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OK, so my old B&D combi cordless drill has finally died, with the battery packs on their last legs. Thinking a new drill and batteries are more sensible, plus, an impact driver would be useful too. So just having a quick look to see if any bargains about and there's too much choice.
So, they'll both be used for DIY (drilling bricks, fencing etc) - household work plus stuck motorcycle bolts(!). My wife offers me to help some of the older ones locally, so a fair bit of potential use! So 2 batteries would be good.
Any straightforward recos - don't mind paying a wee bit more for longevity and performance?
Cheers
DEWALT DCZ298D2T-SFGB 18V 2.0AH LI-ION XR CORDLESS COMBI DRILL & IMPACT DRIVER TWIN PACK (920HP)
Screwfix 159 quid.
If you don’t actually need it now I’d wait till someone has an offer on! Makita are great but that set only has 2x 1.5Ah batteries which is REALLY stingy. Personally I’d swerve the impact driver now & pick up a bare one later if I saw an offer.
This is a bit more money & just the drill but it’s brushless & comes with 2 beefy 5Ah batteries (which would be great if you got a bare cordless SDS in the future)
Don't touch that Makita set from B&Q - some weird non-standard battery that doesn't isn't compatible with their normal 18v tool range.
www.ffx.co.uk are pretty much always cheapest for Makita. Also worth checking the Makita site and understanding the diffenence between the drills - the more expensive 18V combi's are a lot more powerful (though you don't need the brushless for casual use as I think they mainly give better tool longevity and battery life)
the 18v impact driver is an incredible tool but it's too powerful for most interior work - it's perfect for knocking up stud walls but the 10.8v impact is better for a lot of tasks (the 18v will drive a screw right through things if you're not careful with it)
Nice thing about smaller batteries is reduced weight on repetitive tasks, i have 1.5 2.0 and 5.0 amp batteries for my dewalt drill and impact drivers depending on what i am doing and rend to.use the 5 amp when all else is flat
You have to be careful with those diy shed versions of tools. Some of them have batteries that are not compatible with the rest of the range.
I would personally spend a bit more on a model that the trade use.
Screwfix have good deals and I'd go Makita, Dewalt, Milwaukee and even the Erbauer stuff at Screwfix has really come on lately.
Their drills look great.
It's true above that the 18v impact drivers can be crazy powerful if you're not used to them.
Often they'll have a setting so you can knock down the power. My Makita does anyway.
This Dewalt set from above looks like a great deal.
I would agree with speccing down voltage. I went from a 24v bosch combi to a 10.8v makita twin pack and it has no problems driving anything I need. I have an sds drill for really big jobs bit it rarely comes out, the 10.8v stuff is really nice and light too
5ah batter for DIY is both unnecessary and heavy
I have 5ah batteries for my grinder and circ saw which fit my impact and drill driver and I'll go out my way to get the 1.5ah batteries for both if I'm doing more than a few holes.
Gonna stick to my normal recommendation which is Bosch blue.
Doing the kit with 2 x2ah batteries and quick charger for 199.99
Outlasted my previous drivers from bnq by a factor of many. Wasted many money on junk tools from there.
The 18v impact is a beast i have used mine to dive in 12mm x 120mm coach screws in. It also snaps No 8 screws...
As above ^ Don't buy the Makita from B&Q. Makita are good tools but you want the LXT batteries. I have loads of Makita tools and gardening equipment and the LXT batteries swap between all units and power everything fully. I use 3ah, 4ah and 5ah batteries and they give good run time.
https://www.screwfix.com/c/tools/kits-twinpacks/cat830712?brand=makita
see the two packs at the top - the cheaper combi drill is 42nM, the better one 91. the more powerful one will deal with brick and concrete. The 42nm struggles (we have both) - it's a wood drill really.
I have the makita cxt impact and combo drill, I have some 10.8v and some 12 batteries but I’m pretty sure they are all the same and just rebadged.
It’s a great lightweight system that will work well for most things the only time I really find myself wanting 18v is for drilling big holes in thick metal and driving in long thick (very thick) screws.
Buy a Makita if you like wobbly chucks.
