JCB Household DIY Kit - EXCLUSIVE review

3 November 2004 8:37 GMT / By Ben Harvard Taylor

JCB have made huge strides in the DIY arena in recent years. Trading on their reputation as manufacturers of heavy plant they’ve produced a wide range of power tools aimed at the amateur DIYer. With their reputation at stake they haven’t let themselves down at all with the Household DIY kit.

The kit is firmly pitched at those people needing basic equipment to complete everyday jobs around the house, whilst occasionally needing to carry out a little more ‘advanced’ tasks. It meets those demands well and we’ve yet to find a job that the kit doesn’t contain a tool with which to complete it.

Priced at under £60 it meets those demands well and the kit contains a veritable plethora of tools - a bi-directional power drill, chisels, adjustable spanners, screwdrivers, craft knives, mole grips, pliers, wire strippers, a file and much, much more. All of this comes together with a hardwearing and perfectly sized tool bag. For the fashion conscious amongst you, all the equipment is JCB yellow and carries the world famous logo!

The quality of some of the tools is slightly questionable, with a light flimsy feel to a number of them. We got the impression that after consistent use they may give up on us and need replacement. However, considering the price, that’s hardly surprising. If you want to carry out a ‘specialist’ job you’ll probably want to buy additional items to augment what is already provided.

The only piece of electrical equipment - the power drill - is good enough to take on most jobs and JCB even throw in a range of drill bits for masonry, wood and metal. It again feels a little lightweight, but performed well in most cases. It took a while, but it got through everything but stone walls, which is a challenge for any 240V drill.

Another minor downside is the lack of any screwdriver bits to go with the drill, which, as it is capable of running both clockwise and anticlockwise, would have been a nice addition.

Verdict

We've attempted to find fault with this product, but really struggled to do so. It offers everything it should for a bargain price. If you're needing a selection of tools and don't have much then this is the one for you.

JCB have come up with a winner here. The kit, containing pretty much every basic tool you'd require is very reasonably priced. You may want to replace items over time with better quality versions, but for the price and the ready out of the bag approach this can't be beaten.

This product was kindly loaned to us by www.jcbshop.com

Score

Review Recap

Made by: JCB
Price as reviewed: £60
The good: A wide range of basic DIY tools, including a power drill for under £60
The bad: Some of the tools are a little flimsy
Quick verdict: An excellent all-round DIY kit, perfect for most everyday household jobs.
Score
Winner