My ELU MBH26 of 40+ years vintage and which had served me well no matter the task has hammered its last. I recently changed the brushes which were well worn after it started to play up and stutter, but it still played up. Turned out to be the reverse switch was the problem a single wire had snapped. The reverse switch comes with 4 Wires built in and impossible to replace when broken, try as I may I cannot find a replacement switch every site has “no longer available” It is so annoying that one so simple fault as a broken wire has consigned the whole machine to the bin.
I am now in the market for like for like replacement. Brand is not important as I am not looking for a battery drill, corded is my preference. I am looking at the Makita HR 2631 F/2 as a replacement
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I am open to any equivalent alternative so would appreciate any suggestions. Although I am of an age where longevity is not a concern but it is the sort of drill that I am going to make plenty of use of so a cheap throw away is not on the cards. An all metal gearbox, clutch, anti-vibration are all desirables as is good core drill max. Diam. The Makita is capable of 80mm.
Richard
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John Rumm
The SF spec on that is wrong, it is actually a 800W drill...
I have had the older version - HR2450 - for about 20 years now, and have been very pleased with it. It is a great workhorse, and really nice to use. (although I did have to treat it to a new armature at about 12 years old). The version you linked to seems to be similar but with the anti vibration technology, and an option (on some variants) for quick swap chucks. (something I have never been too fussed about, since you reach for the SDS when you want a SDS - for normal drilling there are smaller and more convenient options normally)
Light, plenty of power, very good speed control and chisel mode that lets you select and lock the rotational position of the chisel - which is really important when cutting chases etc, and you want it in a particular direction while also holding the machine at a comfortable angle. The speed control means you can lightly tap your way through skim coat plaster without causing massive devastation, but then ramp up the force for deeper cutting.
With core drilling, I would tend to treat the makers claims as a guideline as best, since so much depends on what you are drilling, and in what conditions. I have successfully done 107mm diamond cores though
9" solid brick walls with mine - however if the wall is tricky you will be right on the limit of where the clutch disengages (even though it has adequate power).
Lightweight blocks are easy, hard damp bricks are much more difficult since they tend to snag the core. Drilling in a nice straight line helps. Also once you have the core sufficiently into the wall to self guide, remove the pilot bit.
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Nick Odell
Okay. So I expect the Health and Safety Police, in full riot gear to come and break down my door to get me for saying this but - would you consider an off-the-wall suggestion to get your old drill going again? I presume you are no longer using the drill in a setting where an unprofessional lash-up could get you into trouble (if you are, then all bets are off). And as long as YOU know it's safe.....
Looking at the exploded diagram of the drill, it appears that electrical part is just some sort of crossover switch to reverse certain connections. If it were my drill I'd be tempted to extend the wires that switch connects to and port them out of the drill body through a hole with a grommet. Then connect them to an everyday switch of the same designation and power rating which you could perhaps mount on the outside of the drill casing encased in a bubble of resin.
My own 50-year-old conventional electric drill won't win any health and safety awards but I kept that going by making replacement plastic parts from an old toothbrush handle.
Good luck, whatever you decide to do.
Nick
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Brian Gaff
So what does the switch with four wires actually do? It may well be that something else might do the job. Brian
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Tricky Dicky
Brian the switch sets the direction of rotation so could be bypassed but I do need an SDS drill that can rotate in both directions as I have some SDS augers. More importantly I need a replacement machine like yesterday as I have a lot of plaster to remove and hand balling it is hard work and my other SDS 6Kg machine is too heavy for protracted work.
Richard
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Mike Clarke
+1
I also got a HR2450 twenty years ago and it's still going strong. It cost £130 at the time and was well worth it, so taking inflation into account the current model is exceptional value at £144
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Tricky Dicky
Thanks for the advice John & Mike, It has been duly ordered and according to SF is winging its way to me should be here just in time tomorrow
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Animal
Sooner or later you'll need a 2nd drill, so fix your oldie, whether with a different crossover switch or by wiring it to go forwards only. I once used a backup drill without reverse for some augering, it only needed a little manual unscrew to come out.