I have Hitachi now called Hikoki very good quality.
unnecessary maybe but heavy? 😳 2-300 grams tops in it between the smallest to largest. Then again I suppose this is a cycling forum as well as a DIY one so shouldn’t be too surprised by the prevalence of pipe-cleaner arms 🤣 😉5ah batter for DIY is both unnecessary and heavy
Where on earth did you decide that from about wobbly chucks? I’d second the advice about the 18v Makita impact driver - I have 18v brushless versions of both, the drill is awesome and the impact driver is too but needs using very carefully, it is ridiculously powerful.
Personally I used larger 5 and 6 Ah batteries as I also use them for twin 18v garden tools. Don’t find the weight a problem.
Kielder? They were sold out when I looked so I went dewalt in the end but the BOM boys seem to like them
Absolutely recommend my Erbauer drill and driver - EXT battery so can use with other products they make - I’m not sure how they compare to the premium brands but can’t see I’d ever need more (casual DIYer)
Erbauer are supposed to be quite good now since the re-brand and move away from being purely budget tools. The name seems a bit scammy though and always puts me off so wouldn’t buy any personally 🤣 wonder who actually makes them? Have got a set of their impact driver bits though which are decent enough.
As mentioned up the page that's a drill that Makita make for selling cheap in diy shops/supermarkets etc. I have the DHP482Z, don't have an awful lot to compare it with but it's excellent. Wish it could go a little faster, for stuff like fitting a grinding wheel etc, but as a drill it's ace. And durable- I've dropped it a lot, run it for extended periods without breaks, it doesn't care.
Never had an impact driver, tbh I just use a drill for screwdriver jobs.
Thing is though, the big advantage of the brands like Milwaukee, Makita, etc is the ecosystem- the cost of buying in with batteries, chargers etc is pretty high but then being able to add bare tools later is super useful. If you just want a tool or two, that changes the advice. But adding stuff like a cordless angle grinder was super useful.
(a nice thing about makita is the "compatibles". I stuck with a genuine charger, and with genuine batteries now after both teh cheapies I had died, but the tools open up lots of options. Like, I bought a cheap leafblower, useful thing to have but I'd not have paid what Makita want for theirs. But the tool itself is just a motor, a fan and a switch in a plastic box really so that's something that can be cheap and still good.)
I have 18v DeWalt stuff and I'm more than happy with it. Got nothing to really compare it with though
I got erbaur combi drill with two batteries and a bare erbaur impact driver to match the drill batteries for about £120 I literally built a large garden room with just the impact driver an amazing tool.
Daft question, but does a 5Ah battery just last longer on something like a circular saw, or does it give it more umph at the same time??
No they just last longer! Overkill for standard diy tools but very useful if you also want to use them for chainsaw, strimmer, leaf blower, hedge trimmer etc. Even with 2 x 6Ah batteries my twin 18v brushless leaf blower only lasts about 15-20 minutes.
A circ saw /grinder both suck on 1.5ah batteries
Minimum 4ah to get any kind of.useful.time.outa them. Maybe 15-20minutes actual cutting time. On a 1.5ah battery it's measurable in seconds
Great for quick jobs or on site but If I am.doing alot of either I'll still get the mains tools out
see the two packs at the top – the cheaper combi drill is 42nM, the better one 91. the more powerful one will deal with brick and concrete. The 42nm struggles (we have both) – it’s a wood drill really
also the cheaper kit doesn't have the rapid charger, might be ok for DIY but would be no good for me at work at nearly 2 hours charge time
I bought a Dewalt twin pack from Screwfix earlier this year - £150 I think, fast charger but only 2 x 1.5ah batteries. To be honest, for general DIY use they're fine and charge so fast it's a non issue. Small batteries keep the tools light and nimble to use too. I expected to buy at least one bigger battery at some point but haven't felt the need yet. Drill had a plastic chuck, but a genuine dewalt steel chuck is under £15.
Hi Andylc, I'll tell you where on Earth I got Makita wobbly chucks from, the fact is I've owned two Makita drills both had off centre chucks and the one I also used bought by my employer was also off centre. I hope that's cleared it up for you.
Makita chargers are also prone to giving up and the batteries are poor, the Hitachi driver and drill are far superior.
