My thoughts on cheap Ozito tools

Discussion in 'Renovation & Home Improvement' started by spludgey, 19th May, 2020.

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  1. spludgey

    spludgey Well-Known Member

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    This is a post that I wrote for another forum, but I thought it would also potentially be of interest to PCers.

    I've got the following Ozito tools (much of which I bought second hand, hence the double ups).

    18V Blower: Good cheap general blower. Not too strong but good for small jobs. My 2 year old loves using it. 6/10

    18V Trimmer: Crap, will only cut very short grass. Probably good if you stay on top of trimming your grass on a city block, but pointless for my semi-wild quarter acre suburban block. 3/10

    Pole Pruner and Hedge Trimmer kit: Not super powerful, but very useful for trimming and cutting up to about 100mm branches. Good length on the extension as well. 8/10

    Workshop blower: Bought second hand rattles and doesn't blow that much. Don't see the point of this for me. 2/10

    36V Brushless Jet Blower: Excellent! Goes through the batteries pretty quickly though. 9/10

    36V Mower: Good if you keep your grass a reasonable length. Does not cut low enough, so I had to modify it with some washers. Takes me 4 full 4Ah batters and a bit to do a 1000m2 block. 6/10 (score reduced due to modification required)

    36V Trimmer: Excellent, nearly as powerful as my petrol one, but so much simpler and quieter to use. The included line isn't the best and if you buy cheap replacement line, you'll be cursing it. However now that I have quality line, it's one of my favourite tools. 9/10

    150mm Circular saw: Pretty crap and gutless. 3/10

    165mm circular saw: Still not as much power as I'd like, even on the 5.2Ah battery, but much better than the 150mm version and actually usable. 7/10

    2x Compact drill driver: Nothing to say really, does what it's designed for but not a bit more. 5/10

    Brushless drill driver: I like this one, no issues, works well. 7/10

    2x Impact driver: Terrible, wobble like crazy and don't have a lot of torque. 2/10

    Brushless impact driver: Soooo much better than the brushed version! Similar torque on paper, but there is a world of difference between the two! 7/10

    Multitool: Got it for Christmas and haven't really used it much ?/10

    Rotary Hammer Drill: I love this thing! So much torque! I got an SDS to chuck adaptor and it's actually better for screwing than the brushed impact driver above. Loses a point for not having a dedicated hammer only function. 8/10

    Brushless Rotary Hammer: Just bought this one, seems very good, but I haven't actually used it on a project yet. I'll still give it an interim rating of 8/10. A bit on the heavy side, otherwise it might well replace the rotary hammer above in my tool kit.

    3x Angle grinder: To be avoided. 2 out of 3 that I have make grinding noises (pun intended). Would not recommend to anyone. 2/10.

    Recip saw: Not the most powerful in the world, but gets most jobs done. Good value for money. 6/10

    Detail sander: Came in a kit, have not used. ?/10

    2x Orbital sander: Get a bit warmer than I'd like, vibrate a bit more than they should, but all in all fine. 5/10

    LED Torch: What can I say, it's a torch. Got a hook to hang it up. 5/10.

    2x 2Ah batteries

    8x 4Ah batteries

    1x 5.2Ah battery

    What do you have and what are your experiences? Do they differ from mine?

    While there are some duds in there, in general, I feel that Ozito provides excellent value for money (especially when on sale, thanks Aldi) and is of good enough quality to for frequent DIYers, such as myself.
     
  2. MTR

    MTR Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for sharing, partner has some of these tools

    thumbs up -
    rotary hammer drill, and

    165mm circular saw

    His only regret is he did not buy more tools in US on last trip, absolute bargains and lots of choice
     
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  3. Lindsay_W

    Lindsay_W Well-Known Member

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    I have one 12v battery powered Ozito drill (no where near as many as you) that has been working for over 10 years, still going strong.
     
