Review
GMC HD2G250M Hammer Drill: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
A corded hammer drill from GMC, which went into receivership in 2008. And a note on why percussion is the wrong tool for concrete.
Drills & Drivers
Review
GMC FQC54V and PFC42V Cordless Drivers: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
Fast-charge cordless drivers from a brand that went into receivership in 2008. The batteries went with it.
Review
GMC LSR13DP Drill Press: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
A benchtop drill press from GMC, which went into receivership in 2008. Old drill presses are worth keeping if the quill is sound.
Review
i-Drill 12V Li-Ion Cordless Drills: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
An early lithium cordless range from a brand no longer trading. Why orphaned battery platforms are worthless, and what to buy.
Review
Ryobi "LiveTool" Power Tool Range: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
An older Ryobi range name that no longer exists. What survived it: the ONE+ battery foot, unchanged since 1996.
Review
Vertiacc Drill Press Accessory: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
A drill press accessory no longer on sale. What a drill press table genuinely fixes, and the current option to buy.
Review
Hitachi D10VH Corded Drill: Now the Metabo HPT D10VH2
The D10VH did not die — the brand did. Hitachi Power Tools became Metabo HPT, and the drill carried on with a 2 on the end.
Review
Black & Decker RD1440: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
A 14.4V NiCd drill/driver kit from the DIY range. Discontinued, and its battery platform is gone.
Review
Black & Decker SC1400: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
An early 14.4V lithium drill kit. Better than the NiCd tools it replaced, and still long retired.
Review
Torquata Easy Riser Drill Press Upgrade — and the Amazon Alternative
Torquata is Timbecon's own brand, sold direct. A drill press table with a fence and stop block solves the same problem.
8.2
Review
Festool TDK Cordless Drills: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
Festool's TDK line is long retired, along with its NiCd packs. The current range shares nothing with it.
Review
Makita BDF452HW: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
An early 18V LXT drill kit. Retired, but the LXT battery mount it introduced is still the current one.
Review
Makita 6270D: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
A 12V NiCd drill from before lithium. The tool is retired and its battery platform is unsupported.
Review
Makita BTD142HW: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
An early 18V LXT impact driver. Retired, but it takes current LXT batteries, which changes the calculation.
Review
Milwaukee Black and Bronze Drill Bit Set Review
A 14-piece jobber set with an oxide finish that buys heat resistance, not hardness. Good bits in steel, unremarkable in timber.
8.0
Review
Ryobi BID1211: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
A 12V impact driver from a battery platform Ryobi no longer sells. The 18V ONE+ range absorbed it.
Review
Ryobi CAD1402VK: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
A 14.4V right angle drill. The tool is gone and so is the battery class, but the job it did still needs solving.
Review
Ryobi CDL1802D: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
An 18V drill from Ryobi's blue-era ONE+ range. Retired, but the battery mount it used is still alive.
Review
Ryobi CID1802V: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
An 18V impact driver from the older ONE+ line. Gone from the range, and the current brushless one is a different class of tool.
Review
Ryobi CID1823VK: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
An 18V hammer drill kit from the older ONE+ range. Retired, and worth replacing rather than repairing.
Review
Ryobi EID600VK and EID8102VK: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead
Two corded hammer drills from Ryobi's DIY range. Both retired as the brand moved to cordless.
Review
Ryobi ONE+ System Review
The battery platform, not the drill. Every ONE+ tool since 1996 takes the same pack, and that promise is the entire product.
8.4
Review
Torquata DCAK Keyless Drill Chuck — and the Amazon Alternative
Swapping a drill press chuck is a twenty-minute job that removes a lost-key problem forever. Torquata sells direct; here is the Amazon equivalent.
7.8
Review
Bosch Daredevil Spade Bit Set Review
The threaded tip is the whole product. It pulls the bit through framing timber fast — and that is exactly what makes it awkward in a hand drill.
8.2