Another happy Makita user. Its great to be able to pick up bare tools pretty cheaply. Quality is great and I've got loads of compatible tools now. With the right adapter the impact driver is handy for car stuff. Make sure you don't buy the non LXT stuff, and do get the fast charger. As mentioned FFX are usually good and there is sometimes a deal on at screwfix.
OP - I had similar drill die. I ended up with a (blue) Bosch from Wolsey with two batteries and fast charger.
For DIY I've no need for an impact driver, that includes doing a bunch of big landscape timbers in the garden over the last couple of years. I've no need of hoofing big batteries with a fast charger, and that's included all sorts of plasterboard, garden work, fitting windows, etc.
IMO, buy a good brand 18v drill driver and spend the rest on bikes 😉
I resisted getting an impact driver as my drill/driver was perfectly adequate at banging in screws but did eventually pick one up on a deal, It's certainly not essential but it is a very nice tool to use. It does make awkward screws much easier, it is also very useful on the car with a socket adapter.
I bought an Erbauer impact driver a few years ago, before I really knew what I wanted. I'm a carpenter, I use it on a daily basis, getting through thousands of screws and it's never let me down. I (sort of) keep wanting it to break so I can get an expensive one, which will probably be heavier and no better. I also bought (on a very expensive whim) a £260 10.8v Festool drill which looks like a toy but is the only drill I tend to use as it's so light. For masonry I have an Erbauer SDS, and the only Erbauer product that's been a disappointment is the random orbital sander as the velcro on the base plate doesn't stick.
My toolkit is:
Festool 3
Makita 3
Kreg 3
Erbauer 2
DeWalt 2
Aldi Workzone 2
Plus lots of other random things
But...beware. Once you go impact (or SDS) you won't go back.
the only Erbauer product that’s been a disappointment is the random orbital sander as the velcro on the base plate doesn’t stick
They all do that eventually. My Makita went recently, luckily a (non Makita) replacement base is £6.
Impact drivers, apart from the noise, are just an absolute joy to use. Even then, most screws I drive do not require the impact to kick in as the driver has so much power, so the noise isn't an issue. My colleague who has a 12v impact drives me bloody nuts in the workshop with his constant clacking driving even the smallest screw!
Impact drivers tend to be nice and light and nimble with plenty of power. That power has to be gotten used to mind.
They'll change your life man.
Nearly all my cordless tools, and I've got a silly amount of them, are Makita. Zero issues in contrast to the above wobbly poster.
For diy, despite what I said above, I'd probably consider 12/10.8v
Lovely and light and plenty of power for most things around the house.
the only Erbauer product that’s been a disappointment is the random orbital sander as the velcro on the base plate doesn’t stick
They all do that eventually
A Mirka pad saver is a must from new.
An extra hook and loop layer that is cheaper to replace than a whole pad.
Mind you, if you're regularly melting your hook and loop, you're probably pressing too hard or/and using worn/clogged abrasives.
Thanks all very much, really useful.
So it's for DIY and motorbike/car mechanics, so thinking:
- 10.8/12V is plenty and more controllable for me/my use
- fast charger not essential
- impact driver a nice to have, and would be useful for occasional bike bolts assuming c.150nM is doable with it
- buy from Screwfix!
Cheers
– 10.8/12V is plenty and more controllable for me/my use
Probably fine but there isn't that much difference in weight and cost for more power and more bare tools with 18v
– fast charger not essential
Not essential but a nice thing to have if you don't have several batteries
– impact driver a nice to have, and would be useful for occasional bike bolts assuming c.150nM is doable with it
Yep
– buy from Screwfix!
More shop around online and DON'T buy from B&Q
Has anyone tried the 3D printed adapters that allow use of mismatching batteries and tools? Seems a great idea in principle, just wondered how well it works in practice
I bought that B&Q Makita impact driver, but not as a two part set. I already had the drill with 2 batteries, so got the driver bare from ebay to make use of the batteries. As others have said those batteries only work with that drill and impact driver. They are not LXT Batteries.
Also the impact driver isn't actually that good. It drove in some 150mm wood screws ok for the joists of some decking, but it very quickly kicks into hammer action. When screwing down the deck boards I switched back to the drill after half a screw. It just went straight into hammering, messing up the screw head. The driver needs much more torque to be any good. It's also very noisy.
