Power Tool Survey

All men are created equal, unfortunately all power tools are not.

Ask any tradesman and they will tell you that certain brands provide better quality and reliability than others. We asked a selection of workers from around the country which brands they trusted for their work, and got a fairly consistent response.

George, a carpenter from Watford, finds himself using nailguns day in, day out. When asked which brand he trusted he wasted no time in telling us 'Paslode'. In his own words, this is 'because they just last and last - as long as you use Paslode lubricating oil and the Paslode Impulse cleaning kit regularly, they will just keep on firing those nails for years.' This response was typical of those who regularly used nailguns.

Andy, a builder from Inverness, uses drills every day and is very loyal to Dewalt tools. 'I have had my DeWalt DC987KA for five years now and it's never given me any trouble. It's really heavy duty and other fellas in the trade are very jealous when they see it!' Hans, a builder originally from Munich, agrees that Dewalt drills are excellent, but prefers top German brand Metabo: 'I have used many Dewalt products over the years and they are extremely efficient, however, in my personal experience, nothing beats a good Metabo drill.'

Richard, a forestry worker from Caerphilly, uses chinsaws on a daily basis. When asked which brand he trusts, he wastes no time in saying 'Makita'. When asked why, he continues 'Makita tools have never let me down; their saws just keep on going and really get through the wood.'

Gerry recently gave up his office job to work with his hands. He explains 'I was a home enthusiast for years - I had a selection of Ryobi tools which had accumalated over the years and I was getting more and more into the whole idea of building. After I had built a second extension onto my house, a friend, who was already in the trade, told me that I was good enough to be a pro. I started an apprenticeship and have never looked back. Now I've got a huge collection of Clarke tools - I always like to buy British when I can, and these tools are as British as The Times!'

So, there you have it. When their living depends on the tools in their bag, workers find themselves loyal to the brands they know and love.

If you want further advice on power tools, Epinions has an excellent forum on the subject. Power tool advice is also available elsewhere on the web and is well worth consulting before you start putting holes in things!