Wiki: cheap drills

[Tabby]

Feedback welcome...

NT

Cheap drills

Some jobs are quicker & easier with 2 drills. For regular diyers, a backup drill can be well worth having, or a spare one for the odd time you get someone else in to help.

The drills discussed aren't being recommended for use as the main and only drill.

=3D=3DNew cheapies=3D=3D New mains drills are available in the =A35-10 range. The short life expectancy of most of them makes these poor tools. Even for a light user, if you have to buy a new one every few years, it ends up cheaper to get something that can last.

In the worst cases it seems the manufacturer counts on the tool rarely getting used, with regular use its dead in a month.

The upside is a modern set of features, such as hammer drilling, reverse etc. You also get a warranty, for what its worth.

=3D=3DOld B&D drills=3D=3D Old B&D drills from the 1960s and 70s are given away, or sold for a few pounds.

The 60s/70s stuff is fairly basic. A chuck that's usually big enough, an on off switch, and if you're lucky a 2 speed gearbox. That's it. For a second or third drill that much is fine. In the 80s B&D went modern, with a decent feature set.

These tools look grim, but are capable enough. An old 275w B&D was able to operate a 22mm auger in some very tough wood, without getting stuck or slowing down much, and did a lot of holes without heating up. The 1" auger was a bit too big for it. I even used it with a 2" core drill when I didn't have the right shank for the SDS. They're basic, but capable enough, and at a couple of quid for a backup drill they're a bargain imho.

One thing is worth bearing in mind. Drilling into a buried live cable holding a metal bodied drill is a risk, if the earthing impedance isn't low enough a nasty shock can result. An RCD on the drill lead won't help. So I like to use pvc dipped cotton gloves with these drills.

[MM]

My cheapo Payless/Focus one lasted eight years. I don't consider a tenner is expensive for a drill that lasts that long. It's not like I'm drilling every day anyway. Maybe only fifty holes a year, tops.

MM

[robgraham]

I think the point of the Wiki is that this is current purchasing. To quote history where all electrical goods are concerned is not helpful. I have a battery drill that is in excess of 8 years old that is still functioning, but it is misleading to a current purchaser to recommend that drill's manufacturer now. Rob

[John Rumm]

It strikes me this ought to be a part of the power tools FAQ since that already has several sections on drills and also discussion on budget tools etc. (I can easily move the pages from the FAQ to the wiki for ease of integration).

Not sure how much the article really needs to say other than if you buy cheap, you take pot luck, and and old s/h tool might work better.

[Tabby]

I figured the point is that a) people overlook the old B&Ds when really theyre quite useful. The possible article/section gives info on what they will and wont do b) re cheapo new drills, it explains how bad many really are

Personally I'd sooner see it be either a part of a drills article, or a standalone, I dont think covering the entirety of power tools with one article is the best goal.

NT

[John Rumm]

Which is what I was suggesting...

Remember we already have the power tool faq with a couple of entries on drills:

a standalone, I dont think covering the entirety of power tools with

Agreed, and no need either...

[Tabby]

just moving the stuff over.

I reckon best bet is I put the bit of writing in this thread into a new 'Drills' article, and it can await further sections.

NT

[John Rumm]

There may be some issues[1] with bits of the FAQ which are direct quotes from old postings with attributions etc, however I can't see any problems with the power tools FAQ since that was a collaborative effort in the first place.

As author of the articles I am quite happy to shift them to the wiki. It might be quite nice to make them easier to update, and add pictures etc. anyway.

(Note also that some parts of it (see impact driver, or oscillating tools for example) are already hosted in the wiki)

[1] even there, license is unlikely to be a problem since most of the contributors will have consented to their information being used. The only real concern would be if there is an attributed quote, then one would obviously not want it be made editable. These could still be moved with some rewriting of course.

[Tabby]

rote:

Yes, anything can be moved if its rewritten, and thus decopyrighted.

If the power tools faq is mvoed over in one piece, we can talk about whether to split it or keep as is.

NT

[Theo Markettos]

One thing I didn't realise when using an early 80s Bosch drill is there was no reverse! So I got the drill bit well and truly wedged in some metal, and then I couldn't flip the switch to remove it... because there wasn't one!

It also makes them fairly useless for un-screwdriving (assuming they have any speed control, which this one did)

Theo

[Tabby]

For a main drill it would be a problem, but not for a 2nd or 3rd drill. FWIW its not hard to reverse the bit a half turn by hand with good gloves on. Seldom necessary though.

NT

[John Rumm]

Even assuming you have speed control and reverse, it does not mean it will be any good at screwdriving - in either direction. Tried it once with a modern cheapy nutool hammer drill. Problem was it was single speed, with a fixed ratio gearbox (if you can call it that), and diddly starting torque with the speed controller. Net result of trying to drive a screw with it was rapid and copious emission of the magic smoke, and a very grotty feeling rotation ever after!

(the variable speed trigger being a marketing feature on many of this class of tool. The design is such that at low speed there is no airflow or cooling through it, and they overheat if you apply any load at low speed)