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by Peter Brett - May 2009
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01444 440188
extremely practical. However we may all, at some time, hanker
after a bit of glamour, and I guess the people at Silverline thought that some tools designed by Italian design house, Tonino Lamborghini would make us feel good - and more to the point want to buy some of them.
I have been sent a few tools in the range, and have been looking at them over the last few weeks - checking whether glamour and practicality can reside in the same ABS casings.
Mini drill drivers are all the rage these days. With the invention of Lithium Ion cells they have become an even more realistic choice for users because Li-Ion provides lightness as well as power and very good recharging characteristics.
The Tonino Lamborghini designed 3.6 volt screwdriver is a compact little tool and is no doubt aimed at the household user who occasionally needs to do small jobs around the house.
Accordingly, the driver comes with its own dock, that can be left permanently plugged in so that the drill is always ready for use.
Unlike some other battery technologies, with lithium ion, this is a real option. The driver itself is a stylish combination of lime green and black. The lime green is ABS casing and the black is mostly nice comfortable grippy rubber bits. It does feel good in the hand, and the slightly unusual trigger action is easily got used
to because of the ergonomics of the grips. Most drivers use a push-through button above the trigger to change between forward and reverse, but on this driver, push the top of the trigger with your index finger to get forward, and push with your
second finger to get reverse. Sounds complicated, but it really only takes seconds to get used to it.
There is a push button battery charge checker with red, amber and green lights as indicators and a worklight right near the front of the chuck, controlled by a switch on the top of the body.
These are real practical features that work well and will be of some use. When they do run out of charge, Li-ion cells tend to die very quickly, so it could be handy to know when to plug it in again before the end becomes too nigh!
A simple 6mm/quarter inch hex chuck holds the driver bits, and as we all know, the range of hex fittings available these days is enormous, so there is no reason why this driver need be limited to screwdriving jobs. I managed to drill holes of up to 10mm in softwood with no trouble at all. The driver will take household screwdriving jobs in its stride, but it should be remembered that it is only a 3.6v machine, so should not be expected to undo door hinges for example.
The whole kit comes in a stylish green tin box, with a 10-piece clip of driving bits and bit holder that slots into the dock.
For the retailer, this is obviously attractive and eye-catching packaging at a price that would be good for impulse purchases.
The 19.2 volt drill driver is a more conventional take on drill drivers in some ways. It has the stylish green and black Tonino Lamborghini casing that makes it stand out from the crowd, but in other ways, it follows the general pattern. For example it has the usual layout of controls with a push through forward/reverse button above the trigger, a speed selector switch on the top of the body and a 19 position torque control collar on the front of the casing.
However, it is fair to say that the chunky-ish body is well set up with green grippy rubber bits to make it feel comfortable and businesslike.
The 19.2 volt cells are housed in a big battery pack that is large and flat underneath, providing a big stable platform on which to stand the drill when needed. The two push buttons to release the battery pack are commendably easy to use and there are two spaces to store the screwdriving bits (supplied) on the end of the handle.
Hammer or driving modes are selected with a small collar behind the two part keyless chuck. This will accommodate shanks up to 13mm which is standard for this type of tool.
Drilling capacities are 8mm in mild steel, 22mm in wood and 18mm in masonry . I admit that I pushed the drill up to a bit more using a big spade bit in softwood and it didn't complain, but clearly a bigger twist type drill would be a strain. In standard bricks I was easily able to drill up to 18mm, but hard concrete needed a bit more patience and a sharp drill bit. I only had some
alloy to drill in to test the metal drilling capacities, but 8mm diameter holes were easily achieved with a sharp drill bit.
To go with the designer looks of the drill, it comes in a well-designed moulded case. It is pretty compact and holds all the pieces in place well during transit, as well as having spaces for some drill bits and driver bits as well. The catches on the case are sensible and strong metal ones, and the loop handle could be padlocked closed if needed.
Those in the trade will know Silverline as a very successful marketing and supply operation. Tradespeople have commented to me that they know exactly what they are getting with almost any Silverline tool and their comments usually involve the word "Value". With the arrival of these Tonino Lamborghini designed tools to the Silverline range, it looks as though consumers will be able to add "good looking and stylish" to the list, without having to sacrifice the "value" part either.
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