Drill

DigForVictory

If you have a hardware store (Toys R US for blokes), go and ask.
A lot of them are delightfully not screaming mysogynists & thus will take your money whilst selling you both a power tool & a pile of advice.

Avoid the pile 'em high brigade - the advice is near worthless, whereas the store may cost a bit more per unit, but you can go back & ask why X didn't work, or what you need to do Q.

Our store is not only open from builders o'clock til after school closes but also treats my children with the same informed grave courtesy they extend to me. (Mostly as my children are firmly discouraged from exercising their personalities unless they have money to spend.)

All the best & if the first place is too blokes-only, *leave* & find the next one.

A.Penny.Saved

SDS are great if you really need them which I doubt the OP will. Using regular drill bits are probably more important to OP than SDS. My hammer drill has a conventional chuck and SDS so I can do both but I mainly use conventional bits.

BTW don't just drill into a wall without checking it's safe to do so! There could be cables embedded in the wall. If there are no sockets or light switches then it might be okay but there still could be some cables runs.

Norman_Castle

Both are good for general diy and have good variable speed making them useable as a screw driver for larger screws. I've had an older version of the Skil for 10+ years and failed to break it.

http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=110&storeId=10151&partNumber=615886&c_2=2|cat_16849207|Power+Tools|14418763&c_1=1|category_root|DIY%2C+Tools+and+Hardware|16849207&c_3=3|cat_14418763|Drills|14418778&cmpid=summit_pla&_$ja=cgid:8445635896|tsid:49590|cid:275133256|lid:61425309664|nw:g|crid:30322391416|rnd:1905680620752697350|dvc:c|adp:1o1

or
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00A389XNE/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=103612307&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000NN0E2I&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=0SEYCMFNX1MB4615RTEB

No idea why the first link copied in the way it did.

vaio

Stevefromdonny wrote: »

When I bought my first house 4 years ago I bought a DeWalt cordless combi drill that was on offer at Screwfix (they sell to everyone not just the trade). I have done a lot of work with it though. It cost £150, just a drill, battery and charger. However for that you get Lithium Ion battery, the same as your phone, which does not loose charge - charge it and in a year it will still be charged. And it does not loose power over time, it will simply cut out when it is flat. If you get a cordless, plump for a lithium ion battery (li-ion). It is still going strong today, and expect it to carry on. Nice and light too, no heavier than a corded drill. Plenty of power for drilling bricks and plenty of torque for driving screws.

DO NOT buy black and decker - they are toys and will not last, and on cordless ones the hammer function is dire. With B&D, you're getting a £20 drill but paying £60 for it. My Dad's had 2 and both have had battery issues (though they generally have cheaper ni-cad batteries). The battery is the most expensive part of a cordless drill - dewalt li-ions cost about £80.

another vote for Dw Walt, screwfix currently have one for just over £100 that comes with two Lithium Ion batteries, I suspect that will be hard to beat as an allrounder

wallbash

Suggest we return to the O.P .

1st putting up a mirror ( which has been lying around for months )
So spending a lot of money e.g £100 for a brilliant cordless is OTT.
The drill is worth the money , no question about that.

But can't you imagine that drill being used a couple of times, left for months ( no batt. when required) .
For a great deal less you could afford to get in a handy man for an afternoon .

A £100 drill left sitting on a shelf , is a VERY expensive drill.
Now the O.P says quote .. but i need it to do the basics.
But her track record at this time is not wonderful.

gabitzul

I would buy the one from LIDL http://www.lidl.co.uk/cps/rde/SID-703A6752-080D0223/www_lidl_uk/hs.xsl/our-offers-2491.htm?action=showDetail&id=10659&ar=2.

StuC75

The basic <£25 cordless drill is likely to be more that adequate for the OP, since isn't intending anything too OTT, yes you get what you pay, and buy cheap buy twice, but in this case its likely to cover what the OP needs it to, and even if it breaks (can try returning it in the short term) or buy again. so consider Where you buy it from and what there warranty period is like..

Heck could do this 5/6 times over before anywhere near what would have spent on a serious machine - so wouldn't really be out of pocket.

do reckon some means of checking for cables & pipes - some rooms might have electric cables running down the wall..

Clive_Woody

The drill side of things seems quite well covered, but we recently got some of these for hanging pictures and mirrors which work really well and are great for the less DIY-inclined person.



http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005LVD6L8?psc=1