I need a new drill, and I am fed up buying cheap crap all the time.
I need to do some projects in the new year including completely replacing and upgrading the alarm system, fitting some locks in my workshop and replacing the bath.
I've seen an 18v cordless Dewalt for £100 at B&Q and I am considering buying it, my question is are these much better than the Black and Deckers at half the price?
I want something which will last me a long time, it won't be used that often but it will be used every few months.
Currently using a Bosch screw driver which is brilliant but it is not a drill, and a cheap £9 corded Woolworths hammer drill which is fine for light work but crap for anything else.
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Aren't Dewalt owned by Black & Decker? I always by Bosch power tools - though I don't claim to be a serious DIY'er they work well and none have gone wrong so far...
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Yeah, I've got a Bosch 24V one. Had it 8 or 9 years. Very very good.
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SWMBO's uncle is a self employed builder of 30 years. Only ever buys Makita powertools. Reckons they stand head and shoulders over the competition. Just one bloke I know, but it is his living.
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Screwfix are usually better value than B&Q. Might be worth checking them out online and going to:
Screwfix Trafford Park
Unit 3, Hattons Road
Trafford Park
Manchester
Lancashire
M17 1PS
One on the Whitehall Industrial Estate in Stockport too.
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Thanks might have a pop in to the Trafford Park one and have a browse.
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Not much to browse in a ScrewFix place. So look online or get a catalogue. It's more of a warehouse facility. Hence lower prices than B&Q.
Not saying the DeWalt you've seen would be cheaper.
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Screwfix were the supplier of choice on my plumbing course. They will send you a free catalogue if you apply on their website too, or they have loads of them to take away in every branch.
DeWalt kit is great if you're going to use a drill for your work day in day out, but probably a bit over-specified for DIY use.
Did you know that the average power drill in the UK is used for a cumulative total of 6 minutes before it's thrown away? :)
Last edited by: Dave_TDCi on Sun 20 Nov 11 at 22:33
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>> Did you know that the average power drill in the UK is used for a cumulative total of 6
>> minutes before it's thrown away? :)
I got my first power drill about 9-10 years ago and have a spare battery. Still working. Used every so often. It was a B&Q own brand but it still works.
First used to sand some filler on windows but has built two sets of decking (new and old house) and all sorts.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Sun 20 Nov 11 at 22:35
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Thrown away because they are crap or because people buy them to do odd jobs? I will use it for work purposes too, as I sometimes have to drill out seized laptop screws (very rare but it does happen).
It may be over specced but my Bosch screw driver was over speced for what I needed it for, and even though it cost a staggering £40 has been worth very penny. It is used almost daily and built an entire work bench with it, and it is still going strong. So I am so glad I bought one which was over the top.
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So you have a power tool you're realy pleased with - the screwdriver. You want a new drill (who even knew you could get a drill for £9!!), and the manufacturer of your screwdriver makes drills...
Any reason you didn't consider a Bosch? That'd have been my first thought if I'd been in your shoes - not overanalysing things makes life much simpler :-)
Peter
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Forgot my cheap B&Q drill also put together all of the bedroom furniture in our current house. And the dining table, six chairs, side board, kitchen table and chairs. IKEA had a good weekend from us last May.
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>>
>> Did you know that the average power drill in the UK is used for a
>> cumulative total of 6 minutes before it's thrown away? :)
>>
I was thinking about this yesterday while I was using my leaf blower. It's about 10 years old. I was thinking 'It's had a good innings' ..but in fact 10 years x 5 hours a year is only 50 hours, barely run in!
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I bought a pair of 18v Makitas with 3 batteries a few years ago. Can't fault them. One battery on charge while I work. One set up for drilling, one set up for screwdriving. Works nicely for me.
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Most mains powered drills, even cheap ones are more powerful than the cordless variety. If your existing mains powered drill is only suitable for what you deem light work I doubt that a cordless drill is the answer.
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>> Most mains powered drills, even cheap ones are more powerful than the cordless variety. If
>> your existing mains powered drill is only suitable for what you deem light work I
>> doubt that a cordless drill is the answer.