Other Makitas or Dewalts are good.
Also the impact driver isn’t actually that good. It drove in some 150mm wood screws ok for the joists of some decking, but it very quickly kicks into hammer action. When screwing down the deck boards I switched back to the drill after half a screw. It just went straight into hammering, messing up the screw head. The driver needs much more torque to be any good. It’s also very noisy.
That's pretty much how they work. Incredibly important to be using the correct head (just any old cross head won't cut it) there at least 6common crosshead designs and sizes . If you use the wrong one an impact driver will munch your screw head very quickly.
Use the right head and the impact drivers much quicker than a combi drill
And tbh on decking I would use torq head screws. Much the same as the 2000 stainless screws we had to put into the cedar cladding we just fitted ....was thankful my gun was 300grams lighter by the end. Even my dad who's done this sort of stuff every day for 30 years was stealing my lighter gun for the repetitive jobs having only brought his 5ah batteries for the hilti kit.
I cannot see any area where I would think of using an impact driver on a bike.
I cannot see any area where I would think of using an impact driver on a bike.
I think it is a reference to motorbike. I use mine for car stuff a fair bit. Works well
That’s pretty much how they work. Incredibly important to be using the correct head (just any old cross head won’t cut it) there at least 6common crosshead designs and sizes . If you use the wrong one an impact driver will munch your screw head very quickly.
Use the right head and the impact drivers much quicker than a combi drill
The screws came with a bit so it was the right one. I think the issue was more that I wasn't wanting to just blast the screws in, one after another as I was setting the boards out with a few screws first with the correct spacing (a bit ocd). Essentially that driver offers no low speed control. It's full on hammer or nothing. As I said it worked fine for driving in larger screws.
And tbh on decking I would use torq head screws
Yeah, the big joist screws were torque, definitely better. I bought everything at once though. I'll know for the next one 😀
An impact driver gives a push as it turns (that's the racket it makes) so I find it never messes up the head (assuming the right bit, holding it perpendicular and applying a bit of pressure). So when you have to remove a screw who's head has been mangled and a screwdriver won't touch it, they whip it out nearly every time. Sometimes the bit shatters - I've found this happens more with the impact-specific ones.
Don’t touch that Makita set from B&Q – some weird non-standard battery that doesn’t isn’t compatible with their normal 18v tool range.
If you just want a drill/impact driver that's fine.
I got one and 2x extra batteries. (So 4 batteries total)
If you really need you can get an adapter to LXT.
I ended up ordering the BL Makita LXT set from Screwfix that I posted earlier as after posting thought it was too good a deal to miss! It's just arrived & I had to double check they'd sent the right one, it is significantly smaller and lighter than the old non-brushless version (despite being faster/more torque). Might be worth bearing in mind for those who find 18v tools a bit heavy normally.
If budget allowed I'd go for a Milwaukee brushless set, either 12v or 18v depending on what you were doing.
Have to say now that I’ve used it a bit the Dewalt 18v I got myself for Christmas is a smashing bit of kit...
Another vote for Screwfix Erbauer range- just completed major alterations- framing, drywalling, new joists and floors, windows and door frame fixings, new large kitchen etc. 18v impact driver and drill have been fab- nice to use, super-reliable, great battery life, and have survived multiple drops and soakings!
Also big shout-out for Screwfix Titan 6.3kg corded SDS- was only about £50 on offer, its a bit of a bruiser, but makes easy work of core-cutting, brick drilling, demolition etc and just refuses to die!
Agree to stay clear of DIY shed budget ranges, but my experience of the cheap Screwfix stuff has been excellent.
Go with whichever has the most bare tools in that battery size- Makita is likely the best here.
Bosch and dewalt dont do such a great range, and sure as fate you'll need something else.
Ryobi, while not really a pro tool do a huge range of bare tools their batteries work with from diy to gardening.
I was involved in the creation of these products (I have no monitory involvement with the company)
https://badaptor.com/badaptor-2/
I know them seem costly but the development & tooling cost were expensive!
Thanks all ...went for the Dewalt combo from Screwfix, and brushless too as they were on deal!
