Silverline

[Doctor Drivel]

Silverline make the cheapest mains angle drill around at £30 plus £6 P&P from Amazon. 400w. That is 1/3 of the price of the cheapest mains angle drill, the DeWalt. Looks OK for DIY and light work or occasional use. 3 year guarantee. I still think that is expensive when you look at the price of cheap Silverline mains drills which go for £13 to £15 @ 500w The Pro Silverline 600w mains drill is around £36.

Also anyone have any experience of the Silverline Pro Range. No cheap, so assume must be decent stuff. I see Silverline sold a lot in Trade places, the cheap blue and Pro ranges.

 

[JohnD]

I see Silverline stuff on a market stall in my town. "Quality" is the trader's middle name.

Unfortunately his first name is "Poor"

 

[Thermo]

silverline stuff is at best......pants. if you want to see their quality buy a screwdriver bit and see how long it lasts

 

[big-all]

some of the stuff can be ok but never tried the powertools

ideal stuff for one task jobs and if it last its a bonus

 

[2scoops0406]

some Silverline stuff seems OK for light DIY use, but the quality isn't that good. Case of you (usually) get what you pay for.

 

[Doctor Drivel]

some Silverline stuff seems OK for light DIY use, but the quality isn't that good. Case of you (usually) get what you pay for.

They have three ranges. The blue DIY, reddy/orange middle and a greenish pro range. The pro range must be decent, I would not expect Makita quality, and it appears well priced.

Their 500w mains angle drill is in the blue range but priced over twice that of the normal blue range mains drill. For occasional use, which angle drills are, it can't be bad. You can get three of them for one DeWalt mains drill. Would the three Silverlines outlast one DeWalt? Almost certainly. Buy two and have one as backup and still have change over a DeWalt....and no down time.

I noticed the Silverline mains angle drill can be used as a normal drill as the handle is cushioned and the shaped for that use too.

In trade only places I see whole sections full of the blue DIY range. The pros must buy them.

 

[^woody^]

In trade only places I see loads of other cheap Chinese crap too, but it does not mean that they are any good.

The merchant sells them because they are cheap to buy with some good mark up, but that does not mean the pro's buy them. I've never seen pros' who regularly use a particular tool using/choosing Silverline.

More likely someone just needs a replacement quick and just picks up what is available. I doubt people go actively searching for a Silverline tool

I can't see the value in buying two and having one as a back up. Does that imply taking two of each tool to a job just in case? How long does it take to get a replacement tool nowadays - a few hours? If you can't rely on one as the main tool, then you can't rely on one as a back-up either

If a company makes a tool that falls to bits as soon as it's plugged in, how can that company be expected to have a quality control regime for tools that don't? All companies may have a duff product in their range, but I would not trust a company that has whole duff ranges in their products

 

[Doctor Drivel]

In trade only places I see loads of other cheap Chinese rubbish too, but it does not mean that they are any good.

The merchant sells them because they are cheap to buy with some good mark up, but that does not mean the pro's buy them. I've never seen pros' who regularly use a particular tool using/choosing Silverline.

More likely someone just needs a replacement quick and just picks up what is available. I doubt people go actively searching for a Silverline tool

They may be distress purchases at times, but the trade do buy them. Many tradesmen buy cheap power tools as they have been bitten in the past by expensive stuff and Makitas can develop legs. Cheap battery drills are probably not worth it as the batteries are poor and don't last (unless you re-cell them yourself). The drill tends to outlast the batteries. But cheap mains drills make more sense.

I can't see the value in buying two and having one as a back up. Does that imply taking two of each tool to a job just in case?

Yes. Can't take up much space in the van,. and if you have a proper security locker.. The downtime time financially kills you. If a drill fails and you take 3 hours to replace that is one expensive drill when lost earnings are costed in. Picking up another right away means it is much more cost effective and a happy customer and less stress too.