>>
Agreed, high capacity batteries are still expensive, so any powerful cordless drill is going to be expensive. My 550W corded B&D has been going strong for best part of 25 years of moderate DIY usage, despite having a cheapo plastic case. Expensive 'pro' tools are overkill for the average DIYer, even a moderate quality item will probably last a lifetime with occasional DIY use.
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I bought one of these a few months ago. tinyurl.com/7q4f246 It's brilliant.
I was installing a satellite dish and my 18v battery drill was useless, as was my 500 watt Black and Decker. I had wanted a better battery drill, but I couldn't justify the price for something that would only have occasional use.
This drill performs brilliantly: I was through the bricks in seconds, and I didn't need to make a pilot hole before using the large bit. Granted, it's a bit of a pain working outside with a mains lead, but that's a small price to pay.
If you are interested, look at the reviews. These were what swayed me. I had spent ages looking at power drills.
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>> I bought one of these a few months ago. tinyurl.com/7q4f246 It's brilliant.
>>
Cor, a 1KW drill for 25 quid! Tool envy.
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Haha ! Maybe we need a "Tool Envy" thread - give Pat a double take if nothing else !
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqNAonCJEMM
Dedicated to men and their tools !
Last edited by: R.P. on Mon 21 Nov 11 at 10:04
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Remove the stupidly short cord normally fitted to mains drills and replace with a 20 foot .
End "why is the battery always flat just when I want to use it?" misery.
Carry a 25 yard wind-up extension for those rare occasions.
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After years of falling into the no battery trap - I bought a very nice Bosch drill - mains - far more flexible.
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There is no battery trap. Get up on morning of job. Stick battery on charge. Go back in the house for tea / coffee / toast etc. Answer wife's "why haven't you started yet?" with an honest appraisal of the battery situation. Read paper, have another coffee. Forget about job, go out, do something more interesting, come back, have lunch....
S'easy.
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Most decent drills come with a spare battery
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>> Most decent drills come with a spare battery
You just ruined Humphs day you cad.
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...You just ruined Humphs day you cad...
Shouldn't that be you ni-cad?
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>> ...You just ruined Humphs day you cad...
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>> Shouldn't that be you ni-cad?
>>
*** APPLAUSE *** :-)
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I would NEVER consider an item from Argos being a true blue Professional...............................BUT.......a colleague produced one of those 'xtreme' jobbys from Argos just an hour ago, a mini sds breaker and hammer drill, complete with numerous sds drills and a point and a chisel, grease and an sds adapted traditional chuck all for £80 or £90 quid he said AND it has a 3 year all singing and dancing warranty. He actually took a strimmer back to them when it was 2 1/2 years old and they gave him his £150.00 back. £30.00 to repair strimmer, job done. Go for one of them and avoid battery. Not enough grunt.
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I have a 14V Draper cordless with two batteries.. great for up ladders and confined spaces .Two batteries with fast charger = never a flat battery. .
For heavy jobs, 1KW JCB hammer drill (cheap) and 30 meters of extension cable extendible to 50 metres by adding another extension.
I also have a LION 3.5V screwdriver/drill £7 from Tesco on clearance..
5 hours use in life? I use the Draper as a powered screwdriver - and 5 hours use is what it gets making beehives - this year...and last year and...
With the above, I can tackle most things... any bigger and it's hire shop jobbie..
Last edited by: madf on Mon 21 Nov 11 at 12:20
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Maybe I buy too cheap but I find the batteries die after a few years and don't hold their charge for long. My 7 year old Ryobi drill now only lasts about 10 minutes per charge.
I have a cheap (£10) corded Aldi hammer drill for masonry / heavier drilling (5 years plus) and now a £30 Lidl 18v battery drill. I reckon you need both corded and battery.
PS my chunky LIDL corded SDS drill with chisels etc is a few years old, not used much, but invaluable when I need it.
Edit: You need 3 drills: 18v battery, and corded hammer action and a corded SDS one.
