I need a new cordless drill/driver - what's recommended?

On Tuesday 04 February 2014 12:50 snipped-for-privacy@isbd.net wrote in uk.d-i-y:

I have an earlier version of:

and it's been excellent. Lot sof power for a small device.

Don't know either of these specifically but I have been very happy with several bit of Ryobi kit, I have one or two Erbauer things and they are OK but don't feel quite so nicely made.

Not that much more than the Ryobi:

Well how about the same price per tool:

I bought the earlier 7.2 volt version about 5 years ago and it's given good service and still going strong.

In message , snipped-for-privacy@isbd.net writes

I bought a Bosch 'Blue' 10.8V one last year before doing the bathroom refit (I got mine in a package with a impact driver and a torch as well, the torch has been surprisingly useful))

It's a great bit of kit, small, light, handles well, surprsingly powerful for it's size. I've a bigger 14.4V jobbie, but I normally pick this one up as it's so nice to use.. I used it for drilling holes through joists as it is nice and short. It will drive an auger bit upto about maybe 15mm or so can't remember off hand through in one go. I did

This is the drill (and recommend FFX service and prices a swell). There were at one point selling spare batteries cheap on Ebay

This seems a bargain to me, I went De Walt a while back and never regretted it.

Richard

Yes, I've seen that and I'm tempted! :-)

Yes, but I don't really want an impact driver, Combi + ordinary would suit me better.

Thanks for the recommendation Chris, really useful.

Also for the FFX recommendation, I've seen good prices from them for a number of things.

How can you not want an impact driver? ;-)

Absolutely.

I ws also impressed with the Bosch 10.8 impact driver that I got with my drill driver.

I went to get a dewalt from screwfix, only to find it was a lot heavier than a cheaper brand using nylon gears. If weight matters, the good trade kit is much heavier, and I decided against it.

NT

I would hang on until the carboot season restarts and visit all the major o nes regularly to find out the ones with the likely tool sellers on. When th e diy season starts in the shops just before they start stocking easter egg s and playing xmess carols, the car boots get a flood of old stock and seco nd hand (usually) ex-police/lost and found and unclaimed recovery tools.

In article , Tim Watts writes

I can second that recommendation. Was given one the Xmas before last; have been so impressed by it I've just bought another one. (Drill in one, screwdriver bit in the other, really speeds things up)

What do you actually use an impact driver for?

Basically driving larger/longer screws than a plain drill/driver will manage, without the need for pilot and clearance holes. Or other times when you need a higher torque

They have much much higher torque and the impact action, as well as driving in the screw, seems to mean that they are much less likely to cam out.

I was using mine for quite a bit of stud walling etc. doing our bathroom. I don't know what is limit is, but my little Bosch would happily drive in 120x5 mm screws (5" no 10 ?).

It's one of those tools, that once you have used it, you don't want to be without it.

Sticking in screws... lots of them, with little effort, and fast.

I specifically bought my non-impact Metabo for doing that. It's a 12 volt driver that provides 50nM of torque.

Compared with the only impact driver I have it's heaven to use and will happily drive 6mm x 100mm screws into fencing posts (my major use when I got it).

Well, as I said, my Metabo quite happily copes with 6mm x 100mm screws so no gain there! :-)

I did use one, and hated it!