Re:LIDL tools and stuff (from 26.09.19)

I swung into Lidl and bought a supposedly 500Nm 240V rattle gun for £39.99. They have a 400Nm battery one for £60, and an intelligent charger for £14. The £12.99 mini compressor looks the same as the "heavy duty" one I got from Maplins, that actually manages to blow a tyre up before it bursts into flames.

I bought a cloth on a stick to wipe the windscreen of The Other Car without leaving the drivers seat for £1.99 too.

www.lidl.co.uk/en/p/car-essentials/parks...impact-wrench/p25476

Thanks for the heads up.
I have a few of their intelligent chargers on my classic cars and bikes, work very well and a bargain for the money. Much better than the current Aldi XS version which is no longer as good.

How do people find rattle guns? A must have item for working on rusty bolts etc or just a lazy boy spanner?

interested to know your feedback.

I recently snapped exhaust studs on the MR2 even after using heat etc. They snapped as I eventually applied too much force,, I did wonder if a rattle gun would have been better. Even if the rattle gun had failed to undo it would have been an indicator to cut the bolts with a grinder, much better than snapped.

I find the rattle guns are good for rattling off those suspension bolts that are rusty and you can undo with your ratchet, but it takes ages and a lot of effort.
They are fine for loosening the crankshaft bolt, or anything that moves but has a lot of inertia.
They are useless at undoing anything springy, as the rattle just winds up the spring. I was trying to undo an 8" long bolt, that it turned out was threadlocked, and my other rattle gun just rattled it for ages. (Eventually I warmed up the exposed threads and undid it easily with a ratchet) I guess there was enough twist in the 8" of bolt and the socket extension to absorb all of the impact twist. I also couldn't undo a suspension bracket that the threads were inside a rubber bush, the rubber just absorbed the shock once the bolt moved.

They are much faster, it is one of those tools that I could really have used 30 years ago, but now I doubt if I will use it on more than 40 bolts during the rest of my life- so £1 a go when I get to the end

I have air and a 110V versions already, but both take so long to get out that for a couple of bolts it is better to struggle, the 240V can just plug into the extension I use for the fan heater to defrost the windscreen.


What I really need now is one of those induction heaters that warm up seized nuts, and a laser de-ruster

I got a battery powered rattle gun a year ago and would want o miss it. Changing wheels, any nut, etc. is so much easier.

I also have a air powered one but did not use it a lot because with the hose etc. it just took me to long to get it set up.

I have a rattle gun and it is ndispensable for me on the farm, saves loads of time and effort. The only thing I would suggest is that you get one with some actual guts as some of the off brand names are short on performance but large on marketing hype.

Just nipped out to Lidl and bought one too!

I bought an 18V lightweight DeWalt one last month and it really surprised me at how good it was at getting my old very rusty towbar off, but at 200NM it struggled a bit on the tougher nuts.

Decided with all the other rusty stuff under mine that I plan to get to in due course, that a slightly more powerful unit would not be wasted and at £40 seems like a bargin.