Best SDS drill for under £200?

[rrh]

Main uses:

1. Light chiselling of some concrete slab c.25-50mm thick (a one-off job)
2. Detiling (eg kitchens, bathrooms)
3. Drillling of masonry, concrete etc

Preferences: high quality, light weight, convenience in use Not so important: lowest price, battery power (ie mains-powered OK)

Am tempted by the Bosch GBH 2-24 DFR (name suggests what it can do to you...). Currently £197.78 on diy.com. Screwfix have a "Gh2-24 DSR" for £139.99 but I can't be sure exactly what that is - doesn't seem to be a current Bosch designation.

Views?

[Alex]

Seems a little underpowered, but maybe things have changed these days. It's available for £183.30 at Axminster.

[G&M]

Well it wouldn't need greasing for a start. But main advantage of the more expensive ones (I've tried cheaper brands but owned Bosch and DeWalt and hired Makita) is that after a long session your hands aren't shaking and the drill isn't glowing red-hot.

That said, once you've had any SDS drill you won't want a normal one again. Just wish somebody would bring out a really small cordless one - just a light hammer action suitable for small rawlplug holes would be fine.

[Andrew Mawson]

I totally agree that the low price SDS drills are not the best made tool in the box but they do have a use - I bought the £30 screwfix offering, guaranteed for 3 years. I already have a couple of Hilti TE15's but wanted something with rotostop for channelling.

The cheap one smells strongly of ozone when running, and is heavy and chunky, but it does the job. The handle on mine broke when pulling a jammed

25mm drill out of concrete but it was replaced promptly by Screwfix. So if I get 3 years out of it and its replacements I reckon £10 per year is pretty good value !

Andrew Mawson

[Dave Plowman]

I never found my ordinary hammer drill lacking for small holes in London bricks - and still use it for this rather than getting the SDS one out. Although I've got the De Walt, which is as light as they come, it's still heavy and bulky compared to my hammer drill. So I'd say a cordless hammer would be fine for small holes in softish masonry.

I reckon SDS drills also wander rather more than ordinary hammer.

[G&M]

True - but for stone or concrete it doesn't get too far.

Odd - I've thought that about my new DeWalt but old Bosch (PBH240) never did.

[Seri]

I was asking on the group a little while ago for SDS drill opinions and comparisons, after some advice I purchased the Makita 2450 (£119.99). I've been meaning to write a little review of it for a while, but never managed to get around to it.

I've never owned an SDS drill before, but I did go and man handle a few for feel, weight, comfort etc before making my purchase and I have to say it was in this area that finally prompted me for the Makita. It feels solid without weighing a ton, it handles very well and it's comfortable to grip.

So far I've been using it to assist with my house rewiring, it's been cutting deep channels into the existing plaster and masonry bricks for the main rise, it's been cutting out socket housings in solid brick using the roto stop and chisel, it's been drilling a few channels through some joists for the cable feeds. I've also had to detile some areas in the bath room for the moving of the bathroom door. I have to say that it has absolutely excelled in every area in which I've used it, I love this tool and it's now classed as my most used and useful tool (I'm gaining quite a collection now), my assistant in the home rewiring has also declared his appreciation for it on numerous occasions.

I do have to say though when you're looking to buy an SDS drill, to keep about £100 aside for all the new bits and bobs you'll have to buy for it, after all, there's not much point having a great tool and then lousy bits. Also, I was only going to use it for SDS drilling and Chiselling functions, but after just a very short time I realised just how much of a better 'drill' it was than any of my others which prompted the spending of £20 on a quick change 20mm standard replacement chuck and an SDS to standard adapter.

Anyway, rough and final thoughts: The Makita SDS 2450 may not be up for 9 to 5, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year industry level use, but for the construction project that is pretty much the internal rebuilding of my house, it's more than up to the job.

I seriously recommend it, but as ever, this is only my opinion.

Hope this helps in some way.

Seri

[rrh]

Thanks all. Wallet-out time.

[Seri]

What did you decide upon in the end?

Seri

[John Rouse]

In article , Steve Firth writes

Yes I've got the Wickes one, and dug up a concrete floor with it, and drilled stone and concrete. I'm suitably impressed, especially after a naff Bosch hammer drill.

J.