102 PB MAR16 Layout 1 - Addex Group · Starmix bohrfixx you may have heard ... other models. For a...

102 I MARCH 2016 PROFESSIONAL BUILDER

tools, equipment & workwear

If you had been in the room when Iopened the package containing theStarmix bohrfixx you may have hearda slight sigh, because I have seen so

many dust-catchers over the years, manyalong similar lines, and not one of them yethas gone on to become the must-havedrilling aid for domesticated tradespeopleeverywhere.

Is this one destined to do what theothers didn't? If there were any justice inthe world the answer would be aresounding 'yes' because this oneovercomes many of the shortcomings ofother models. For a start it hangs onto thewall or ceiling like a lizard on steroids. Itried it with a Henry vacuum cleaner andit had no problem at all staying put and,just to prove a point, I reduced the suctionpower to half setting and it still stayedfirmly in position. The limpet-like quality isso impressive that I had to find out howit's done. It has two chambers, one for thedust and the other for the limpet, soneither is compromised by the other. Thisalso means that there is no dusty footprinton the wall when you remove it.

The other really good thing about thedesign is that it doesn't rely on sacrificialrubber grommets to form a seal aroundthe drill bit. The power of the vacuum issufficient to suck the dust from around thedrill bit, even if you are drilling a ceiling.The lack of rubber seal around the drill bitmeans that you can use different diameterdrill bits up to 14mm without fear ofirrevocably enlarging the hole.

The fact that you have a steady streamof air around the bit, rather than a deadvacuum, makes dust removal so effectivethat there is no residual dust mark whenyou remove the device.

Self-supportingWith so much going for it I started to thinkabout why so few people currently use adevice such as the bohrfixx. I have seenmany tradespeople holding a vacuumcleaner nozzle under the drill bit so itproves the will is there. I came to theconclusion that, unless a dust catcher isreliably self-supporting, there is no realadvantage over the nozzle under the drillbit. So the essential feature of any dust-

catcher device is that it frees up a hand, andthis is where so many other models I havetried, quite literally, fall down on the job.There is also the size and shape to beconsidered. One other model that islanguishing in my shed worked well enoughbut was just too big and round to fit in allthe places I wanted to drill. If it is to bealways at hand the device also has to fit in adrill case – and this one does. Finally, thefact that you don't have to clean up the wallwith the vacuum cleaner means that youremove it and get on with the fixing job.

The manufacturer, Starmix, makes arange of high quality dust extractors, butthey have designed this device to fit onvirtually any vacuum cleaner or dustextractor, so there is no need to resort toDuck Tape. I would give this product tenout of ten but I have a hard-bitten streakin me and never give anything ten – so I'llgive it a nine.

Roger Bisby gets a ‘fixx’ on a Starmix dust-catcherturn

The Starmix bohrfixx is distributedin the UK by Addex. For furtherinformation use the reader enquirynumber 178

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