Keyless v. Key chucks

[Adrian Caspersz]

I'm looking for a new mains powered portable non-SDS 'percussion' drill, the ten year old B&D is on the way out.

One of its faults is that the plastic sleeved keyless chuck doesn't seem to put a tight enough grip on the drill bit, even if I put a good gorilla effort twist on it.

I don't have that problem on another portable key chuck drill, so I'm wondering if that is a known down side to keyless?. Or is it my twist chuck just worn out? It gets used for 2mm steel sheet, ally and wood all up to 10mm.

[Eednud]

I have never had a problem with a keyless chuck, but then I use Battery drills, and then don't seem to last 10 years.

[Bill Wright]

What? A percussion drill without SDS? Are you mad?

Bill

[Adrian Caspersz]

It's what they currently classify under in the ScrewFix catalogue, and are drowned out by battery and SDS types advertised in there. I've already got a SDS drill...

I need something that takes normal HSS bits in non-hammer mode.

Are you mad?

I'm probably classified as such in some other ScrewFix catalogue....

[ARW]

I believe that they are geared differently. Used a lovely Makita one the other day.

[charles]

I bought a "conventional" chuck which fits into by SDS drill - probably from Screwfix*. This measn it can take HSS bits or woodboring ones; I can turn off hammer mode on the drill, too.

*see p811 in the currrent Screwfix catalogue. You can choose between a keyed or keyless chuck, too. Set you back betwen £12 & £20 depending on what you buy. Cheaper than a new drill and saves carting two devices around.

[Tricky Dicky]

Conventional chucks that fit into SDS drills are a waste of time there's too much slack in the tool holder for any accuracy.

Richard

[Andrew Gabriel]

My first experience of a keyless chuck was on an expensive Metabo professional SDS (before SDS was available for DIY market), and I was surprised to find it excellent, having been a bit sceptical. (The keyless chuck doesn't support hammer mode.) However, I have since borrowed other peoples' cheap drills with keyless chucks and found them to be crap, so I guess there's a wide variation, possibly influenced by quality/price.

[Martin Brown]

The keyless chuck on my Hitachi gave up the will to grip things after about five years heavy use - shortly before its NiCad packs stopped holding charge for longer than 6 hours so they were well matched.

I won't be buying another of that brand.

[Davidm]

I bought a De Walt cordless drill with keyless chuck last year to replace my Makita cordless (batteries worn out, cheaper to buy a new drill). The De Walt has a mechanical spindle lock which seems to engage as soon as your release the trigger, so that you can then undo the chuck. Problem is that if you release the trigger before the drill has slowed there's a loud clonk, and after a couple of times the chuck undoes itself. I've had a couple of drill bits fly across the room. Only solution seems to be to release the trigger VERY slowly - I'm getting used to it now!

[michael adams]

Off the top of my head without getting them out. A keyed chuck allows a lot of force to be used via leverage and gear teeth, and an equal amount of force to initially release the chuck. The things that wear out on keyed chucks are the gear teeth on the key - low cost replacement, and the chuck - more expensive.

I stand to be corrected but keyless chucks have a ratchet mechanism unlike keyed chucks, Differences in performance as between cheap and expensive may be the result of differences in the ratchet - finer gearing better materials etc. Basically the finer the teeth on the internal ratchet the stronger the grip. Only ever having used keyless chucks at the cheaper end, given the choice I'd be happier with a keyed chuck myself.

michael adams

...

[cl]

I don't think it's when you release the trigger, it's a clever thing that prevents the chuck rotating when you turn it "from the outside".

There's a proper name for it that I can't remember.

I won't buy anything without this sort of chuck now.

[John Rumm]

IME the single handed ratchet chucks seem to work very well - I have never felt any lack of holding power on my Makita 18V drill (1/2" Rhom chuck IIRC). The two handed ones that don't require a spindle lock seem less good and a bit more variable.

[dennis]

+1

The ryobi one handed chuck is much better than the ryobi two handed chuck on my drills. The one with the one handed chuck was cheaper too.

[Davidm]

No, it's definately a mechanical lock that engages when the trigger is released, there's an obvious clunk as it engages and the drill stops instantly, nowt to do with turning the chuck "from the outside".

[John Rumm]

The lock on my Makita does similar, but you only really notice it if you have something with lots of rotational inertia in the chuck like a large holesaw.

[T i m]

Seconded. It's exactly the same on my new Stanley 'FatMax' cordless drill.

Cheers, T i m

[Martin Bonner]

I've not found that a problem.

The problem I've found is that it makes the whole contraption too long: SDS drill (usually long in itself), chuck adaptor, actual drill bit.

A drill adaptor is useful for:

- when a second drill is useful

- your main drill is in the wrong country (I realize this is not a common problem...)

[news]

I've given up with the two handed ones on the 3hp petrol drill and fitted £9 erbauer Jacobs chucks which seem to be surviving. It's savage work plunge drilling 20mm deep 13mm holes every 3 inches in hardwood.

AJH

[The Natural Philosopher]

Its a piece of piss with a router