IMHO for fresh vegetables. Good for basic cheeses. Cooked meats too. Excellent for household cleaning materials etc - unless you want advertised brands.

Not really, it is a great convenience to have a little car with you, park up in a nice spot and nip into town for supplies or to visit the castle, pub or whatever, then when you move on just hitch it up behind. It is only a step up from a cycle or scooter hitched on the back.

That's my philosophy on cheap angle-grinders, I've bought 'em from Aldi, Lidl etc. I now have 5-6 :) Sounds daft until you see that they all have different disks on, cutting, grinding, brush etc. saves hours of time having to stop and change disks.

I've not found a bad grinder yet, apart from a cheap Tesco one that only lasted a few months occasional use..

same here, the only caveat is that the cheap grinders tend to have large bodies and are heavier than the quality makes, so if you have large hands they are ok, but weak small hands or the need to use them for long periods means that an Hitachi, Makita or suchlike is then far better.

They vibrate more as well, which isn't really an issue for DIY.

+AD4- same here, the only caveat is that the cheap grinders tend to have large +AD4- bodies and are heavier than the quality makes, so if you have large hands +AD4- they are ok, but weak small hands or the need to use them for long periods +AD4- means that an Hitachi, Makita or suchlike is then far better.

I can see that, I bought my first DeWalt drill a month or two ago, after years of using (and not minding) cheapos. Kinda spoils my other cheap ones now, they're s**te in comparison.

That's why I'll not buy a decent grinder, for the use they get from me it's not worth it. The cheap ones are OK. You don't miss what you don't know +ADs-)

From what I understand, setting up a motorhome is about as much work as setting up a caravan. You can't just pull up to a halt and go to sleep in the back, jump up in the morning and get driving again.