Which cordless drill on sale for DIY newbie?

lb00

Hi everyone,

I recently bought my first place and I’m on the hunt for my very first cordless drill—any advice? I need it to hang some blinds this weekend and eventually put up a few pictures and mirrors, so I’d love to have one always on hand.

I’ve been browsing online, and many folks seem to recommend Lidl or Aldi for light, occasional use. I’ve also seen mentions of Ryoba or Worx. However, I understand that Lidl and Aldi only offer drills seasonally, and I couldn’t find any on their website. Does anyone know if they’re currently in stock at their local stores?

If not, could you point me toward a good drill + battery set that’s on sale right now and suitable for occasional use?

Thank you very much!

DullGreyGuy

For light occasional use almost anything will probably be ok, were cordless have problems are more problems are heavy duty tasks. If you are using it once every 6 months it's as much luck as anything else how long it will last. 

I bought a Hitachi/HiKOKI unit with a larger battery plus second battery with the idea that if buying others in the future they could be bare units (ie no battery etc) and share the two batteries between them. Circa 12 years later it still works perfectly and has been recharged less than once a year but then too has my corded B&D drill thats 30 years old and was half the price (not inflation adjusted)

Emmia

We have two cordless drills, the first is a pretty standard Bosch which is fine for many things.

The second is a more heavy duty Bosch bought because we moved into a place where the walls are so solid the first one was largely defeated... 

ic

Go have a look in your local Lidl - they've done loads of their 18V Parkside tool range in the past month.  Note if you strike lucky, the battery and charger are sold separately.  Same goes for drill bits, so pick up some wood bits, HSS bits and masonry bits whilst there.

I do tons of DIY completing the fit-out after having had the builders in for a year - they've left us with a plastered shell and I've been installing the kitchen, bathrooms, utility, etc...  Anyway, I have a whole library of parkside gear (SDS drill, jigsaw, multi-saw, reciprocating saw, angle grinder,...) as well as garden tools too - all works on the same batteries.  I've only upgraded to Dewalt on a couple of items where I've realised its necessary for my level of use - my drill/driver, an impact driver and a circular saw.

Otherwise ideally I'd recommend an 18V drill/driver.  Make sure it has a hammer setting (for drilling into brick).  2Ah battery or above (the bigger the number, the longer it lasts between charges - but also the heavier it is).  Brushless is great and makes a real difference in use, but generally isn't found on cheaper drills. 

Do consider if you think you might extend out into other tools in the future, that you are buying into a range - generally tools are sold "bare" and you add the battery and charger (or rather use what you already have and share between tools, keeping the cost down), and each manufacturer has their own fitting.  If you buy a cheaper range you might find in the future that parts are no longer available, whereas the brands will keep supporting as they have a huge user base and continue to extend their ranges.

If I needed a drill today with batteries and charger, I'd get this one: https://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dcd778m2t-sfgb-18v-2-x-4-0ah-li-ion-xr-brushless-cordless-combi-drill/979hf.

worth a watch: https://youtu.be/azi3iS_MU9E?si=OBsO5sKjPvph1Xb6

Bigphil1474

I got a fairly cheap one off Amazon - packed up after 6 months. Inherited a Makita one and it's been great. I have a heavier duty Black and Decker plug in as well. Definitely get a second battery if price is okay. I tend to have one in the drill and one charged up ready to go. Swap over when drained. 

danrv

I have this DeWalt cordless drill:
https://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dcd776d2t-gb-18v-2-x-2-0ah-li-ion-xr-cordless-combi-drill/804PF?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAz6q-BhCfARIsAOezPxmjbB8ZRz-CWw8J8WNsiCWacr239KaFnUchfjvxpSmuxbv2ffKdepwaAm5ZEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

It's the non brushless version of the other DeWalt one suggested. 
Good quality, 2.0Ah x 2 batteries and case. 
I don't think you'd need any larger Ah capacity for light-medium DIY.

This looks good too as a cheaper alternative:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-tti884com-18v-2-x-2-0ah-li-ion-txp-cordless-combi-drill/556PV?tc=ED6&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAz6q-BhCfARIsAOezPxlMMzO-GW_uZ-ZD9iri_zisVz62w98Pc_cKr2Ts5B08QyFCg9LhYAoaAsxTEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Section62

lb00 said:

I recently bought my first place and I’m on the hunt for my very first cordless drill—any advice?

If you are only going to use the drill infrequently then consider buying a cheap corded drill instead.

The two achilles heels of cordless drills are the batteries and the bearings.  Almost invariably the battery is the first thing to fail - many of us will have disposed of perfectly serviceable cordless drills made useless by failed batteries.  Secondly, no matter what they claim about 'masonry' drilling capacity, cheap drills usually have cheap bearings which rapidly fail if the drill is used in hammer mode on hard brick or concrete.

Cordless drills are great when you use them all the time, not having the faff of a cable is a boon, and if used outside it is safer to drill with cordless than dealing with a 230v extension lead.

But they don't last if they are abused, and the batteries will fail (if the bearings don't first).

If you start out with a low-cost corded drill you'll be able to do most indoor drilling jobs with it.  If you don't have a corded drill already then almost certainly one day you will find yourself trying to drill a hard masonry wall with your precious cordless one, and discovering for yourself how quickly that kills them.  If you've got a corded drill in the cupboard and when using your cordless one you come across a difficult wall, then with sufficient discipline you'll stop and go and get the corded one out instead.

Buying a good quality cordless drill which is rugged enough to drill hard brick/concrete and has spare batteries will cost you upwards of £150.  For something you may only use for an hour or so in the first 5 years the economics don't stack up.

A corded drill costing under £40 will cope with the hard jobs, and doesn't have batteries to fail.  Add a cheap cordless screwdriver and you'll have what you need for most jobs without paying for a quasi-industrial cordless one.  Plus you have one tool for drilling and one for screwing, so less swapping between drill and screwdriver bits.

lb00

@DullGreyGuy @Section62 @danrv @Bigphil1474 @ic @Emmia

Thank you very much for your replies.

Use would be indeed occasional but would like it to be future proof. So Dewalt/Makita a bit out of budget, looking at Ryobi/Einwell/B&D/Worx and the like

Some folks seem to suggest a corded one, what about something like this:

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8666776?clickSR=slp:term:corded%20drill:1:35:1

or the cordless version, either standalone or with tool and drill set:
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8260385?clickSR=slp:term:corded%20drill:3:35:1

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9530966?clickSR=slp:term:corded%20drill:5:35:1

What would you suggest? Thanks again!

danrv

Any of those will do. Get the toolkit too if that's needed.
Corded for very occasional use or cordless for convenience and more regular use. 
I have both now after using a corded Bosch for years. The corded B&D would be able to handle more demanding jobs as well as lighter ones. 

I like the idea of battery systems for cordless tools. My DeWalt drill uses an XR 18v lithium battery.
I've also been looking at getting an impact driver from the same brand and my drill batteries would fit that. It's sold without one so that works out well as I have two XR batteries already.

diveunderthebonnet

I bought an Erbauer cordless drill kit from Screwfix , comes with 2 batteries and a charger ,does everything i need and the price was good.

Rdwill

Why a cordless? I think that you'll find the ones within your budget won't have the grunt to do what you want. 

For DIY putting up shelves, drilling into walls etc, I'd get a decent corded drill with hammer action, I have a bosch.

I do have a cordless, but mainly use that for putting together furniture and 'light' tasks.

The cordless is more convenient while yhe battery lasts, but just doesn't have the power or staying power for most of the jobs i do.