Cordless hammer drill for DIY

They do a lot of deals with Ni Cads but also with Li-Ion, probably with cheaper chucks.

I've got one of these, can't fault it;

All the Hitachi stuff has the same batteries. I bought the 18v combi because it's batteries are compatible with my Hitachi SDS

Hi James,

Having been in a similar situation recently, I looked into a lot of options. as you did, i used to think Makita was out of my price range but have recently found some good offers. I have just bought a Makita DHP456 drill and can not speak highly enough about it. It has had no problems with any of the tasks I have used it for so far. As you alluded, to the advantage it has is that it shares a battery with loads of other bits of kit. I have also just bought a makita jigsaw. Because the battery fits both, I went for a body only option and saved loads.

Search for fastfix as they have some pretty good prices.

Rich

Given the batteries always die before the tool itself is worn out, this may or may not be a good option. Depending on how much a battery costs bought on its own - it may be cheaper as part of a package.

The really annoying thing about Makita is that the new Li Ion batts don't fit the older tools.

That's good enough for me. I bought one yesterday - cost £90.

A bit of an odd tale: When I got home and opened the box there were two batteries and a charger in it but no drill. I don't think I have ever before bought a boxed product only to find the product missing.

Fortunately, after I phoned Screwfix they checked their CCTV footage and could see that a mistake had been made. They had apparently given me the box for a drill that was on display. All sorted now.

James

Thanks for the feedback. I saw your post just after I bought a Hitachi but I guess either will do.

I took a look at some body-only prices online and I have to say the 18V jigsaws seem expensive (for Hitachi and Makita) whereas lower voltage units are cheaper. E.g. (both Makita) 18V £139, 10.8V £64 at

James