Cordless drill

[Ron]

Is this any good for a Christmas present?

[Tim+]

;-)

Indeed. My wife probably wouldn't appreciate it. ;-)

Tim

[John Rumm]

To right, she should expect a blue one ;-)

[newshound]

Unless I am mistaken, this is *not* an impact one. To my mind, you would be better off with a drill/driver if you just want a single tool, preferably one with an impact drill (usual terminology: combi) if you are ever likely to do masonry.

If you are screwing into a lot of timber (rather than just assembling flat pack furniture, for example) then I would *strongly* recommend something like this

but then you would *also* want a combi drill which takes the same batteries.

I should say that I *used* to be slightly skeptical about these devices except for pro's like Dave who do a lot of decking, until I actually got one myself. If you get a decent make like Makita they are *so* much more controllable (as well as powerful) for screwing compared to a basic combi.

You do need to buy decent bits for them, though, and even so they won't last as long.

[newshound]

Oops sorry, just polishing off a bottle of red and originally identified the OP as a just simple non impact screwdriver.

As a first drill driver for light DIY that would be very reasonable. Lidl and Aldi offers are also good, and would give you impact drilling and maybe a spare battery for the same money. Second battery is very useful if you are doing a lot of work. Some people are a bit sniffy about Bosch Green (rather than Blue, which is higher spec) but I have several Bosch Green devices and they fine.

[Bill Wright]

ttery/dp/B005X6X31E/ref=gbps_tit_m-8_d94e_425cb86a?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&p

f_rd_p=4d3ae7cf-3400-4f74-a439-6d7051a8d94e&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-8&pf_r

d_t=101&pf_rd_i=161428031&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=PFD63DQGE4C6PCZSDMTC

Yes. Very useful. I have one in the workshop and it also sometimes goes out. No complaints.

Bill

[Michael Chare]

Depends what the recipient already has. For general DIY work I would say that a hammer drill is more useful. I am a late comer to cordless drills which I have bought in special offers. I have found them convenient. My main concern is battery life when they are not used very much.

[John Rumm]

That is where Li-Ion wins - it does not auto discharge quickly like NiMh, and had better capacity (usually) than NiCd. So its better for occasional use.

[Sam Plusnet]

That depends on what your walls are made of.

I have to use an SDS+, so a non-hammer cordless would be fine for other jobs.

[Brian Gaff]

Yes, if your mate is an octupuss he might need several. Brian

[GB]

Corded is even better from that point of view. For *very* occasional use, the added hassle of having to use an extension lead is far less than the hassle of having to charge it before use or, worse still, having to throw it away because the battery is knackered.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Is it too soon to say what the overall life is likely to be? Although this was very variable with older types of re-chargeables too.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'd agree with that. IMHO walls seem to come in two types only. Soft enough to be drilled with a non SDS - in which case a decent bit in a non hammer drill will work ok. And those so hard only an SDS will work.

[John Rumm]

I find that the extra versatility of a cordless tool wins over corded even for occasional use. Corded tools tend to have less good control and low speed torque, and are not as good for screwdriving IME.

I have a couple of "ordinary" corded drills - can't recall when I used either of them last. (I use the mains SDS and Core drill though)

[newshound]

Really? I think there are three sorts.

Lighweight blocks, which are fine with a cordless non-hammer. Don't even need carbide bits, HSS will work.

Ordinary brick and blocks, needs a hammer drill. May be slow with a cordless, for larger bits. I still often use a corded here.

Engineering bricks, traditional Breeze Block from 1960's, many types of stone. SDS is your friend.

[PeterC]

Powercraft 14.4V combi - 2 years; Makita 18V combi - 6 years; green Bosch

7.2V DD - 19years! All NiCad. Current blue Bosch 10.8V & 18V Li - too soon. Floureon 18V for Mak - not yet out of first charge.

[John Rumm]

Had a Mak TDS020 7.2V impact driver for quite a few years - it gets very occasional use. Batteries still going strong, and always charged when I pick it up.

[John Rumm]

I have found that the Bosch multi material bits will drill hard masonry things in the 18V combi cordless that I had previously dismissed as un-drillable without the SDS.

[Andrew]

Do they not come with egg-beating and stirring attachments ?.

[Sam Plusnet]

There's enough stirring in uk.d-i-y to suit anyone.