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Thread: Reviews to be trusted?

  1. #1
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    Reviews to be trusted?

    I'm going to let Santa know that I want a cordless drill for Christmas and I'm trying to go over the reviews to see what is best. As I read the reviews I wonder which ones can be trusted. From the days when I was a shooter I remember that one could never find a review of guns in the shooting magazines that wasn't influenced by advertising.
    Anyone know of tool reviews they feel good about?

  2. #2
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    "best" is such a slippery term. you don't mention the types of uses your drill will see. while a lot of those reviews are indeed biased or superficial in various ways, it has always bothered me that festool was not mentioned more in tool reviews. i use their T15 and find that to be a great drill with a lot of useful features: multi volt charger, brushless longevity, good balance between power and weight, and of course the 4 chucks for various applications. i also had good luck with several of the early dewalts, but current dewalts are not on my list. there are also very good reviews from users on various forums regarding the brushless milwaukee fuel line of drills. but since santa is paying for the drill, i would go with a festool, fein or metabo.
    on a side note, i find that many buy a decent drill but seem to skimp on the drill bits. a really good set of bits from a machine shop supplier goes a long way towards enjoyment and satisfaction of using the tool.
    Last edited by Teo Cafengiu; 11-21-2014 at 12:29 PM.

  3. #3
    The reviews on Amazon can be helpful, though take it all with a grain of salt.

    Just my 2-cents, do with it what you will: On things that I will use a lot or use frequently (like a cordless drill or other hand tools), I just go down the Lowes or HD and buy it there. The amount of money I might save on an item at this level by buying online is outweighed (at least for me...) by the fact that I can stand there with all the various models in front of me and try out each one to see what the weight and ergonomics are actually like, plus the fact that if there is an issue, I can just walk back in and return it with no hassle. I was shopping for a new tool belt/suspenders recently and there were all these reviews for this or that brand, five stars. I went to Lowes and tried them. Well made but didn't fit me right. Ended up buying an entirely different brand that was not as well reviewed. It's all subjective.

    By the way, I have an 18V Dewalt gun that has been a champ for years. There may be better but it has been fine for all my needs. Best of luck in your search.

    Erik Loza
    Minimax USA

  4. #4
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    I usually go by actual user reviews and not magazines. But with reviews like Amazon, you have to sort through and account for the bogus reviews that say "it took a long time for shipping" so they rate it 1 star.

  5. #5
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    If a review gets into too much detail about the features, pass it. You know it's an ad.
    The ones that give something 1 star and say "I hate it", are also to be ignored.
    It's not hard to pick out the honest reviews. Most of those are 4 stars.
    Never, under any circumstances, consume a laxative and sleeping pill, on the same night

  6. #6
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    I like to get actual users experiences & here at SMC is one place I usually ask.
    My granddad always said, :As one door closes, another opens".
    Wonderful man, terrible cabinet maker...

  7. #7
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    I read the reviews as a starting point to highlight what I might not have considered the get a general flavor of what's current. But I don't take them as gospel because they often tell more about the reviewer than the tool. I rarely write reviews, I'm just too busy using my tools for that. When it comes to drills specifically it's important to hold one in your hand. A good drill is really an extension of your hand so it has to feel comfortable there. Bright side is almost all the major offerings presently are really very good, so hard to go wrong.
    "A good miter set up is like yoga pants: it makes everyone's butts look good." Prashun Patel

  8. #8
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    I use a combination of magazine articles including Consumer Reports and user reviews.

    The magazine articles often provide an easy to view comparison on technical details that I might overlook if I was standing in a store comparing the devices.

    I read user reviews, reading all and throwing out the low volume extreme reviews. If I read one user gave a "1" and 499 users gave a product a "4" or "5", the single "1" review would be a lot less believable to me. Likewise, a single "5" score would be less credible compared to 499 "2"s given by other reviewers.

    Like Erik, I also enjoy holding it in my hand, checking it for fit, comfort, weight, etc.
    Last edited by Ken Fitzgerald; 11-21-2014 at 1:00 PM.
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  9. #9
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    I am a fan of 18v makitas and 20 and 12v dewalts and 12v max Bosch.
    Glad its my shop I am responsible for - I only have to make me happy.

  10. #10
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    I switched over to all ridgid 18v drills, I have had one set for a few years, bought another drill battery set a month or so ago. I am not sure how ridgid compares to other similair price brands but they have life service agreement. includes free batteries. I just replaced one of my 12v ridgid batteries a few weeks ago. at no cost at my local home depot.

    http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-X4...9601/203810442

    thats what I got it was on sale for 179 for along time, and I got 10% off also.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Fitzgerald View Post
    I use a combination of magazine articles including Consumer Reports and user reviews.