Last edited by: Dulwich Estate on Mon 21 Nov 11 at 12:46
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>> Most mains powered drills, even cheap ones are more powerful than the cordless variety. If
>> your existing mains powered drill is only suitable for what you deem light work I
>> doubt that a cordless drill is the answer.
>>
Thought I'd do some sums on this, as the cordless drill manufacturers seem very coy about the motor's rating. Taking a fairly fancy (by DIY standards) Bosch:-
www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-Cordless-Hammer-Li-Ion-Battery/dp/B0033UWLVK/ref=pd_cp_diy_2
It has an 18V 1.5AH battery. So, if the battery lasts 10 minutes at full load (that's my guess as I can't see any data on battery life) then the battery supplies 9A for this 10 mins; hence the motor would be 18V 9A = 162Watts. If the battery life is longer than the motor is even more gutless.
Compare that with a bog standard corded drill at 500W+, or Robbie's monster 1KW upthread, you're paying a lot of money for not much power from a cordless drill.
Last edited by: spamcan61 on Thu 24 Nov 11 at 11:22
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I bought this drill at first tinyurl.com/6rq24bk but it was too heavy - should have realised when it was handed to me - and didn't know what SDS meant. Got it home and none of my masonry bits would fit. Returned it immediately and got the smaller drill.
If you want to do really heavy work, and are strong enough to hold it, then this model would be ideal.
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Cordless drills almost invariably still use old skool Nickel-Cadmium rechargeable batteries.
If used and subjected to charge / discharge cycles daily, fine. If only subjected to occasional usage, the battery will fail well before anything else does, even on the cruddiest product. Replacement batteries cost more than a new drill and battery in a nice new box.
Either buy the cheapest one you can find and dump it when the battery cacks itself, or swallow hard and pay a fortune for a NiMh or Li-Ion battery one.
For masonry drilling, ditch the hammer drill and buy a good quality SDS plus rotary hammer, I have a nice 2kg Bosch one. It'll last forever, SDS bits don't go blunt after three uses and it'll go through the toughest walls like a hot knife through cheese. Bonus feature, it doubles as a small Kango hammer too. You'll never regret buying one, despite the cost, I certainly don't. For putting waste pipes 'n such through walls, rent the appropriate SDS plus hole cutting bit from your local tool hire shop, it costs peanuts.
Last edited by: TeeCee on Mon 21 Nov 11 at 15:18
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Agree.
Cheap battery drill. £20-£30 18V from Lidl. Hammer optional (it flattens the batteries too quickly to be much use IMO).
Hammer corded drill/driver - mine's a Bosch, cracking piece of kit, had it for nearly 15 years and don't see why it won't last me out (famous last words...). Essential for (un)screwing if you've got loads to do and a battery job won't stand up to it. e.g. demolishing stud walls - and presumably building them too.
SDS plus. Mine was about £30 from B&Q, own brand. It probably has just about had its six minutes' use by now - and saved me literally hours of using other things.
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...mine's a Bosch, cracking piece of kit, had it for nearly 15 years...
My corded drill is a Bosch bought for about £30 in the mid-1980s.
Used it to drill one hole today - first time this year.
Its six minutes must be nearly up.
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I have decided from reading the replies what I will probably do now is spend £50 or so on a half decent corded for heavy work, then buy a cheaper maybe B&W 12v cordless for general work.
Then spend £20 or so on some decent drill bits.
It is heavy work which my current tools cannot do, so it makes sense in spending the money on something which does. Seen some percusion(sp) B&W drills for around £60 which is probably better suited for drilling into bricks etc.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Mon 21 Nov 11 at 22:46
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The one I mentioned above will suit you admirably. I wouldn't pay a lot more for no better performance. I'm amazed that Argos are selling it at half price and only a little more than the less powerful model.
I used mine just after I bought it to drill through bricks to mount my satellite dish. It went through the bricks in seconds: I could hardly believe how good it was, even using the so called "cheap" masonry bits that were supplied with it.
