Advice on new drill

Acc72

Hi All,


I was thinking of getting a drill to do very basic diy stuff - however, when I went to B&Q I was faced with a range of options:


Hand Drill / Driver / Hammer drill


Not to mention various torque and voltages - 12v or 20v ?


Could anybody give me some advice on what I would need for basic (and not very regular) use ?


Also any pointers on manufacturer - or does it not matter for my level of usage (eg. I have seen B&M and others all sell various electric tools - are these any good) ?

brightontraveller

Acc72 wrote: »

Hi All,


I was thinking of getting a drill to do very basic diy stuff - however, when I went to B&Q I was faced with a range of options:


Hand Drill / Driver / Hammer drill


Not to mention various torque and voltages - 12v or 20v ?


Could anybody give me some advice on what I would need for basic (and not very regular) use ?


Also any pointers on manufacturer - or does it not matter for my level of usage (eg. I have seen B&M and others all sell various electric tools - are these any good) ?

Really depends what you plan to use it for wood , metal , concrete, etc if your working off a ladder etc cordless or corded I’d say go with corded sds drill if your only occasionally using it batteries can be a pain if left for long periods, The ones with loads of “free” drill bits are often crap and you only use two or three sizes?
Yellow wall plugs 5mm drill bit, screw sizes 4 - 8.
Red plugs, 6mm bit, screw sizes 6 - 10.
Brown plugs, 7mm drill bit, screw sizes 10 - 14
If budget allows below would last you a lifetime and cover all uses you would likely ever need .

http://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-d25033-sfgb-2kg-sds-plus-hammer-drill-240v/9062g
http://www.screwfix.com/p/bosch-gbh-2000-2kg-sds-plus-drill-240v/87453

Tothepoint.

What will you use it for most?

Drilling or as an electric screwdriver?

Acc72

Tothepoint. wrote: »

What will you use it for most?

Drilling or as an electric screwdriver?

Likely to be more of an electric screwdriver and being used to put up the off shelf etc.


Also drilling into brick (eg. need to put up a new house number)


I am not planning anything major, but if I buy a drill I want it to cover all bases if possible

EssexExile

Getting one to do everything is a problem. I have a cordless DeWalt, similar to the first one on the Screwfix power drill page, which does most things. You'll need something like those linked to by brightontraveller for serious masonry drilling. But you won't want to carry that around to undo a few screws.

Tothepoint.

Acc72 wrote: »

Likely to be more of an electric screwdriver and being used to put up the off shelf etc.


Also drilling into brick (eg. need to put up a new house number)


I am not planning anything major, but if I buy a drill I want it to cover all bases if possible

Get yourself a decent drill driver then.

No need for an sds to put up a door number.

If you're going cordless get one with a lithium ion battery. Quicker charging time a slower discharge.

Grenage

I'm with Brighton - it's horses for courses.

If you only get one, then a decent corded SDS is always useful. I have a corded SDS, a cordless for lightweight work and screwing, and a £20 corded for use with my paddle mixer. I will grab another cordless when I see a good deal, as it's a chore changing back and forth with bits.

onomatopoeia99

Most flexible, in terms of being suitable for most jobs if you're only getting one drill, is likely to be a mains powered electric drill with hammer action. Battery power is convenient, but lacks the torque for bigger jobs, SDS plus is fantastic for making big holes in masonry, but they are too big and heavy to use for small jobs.

I have all three types, buying a house that is a huge project has meant spending money on more power tools. My SDS and battery drills are both Makita and I am very happy with them, my "ordinary" mains hammer drill was made by Peugeot and is over 25 years old and still going strong. Still have the metal box it came in too. I've used that for so many things, from as a screwdriver to drilling 2" holes in concrete blocks for waste pipes to go through and it's never let me down in all that time.

Chrishazle

I have Metabo cordless, 18V combi and 10.8V combi. I've been amazed at the power and versatility of the 10.8, I think it's all you need for your use, and has the advantage of being small, light and easy to use - my daughter recently used mine quite happily! Be aware Metabo do 2 versions, a drill-driver and a combi drill, make sure you get the combi.
http://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/Metabo-108Pmaxsb-4007430296856-10.8V-Sb-Basic-Combi-Drill-2-X-2.0Ah-Li-Ion

Big thing to remember going cordless is availability of replacement batteries - guaranteed with Metabo. I have 3 Axminster White cordless combi drills sat in my workshop, drills are in good working order but batteries are snafu's and no longer available, a recell company wants over £50 per pack to recell the packs - I have 8!!

spadoosh

18v makita combi drill and you wont go far wrong. Just make sure you dont have really dense brick like accrington and you wil be fine.

jamesperrett

If you go for cordless make sure you get two (or more) batteries and that the spare one is kept fully charged. It is a real pain to find that your only battery has run down before the end of a job and there's no replacement.

I used the cheapest Homebase 10.8V drill as a screwdriver for quite a while and it was surprisingly effective given it cost me around a tenner. For normal drilling duties I have a Wickes own brand mains powered drill which has lasted quite a few years.