    The magazine articles often provide an easy to view comparison on technical details that I might overlook if I was standing in a store comparing the devices.

    I read user reviews, reading all and throwing out the low volume extreme reviews. If I read one user gave a "1" and 499 users gave a product a "4" or "5", the single "1" review would be a lot less believable to me. Likewise, a single "5" score would be less credible compared to 499 "2"s given by other reviewers.

    Like Erik, I also enjoy holding it in my hand, checking it for fit, comfort, weight, etc.
    Ken,

    This is almost precisely what I do. When it comes tool reviews, there's more bull... uhh... bovine feces out there than I thought possible.

    So I read everything I can find, cross check the facts, and weigh opinions based on source. Real user opinions (not fake ones) are invaluable.

    One of the first checks is to view the Amazon review graph. Just a couple of reviews? I'm skeptical. It's difficult to eval a product with just a few reviews. Lots of 5 reviews? That's a huge plus. Lots of "1" reviews? Big red flag.

    Assuming that the preponderance of Amazon views are high, my next step is to look at the "1" and "2" reviews (not the "5" reviews). Even if a bunch of people like the product, is there something lurking there that affects some people? Will it affect me? So I read these carefully. Sometimes, people are PO'd about shipping, damaged product, etc. I.e. NOT product related. It's still a red flag, but it may be critical to the decision.

    Negative (valid) customer reviews that complain about product flaws can be very useful. Sometimes users just don't like certain features. For example, I just ordered a Laguna 14|Twelve bandsaw. One reviewer said the table height was too low. He mentioned that he was 6'2" tall. I'm 5'5". His was a valid complaint, but it didn't apply to me. From visits to Woodcraft and Rockler, I LOVE the table height.

    There's lots of good and bad info out there. Diving into the details and cross-checking everything is critical to a good decision, IMO. And finally is just how it feels in your hand. Will it work for you?

    Regarding drills, I have a couple 18v Makita impact drivers. Great tools. I have a Festool C12 and CXS. Both are great drills (IMO), but a lot of people don't like how the C12 fits in their hand. Finally, I have a several Milwaukee M12 drills and impact driver for my RV. Very compact and work well.

    Regards,

    Dan.
    It's amazing what you can accomplish in the 11th hour, 59 minute of any project. Ya just have to keep your eye on the goal.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by John T Barker View Post
    I'm going to let Santa know that I want a cordless drill for Christmas and I'm trying to go over the reviews to see what is best. As I read the reviews I wonder which ones can be trusted. From the days when I was a shooter I remember that one could never find a review of guns in the shooting magazines that wasn't influenced by advertising.
    Anyone know of tool reviews they feel good about?
    Skip the Amazon reviews and drop by the Hilti store in Malvern. After that, head down Route 30 to Woodcraft in Downingtown to check out the Festool ones. Both make great cordless drills, checking them out in-person usually makes the decision. Either store will let you demo them.

  13. #13
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    I owned a Bosch and Panasonic drill (both lithium ion) and decided a needed a Rigid (lithium ion). The Rigid batteries both gave up the ghost and the Bosch and Panasonic drills are still running on the original batteries even though they are about 9 months older. I have purchased my last Rigid battery operated tool. I even contacted Home Deport to tell them how disappointed I was with the life of their batteries and their response was "sorry you are disappointed' I will let my manager and Rigid know. They did not mention free battery replacement. Cody how did you go about getting free replacement batteries?

  14. #14
    I read all the low reviews (1 -3 stars). A lot of them are just cranks but they will also tell you about issues to be concerned about. Frequently, there will be problems that you wouldn't think about. Plus, many reviewers tell you how to deal with the issue. Also, you get a sense of the failure rate. I also look at review distribution as someone else said. Worthwhile to know what the average is. I do pretty much ignore the glowing reviews because a) a lot of people will give 5* before they've even used it, b) many are just casual users and c) fake reviews.
    Last edited by Phil Barrett; 11-22-2014 at 11:07 AM.

  15. #15
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    you need to register it for there lifetime service warranty, it only takes a few minutes but it needs done within i think within 30 days of purchase and then you get free batteries for life.

    Quote Originally Posted by charlie kapper View Post
    I owned a Bosch and Panasonic drill (both lithium ion) and decided a needed a Rigid (lithium ion). The Rigid batteries both gave up the ghost and the Bosch and Panasonic drills are still running on the original batteries even though they are about 9 months older. I have purchased my last Rigid battery operated tool. I even contacted Home Deport to tell them how disappointed I was with the life of their batteries and their response was "sorry you are disappointed' I will let my manager and Rigid know. They did not mention free battery replacement. Cody how did you go about getting free replacement batteries?

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