  4. spludgey

    spludgey Well-Known Member

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    I'm not doubting that, however your Ozito drill likely has nothing to do with mine, manufacturing wise. The current 18V range are actually re-badged German (designed, Chinese made) Einhell tools. I think it was different prior to that. I had the old grey and green 12V ones as well (if that's the ones you're talking about), but I gave them to my brother in law when I upgraded.
    I'd still consider those as value for money, but obviously in a different league to 18V tools, particularly brushless ones.
     
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  5. vbplease

    vbplease Well-Known Member

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    I think the ozito spray gun is a dud.. I threw mine in the bin within 5 mins..

    I stick with Makita now. Although I picked up a XU1 planer (even cheaper than ozito) for a one off job and have ended up using it loads of times with great results.

    Off topic - I’ve never understood why someone would get a blower.. it moves mess from one spot to another without getting rid of it for good?
     
  6. Peter_Tersteeg

    Peter_Tersteeg Mortgage Broker Business Member

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    I worked at Bunnings a couple of decades ago. Some tradies used to come in and buy a couple of cordless drills. They'd run the drill until it died (often within a few days), pick up the next drill and proceed.

    They'd then return the broken drill under the 12 month warranty and get a replacement.
     
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  7. spludgey

    spludgey Well-Known Member

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    Bunnings no longer warrant Ozito or Ryobi for professional work.
    But they now come with a 5 year warranty.
     
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  8. Westminster

    Westminster Tigress at Tiger Developments Business Member

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    That used to be the only reason we'd by Ozito etc from Bunnings because when it died or didn't do the job it could be easily replaced - and that was with home use.
    A good warranty and easy returns are worth their weight in gold.
     
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  9. Paul@PAS

    Paul@PAS Tax, Accounting + SMSF + All things Property Tax Business Plus Member

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    120V corded tools arent a good choice for use in Australia. Not unless he is in the navy. Naval ships are all 120V for 100% redundancy (WW2 legacy). Battery chargers arent all univolt either except a small number like Dewalt.
     
  10. Peter_Tersteeg

    Peter_Tersteeg Mortgage Broker Business Member

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    Doesn't surprise me, Bunnings was aware of what they were doing (this was almost 20 years ago).
     
  11. Scott No Mates

    Scott No Mates Well-Known Member

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    18v brushcutter/shears - battery life is too short for any serious use - 2/10, shears can cut up to 10-12 mm branches - 5/10, 12" brushcutter is very limited as it can only take very small branches but would be OK on boxus/nandina/small Murrayas - 3/12

    Overall 4/10

    (I will be getting a more powerful unit with wider brushcutter attachments).
     
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  12. Paul@PAS

    Paul@PAS Tax, Accounting + SMSF + All things Property Tax Business Plus Member

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    Never were warrantied for trade. Usual tradie trap is they buy it with trade discount. No returns allowed. Many do return them. Sign of a bad tradie = bad tools. The difference between a ozito rotary hammer and hilti is like plastic and steel. The hilti will be like a hot knife in butter. Many tradies cant get onsite now if the tool is corded and consumer.

    I worked for Black & Decker back when. B&D invented the consumer range and it killed black & deckers reputation. We had to launch DeWalt to escape the problem. But it killed them in the end and it was sold after a long family ownership just a few years ago. Dewalt is often branded made in USA which is often a lie. Most components are from China and part assembled in USA. Few are 100% made and are token builds. Often just installed into a box or kitbox. Its like our food packaging laws suck.

    The master Tony deAntonio taught me (he is best remembered for GMC aftre leaving B&D) and he could look at the case and tell you which factory made what and every component that was a concern. That how GMC was built. He fixed all the mistakes and left the cheap bits that didnt break. He know it was cheaper to sell one and throw two away. Nearly all consumer tools are all made in Taiwan and China in under a handful of factories. People say some are from USA, germany etc... Nope they buy cheap chinese too and may have limited assembly etc. If you remove the casing almost all are identical with marginal changes dealing with the cases, grips etc . For home use the quality of trade and consumer products is vastly better than 10 years ago. But there is a newer mid market segmet that is cheap trade tools too. Often big name brands do this which is a risk to their reputation. Makita have started to do this again which seems foolish. Much of Makita is made in China too. Its finished in japan. They own their own factories.

