Cordless hammer drill for DIY

[James Harris]

Any recommendations for a cordless hammer drill - for DIY use, not professional? Would like to avoid NiCd-battery versions and having to be careful how/when to charge it.

I had a Bosch corded drill which lasted for many years. It would be good to get something similarly long-lasting, although I understand that a battery would not last more than a few years.

To my surprise I see Makita have some affordable products. I think of the name as relatively high end but do their affordable hammer drills mean that they are getting into lower quality merchandise?

A bonus would be being able to use the same batteries in other kit.

So, any suggestions for a DIY cordless hammer drill? Is there a sweet-spot for such things these days?

James

[David Lang]

They do a lot of deals with Ni Cads but also with Li-Ion, probably with cheaper chucks.

I've got one of these, can't fault it;

All the Hitachi stuff has the same batteries. I bought the 18v combi because it's batteries are compatible with my Hitachi SDS

[richpwrr]

Hi James,

Having been in a similar situation recently, I looked into a lot of options. as you did, i used to think Makita was out of my price range but have recently found some good offers. I have just bought a Makita DHP456 drill and can not speak highly enough about it. It has had no problems with any of the tasks I have used it for so far. As you alluded, to the advantage it has is that it shares a battery with loads of other bits of kit. I have also just bought a makita jigsaw. Because the battery fits both, I went for a body only option and saved loads.

Search for fastfix as they have some pretty good prices.

Rich

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Given the batteries always die before the tool itself is worn out, this may or may not be a good option. Depending on how much a battery costs bought on its own - it may be cheaper as part of a package.

[David Lang]

The really annoying thing about Makita is that the new Li Ion batts don't fit the older tools.

[James Harris]

That's good enough for me. I bought one yesterday - cost £90.

A bit of an odd tale: When I got home and opened the box there were two batteries and a charger in it but no drill. I don't think I have ever before bought a boxed product only to find the product missing.

Fortunately, after I phoned Screwfix they checked their CCTV footage and could see that a mistake had been made. They had apparently given me the box for a drill that was on display. All sorted now.

James

[James Harris]

Thanks for the feedback. I saw your post just after I bought a Hitachi but I guess either will do.

I took a look at some body-only prices online and I have to say the 18V jigsaws seem expensive (for Hitachi and Makita) whereas lower voltage units are cheaper. E.g. (both Makita) 18V £139, 10.8V £64 at

James