http://www.gadgetspeak.com/gadget/article.rhtm/753/865493/Aldi_s_Workszone_Titanium_.html

Aldi’s premium DIY drill and impact driver kit 

Image of author
The Workzone Titanium+ drill & driver kit forms part of Aldi’s premium range of tools and accessories. It consists of the two most useful battery-powered power tools -- a hammer drill and an impact driver -- packed into a robust storage case so that everything is together when you want to use it.

aldi workzone titanium drill
click image to enlarge

Both tools have enough power to more than meet most needs, sit nicely in one’s hand, and are comfortable to use. They are also of a practical design so that, for example, they both have belt clips which can be fitted on either side to suit the LH or RH user.

The forward/reverse switches on both drill and driver are transverse sliders across the body. They both have a central safety lock position which, while preventing the device operating, still allows the LED work light to light. Their triggers work in a smooth and progressive manner.

The two 18V 1300mAh batteries have LED status indicators and incorporate a deep-discharge protection system so that, when the charge level falls below 35%, the tool cuts out and one needs to replace the battery with a fully charged one. Charging takes roughly one hour but, as the batteries are identical, one can swap the battery for a fully charged one from the  other tool and just carry on working. Furthermore, as long as the batteries are fully charged before putting the kit “on the shelf” the low self-discharge rate of Li-ion cells will ensure that the tools are ready for use even a month or two later.

The hammer drill has a 13mm keyless chuck which operates effectively. The drill/screwdriver/impact modes of operation are selected by a ring just behind the chuck and the speed-range selector is recessed in the top of the drill’s body to provide speed ranges are 0 - 350 and 0 - 1,250 rpm as well as 0 - 5,250 and 0 - 18,750 bpm for plain drill and hammer functions respectively. A second ring behind the chuck controls the torque settings for the screwdriver mode.

The slim, but useful, instruction booklet quotes maximum drilling capacities of 13, 25 and 8mm for steel, wood and masonry respectively.

Impact drivers are designed to have the force to drive home long screws which one would otherwise struggle with. This Workzone impact driver has a simple ¼ inch (6.35mm) hexagonal chuck. This is the standard size for screwdriver bits etc. but it really needs to be used with 50mm or longer bits or alternatively with an adapter/extension holder. The instruction manual, in view of the high torque generated by the driver, warns against the use of standard bits and advocates the use of the higher performance “impact-ready” bits. The driver has a no-load speed range of 0 - 2,200 rpm and an impact rate of 0 - 3,000 bpm with a quoted maximum torque of 150Nm. In a practical test it drove 3 inch no. 8 and 2inch no. 10 screws to their full depth in a baulk of timber with no difficulty and, similarly was able to extract some tight screws.

The kit’s case is roughly 40 x 30 x 16cm in size and, being rectangular, can be readily stacked. It is made of strong red plastic and has carrying handles on front and top and it is lined, top and bottom, with heavy foam padding to prevent the two power tools and the charger from rattling around. In addition, there is a certain amount of free space that can be used to accommodate accessories that one might want to have to hand such as drill bits and ordinary and impact driver bits and so can be grabbed as and when needed.

As the instruction booklet points out, these tools have been designed for DIY use and are not suitable for commercial or heavy duty use. Hence, they should not be compared with such products at a far higher price. Nevertheless, they are well designed robust individual tools that will be able to cope with most DIY tasks and so well worth having in one’s armoury. At £99.99 as one of Aldi’s  “Special buys, once they’re gone they’re gone” that will be in the company’s stores on Thursday 26th November, the kit offers very good value for money and could well make someone a good Christmas present.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/thur-26-nov/product-detail/ps/p/18v-li-ion-drill-and-driver-kit/

Follow us on Twitter!!

add to del.icio.us Digg this review
StumbleUpon
Reddit

Reviews by related category

What our readers said!

Rating:

Comment by Jonny Boy, 20 Apr 2019 3:04

I have a big Dick.
Rating:

Comment by john thomson, 3 Feb 2019 1:29

i thought workzone tools had 3 years guarantee my impact drill stopped working took it back to aldi   no we don't guarantee these for 3 years only 12 months the manufacture gives the rest  but if you look for parts aldi is the manufacture iv bought a lot of tools from aldi because they have 3 years guarantee wont be getting any more there con men    
Rating:

Comment by adrianmorant, 6 June 2018 7:38

I'm surprised that you have had difficulty with the Aldi impact driver. I've used it to remove 2.5inch x 10 gauge screws which have been in place for more than 10 years. The only difficulty was finding a suitable slotted bit which did not bend or break in use. When using the correct bit, and making sure that I held it firmly and carefully in alignment it was successful even though some of the screws snapped off as they were so badly rusted in.
I didn't think that Philips heads were still used on screws. I thought that, because of their tendency to cam-out, they had been superseded by Pozidriv and Torx which are far more reliable.
All I can suggest is that you use the old dodge of applying a lubricant, such as Vaseline, to the screw and making sure that you hold the impact driver very        firmly and absolutely square on. By the way, some of the screws that Screwfix sells are already wax coated.
Good luck

Rating:

Comment by Peter Owens, 6 June 2018 5:38

I had trouble impact driving 38 mm x 10 gauge, long, square  drive, stainless screws with  type 17 point.
I expected to be able to direct drive fully home without the need for a pilot hole.
Material was fencing grade treated pine with old hardwood support beams, exact species unknown, possibly Queensland brush box.
I had previously bough an impact grade 50 long square drive bit which I expected would do the job & be more successful than the normal Philips head (crap) screws.
Well I was disappointed, the square drive camed out frequently, damaging the screw head & making removal quite time consuming & difficult.
Things became so unpredictable & the overall performance of the screws & cordless tool as so suspect, that I had to start drilling pilot holes, a very time consuming business.
Rating:

Comment by Rob Birtley, 25 Feb 2016 12:34

I've had the set for a couple of month's now and at first I thought power tools from Aldi at early £100 was a bit pricey. After using them however I have to say they are worth every penny and they are made by Walter who can supply extra batteries as well.

Comments are switched off for this article

Smiley Rating

Features1
Performance1
Value1
Ease of use1
Design1
OverallAldi%C2%92s Workszone Titanium+ rated 88 out of 100

If you like this article then why not link to it from your site!

Use a text link, or download an image

 

Our current Free Prizedraw!!

Why join GadgetSpeak?

Well - there are lots of reasons to join, depending on you and your interests :

  • Member prize-draws
  • Real reviews - by real people
  • Membership is free
  • Email summary of the weeks reviews
  • Share your product feedback with others
  • Keep in touch with all that's new in gadgets
  • Full of great ideas as the Christmas deadline looms!

Convinced? Come along and join in the fun!

close

Invite friends and family to GadgetSpeak

Why not invite friends or family to join in the fun?

Help us make GadgetSpeak the place to come for free and impartial reviews of the latest gadgets!

Start inviting your friends along!