Cordless Dril/ Impact Driver Combo

Buy into something that has a nice stable range of batteries that will be supported for a good few years and work in a good range of tools. I replaced my again Makita 18V NiMh combi drill and ID recently as I decided it was time to make the move to 18V LiIon...

I quite like the new Mak chargers since they have active temperature sensing and cooling. So you can stick a hot pack straight on the charger and it will blow forced air through the pack to cool it and manage the charging at the same time.

They sometimes seem to have distinct model numbers to avoid having to honour price match promises - but generally for the branded tools they are the full spec.

You can't have your cake and eat it. Buy a decent tool and every time you use it you'll be thankful.

Bill

This is why I am soliciting opinions on what people here consider to be a decent tool. I would really rather not spend nearly £500 for something like this if I do not have to. Or is that what you are suggesting that I should get? Just because it is the most expensive that I can find.

Bosch blue 10.8V - the drill is surprisingly capable for a baby tool, the screwdriver does everything up to 6mm into solid wood and the impact is decent.

Batteries last a very very long time (had one for nearly 10 years)

Something like a mid range Makita set would usually be a much better price. e.g:

(3x3Ah batts are probably more useful that 2x5Ah in that you can work continuously if needs be)

I did wonder if the "large project" necessarily needed large tools.

PS

My Makita 10.8V set would _not_ put up with being called "baby" just 'cos they're compact, and they'd like to see you try calling Barry McGuigan "baby" :)

There is a whole world of innuendo there I am sure ;-)

I also have a 10.8V Makita set which I find really useful... having said that, I would not want it as my *only* set - since there are jobs its not capable of. Hence if going for one and only one set I would normally suggest 18V unless there is some special reason to go for something else.

I'm very happy with my Screwfix 'Titan' 10.8volt pair, I've had them four years or so npw and they show no signs of falling apart yet.

The packs from screwfix or toolstation from the well known reputable brands are not engineered down to a price. They are usually the same items as sold by other retailers but possibly with a slightly different model number, sometimes indicating that it comes in a package with a free set of drills, an extra battery etc.

The price often relates to the capacity and number of batteries so some cost saving may be made depending on your possible use. With two tools using a common battery do you actually need 3 batteries or will 2 do. How often are you going to use the impact driver at the same time as the drill (with hammer action and screwdriver settings)? Do you need high capacity batteries or can you live with lower capacity batteries which may not last as long and require more frequent charging.

On the better tools the batteries don't gradually degrade performance of the tool as the battery discharges. On my Makita drill I get full performance until around 10 seconds before the circuits in the battery cut the power completely to protect them from over discharge. The battery then requires a recharge before it will supply power again.

If you don't need the throw away distance meter and bluetooth theft tracker knock £200 from that price for the equivalent from a well respected manufacturer such as Makita or perhaps a bit more for the equivalent from Dewalt

My Lidl ones - drill, jigsaw and circular saw, all using the same batteries, do just the same. They were one of the ranges where you could buy spare batteries from the maker, so I did.

And 3Ah, is actually a decent capacity anyway. My high end NiMH tools were only 2.8Ah, and they did plenty of work on a charge.

That wasn't one that I was considering. I was merely using it as an example to challenge Bill's apparent assertion that one should spend as much as possible.

Indeed. The Panasonic that I am replacing is 3.4Ah and has always done me fine - until recently.

That's reassuring.

As a side note, I have been delving into the uk.d-i-y archives researching this, in particular which brands are produced by whom. I had forgotten just how knowledgeable Andy Hall was on this subject.

It's a decision only you can make. Is a cordless drill from Lidl at £40 going to be good enough for most DIY - given it has a 3 year warranty? Or is it better to pay 3 times that for a top brand?

Or would three cordless Lidl drills for the same money actually be more useful? For those repetitive tasks where you're continually changing bits?

Amp hour of course isn't everything. Depends on the voltage how much work it can do. Hence many drills now being 18v rather than 12v.

True - but remember things in this sort of field can change very quickly. A well known once good brand can be sold and moved downmarket to capitalise on the name.