Thread: In praise of Ozito tools

I've replaced a few Ozito tools with Makita etc over the last couple years but have also recently bought more Ozito tools too ... I think they're great for some applications. Even looking at an Ozito gas/gasless welder to replace my 100A SCA gasless. My mitre drop saw is an Ozito as is the mitre stand and I'm very happy with them. But went shopping for biscuit joiners, had to be the Makita ... the Ozito felt cheap, flimsy and hard to dial in the right setting - not what you need on a precision tool. Same with plunge router. But I'd be happy with Ozito for sanders, drills, angle grinders etc.

I've a number of Ozito tools; 240v Impact drill, Brad nailer, reciprocating saw, electric chain saw and no complaints EXCEPT for the ROS. Having never had one I read the instructions "hold it off the job, turn it on and wait for it to reach maximum rpm before placing on the surface to be sanded". Did that and £|}£%¥ - great gouge taken out of the timber panel. Did it again, lowering slowly and parallel to the surface and it gripped and took and even bigger gouge out of the panel. Luckily this was a test panel and not the entertainment cabinet I was building and for which I bought the ROS.
Took it back, bought a Bosch blue unit and it's been great - that's when I discovered they supposed to brake and slow down when you take them off the surface. Ozito unit just ran flat chat!
All in all, happy with the Ozito items I have - 1 bad out of 5 is not bad for the price and warranty

Ozito have their place. I purchased the large SDS(?) drill about 8 years ago for under $100 - it was very popular on the forums at the time. It has worked really well and certainly paid for itself doubling as a mini jack hammer.

The Ozito multi tool that I also purchased was a waste of time. Vibration was terrible, the sound was horrendous and the quality of the attachments was below par.

The Ozito heat gun that I use for coffee roasting, the first failed fairly quickly. The replacement has been going ok but the build quality isn't the greatest.

There are some gems to be found in the line up if your lucky. Most don't have the refinement of the higher end tools, particularly weight, balance, feel and handling so if being used for a while they don't feel as comfortable.

I tend to only look at them if I need a particular tool for one it two jobs only as they are often cheaper than hiring. If they last beyond that its always a bonus and handy if they are needed again. If its a tool I think I will use again and again I tend to try and invest in a better quality tool.

Ooh yeah I also have the Ozito heat gun, has been reliable for a few years; and the SDS drill, great for high-torque drilling like with a 25mm auger bit and some hammer chiseling for masonry.

Ozito and the like definitely have their place. I know someone who has 5 of their 4" grinders to get out of changing wheels for different jobs :P

Nothing wrong with whatever you have as long as long as it does what you want with it.

I spend more on power tools with a name when there is the expectation that they will be more pleasant to use and last longer. Most of us will never know if that is the truth since we rely on the comparisons and reports of others.

Is your Ozito drill better than the Festool C12 I have? Well, the battery charger died a week ago, and it is out of warrenty (4 years old). No charge, no power, no drilling. A new Ozito at this point would have beaten out a $450 Festool! A new charger was ordered at $65 from Carbatec. It arrived a few days later. The batteries charged up like new, and the drill has a new life. Would $65 have purchased a new Ozito drill? Still, I am happy with the Festool (nice balance and nice brand name), but I still cannot say it is the better tool. Can anyone?

Regards from Perth

Derek

Have had no unexpected problems with my random orbit sander or biscuit joiner. However their jigsaw was replaced within a month and expect the replacement to go soon as well. I also have a sliding mitre saw that can't have the slack adjusted on it.(Might try brass shims) With ozito make sure you hang on to the receipts and go for the higher power level if possible.

It's probably not always clear where the differences lie. I bought a 909 drill with 2 lithium batteries and charger at Masters the other day for $17.50 off the clearout table. It felt well made, had a nice balance and looked like a reasonable replacement for my Makita 9.6V nicad I had been keeping alive for way too long. It seems smooth and drills well, but when it comes to driving screws the clutch really doesn't seem to want to cut in at whatever number it's dialled into. Value for money, 5 stars. But is it as good as the 20yo Makita, probably not, particularly if you don't like mangling screw heads when you're driving them, but for other drilling it is OK.

My Ozito SDS is still going strong and does the job for drilling brick and concrete, but does it jump around! Compared to a Hilti I've also used it is just plain rough, ready and uncouth, but that's all I need. If I hadn't used the Hilti I wouldn't know the difference and just be happy it worked so much better than killing my little green hammer drill.

Fit for purpose is key. Never mind the quality, feel the width!

I bought a Ozito Rotary Hammer instead of hiring one for a kitchen reno, as it worked out to be cheaper. I would not have cared if it only lasted for that job.
But, I have since used it to rip the tiles off the front porch, then later in a complete bathroom reno, ripping up the old slab floor and the wall tiles.
Later on I needed a 9" angle grinder to cut some concrete, so rather than hire I went straight to Bunnies to buy an Ozito.
Normally I only buy brand name tools, but for "short term use" the Ozito's have been a winner for me.

Cheers
Keith

Ozito biscuit jointer- great and easy to use right up to the split second when the shaft upper bearing flogged out in about three revolutions. hen stripped down that's when I find the upper "bearing" s actually just a reamed hole in the ally casting.

Ozito belt sander, fine for intermittent roughing out work for a year until the rubber on the drive roller wears out causing the belt to slip. Replaced with another one; same thing happens a couple of months out of warranty. Still only intermittent use.

Ozito cordless window cleaner; on clearance for $20, does the job ok.

Ozito cordless pruning saw; again on clearance. Great for cutting down palm fronds and low branches; permanently claimed by SWMBO

Ozit SDS drill. Paid full price (what, $70?), has only drilled about 100 holes or so in concrete and brick but has also chiselled a fair bit. Will be replaced by exactly the same when and if it ever fails. Excellent piece of gear!

Well this thread has at least shown me one thing ..... I should out and get a spare SDS Drill. If Ozito stumble across this thread they may see an opportunity to save a few dollars by bringing it in line with the quality standards of the rest of their tools

My Ozito router kicked the bucket when I needed it most!!

I guess it cut a few miles worth of rebates, and I used it upside down against their recommendations.

Can't fault it for the job it did while it was working though.

Cheers,
Luke

Originally Posted by Sir Stinkalot

Well this thread has at least shown me one thing ..... I should out and get a spare SDS Drill. If Ozito stumble across this thread they may see an opportunity to save a few dollars by bringing it in line with the quality standards of the rest of their tools

I'll 3rd or 4th the SDS drill, I've used it mainly for demo work. Mine is around 10 years old and I needed to demo a set of concrete steps and went to hire a small jack hammer but found I could buy the Ozito for less. Not only did it do one set of steps but two, broke up the concrete floor in the old shed, drill lots of holes in concrete and some up to 450 mm long in limestone blocks. Last thing I used it for was to drill some 25 mm x 500 mm deep holes in logs.

A few years ago I found myself needing a drill & bit in a place where I had no tools handy. The Ozito drill cost me $30 at Bunnies & the 300mm auger bit $34. The drill is still going hard & the bit was used one time only.
mick