Lidls Tap and Die Set @ £12.99 - Will Totally Wreck Your Equipment - AVOID!!!

[jimster99]

At the weekend I saw Lidls are selling a tap & die set for £13 (or £12.99 if you want to be really precise) and I thought bargin! I need one!

Got it home and opened it up and my jaw dropped. The quality is unbelievably bad. The grooves are jagged and uneven with burrs/rough edges all over the place. I don't have another set to compare it too and I know it's super cheap but even to my inexperienced eyes this is surely going to horrifically mangle any screw or bolt hole it so much as breathes on. I know Lidls quality has gone down in recent years but it has a "3 year guarantee" on it so I was foolishly thinking they'd at least have made them approximately the right shape to start with. But no! I highly recomend NOT buying these. A genuine new low from Lidls. A tool that will actually destroy anything you use it on!

PS I attach a couple of photos to illustrate the true horror:

[Barrowman]

Are you going to take them back and complain ?( I would)

[jimster99]

Are you going to take them back and complain ?( I would)

Oh yes

[cooper_coleraine]

My experience with cycle taps and dies has led me to buy what I specifically need and never to buy sets. I always buy the very best tools. For example I bought a tap and die to clean up my bottle cage bolts and bolt holes. They did the job. Many years ago I bought a cheap set of taps and dies. They were no good and I threw them away keeping only the holders. I threw them away because I did not want to be aparty to giving some poor and possibly damaging tools.

By all means take them back to Lidls.

[mattheus]

Even though they're cheap, I'd take them back. And your review is appreciated - these tools are the kinda thing where Cheap+Medicore is pretty much useless, even harmful! (unlike say a cheap jersey or pair of socks, which you can still wear)

p.s. The shop is called Lidl.

(and the other lot are Aldi).

No "s" !

[axel_knutt]

Are you going to take them back and complain ?( I would)

Oh yes

Checkout girl: "So, what's the problem? ....Where?"

[rjb]

Those taps look like the "flash" has not been dressed off during manufacture. A few minutes work with a file would dress them up nicely.
BTW did anybody purchase the rivnut set?

download (1).jpeg (6.88 KiB) Viewed 3146 times

[Cowsham]

Thanks Jimster -- I saw them in lidl last night -- already have an old set so was tempted for a second.

[jimster99]

Those taps look like the "flash" has not been dressed off during manufacture. A few minutes work with a file would dress them up nicely.

True for most of the defects, but some of the "peaks" (not sure of correct name) on the taps are actually split in two (a couple visible in the first photo above), I doubt that's cleaning up with a file? Although I'm just an amateur tinkerer so who knows!

BTW did anybody purchase the rivnut set?
download (1).jpeg

I was very tempted by the rivnut set but (i) do I need it? No (ii) will I use it? No (iii) Do I still want it? Yes

PS Is there a usecase for rivnuts on bikes? Perhaps I could add some pannier rack mounting points to the chain and seat stays of my Trek Madone SLR 9 since Trek were too cheap to include them?

[peetee]

but (i) do I need it? No (ii) will I use it? No (iii) Do I still want it? Yes

Every time I go into Lidl there are men of a particular age cruising the tool isles.
They need absolutely nothing but know, somewhere on those tempting shelves - if only they could find it, is that tool that will ‘come in handy one day’.
And they will find it.
They WILL find it.
It’s there, SOMEWHERE!!!

[Cowsham]

but (i) do I need it? No (ii) will I use it? No (iii) Do I still want it? Yes

Every time I go into Lidl there are men of a particular age cruising the tool isles.
They need absolutely nothing but know, somewhere on those tempting shelves - if only they could find it, is that tool that will ‘come in handy one day’.
And they will find it.
They WILL find it.
It’s there, SOMEWHERE!!!

That's me that is.

[gregoryoftours]

but (i) do I need it? No (ii) will I use it? No (iii) Do I still want it? Yes

Every time I go into Lidl there are men of a particular age cruising the tool isles.
They need absolutely nothing but know, somewhere on those tempting shelves - if only they could find it, is that tool that will ‘come in handy one day’.
And they will find it.
They WILL find it.
It’s there, SOMEWHERE!!!

That's me that is.

Me also, unfortunately.

[photobike]

And plenty will buy one a 2nd time because they forgot they had already bought one and never used it

[mattheus]

And plenty will buy one a 2nd time because they forgot they had already bought one and never used it

I have no idea who you could possibly be talking about.

[simonineaston]

Every time I go into Lidl there are men of a particular age cruising the tool isles.

that's kind-of how blokes work. see too stamp collecting, the hifi enthusiast, train-spotting. we're all 'on the spectrum'! hyper-focused on tiny little facts and collections. at its best, the tendency can had spectacular results - i mean look at all the benefits of the manhattan project!