Three top tips for buying power tools (and why you shouldnât always use Multifix)
When you start a new job and discover you need power tools, it can be tricky to know where to start. Asking your mates is a good shout, but maybe their suggestions arenât taking your fancy. Depending on what line of work youâre in too, you maybe donât want something too expensive. If youâre only going to use it a handful of times, you probably donât want to risk breaking the bank. There is also a lot of choice with a lot of competing brands for similar items and finding out where to start can be daunting. You neednât fear, though. At Multifix, we offer a range of power tools, both 110V corded and 18V cordless, that will cover all your basic needs. Our Paslode and Makita range covers just about every power tool going, be it circular saws or drywall screwdrivers, or even combi tools. If youâre stuck, weâre happy to field calls to help you make the best purchase for your project. Sometimes though, that isnât enough. And it certainly isnât enough for some of our customers, who frequently ask for DeWalt, Milwaukee, or Festool. This is very understandable; theyâre all reliable and outstanding brands, but when we inform you that we donât stock them, we are asked⌠Why does Multifix only supply power tools that they keep in stock? Why donât they sell other brands? Why donât they have more variety? Well, we thought it would be best to give you some answers. As online competition increases, itâs sometimes cheaper to buy certain power tools elsewhere than it is for us to buy them wholesale and sell to you. What we do have in stock, we can still give you the best deal for â especially with Paslode and Makita products. In the main though, we would suggest you look elsewhere. Itâs not only cheaper than going through all the hoops with us for a power tool we donât stock, but you get much more variety, too. In fact, we tell our customers the same thing on the phone. However, the next question we get is âwhat should I look out for when buying power tools?â So, with that in mind, we have come up with our top three tips on what to do when purchasing power tools elsewhere. Tip one: Know exactly what tools youâre getting Thereâs nothing worse than getting on site, unpacking your new tools and realising youâve not got what you need. Itâs a simple tip, but it goes a long way. Site veterans may scoff at this tip and assume itâs only for DIY users, but youâd be surprised. Weâve had more than a few calls from professionals saying, âthis isnât what I wanted,â when theyâve not fully checked what theyâre buying. The product images can be very deceiving, so make sure you read the description before purchasing. Things like sanding belts or extra blades â or even batteries â arenât always included. For example, the DeWalt cordless saw range at Screwfix doesnât include a battery or a charger; you have to buy them separately. Tip two: Register your tools Unfortunately, there's a small chance that the power tool you have ordered either stops working, is faulty from the get-go, or breaks while using it. At this point, you'll want to return it, but unless you've registered it, you'll find this difficult. We sometimes hear of these examples happening, which is bad enough as is, but made worse by hearing the power tool wasn't registered. If your power tool isnât registered, you wonât be fully covered by warranty. Do it before you even use it. We understand it can be an easy thing to forget, especially when in a hurry, but itâs vitally important you do so. Otherwise, you risk wasting your head-earned money. Also, registering your tools often results in a longer warranty period and in some cases, free servicing. Itâs worth doing. Tip three: Check the fine print The topic of warranty leads us to our final tip. Make sure you know exactly what the warranty is and what options that come with it. For example, some companies â ourselves being one â will come and collect the broken power tool from your site, which saves you time and money. Others may not offer that and it could be up to you to send it back through tracked mail, at your own expense. Knowledge is certainly power in these sorts of situations and it can only help if you know exactly what you are getting with your power tool. Now you have our top three tips, here are five power tool specialists that we would recommend you shop with⌠Power Tool World The clue is very much in the name with Power Tool World, who live and breatheâŚwell, power tools. There are several reasons why we would recommend them and they mostly focus on customer satisfaction. Given they specialise in power tools, Power Tool World always have a big stock holding, so if you need anything, there is a very good chance they have it. Also, they offer PayPal Pay in Three as a payment option, offer free delivery on orders over ÂŁ50 and you can order before 7pm for next-day delivery. ITS If youâre based in London, ITS are especially useful as they have stores in Leyton, Walthamstow and Harlow. This means you can pick up from them direct if you need something immediately. Plus, ITS will offer a price match if you see anything on their site that either Screwfix or Toolstation can offer cheaper. They can even one up Power Tool World with their next-day delivery service too, as you can order up until 8pm and still get your item within 24 hours. ToolChimp If itâs Tacwise products that you need, then ToolChimp is your go-to. They stock hundreds of Tacwise products and accessories, ranging from air nailers to plastic staples. ToolChimp also has 0% finance options on orders over ÂŁ120 and will offer a free delivery service in the UK, provided your order is over ÂŁ100. Nuts & Bolts Equally, if itâs Festool products that youâre after, Nuts and Bolts â otherwise known as N&B â are an excellent option. They offer great availability and very fair prices for the German power tools. This is important given how tough it can be getting out of stock Festool products, as not everyone can wait seven working days for an order. However, it is best to order through N&B over the phone, as their portal can be difficult to navigate. Itâs worth noting there is nothing wrong with the service and the delivery is normally spot on, but some may find their website to be clunky. Westcountry Machinery4Wood Much like N&B, Westcountry Machinery4Wood specialise in Festool power tools. Really, this makes sense given joiners love Festool products because of their precision to the millimetre. Their pricing and service are very good, plus their website is easy to use and order from. As such, this makes them a very comfortable recommendation from our side of things. You might think itâs weird to see us pick five competitor companies to buy from, but it's in your best interests to use these tips for power tool shopping. When it comes to Paslode and Makita power tools, we provide industry-leading service. Despite that, we canât cater to the entire power tools market in the same way that these companies can. So, in short, if itâs DeWalt or Festool youâre after, use these companies; theyâll have everything you need and more and all come with our seal of approval. With these tips too, youâll get a satisfactory transaction every time and wonât be let down like you are when you call us and we canât help. If itâs Paslode or Makita youâre needing though, let us help you â find out how to speak to an advisor here.Â