VDE Steel screwdriver set with ergonomic handles
Xfinity Plus 20V Battery System 5 Year Warranty
Xfinity Plus 20V Li-Ion battery $29.99
Xfinity Plus 20V charger $19.99
Drill with brushless motor skin $49.99
Impact wrench skin $99.99
Angle Grinder Skin $39.99
Damaged Screw remover set $7.99
Assorted drill bit sets $7.99
obligatory please don't think that means you can stick these into a powerpoint and/or do mains electrical work! great for a set for around the house though!
So you can't put these into a live powerpoint?
What does the insulation protection actually do?
Shaft insulation of the driver, much the same as a ansell.
Like @clandestino I'm confused. What does the VDE certify then?
VDE are just a certification to a standard set by Verband der Elektrotechnik association.
But what does the standard represent/test for?
Mechanical strength?
Insulation dielectric strength?
Surely if they have a certified 1000 V rating they will work on electrical mains. Obviously you'd need elecrical training too.
@thetrain: Without knowing the exact vde certification details the exact test can't be know. What is known is that VDE is a private standardization organization which certifies that a design and test performed conforms to the rated specifications.
In such a case as VDE screwdrivers, it maintains that a brand new undamaged tool is most likely able to save you from an unwarranted electric shock up to the rated voltage, as the tool is designed and manufactured with some insulative properties.
@thetrain: It's been tested by a private organisation to their standards. You don't know if their procedures are approved at all. You don't know if the test meets or exceeds the local regulations here. In all likelihood, it has been tested to insulate against conducting 1000V from the tip to the handle. It is probably safe. It just does not have any recognised certification for that claim that our local laws require.
I'm pretty sure you could, not that I would. I was talking to my electrician mate about insulated screw drivers the other day. He reckons you won't get shocked using them.
I'm an electrician and electrical engineer
You will not get shocked if using these on live contacts or conductors but working live is never a good idea and is now really frowned upon - even for professionals
Always, always switch off the MCB at the distribution board and if not sure about what circuit you are working on, switch off the main incoming isolator switch
Yeah you are probably right! What's the use of these insulated screw drivers then? Do they reduce the shock?
The idea is, while you're working away and you've turned off the breaker and installed a danger tag, some utter peanut notices the light switch doesn't work and goes to the fuse box, sees the tag and rips it out and turns the breaker back on.
He hears a pop in the distance, and a yell as the breaker trips, so he flicks it on again and forces a pen in there so that it stays on, after all he wants that light to work.
With a regular screw driver when you stab that moron in the head the blood gets on the shaft and corrodes the metal, the insulation is so that the metal stays clean and your screw driver lasts longer after delivering just retribution.
(Also you're less likely to cop a belt when someone turns shit on while you're working on it, that's the main reason).
I probably wouldn't do it either with "just" an Aldi set, but does make me wonder what the Voltage tester does then (or more like if anyone would trust it enough to use it on mains!)
It'll just be a 240v globe inside it - no different than plugging a light bulb in realistically… Except with the power on.
except that you are part of the circuit… don't use those screwdriver voltage testers, use a meter.
@pasadala: Takes me back to my electrical apprenticeship days (70's) and the sparky I was apprenticed with handed me his neon driver to quickly check for a live circuit (lazy not using a meter), and I got a decent belt from the shock off his driver (The sparky had been using his neon driver as a bradawl just before handing it to me, and must have damaged/ shorted out the resistor).
Yup, I never wanted to use one of those little sods to test for live circuit again. And they are best indicative of a live circuit, they can glow on lower voltage parts of circuits, giving the impression that you are a live side of a circuit, when you may not be. Misleading. Nice bradawl though :-)
Oops, nearly forgot. Nice find Nocure :-)
@pasadala: Agreed. I have one of these Aldi sets, the first thing I did was throw that tester in the bin.
Chuck Norris' manicure set
thanks for the post is there any power tools in this catologue?
Yep, just the 20v xfinity series
thanks which skins do they have? we seem to get our catalogue a day or two before the specials are instore
Not going to give up my Wera set for these but brilliant deal nonetheless.
Lol, subtle brag :P
Haha, didn't mean it to come across like that. Although I see how it was.
I don't know many sparkies who don't use Wera or Wiha. It wasn't a brag, it was more a real electricians will use real tools stab.
I find the Wera feel nice but a little soft, the tip get scraped etc. I like my Bahco set, but it's not magnetic tipped.