    Checkout where all things are made eg dewalt. You can set your own search. Remember made and fully made are not the same.
    DeWalt products by Country of Origin - country of origin, manufacturing locations | ProductFrom.com

    Even more Makita is made in China that seems to be made in Japan.
    MacBook Pros are same.... made in USA... But all elements are shipped from China. A few screws and assembly and a box.
     
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  13. spludgey

    spludgey Well-Known Member

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    While I've never used a Hilti, I don't doubt it! However they're also 5 to 10 times the price.
    So for a DIYer like myself, it'd be silly to buy all Hilit tools when Ozito is sufficient.
    But if I used them professionally and used them as much in a week as I currently do in a year, I'd definitely consider paying the premium.
     
  14. The Y-man

    The Y-man Moderator Staff Member

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    I have no issues at all with my ozito:
    • (not-so-)silent mulcher/chipper - brilliant
    • orbital sander - the sanding disc kept going into orbit, but I did actually sand down an entire lounge room floor prior to revarnishing!!
    • Sheet sander - no issue with it so far for what I doo (very light jobs)
    • corded drill/driver - very light portable and used from drilling to mixing solutions
    • compound mitre saw - don't get to use it much but no issues
    • corded electric chainsaw - along with the mulcher, just keeps on going - still on the original chain (have a sharpening file) and has cut down some pretty major trees!! (and has hit the occasional brick and rock) - absolutely awesome. Unlike the recent model, my unit came with an authentic oregon bar (same $99 price).
    Actually Ozito is relatively "luxury" compared to the XU1 range :D

    XU1 Jigsaw - I think I paid $12 - the metal cutting blades I needed cost more - the plane doesn't sit straight - cant get a nice 90 deg cut even with it maxed out! :eek:
    XU1 counter rotating demolition saw - brilliant - the cut isn't deep but I have cut wood, metal, glass ..... my got tool for cutting up old fence posts etc with nails in it....

    The Y-man
     
  15. inertia

    inertia Well-Known Member

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    The Ryobi One+ are perfectly adequate for my needs - and I've already headed down the path, so am committed to it! My only gripe would be that they are sold exclusively through Bunnings.
     
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  16. MTR

    MTR Well-Known Member

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    Its amazing how cheap tools are these days, not the case 20 odd years ago. I guess we can put this down to China?
     
    Last edited: 19th May, 2020
  17. Lindsay_W

    Lindsay_W Well-Known Member

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    Ok didn't realise it was a contest :rolleyes: just sayin, it's lasted a lot longer than other cordless drills I've had.
    In theory then, yours should last even longer :eek:
     
    Last edited: 19th May, 2020
  18. Never giveup

    Never giveup Well-Known Member

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    I am in market for edger and they are bloody expensive so still shopping around :)
     
  19. spludgey

    spludgey Well-Known Member

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    Sorry, I did not mean to offend you. I just meant that even though both say Ozito, they have nothing to do with each other than being owned by Bunnings at the time.
    Just like my tools are adequate for me and I won't spend a mint getting more premium tools, your tools might be perfectly adequate for you. All good.
     
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  20. Rex

    Rex Well-Known Member

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    I've found the handful of the current gen cordless Ozito tools I have to be adequate, though I've had to return TWO of the 3Ah batteries after early failure. Third time lucky this one has lasted two years now.

    We have Makita tools at work though - regardless of where they are made you do notice the difference with the Makita feeling and operating that bit better. Hard to say if it's worth paying double the price for the home handyman though.

    I tend to buy higher quality corded and hand tools, as they can last a lifetime, but I economise a bit more on the cordless, especially since the cheapies are now mostly adequate quality. Since since battery tech and model ranges seem to evolve every 5-10 years, I worry I'll be stuck with expensive cordless tools that I struggle to buy batteries and accessories for when the manufacturer moves on to the next gen model range.
     
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