The Silverline angle drill can also be used as a normal drill, so having two of these on the van is not taking up much space, and two can be used by two men, using the angle function or not - and no down time.

How long does it take to get a replacement tool nowadays - a few hours?

See above.

If a company makes a tool that falls to bits as soon as it's plugged in, how can that company be expected to have a quality control regime for tools that don't?
All companies may have a duff product in their range, but I would not trust a company that has a whole duff ranges in their products

A tool that "falls to bits as soon as it's plugged in", is disingenuous. It is guaranteed for 3 years. My point was that a cheap angle drill (1/3 of the price of the next price up, the DeWalt) is now available and looks fine for occasional use, as angle drills are not used a lot anyway. Up until this drill was recently introduced on the market the cheapest mains angle drill available was £120.

I also inquired if anyone had experience of the Silverline pro range, which do look much better made than the blue DIY range. Then people with no experience of the Pro range compare the Pro range as if it is the DIY range, which is not constructive.

 

[^woody^]

Then people with no experience of the Pro range compare the Pro range as if it is the DIY range, which is not constructive.

But it's certainly indicative.

If a company has a good DIY range, then the chances of the Pro range being good too are very high. If the DIY range is poor, its unlikely the company has systems in place to make the Pro range much better.

A three year guarantee is nothing. I have bought quaranteed cheap tools in the past, which have not lasted three days let alone three years. It's just not worth the hassle of returning, so they get binned. I am aware that a few purchasers will make claims on the 1094th day of a three year warranty for a £4.99 tool, but I doubt very much many trades people will do this.

I think most people will have a backup of some sort to enable them to complete a particular job, without needing to physically duplicate two tools (cheap but unknown quality and performance) instead of one tool (more expensive but of known quality and performance)

 

[Doctor Drivel]

Then people with no experience of the Pro range compare the Pro range as if it is the DIY range, which is not constructive.

But it's certainly indicative.

If a company has a good DIY range, then the chances of the Pro range being good too are very high. If the DIY range is poor, its unlikely the company has systems in place to make the Pro range much better.

No one is expecting Makita quality from a budget maker, however their pro range must be half decent. You are assuming.

A three year guarantee is nothing. I have bought quaranteed cheap tools in the past, which have not lasted three days let alone three years. It's just not worth the hassle of returning, so they get binned. I am aware that a few purchasers will make claims on the 1094th day of a three year warranty for a £4.99 tool, but I doubt very much many trades people will do this.

I think most people will have a backup of some sort to enable them to complete a particular job, without needing to physically duplicate two tools (cheap but unknown quality and performance) instead of one tool (more expensive but of known quality and performance)

The 3 years guarantee indicates some sort of confidence in the maker and to the buyer. At least you can get your money back.

The prime point was the mains angle drill and buying two and still saving, is a good approach indeed....and no down time.

The Pro range? Well apart from guesses by people, no one has experience of it.

 

[JohnD]

...No one is expecting Makita quality from a budget maker, however their pro range must be half decent. You are assuming...

so are you "must be?"

 

[Doctor Drivel]

...No one is expecting Makita quality from a budget maker, however their pro range must be half decent. You are assuming...

so are you "must be?"

A must be what? I am going to order the Silverline angle drill. At that price I think it is worth it.

 

[Thermo]

pay your money and take your choice. you MUST be right, and if your mind is made up then dont heed any advice you have asked for, based on peoples experiance where they have actually used the stuff, because you MUST be right.

 

[Doctor Drivel]

pay your money and take your choice. you MUST be right, and if your mind is made up then dont heed any advice you have asked for, based on peoples experiance where they have actually used the stuff, because you MUST be right.

I was informing people and asking advice on the "Pro range". I was 80% certain of buying the angle drill but now I am 100%. At that price It can't be that bad. If someone had bought and used the drill that would have been nice feedback.

 

[Thermo]

At that price It can't be that bad.

feel free to make that assumption with your money, not mine!