Yeah, I bought a set of these the last time around and my terminal screwdriver end snapped off the first time I used it. The bigger screwdrivers have been fine.
One is $90, the other is $9…
I've used the Aldi set for serious work, the handle isn't as comfortable as the top brands but still way better than the old Stanley design.
$90 for a set of Wera's, yeah sure but you would be getting ripped off, $50 locally is more like it. Also for Wera and knipex its cheaper to use amazon germany, vat is taken off when you order.
Bought a couple of sets last time around. Have broken both sets of the smallest and next to smallest flat (slot) drivers on first use. Went back to a stanley non VDE and didn't have any issue.
Maybe I got a bad batch, maybe the metal is suspect quality. YMMV.
I got a set of these last time round as a "beater" set and have treated them accordingly. They seem to have lasted pretty well and I'll probably get some more, not because the old ones broke but because I keep losing them!
Yep, one of the flat blades in my set snapped.
Will go to Stanley when these all break/strip
Yep the smallest flat driver snapped when I first used mine too.
I have a set of these. The philips head is a little funny it isn't profile like the regular PH1 and PH2. It doesn't fit properly maybe it's JIS standard.
Maybe posidrive?
Pozidriv
I haven't noticed the issue @skillet mentioned, but no, they're not Pozidriv
Anyone know how the Xfinity gear is? How does it compare other manufacturers?
ive had this set for 4 years. They've been given a torrent of abuse and still hold up well. great set of screwdrivers and comfortable handles.
Your lucky, my smaller sizes lasted a few days before the tips broke. Also the Wiha's are perfectly made for the cage terminals
I've been seeing heaps of the chargers around from the last time, on clearance.
Does anyone have any of the 20v tools? any better or worse than ryobi level stuff?
It looks to be a similar standard (i.e aimed at occasional or home use) but the difference is the ryobi line is a lot bigger and mixes the home/garden with the normal toolset.
So if you were looking to have something for say an apartment where you just need a minimal set of tools this would be perfect. The ryobi stuff on the other hand means you can use the same battery/charger system for your drill, whipper snipper, leaf blower, drop saw, angle grinder..
I agree with Jason, I got the non-brushless version of the drill last year and have given it a decent flogging with various DIY projects around the house and have never had an issue with it. Hasn't run out of power during a job, battery still holding strong charge, and plenty of power to drill through anything I've thrown at it.
The only thing I would say is that although I bought a cheap drill, I bought some expensive bits to go with it (Sutton Viper) and I think that's the right way to do it. The amount I saved between the Aldi drill and the Ryobi & Bosch that I also looked at meant that I could buy the Sutton bits rather than the cheap ones.
If you're just doing some work around the house, this will be fine.
Bought the cordless drill last time it was on sale for work. It's the brushed version and it has held up well (gets used a lot) it's a lot better than the ozito one we killed in a month
The catalogue says the impact driver does 310Nm, which I find hard to believe…
Most of the competitors are around 150, highest I found was 220.
Is it a 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch impact driver?
½"
That is why it has more torque lol thanks mate!
How are the Aldi drill bits? Are they reasonable quality?
So the drill is really $100, after you buy the charger and battery
my apologies, it's $99.97. Forgot what website I was on for second
Now that it has started (technically yesterday), does anyone have a word on how good they are?
I bought the 20V circular saw last time, along with a battery and charger. Main reason I went for it over the Ozito is because it uses a larger and more standard sized blade, 165mm vs 150mm on the ozito which is more expensive and harder to find.
The saw has been outstanding! The main use for it was to rip a 2.2m x 26mm hardwood panel from Bunnings to use as a shelf, since Bunnings refused to cut it for me!
Although I've never owned another corded or cordless circular saw, so have nothing to compare with but I'm impressed how much power it has!
One Saturday I bought the brushless drill.
Very unusual, Aldi never advertised it as being a hammer drill, and I nearly didn't even bother going to Aldi since I wanted a cordless hammer drill.
After checking it out, I saw it has a hammer setting and the warranty certificate in the manual calls it a Brushless drill, yet another page says Hammer brushless drill 20V!
I just drilled nearly 50 holes in a wall with a corded hammer drill last week, next one I need to drill I will try the new Aldi drill.
If I really got a brushless hammer drill for $50, it's the deal of the decade! That would make it comparable to the Bunnings Ozito $130 brushless hammer drill.
Anyone else bought one and tried drilling masonry?
that's a confusing title…