Einhell Power X-Change Brushless Combi


Independent Review


by Peter Brett


Competition in the market is mostly a VERY GOOD THING for consumers because it tends to give us what we want at the prices we can afford. Only ten or fifteen years ago the kind of cordless combi drill deemed suitable for


the needs of disparagingly named ‘weekend warriors’ would have been entirely unsuitable for a professional user. The Einhell Expert Plus Combi is proof that the lines between the two markets have become blurred. The Einhell TE-CD 18 LI-I BL brushless combi has solid build quality, genuine ergonomic design and capability at a price (around £129 – £139) that is realistic for non-professionals, and will also appeal to trades where it could serve as a back-up tool or used for less demanding tasks. I still regularly hear from trades that kit, particularly expensive kit, is stolen on site. Cheaper kit is obviously cheaper to replace, and it’s a bonus if it is also up to the demands of site work. What You Get for Your Hard Earned Cash The Einhell brushless combi follows the general design of most


cordless drills these days, with the battery placed on the bottom of the main handle to counterbalance the gearbox and motor above. When you pick it up the tool feels solid and correctly weighted and the main handle has been shaped for a comfortable and positive grip. Textured overmoulded rubber grips are well placed to give the ‘feel’ you need in a tool that is going to be regularly used. The rubber bumpers theme is extended to other


parts of the tool – on the sides and back of the body for example – so that the casing is protected if the tool is laid on its sides. The battery is also protected with


rubber protective bumpers on all exposed sides. The Battery Pack and Related Parts Staying at the battery end, it is


mounted to the tool on a pair of sturdy rails that allow it to slide off and on easily. The release clip is simple and effective with a big red button that can be depressed with two fingers. Just behind the release button is a battery power indicator – three red lights indicates fully charged while only one means that it’s time to visit the charger again.


This particular kit is supplied with a 4Ah Li-Ion battery pack, but smaller and


larger Ah battery packs are compatible if you need more power or want to save weight.


After a couple of charges, the 4Ah battery pack took roughly 100 minutes to fully charge, but is ready to use at roughly 85% charge after 80 minutes. There is also a bright LED light built into the base of the


handle that is aimed at the chuck, where it illuminates the work area effectively. For me, an LED light is a must- have on a drill these days. Dark winter evenings and enclosed spaces all underline the need for them - apart from my


ageing eyesight. Another nice touch is the decent-sized belt hook that can be attached to either left or right hand side of the drill handle. The trigger is


large enough for a meaty forefinger and is easy to control so that


increasing pressure


leads to a steady increase in rpm. This control is important in screwdriving. Reverse/forward is selected via the push-through switch behind the trigger. Just above the trigger is a threaded hole for mounting the auxiliary handle. It can be screwed on from either left or right to suit left or right handed users. My gripe is that the handle takes a while to screw on because the thread is over 25mm long, and that it can’t be adjusted around the chuck to aid different drilling angles, but the positives are that the handle stays firmly put, and the handle itself has a grippy textured rubber that will absorb vibration and provide positive hand grip.


Motor, Speeds and Torque Brushless motors are where it’s at currently, and the


Einhell has a smooth one with a built-in spindle brake. The two speeds are easily selected via a sliding switch on the top of the casing and should cover the needs for screwdriving (0 -500 rpm) and for drilling (0 – 1800 rpm). The gearbox is enclosed in an alloy casing and in front of that are two collars – the first black one to select drilling, screwdriving or hammer mode and the larger second one to select one of 19 torque settings. Right in front of them is the keyless 13mm capacity chuck. This proved to be very good in use – it held onto drills etc tightly and was easy to tighten and loosen.


In Use I used the Einhell for about ten days on site doing a variety


of drilling and driving tasks. I found that it worked effectively and felt up to


general site work. The typical battery life was about a day to a day and a half. Ideally I would have liked a quicker battery charger and two battery packs for


guaranteed seamless working, but you can buy extra battery packs. In a world where the majority of power tools come in custom cases, I was


quite pleased to find that the kit came with a semi-hard-bottomed nylon bag that is big enough to hold the drill and accessories, including charger – plus a lot more. The bag has a shoulder strap as well as grab handles and some neat little side pockets for driver bits etc.


12 ToolBUSINESS+HIRE


www.toolbusiness.co.uk


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