My (non-SDS) Bosch drill died last week, and I am looking for a replacement.
I was initially going to spend something in the region of £100, but as I do less DIY at the moment, I thought that perhaps the Lidl one at £40 will do. See
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I am looking for something reasonably powerful, as the walls in our house are particularly tough, and for very occasional use.
Also, it appears that it comes with two chucks - SDS and "standard", which would be useful as I have never used an SDS drill, so most of my bits are standard.
I think it's suitability may depend on how often you use a corded drill for 'bigger jobs', inc non drilling?
If you have to have only one drill then an SDS can probably do things most non SDS's can't (better than the 'hammer' position on a non SDS fir example) but you might find it a bit big and heavy for 'ordinary' drilling jobs, like making pilot holes in wood or even drilling smaller holes through steel.
In an ideal world you would have a 'big / SDS' drill for core drills and chiseling *as well* as your std corded (for wire brushing or any prolonged high load type work), a decent battery drill (where being portable is key) and even a Demel for the smaller / finer stuff (and you can even fit other variants in between, like an air powered drill / die grinder, pillar drill, brace and bit etc). ;-)
If you have some difficult walls to drill then you cannot beat an SDS drill , our last house was built from over baked engineering bricks from a local brickyard, ordinary hammer drills just could not touch them. Then I got my trusty ELU and never looked back. My SDS also has a Jacobs chuck that fits in the SDS tool holder but I only use it in absolute desperation as it real ly is a kludge. The tool holders do not grip the SDS bits like a chuck, ins ert a drill bit and you can feel slight movement longitudenly. Insert the J acobs chuck and it throws the whole balance of the machine and the accuracy . If you want to use it for drilling in other materials other than brick or concrete then you are better off paying the extra and getting twist drills that have an SDS tool end and fit directly into the tool holder. SDS drill s are kind on the bits, I have a 7mm bit I bought over 20 years ago and it is still usable today despite seeing regular service.
I've had one of those 3 years now. It's very good indeed at heavier work
- large holes/tough material drilling, or removing masonry for example. Makes my old B&D mains hammer and 18V hammer feel like toys.
I wouldn't use it for lighter jobs though - combination of: it's quite noisy, messy, big and heavy; cordless is more convenient; the chuck-changing and bit setting using the chuck is cumbersome (but the SDS system bits are easy); and, the variable speed isn't the last word in finesse.
I already have a reasonably powerful battery-powered combi drill that I use for small jobs (screwing, drilling in wood, etc).
The garage is already full, so I am looking for just the one drill for the more heavy-duty jobs: masonry, large holes in wood, and although never tried it before, the option to be able to do the occasional chiselling (power points etc) also sounds attractive.
Weight is not a major issue as it will only be occasionally used.
That's no problem. I covered all bases just in case. ;-)
Ok.
Then may I suggest you need a bigger garage (not less tools). ;-)
Again, I don't think any SDS drill used as a power chisel / 'hammer drill' will be as good as a 'proper' power chisel / Kango but if you are only doing smaller jobs with it (and not taking down a concrete air raid shelter, like we did) they can be a real asset.
Understood. I have one of the very first 'cheap' (as in 29 quid) SDS drills that I think came from Argos and it feels like it's been made out of old tank parts (and even smells the same).
As an aside, this hammer drill has an appeal and I don't know why ...? ;-)
If you are thinking you can use the standard chuck for normal impact drills, then forget it - it is not designed to do that. The chuck is only useful for none impact drilling - of metal and wood, but it is a bit clumsy for that.
You will need to buy proper SDS bits for drilling concrete and brick.
Yup, ok in an emergency if you only have the SDS with you and then find you have to go though some metal etc.
Agreed. I think they are a bit more expensive and no so common (especially in sets) but as you say, are available and you might just need just a select few sizes (6, 8, 10mm)?
That might be a record for a drill bit! ;-)
Anyone remember these:
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My Dad had some and I did use them to reasonable success when a lad. Fairly slow going though! Funny that whilst obviously 'very old' (60's?) in concept, hand powered drills have gone back thousands of years.
What I did use the Rawlplug 'drills' more regularly for, pre 'hammer drills' was breaking any stone you came across when drilling a hole with an ordinary masonry bit and electric (or even hand) drill. One or two hits with that and hammer and you could then drill through the remains of the stone without burning the tip of your drill out (or the hole going wildly off line).
Those were the days of regular use of the brace and bit, before the advent of flat / speed drills for wood. ;-)
Not got that particular one, but Lidl tools generally do what it says on the tin and are very good value too. And if you keep the receipt, can get your money back easily, if it doesn't suit.
As will all SDS, it is ideal for drilling holes in masonry. And for chasing, etc. But not anything like as good for drilling holes in anything else. It will be a lot larger (longer) and heavier than a plain mains drill. The normal chuck may allow more slop too.
But at that price you could get it and a plain ol' mains drill and still be quids in from your original budget.
Rob, is it the Lidl one you have and is it three function as the selector appears to have only two positions and three is not mentioned in the text?
I am in the market for an SDS+ drill to replace my Makita that has just died after 3 years. On inspection I found that the pin driving the impact mechanism was blue from heat and the motor pinion teeth were mostly missing! I was dismayed to find that there was no apparent lubrication in the drive and gear mechanism.
I have compared the theoretical spec for the Lidl one and it appears (on paper!) to be up there with more expensive budget machines from Toolstation:
Lidl Impact force 3J, Input Power 1050W £40 Draper 20503 2.5J, 750W, £80 Both 0-5,300ipm Sparky BPR261E 3.1J, 820W, 0-5450ipm £100
Looking at Bosch at twice the price the spec appears to be the same but hopefully more reliable design and build quality .. but are they?
After reading through the posts I never saw mention of SDS plus (maybe missed it) But with ref to chesels etc should it not be an SDS plus rather than SDS. Just me thinking out loud.
I thought we were talking of ordinary HSS bits but on an SDS mount (like for when you are drilling though concrete and hit a steel plate or some such)?
Well yes, but I'm not sure it's a good idea to drill though those. ;-)
There was something on that on TV the other day. The guy cast a 'beam' of concrete, placed it across two blocks (making a bridge), stood on it and it just collapsed. He then did another one with a bit (or bits) of Rebar (steel rod) in it and he even ended up hitting it with a sledge hammer, and whilst it may have cracked and lost bits off the side, it didn't 'break' (as in collapse from being a bridge).
The demonstration / lesson was that whilst concrete is good in compression it isn't good in tension or bending, whereas steel is good in tension (and compression / bending, if the section is correct, just that it's more expensive than concrete) but add a bit of steel to concrete and it too is good in tension and against bending (unless you drill through it of course). ;-)
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