Reviews

Vauxhall Vivaro Review – Do I Regret Buying One?

Vauxhall Vivaro review

After an extensive 18-month bedding in period, Roger Bisby reviews his Vauxhall Vivaro 2900 1.6CDTI BiTurbo 125PS Sportive 2.9 H1 Double Cab. Capabilities Payload up to 1280kg. Cubic capacity up to 8.6 cubic metres. Low loading-height of 552mm. Width between wheel arches 1268mm. Can accommodate 8 x 4 ply and three Euro-pallets Fuel economy. When it comes to economy, Vivaro …

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Metabo MFE 40 Wall Chaser Review

Metabo MFE 40 Diamond Chaser review

Roger tries out the MFE 40 diamond chaser from Metabo, a machine designed to take the hard work and dust out of cutting chases. But does it do that? Having owned a diamond chaser and dust extractor for the past 15 years I am still slightly taken aback by how many trades still seem to do things the hard way. …

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Makita DLS110Z Review – Cordless Slide Mitre Saw

Makita DLS110Z review

Following his video review Roger looks at the Makita DLS110Z Twin 18v Cordless LXT BL Slide Compound Mitre Saw in more detail.  I have always had my reservations about cordless mitre saws and that includes all makes and sizes. It isn’t that they don’t work, it is just that they don’t work as well as mains powered machines and, for …

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Testing Cheap Tools – Are Poundland Tools a Bargain?

Poundland tools

Ahead of the biggest DIY weekend of the year – the great Easter break – Skill Builder Editor, Georgina Bisby has been trying out some Poundland tools to see what you can get for your money. Georgina tries out a spirit level, hammer, screwdriver set, junior hacksaw and some tape measures to see which ones are a steal and which …

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Bosch Impact Driver review: GDR & GDX 18v Impact Drivers

Bosch Impact Driver review

In the eighth and final test of our big Impact Driver round up we put the Bosch GDR 18 V-LI & GDR 18-LI Impact Drivers and Bosch GDX 18 V-EC impact wrench through their paces. These tests complete this series of cordless impact driver tests which has covered models from Makita, Milwaukee, Bosch, Hilti, Metabo, Pansonic, DeWalt and Hitachi. Find …

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How to tie in a wall securely with Tiger cavity wall ties

Cavity Wall Ties

Tiger says its unique, patented ‘one-shot’ Cavity Wall Ties mean faster fixing, easier application, stronger grip and less room for error. Roger Bisby tries them out. Tiger says its cavity wall ties will transform professional & DIY building fixings, forever. The secret is in Tiger’s patented wall fixing system. Insert, twist and the fixing becomes its own plug. An E.D.P.M. …

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Panasonic Impact Driver review

Panasonic Impact Driver review

In Part 5 of our mega-roundup, Roger puts the Panasonic EY75A7 Dual Volt 18v/14.4v Impact Driver through its paces; see how he gets on. The Panasonic EY75A7 impact driver is a dual voltage model, which means it’s compatible with 18v and 14.4v Panasonic batteries. This particular version is the body only packaged without batteries or charger. Improvements over the previous …

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Bright idea: ProVan LED light review

ProVan LED light

Roger Bisby lets a lot more light into the black hole that was the back of his van. There are few things more frustrating than rummaging around in the back of your van trying to find something and not having enough light to see. As winter draws in I find myself in this situation once again, I know it is …

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Hitachi WH18DBDL2 Impact Driver Review – Roundup Part 2

Hitachi WH18DBDL2

In the second part of the Skill Builder super impact driver roundup, we look at the Hitachi (rebranded to HiKOKI as of October 2017) WH18DBDL2 brushless 18v impact driver. Hitachi WH18DBDL2/JX 18v 2×6.0ah Li-ion Brushless Impact Driver The WH18DBDL2/JX 18v Brushless Impact Driver features a high power brushless motor with a selection for 4 speed modes: Soft Mode for delicate …

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Total Wipeout: Uniwipes review

Uniwipes review

Roger Bisby tries out Uniwipes Ultra Grime. Are they going to give the competition sleepless nights? I am a big fan of workwipes. Not only do they clean your hands up they also clean off surfaces so jobs such as siliconing around a shower have now been made a lot more manageable. For me the the drawback with wipes is …

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Real Deals for You: Jack Classic 50cm/20″ Handsaw Twin Pack review

Jack Classic 50cm

Skill Builder has once again teamed up with Real Deals for You to take a look at a selection of products from their Christmas campaign.  In the second installment of this series Roger Bisby takes a look at the Jack Classic 50cm/20″ Handsaw Twin Pack. Real Deals for You is a year-round campaign run by one of Europe’s leading hand …

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Pilot Marker Pens review

Pilot Marker Pens

Roger Bisby considers the benefits of investing in a decent set of Pilot Marker Pens. There are so many occasions in my daily work when I have need of a permanent marker that I always have a set on the van. One common application is underfloor heating where it pays to identify each circuit as you bring it up to …

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Keylite Polar PVC Roof Window Review

Keylite Polar

Keylite Polar is a brand new white PVC roof window which is said to establish a new standard in maintenance free, energy efficient roof windows. Roger Bisby takes a closer look. It surprised me to learn that the number of white roof windows now being sold in the UK is almost half of the total and if the trend continues …

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Triton Geared Eccentric Orbital Sander review

Triton Geared Eccentric Orbital Sander review

Roger Bisby revs up with the Triton Geared Eccentric Orbital Sander. Ah! life can get very confusing. No sooner do we all get used to a random orbit and then Triton comes out with ‘eccentric’ orbit. When does an orbit cease being random and become eccentric or is it the other way round? Is there a difference? No sooner do …

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Safeguard Roxil Range Review

Safeguard Roxil Range Review

Roxil? If you have never heard of it join the club, this is my first brush with the product, says Roger Bisby in his review of the Roxil Outdoor Protection Range from Safeguard Europe.

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Fischer fixings review

Fischer fixings review

Roger Bisby tries out a dynamic duo from fischer fixings. I am always interested in looking at new fixings. It seems to be one of those Dragon’s Den type products that every Tom Dick and Harry thinks they can improve and in the end most of these bright ideas seem to be variations on the same theme rather than radical …

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