Roger Bisby tests two power tools from the Flex range
I have looked at a few different tools from Flex over the years. This German company is not a major player in the UK drills market, and I don’t expect they are intending to be, but they have some attractive looking tools in their range – and they seem to be well made.
The PD2G 18 volt drill and the ID ¼ in. 18 impact driver can be bought individually or, more economically, as a kit, sharing batteries and charger. I checked out some typical prices and the two tools together represent a real saving. But before you are seduced by the price you have to take a closer look at what you are getting, and see if it is for you.
The drill has a brushed four pole motor and the torque measured at its highest hard reading is 65Nm, so it is a lightweight drill not intended for those really heavy-duty tasks. Out of pure devilment I did push my luck with it to see when the Electronic Management System kicked in to save the battery and the motor from damage.
Happily, with the 50mm self-feed bit the cut-out did the job well and stopped the drill when things got too hard. Not only did I see no smoke I didn’t smell anything untoward coming from the windings – but don’t try this at home. I did it because the drill is going back after the test period.
The impact driver looks like many other impact drivers out there, and I wouldn’t expect it to perform any differently, so I was somewhat surprised to find it boasts 180Nm of torque.
That puts it at the high end of 18 volt ¼ in. impact drivers. There is a cut-off point with ¼ in. impact drivers, because the stress placed on the bit holder and the bits, not to mention the screws, means that you really should be looking for a ½ in. drive after that.
If you are using a machine with this much power you need good driver bits and good quality screws. That said, you are not obliged to use it on full throttle all the time. You can simply save that top speed for when you really need it, but I wonder how many tradesmen are capable of that kind of restraint? Head down and go for it is more your British style.