I want to buy a cordless drill

[PeterCB]

Good for youI hear you say!

Don't want to spend to much

[IMM]

New just out. In that price range. Ryobi CMD-1442 with 2 speed gearbox, 3 batteries, one hour charger and aluminium case. £85 +VAT on offer. V nice drill.

[Malc]

But fails the less than £80 test though.

page a DeWalt cordless £74 down from £104.

-- MAlc

[PeterCB]

Cheers - Are ryobi a good make?

Pete

[PeterCB]

Thanks for that. I actually got one of these delivered but sent it back. Gearbox problem!

Can't really trust them now even though I know it was probably 1 in 100 !

I know I said less than £80 but I would be willing to pay a little more if persuaded :)

Pete

[Grunff]

Ryobi stuff ain't too bad in general, but I have to say I really don't like their drills. A friend of mine has the 18V combi, and I've spent a fair few hours using it. Battery life is very poor for the price range, and the torque is miserable.

[PeterCB]

Thanks for the review! Doesn't sound that impressive.

Pete

[Capitol]

But you can't phone them up and order it!! Are they trying to force all their customers onto Internet ordering? Is the telephone workforce still employed in Yeovil, or has it been transferred to India? I am totally fed up with the present state of non delivery from MFI, B & Q, Screwfix and others who cannot deliver a standard product for the best part of two or three months. Is it only me that is finding that nil stock is the current status for many High Street stores also.

Regards Capitol

[IMM]

Yes. Japanese company. Or you could spend silly money on a Makita.

[IMM]

A different drill to the new model.

[Grunff]

Yes, this is true. But what leads you to believe they have achieved a quantum leap in performance while keeping within the same price range?

[PeterCB]

Agreed.

Good question!

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Don't think it's safe to give a blanket recommendation on the basis of make these days unless talking about the very top end.

I've got a Ryobi mini drill which has been great - the batteries have lasted a long time which is a good indication of quality, but others report different models not lasting well.

[IMM]

Wickes have a drill in this price range. A grey rebadged Kress or Germany.

[IMM]

The new one is on offer and is retailed at £279, so class above.

[Andy Hall]

This is questionable. There are a number of different companies using the Ryobi name - e.g. Home Depot in the U.S. for their in-house range, which is absolute junk.

I would check very carefully what it is that is being sold here with the Ryobi label and especially spares availability and service. It may be reasonable to sling away £20 drills when they break, but at £80 this is not attractive.

There are some very good deals around now on proper Makita 14.4v drills, which for little more money are a far superior product.

I've got a 14.4v one which I've had for a couple of years and gets heavy use. The motor control is superb, maintaining excellent torque at low revs. The decent battery charger and batteries have meant that I have been able to whole days of almost continuous work with two batteries.

I looked at 18v drills recently and the 14.4v Makita seems to perform as well as many of the entry level 18v products. I Ibought the

18v Makita in the U.S. which proved to be quite a bit cheaper than the UK.

.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

[Stephen Dawson]

This lot in london are worth a look at. Decent size shopand have been god to me in the past.

steve

[Jim Alexander]

Assuming its your first drill or you might not be asking, if you pick one you like the balance of with a 2 to 3 year replacement policy you probably won't go wrong if its DIY you are doing. My first drill was a B&D 8.4V (RIP). OK I've got a cheap 18V Parkside now which is fine. Even has an automatic locking chuck normally found only on more expensive brands. OK its batteries are not brilliant but with 2 and fast charge I always have power. Its high speed is a fast as a Metabo. I'd really hate it if I still had an expensive 8.4V Makita or Metabo just because it was still possible to get spares and service. Who wants to service a 3 year or older drill when the service costs would exceed the residual value.

Jim A

[Grunff]

But isn't this exactly the same argument that someone might use to explain why the chose buy a brand new Ford Fiesta rather than a 3-4 year old top of the range BMW 5 series? Because the new one is *bound* to be better?

[Jim Alexander]

No, that's not the argument I presented at all. Using your analogy I have compared an older less well equipped small car with a newer larger and faster car with a 3 year warranty. Don't deny there is a concept of quality but I suggest that on sales figures more people go for a small range of popular cars (and change after 2-3 years) than buy BMWs. Sadly I don't have money to burn.

Jim A