# Aldi (yes, the grocery store) is selling tools this week, and one of them is a cordless drill



## BinghamtonEd

Interesting, I may have to swing by Aldi's and see if ours has any. I have the DeWalt 18V impact and drill combo, but that's often too big for what I need. The logical side of me is telling me to give it a shot. The tool snob in me is saying steer clear. If our Aldi's has them, logical me wins out.

What specifically is covered under the 3-year warranty, and what's the end-user got to do to get it repaired/replaced? My guess is that, if it dies a year from now, I can't just bring it back to Aldi's. And I don't want to pay $50 in shipping to get it repaired/replaced.


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## bbrown

Is there a link for on-line purchases? We do not have an Aldi's here in my VA location. I read also on the quite reliable Sellers woodworking blog (British) yesterday that the Aldi chisels are quite good. They cost $6.50 for three - no kidding. I'd buy some if there was an on-line way to do so.


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## intelligen

Ed, I don't have the warranty statement handy but I did find contact info regarding the drill's warranty on Aldi's website: https://www.aldi.us/en/customer-service/warranties-manuals/warranties-detail/sis/si/workzone-12v-lithium-ion-cordless-drill/

I was going to say if a battery lasts 3 years like a cell phone battery, you're in good shape, but then I realized I've had my Bosch 18V drill more than 3 years and it's still going strong. On the other hand, Aldi does so much to reduce costs, they strike me as the type of company that would rather make a tool that is almost guaranteed to last longer than their warranty because they don't want to have to waste resources on customer service.

bbrown, unfortunately Aldi doesn't sell online, but the chisel deal this week is even better than that-4 for $7. I bought a set yesterday, sharpened one up and tried it out, then went back and bought more. I can see grinding and repurposing some of the chisels as skew chisels or mortising chisels, or as blades for homemade tools.

I also bought a couple sets of files, a tape measure, level, a 3M safety kit (goggles, N95 respirator, and earplugs), a few boxes of screws, and a stud detector. Whenever I go near the stud detector it starts beeping, so it must be working…. (Lame, I know, but it's pretty much obligatory.) I'll try to add some reviews for more items later.


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## Ocelot

Thanks for this review!

My wife shops at Aldi, though I rarely go there myself.

Keep in mind they don't take credit cards and you have to have a quarter with you if you want to use a cart.

The chisels sound interesting. I'll look at the other stuff too.

-Paul


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## Ocelot

> Whenever I go near the stud detector it starts beeping, so it must be working…. (Lame, I know, but it s pretty much obligatory.)
> 
> - Rob


My wife had a stud detector before we got married. After we married she threw it away. I don't know if it was because she didn't need it anymore, or because it didn't work. ;-)

-Paul


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## MrRon

Looks very much like the Harbor Freight 12V Li-ion drill. It works ok, but the battery runs down very quickly.


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## intelligen

Ocelot, I'm sure your wife threw it out because it did its job and she didn't need it any more.

Also good reminder about Aldi. I didn't grab a cart and it wasn't easy carrying all that stuff to the register. They do take debit cards, but half the time I can't remember my PIN since I rarely use it, so I usually just pay cash. I almost want to say they did start taking one type of credit card, but I'm probably thinking of when Sam's Club started accepting MasterCard.

Ron, thanks for the tip. I updated my review to include it. Now I'm somewhat conflicted about giving the drill to my dad since he doesn't need yet another drill whose batteries might not hold a charge very well after a year or two.


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## albachippie

It also looks like the bosch, makita, milwaukee….. I wouldn't base quality on how much of a clone it is of another product. Have a look at this google search and see how many similar designs there are. I have the bosch, and love it.

My neighbor has a WORKZone 18v li on drill however. He uses it for screwing up and down the stabalising jacks on his caravan. It is kept in the caravan between holidays, and he rarely has to charge it. Loses no charge being idle for months at a time. He liked it that much that he bought 2, thus solving the battery problem.


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## marc7101

These drills can be good value for someone using it a couple of times a month for light duty work. The best cordless drill for the busy DIYer or professional still remains the top brands that are tried and tested. They spend millions on R&D and this shows when it comes to reliability.


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## Juicebox

Good News, you can order replacement batteries. They are $19 but there is a better way to go! If you can take your drill apart simply solder a deans plug onto the positive and negative wires and then you can use inexpensive Lipo batteries. The deans plugs and batteries are used for RC vehicles and can be found on ebay or an RC hobby shop. I highly suggest the DIY Lipo route because these batteries will give you very long use and power especially using an 18v! A $10 charger is used to charge as seen in video. Note your charger must have a Lipo cutoff, do not use an old NiMh charger unless you have a Lipo cutoff.

Here is a link to a video showing how to use a 2200mah 11.1v or 18v battery in a drill. 





Here is a link to order the replacement battery for the WorkZone. 
http://sumec.mybigcommerce.com/workzone-12v-lithium-ion-cordless-drill-battery/


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## jkl103144

I just thought I would report that Aldi is selling another cordless drill. Its a 16V, and it is going for $30. I couldn't resist the offer, and am now charging it downstairs in the shop. Its very small and light weight, and is of the same class as the Rockwell 16V drill.

For $29.99 it makes a great gap filler. I install draperies, among other things, and am using 18V Ryobi drills. I have the original older ones, and the newer green one, which is inferior to the original, but it is lighter. The original blue ones are monsters(originally for NiCad batteries), and I have one with a hammer drill capability. But this drill is so much smaller and lighter. And if the battery goes out, it is so inexpensive I can throw it away and not have any remorse.

You'd better hurry because at this price they will not be around long.


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## sos22

Yesterday (June 16, 2016) I bought one of the 12v Li-ion cordless drills at Aldi. I think it has changed somewhat from previous versions sold up to last year. The package now states "Samsung Li-ion 1500 mah battery pack." The handle and battery of the Aldi drill look quite different from the HF 12v drill, and I doubt that HF gets its batteries from Samsung.


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## jkl103144

> Yesterday (June 16, 2016) I bought one of the 12v Li-ion cordless drills at Aldi. I think it has changed somewhat from previous versions sold up to last year. The package now states "Samsung Li-ion 1500 mah battery pack." The handle and battery of the Aldi drill look quite different from the HF 12v drill, and I doubt that HF gets its batteries from Samsung.
> 
> - sos22


I'm still enjoying my Workforce drill. It has only one drawback that I can find. It is top heavy. If you attach an extension bit that sticks out from the drill, it will not stand up on its own. The battery base needs to be wider or heavier, or both. Otherwise, its a great little drill, while I just lay it on its side, or stick in my installation ladder's holster.

I went looking for this new drill, over at my local Aldis store, but there wasn't any there. I did take advantage of the adjustable clamps though. Never can have too many clamps. 

Oh, and their new tape measure for $4 is a steal. The old tape measure had both English and Metric measurement, which was a royal pain for me to use, since I am left handed. The new one has only the Standard English. I bought five of them, and am going to give away my older ones. Never can have enough tape measures either.


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