12 August 2015

REVIEW: Aldi Workshop and Building ranges

Tool time.

By God, if they're not furnishing your kitchen or supplying your every fishing need, Aldi are kitting you up for your next bicycle ride, or – in the case of today – giving you all the DIY tools and accessories you could dream of... and a few more besides. Delving yet again into the supermarket's regular Specialbuy deals, we check out both the workshop and building ranges. Grrr!

The last time we looked at a selection of goods from Aldi such as this the emphasis was very much on clothing. This time we're getting a big choice of tools across both ranges, with lots of other handy accessories and gadgets. The workshop range, which hits the stores from 13th August, contains the likes of...

A DIY Tote Bag (£16.99), a Premium 36 Piece Bit Set (£6.99), a Five Piece Ratchet Wrench Set (£9.99), a 3-in-1 Hacksaw (£4.99), a very good multi-use 15 LED Motion Sensor Light (£4.99), Grip Gloves (£2.99), and a Professional Organiser (£6.99) to name but a few.


Later in the month, on the 23rd, the Building range will boast...

A 1200W Angle Grinder (£19.99), a Multi-Purpose Folding Ladder (£49.99), a 3W Cree Head Torch (£6.99), a Staple Gun & Removal Kit (£4.99), a fascinating sounding Inspection Camera (£39.99), some Anti Vibration Gloves (£5.99), which you can use with your brand new (and star of the range) powerful 1700W Demolition Breaker (£99.99).


As ever, Aldi were kind enough to send us a selection from both ranges to try out. Included in a very meaty delivery was the likes of the DIY tote bag, the hack saw, the LED motion sensing light and two pairs of grip clothes. Everything is of an incredible quality, especially considering the low prices Aldi somehow manages to be ale to flog these things for. Highlights from the selection have to be the DIY tote bag, which is sturdy and features a large capacity, and the little motion sensing light, which is basically a ready-made security light, as well as something you'd use in your workshop.



But the real star of our test package was the huge Demolition Breaker. If you're wondering what one is, think of a pneumatic drill that you might have seen workmen using on roadworks; it is basically one of those, without much of a reduction in size either. This damn thing can take down walls, penetrate concrete, and do all those jobs that normally require either hiring some dodgy builders or hiring some dodgy bit of battered kit and doing it yourself. And it costs less than £100! Yes, we gave it a go.


Despite the bulk the Demolition breaker was relatively light, and we found it easy to lug around. We didn't quite know what to expect, having never handled a powertool much bigger than a handheld drill, but when we grew accustomed to the greater size, weight and power, it was a breeze. Actually, it was addictive.

Unfortunately we had a definite “No” from one of the team's wife about attempting to knock down a garden wall (the actual no we received also contained other colourful adjectives), so instead we settled for chipping away at the edge of a concreted area. The Demolition Breaker worked splendidly, covering more ground and shifting more lumps of rubble than we expected. For anyone with dreams of making some drastic DIY alterations to their home, this will help a lot, and save you a tonne of money in the long run.


© The Test Pit

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