Read the reviews: not one adverse comment out of sixty-five.
Last edited by: Robbie34 on Tue 22 Nov 11 at 09:53
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What I wood like to know is - how would a pro go about drilling a 5 inch hole through the 2.5 foot fick granite wall of my 18th century "Quintessential Cornish Country Cott"
Reason I ask is because when I had a 'site survey' by a geezer flogging new multi-fuel stoves, he said the regs. are such that he would have to drill such hole (I told im to sling his hook!)
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Diamond core drill with a powerful drill fitted with a clutch and maybe a water feed to "drive" it.
Depending on the ventilation requirements/size of room etc, you might well need a 100sq cm for ventilation.
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Thanks Mr T,
I have an existing multi-fuel stove www.capitalsw.co.uk/stoves/cottager.htm and I've recently purchased a Honeywell carbon monoxide detector so I wont be one of 'those' cases one reads about in the news?papers, hopefully.
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I believe any stove over 5kw output is the benchmark for fitting a ventilation flue. An approved fitter should not fit stove without said flue. Its the rules you know.
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This is the stove I was considering F/c, if I do decide on it (next year) I'll source it on-line.
www.woodstockfires.co.uk/charnwood/charnwoodIslandII.asp
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Nice stove. It looks like 8kw output which will require an air brick.
Doesn't state it in the spec but ensure it's multifuel which, as it states, will burn most fuels - coal, coke wood etc.
And if its definate start squirreling away all the bits of decent timber/logs as you come across them so they will dry out for next winter. They reckon 2 years as the best drying period.
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I think you will find it will require its own direct source of air not just an air brick. Piped from outside directly to said implement. Of course it may work without, but may well consume too much air therefore potentially depriving other 'things' of their fair share.
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>>I think you will find it will require its own direct source of air not just an air brick<<
I've got a Honeywell carbon monoxide detector + I would leave all the trickle vents open, if it needs any more air, I'll just breathe on it :)
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My neighb, Cornish born & bred, strong in the arm etc., etc., she never pays for any wood, she even had a fire back in September - lived here for 40 odd years n' gets all her logs from her Son who is handy with a chain saw, any tree that falls victim to the wind ends up in one of her many barns - stuffed full of logs they are!
I'm burning Taybrite F/c, got 60 bags hidden away from the travellers :) not started on them yet though as it's been sooo mild (got my winter tyres on though!)
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Full Marks to FC I believe. That is the criteria we work on.
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Oh and forgot the best bit. Managed to justify the mother of Husqvarna chain saws (+ safety gear) to help in search of free (???) timber :-))))
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You have a license, and public liability insurance to wield a chainsaw in public?
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All done in private Z.
And you can add websites like this to your favourites list:
www.log-stores.co.uk/index.htm
Last edited by: Fullchat on Wed 23 Nov 11 at 21:08
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>> All done in private Z.
>>
>> And you can add websites like this to your favourites list:
>>
>> www.log-stores.co.uk/index.htm
Thats handy, if you run out of logs the chainsaw will make easy meat of that.
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>>You have a license, and public liability insurance to wield a chainsaw in public?
I read this as the last new entry and immediately thought:
"Holy ####, Rattle's getting a chainsaw?!?!?!?"
Ah well - it would've been worth a thread of its own!
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>> >>You have a license, and public liability insurance to wield a chainsaw in public?
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>> I read this as the last new entry and immediately thought:
>>
>> "Holy ####, Rattle's getting a chainsaw?!?!?!?"
>>
>> Ah well - it would've been worth a thread of its own!
If that ever came to pass, you are behind me on the ferry to get the flock out of here.
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Parkside Speedmaster
www.lidl.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/lidl_uk/hs.xsl/index_26427.htm
18V Lithium-ion rechargeable battery - charges in 1 hour.
3 year manufacturer’s warranty - presumably including the battery?
Last edited by: VxFan on Thu 24 Nov 11 at 21:30
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Dewalt cordless drills? Worth the cost? - Dog
