I'm looking to buy a new cordless drill. I've got a decent mains SDS drill, so this one will be used for general purpose around the house eg putting up curtain rails, screwdriving etc.
I've got access to discount on Bosch drills, so am going to go for a blue Bosch drill (unless there's a really good reason not to). A couple of questions:
- 18v or 24v (or doesn't it matter)?
- I'm assuming I should be going for a drill driver, rather than the hammer (as I've already got a bigger SDS drill with hammer action)
I've used one of the bosch 14.4v models (GSR 14,4V) for over 2 years, and it's my absolute workhorse.
Deciding factors on which exact model may be weight (are you using more small screws or more large) and what other cordless devices you may want in the same voltage range (buying naked tools without batteries is very economical).
There are also some current offers bundling cordless driver and impact driver together - very well worth considering.
Other than that, I wouldn't say there's much to decide between them. I think they all have autolock chucks, fast chargers, 2 or more batteries etc.
I did recently buy a naked 14.4v impact driver - but that's mostly a tool to use when the sds is just too big to fit a confined space.
- Are you going to have projects that will involve long periods of use of the tool? These might be boarding a loft, fixing down ply to a floor as a base for tiling, making a deck and the like - in other words, something involving several hundred holes/screws.
- Do you envisage projects with long/large screws - e.g. >5mm sized screws?
The capacity of the tool, in the case of a decent one, increases with battery voltage, but so does the weight. Really, a 14.4v model would cover general purpose applications and the lower weight appealing for lengthy jobs b ut might not be man enough for projects involving long/large screws. With increasing weight, not only can use be more tiring but it becomes more fiddly to manage with jobs needing smaller holes screws. This is eased a bit with having a good quality and well balanced drill such as Bosch, Makita, etc. but can be a nightmare with a cheap generic product.
For projects involving a lot of screws/holes, again in a good quality drill where the batteries are decent, the larger drill will give more run time between charges. However, a better solution to that is to make sure that you get two or even three batteries and a 1 hour charger. This should allow for continuous or almost continuous running.
Given the application range you describe, I'd choose an 18v model on this first set of criteria.
Other considerations are to take a look at Bosch's ranges of cordless tools. Look for commonality of battery use between tool types. You might want to have something else at some stage which uses the same battery type. Bought without batteries and charger, these can be very cost effective.
I would have thought 18V would pack more than enough punch and not be quite so bulky as the 24V.
I find my 18V drill will do pretty much anything you ask of it that does not involve drilling hard masonry. It spins auger or spade bits without any difficulty and is happy mixing a bucket of plaster.
I have an 18V combi (i.e. with hammer) and actually find that it is handy having the hammer, since with the 18V tools the hammer action is about as good as that on most ordinary mains drills, and so you can use the tool for all of a job (e.g. something requiring masonry fixing) in many cases without needing to resort to the SDS and mains lead.
Thanks for the replies. In the end I followed the advice and, rather than going for 'bigger is better', went for the 14.4v. I'm glad I did as I think I might have found the weight of the larger ones a bit irritating for things like screwdriving.
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