Aldi Drill-driver Under Test

You don't see me too often extolling the merits of power equipment but one piece of equipment i use enough in the day to day of life is a battery-driven drill-driver. I like them because they are a one hand operation, leaving my free hand to hold the work. It doesn't mean I  am abandoning my use of the eggbeater version and the brace either. Both have their place too just that they are very convenient for driving screws in some of the work I do. It's about balance.

Last year I bought an inexpensive 14v battery-driven drill-driver because I wanted to see how it stood up. It did fine but compared to an 18v it was of course underpowered. For drilling holes though it was just fine so I used it alongside my Dewalt version 18v Lithium Ion and the two paired up fine. It was one made for the supermarket chain you either love or hate, Aldi. I'm easy either way but currently they've been selling an upgraded version in the form of an 18v Lithium Ion so I bought three to test them out as I use them frequently enough on my projects. The cost? £24.95.

OK, those of you working on the job site can frown and mutter, but running this alongside my Dewalt of the same voltage, if there was a difference, it was so minimal I certainly could not tell. So I have used them over the past couple of weeks now and I found myself reaching for either the Dewalt or the Aldi equally and in the end without preference. The Dewalt is heavier but that is because you can hammer drill concrete and brick with it and the Aldi version has no hammer action. For me that is inconsequential because I usually reach for a Bosch version for that quite rare occasion when I need one. the neat thing here of course is I can say it the way it is. Aldi gives a three-year no-fuss, no-frills warranty on the whole unit including the battery and you simply take the unit back to the store with a receipt for a full, unchallenged refund, repair or replacement. I say no frills because it hinges only on proof of purchase. I thought some of my friends out there might want to take advantage while they are in the store. If they work as well as Aldi chisels you may never need to buy another drill/driver. In my hands, Dewalt and Bosch haven't gone past two years to date before the batteries have gone out.

The bit size accommodation maxes out at the same 1/2" (13mm) as the Dewalt and with 17 torque options you are well under way to discrimination as to pressures in the drive power. The size of the Aldi is very close to the Dewalt but I like the lighter weight for some of the work I do.

With the kind of warranty offered, and the convenience too, I don't see that you can lose with this.