Need a new SDS drill

[Chris Melluish]

When I last bought an SDS drill it was easy - I bought the cheapest I could find from Wickes at £99. Other makes cost twice that.

After seven years of abuse it is now working intermittently, so I have decided to replace it.

Things are not so simple now.

There are ultra-cheap makes, less than £40. The better manufacturers are now producing cheaper models - e.g. Bosch and Makita for under £100. There are still the horrendously expensive professional models.

It is only for DIY use - drilling, channelling, electrical back boxes, taking down the odd wall, etc., but I want something that will last me another seven years.

What are the current recommendations on the mid-range drills - e.g. around the £100 mark? Any good deals around?

-- Chris Melluish

[John Schmitt]

Before you take that step, try removing a foot of flex at the drill end and rewiring. It is not uncommon for a broken conductor in the flex to cause this symptom. The strain relief can only do so much, and even multi-strand wires will eventually fatigue. Sometime the wires touch while actually being separate pieces of metal, when the drill will work, sometimes not. It is actually surprising and a little worrying how many IEC leads fail their annual test due to a discontinouous earth. Nothing to be done in that case, but there are loads around the place.

John Schmitt

[Grunff]

I'd go for one of these:

or one of these:

Having roto stop is very, very useful.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

If you were happy with a Wicks one get another? They're reasonable value for money.

[Doctor Drivel]

Makita do a good one for around £110 at Screwfix. Wickes again, as they are made by Kress, and the power is greater now. Your Wickes SDS can be repaired, if it is worth it of course.

£100? Take your pick in this price range. Look in Screwfix.

[John Rumm]

Very fond of my one of those - it has a very refined speed control allowing supprisingly delicate cutting when chiseling. I have also cut

4" cores with it in the past - so plenty of power when required.

As the OP said there is plenty of choice in the quality 2kg range these days. Anything on this page ought to last a good many years:

[Doctor Drivel]

Avoid DeWalt, as they are just B&Ds.

Aldi were selling a £25 Makita lookalike with a 3 yr guarantee. Cn't be that bad for DIY.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

DeWalt produced one of the first lightweight (2Kg) roto-stop SDS drills and it's still on sale today. The DW 556. Many on this group have got one and are perfectly happy with it. A classic design.

DeWalt are the only brand that TLC sell. And TLC is one of the most successful electrical wholesalers in the country. If DeWalt products were universally crap they'd simply not sell them. Unlike sheds who can rely on many of their cheaper products getting only occasional use - if any, if bought as gifts.

Perhaps you don't like them because they don't make hacksaws?

A 'lookalike'? Most with sense buy tools by performance and price. You apparently by looks alone. Do you ever actually by tools and use them? Apart from that hacksaw, obviously.

[tony sayer]

Makita, one of the best drills I've ever bought:))

[Doctor Drivel]

DeWalt are overpriced and average quality.

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

But do you use it on a day to day basis?

Great for the pro, too much for the novice. :-P

-- Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

[Dave Plowman (News)]

No DIYer is likely to do. But might give it heavy use during a project.

Depends on your priorities. A decent drill is likely to be more pleasant to use. Lots of cheapies are just far too heavy, for one thing. Not a problem when breaking up a concrete floor, but very much one when chasing walls.

Of course you may subscribe to the drivel idea of buying purely on looks.

[John Rumm]

agreed

Nonsense. A novice will get better results by far with a Makita SDS they they will with a 5kg shed special - they are worlds apart in ease of use and finesse.

[Grunff]

Ours (DeWalt) got used pretty much every day for about 3 years. It has a very easy life now (house all finished), getting used maybe once a month.

[Doctor Drivel]

Nonsense. 2kg cheap SDS drills are available and they ...well ...drill holes like an SDS.

[John Rumm]

Used one have you? Thought not.

I have yet to see a cheap one with a decent speed controller. If you know of one please post a link.

A three function machine will do alot more than drill holes. Having a rotation lock for the chisel bit is also well worth having. Cheapies often don't have this either. Without it you have a small breaker, but a tool that is no use for accurate chase cutting.

If you had actually used any of these tools it would be as obvious to you as it is to the rest of us.

[Doctor Drivel]

I have a Kress. But I have used the cheapo Aldi one. It is quite good. It will not last as long as the Kress, but for DIY it is fine, and if the Kress packed up I would consider one of the Aldi/Lidl cheapos for occassional use. Horses for courses.

The Aldi Power Craft was OK. There again accurate variable speed on an SDS is not major item.

I don't know if the Aldi one does, but for £25 it is well worth it just for drilling alone.

My Kress works very well. Great tools.

[Chris Melluish]

Many thanks for all the replies.

I think they confirmed what I was thinking anyway - avoid the cheap ones, the professional ones are for professionals, and go for a mid-range one.

It sounds like the Makita will fit the bill - I particularly liked the comments about controllable chiselling.

I was getting a bit fed up with the Wickes one anyway - I was finding I had to press harder and harder to start it chiselling, with a tendency to destroy what I was chiselling.

-- Chris Melluish

[David W.E. Roberts]

I like chasing walls. One of the few things I can catch. The problem is, what to do with them then........

[Chris Bacon]

It's not bad at all (although mine was a "barrel motor" type). Mine's done no end of work, and is still going strong!

However, I think the first thing to do is, as someone else (smitt?) said, test the cable on the existing machine.