Drill reccomendation

[Andy Kirkland]

Hi,

I am after a new cordless drill. After a succession of crap Aldi-esque drills that seize/gearbox failure/get stuck in hammer action I am going to treat to myself to a proper drill.

The wish list:

- Budget - upto £200ish (preferably including 2 or more batteries)

- Interchangeable SDS and keyless chuck

- Decent manufacturer's warranty (1yr+)

- Reliable brand (Makita, DeWalt etc.) NO: Aldi, Wolf, Black and Knacker etc.

What it will be used for:

- DIY!

- Mainly light masonary drilling. 5-8mm brick/stone/concrete.

What it won't be used for:

- Demolition work

- Big masonary work

- MFI flatpacks (unless for removal/destruction!) :)

Can anyone reccomend anything? I am a big fan of the SDS chuck for masonary but still want the flexibility of being able to use standard HSS/spade bits.

Am I looking for something that doesn't exist or can someone direct me to the perfect bit of kit?

Thanks,

Andy

[Andy Kirkland]

[BRAD]

[dennis]

You don't want a big SDS drill if you are only drilling little holes, just buy some better drill bits.

Buy whatever is on special at screwfix/toolstation.

ATM you can get a Ryobi 18v drill and impact driver with two batts for £100. Or a Makita for about £140.

Why choose dewalt when they are just up rated B&D?

[The Medway Handyman]

Alas no :-)

Cheapest cordless SDS I've seen of late (of decent brand) is the DeWalt & around £250 c/w 2 batteries, but no keyless chuck.

Cordless SDS ain't not cheap.

I reckon you would be better off with a decent drill driver & a mains SDS.

Screwfix currently have a few blue Bosch drill drivers at good prices, or the Site (made by Makita, 3 batteries) at £99.

Couple one of those with a corded SDS from Bosch/Makita at around £100 & Robert is your fathers brother.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'd certainly *not* go for an SDS cordless unless it's going to be heavily used in that mode. The SDS mechanism makes them heavier bulkier and much more expensive. And unless drilling hard bricks or concrete etc not needed for a few holes. Also in my experience few interchangeable chucks are slop free thus compromising performance.

[dom]

All your criteria - except not cordless:

have the older 2-24DFR model, 9 years old and had a much harder working life than most diy'ers give their tools - still strong.

I think you'd struggle for 200 quid to get a *good* sds cordless. Even a really good one (IME) lacks the clout of corded.

[dom]

And the 3 jaw chuck is top quality - when you need a firmly gripped drill and plenty of torque for conventional drilling, it's a winner.

[Mike Dodd]

I've owned a B&D and now a Dewalt. I can assure you from real life experience, the two are very, very different beasts.

[Mike Dodd]

...and in case there's any confusion - I'd buy Dewalt anyday. I would not buy B&D again.

(in fact, I'm looking for an excuse to buy a DW Jigsaw, to replace the pile of crap that is the B&D that I have, except there's few jobs that I would want to use a jigsaw for. Maybe I'll keep the B&D for any random (and I use the word deliberatly) cutting that I'll do)

I'm not a Dewalt-is-king type of person, I do have a Makita 1/2" router (bought before the drill was received as a present) and I'd have no qualms in recommending Makita as a solid tool maker, based on my experience of that. That replaced a 1/4" Black and Decker Router (my first) with similar satisfaction.

Anyway, more constructive... to the OP, Screwfix have a recently advertised deal on...

looks interesting, reduced from £229 to £139.

I've no experience of this particular model, although it caught my eye from a recent email from SF as a potentially good deal, however, re-reading your post, it's not SDS. For "light masonary drilling. 5-8mm brick/stone/concrete", I'm not convinced that you'd necessarily need SDS, although that choice is, of course, yours. I've happily* used my

18v DW 20 foot up a ladder drilling 12mm into brick.

• happy = in the choice of tool, not happy about dangling so high off the perfectly good ground.

[dennis]

They aren't that different, I could fit my B&D batteries to a Dewalt by filing a couple of notches (not all of course as they use different shapes on some drills). Likewise I have cut the wings off to make batteries fit the B&D firestorm drill (its light and it has the best hammer action of my drills not that I use hammer since I bought the Bosh multi construction bits and the chuck works. Maybe I am a DIY person that doesn't wear out a drill in three weeks?).

When you start taking stuff apart you would be amazed at how much is common between brands. Its like laser printers.. many are the same with different bits of plastic attached to stop them being interchangeable. I have also cut bits off cartridges to make them fit too. This is a DIY group. ;-)

[Andy Dingley]

And that relates to their build quality just how?

[Cicero]

================================== I don't want to get embroiled in the interminable discussions about which brand(s) is / are best so I'll make only one suggestion. Make sure you physically handle your potential purchase to see how it feels for weight, size, balance etc. Consider how it will feel if used continuously in difficult situations. I say this because I saw a rather handsome cordless DeWalt drill in Screwfix a few days ago. It was on the counter for people to handle and for me it felt very heavy and quite clumsy. Apparently more powerful batteries mean greater weight and size regardless of manufacturer. This may be acceptable for some people but I prefer a lighter and neater build even if I get less power and a shorter battery / tool life. Just make sure you don't lumber yourself with a tool that is uncomfortable and possibly dangerous to use.

Happy shopping,

Cic.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Ahem. There is just a teeny weeny bit more to batteries than whether they 'fit' or not. The quality of the actual cells makes more difference to performance than the motor etc usually. And quality cells cost...

[dennis]

I know and there isn't usually much difference. Industrial cells are industrial cells and price has little bearing on quality. Even Panasonic cells come out the same factories as the no name cells.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

That is simply rubbish.

I take it you've never compared a 'shed' tool with a quality one, battery wise? I have and it's chalk and cheese.

Different brands of power tools can come from the same factory too - and vary as much.

[Doctor Drivel]

Get this deal. Two excelent drills - one combi and the other a now essential Impact Driver with two top rated batteries:

79355 Two yr guarantee

The SDS? Go to Wickes and buy the grey SDS for £80 to £100 - a Kress made in Germany. With keyless chuck too. 5 year guarantee.

£200 and all you need in drilling.

[A.Lee]

I bought one earlier this week. It is excellent, though the chuck is not all metal, so its longevity (the chuck) may be questionable for regular use. It isnt a problem IMO though as new chucks are £25 if ever one was needed.

The only downside that I can see is the weight of it - not a problem when using a 6mm bit going into masonry, but it may not be so good with a 2mm pilot in softwood.

Anyway, I would recommend it, if anyone bought it and didnt like it, you can sell it off separately as body, batteries, charger and case, and make a profit on it. Alan.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Mike Dodd saying something like:

Excuse? You don' need no feelty excuse.

I bought a DW jigsaw some years ago when I was doing a fair bit of site work and it had to be in 110V. It's an utter pleasure to use compared to others and my only regret now is the 110V, as I've ceased to need that.

[The Medway Handyman]

The Makita jigsaw is simply brilliant, worth looking at. No disrespect to the DeWalt, never used one.