I'm a Makita man but there are some killer deals for Dewalt drills, that Screwfix one was pretty decent. I wonder if they treat it like a gateway drug. Get you in and before you know it you've got the compressor, chainsaw and coffee machine
Love my Dewalt impact and combi.
It's so much more convenient to be able to drill a hole and screw in a screw without having to swap bits and settings all the time.
Very robust too.
andylc
Free MemberNo they just last longer! Overkill for standard diy tools but very useful if you also want to use them for chainsaw, strimmer, leaf blower, hedge trimmer etc. Even with 2 x 6Ah batteries my twin 18v brushless leaf blower only lasts about 15-20 minutes.
I don't think that's the case. If you look at impact driver tests on YT sometimes it makes a difference.
I guess probably the batteries are wired with 3.6v * 5 in series to give 18v. Then for the bigger ones they wire additional sets of cells as above but in parallel (keeping the voltage at 18 but increasing the runtime & also maximum amps).
@andywill that is a fantastic product! Do you have plans for others? What I'd really like is bosch procore or coolpack 18v batteries (which I have loads of) to bosch green / power4all 18v tools (of which I only have a strimmer, whose battery barely makes it around the lawn) .
For diy, despite what I said above, I’d probably consider 12/10.8v
I'm on Makita 10.8. Lovely kit. Lightweight, and there's not much round the house that the combi drill won't do, only hogging out big holes in brick really, and for that there's a cheap corded SDS. Otherwise the bare tools are decent value, plus you get some utility stuff as well like vacuums and torches and even some novelty stuff like coffee makers. We use a 10.8v shop vac in the house for quick cleanups, it was far better value than a battery dyson.
But. Personally. Going from scratch I would probably do 18V, because skilsaw & grinder.
However, if you don't need the beefier tools then go 10.8V.
All my chucks are sans wobble.
@Hot_Fiat. Its not my product, I only helped with production engineering the products & tool design. As far as I know the company have not indicated they will do others.
Just borrowing the OP's thread.
I've got an 18v DeWalt combi which is ace but it's also a very large and fairly wieghty bit of kit that's about 9 years old and a MacAllister 12v impact driver.
The impact driver is playing up so thinking about a drill and impact set.
All the heavy stuff I have (circ saw, SDS etc.) is corded and I'm happy with that as it's only used where there's a power supply.
I've got a shed to build and quite a lot of shelving/fitting out to do so mainly wood drilling and screwing into timber with 3-6mm screws of lengths varying from 20mm to 100mm. This is pretty typical of the kind of garden / home stuff I'd be using for.
I'm thinking about the pair of Erbauer 12V in link below.
I can accept an hour to charge as I'll use charge time as cutting, lunch, coffee time and I have the DeWalt as backup.
Or am I better looking at the 18v?
I don't want to spend mega bucks as this is for 3-4 big projects and casual use a year.
Any opinions?
With the erbauer and in general its worth watching the consumables spares availability before buying. I was looking for a planer and erbauer looked great at first until I realised that if the drive belt wears out it is impossible to get a replacement.
FWIW, the 18V Dewalt combi I've bought has surprised me in being much smaller and much, much lighter than my old worn out drill ... very hand friendly!
If budget allowed I’d go for a Milwaukee brushless set, either 12v or 18v depending on what you were doing.
I bought the 18v set recently. The driver happily spun off the wheel nuts on my car when I was changing a tyre. But apart from that I can't yet recommend them cos they've not really been used. Struggled for years with my dad's old B&D corded drill. Got all the big jobs done and then go out and replace it... daft.
silverneedle
Free MemberWith the erbauer and in general its worth watching the consumables spares availability before buying.
This is one thing I really like with Makita (it's probably true of others). Like, I accidentally killed my wee dustbuster by carelessly sticking the nozzle in a puddle, it's totally a "dry only" vacuum and the water got sucked in and sprayed right over the control board, dead the next time I started it up.But you can buy the boards.OK it was £14 but that's totally worth it- and not only that but the tool was designed for repairability. No solvent welding, no impossible reassembly etc. Or, you can buy the body alone (no tools etc) for £30.
@garage-dweller/
I’ve got one of these. It’s amazing. So light you can use it all day, yet really powerful. The best bit though, for assembling furniture and general DIY is the offset and right angles chuck adapters as you can get into places that other drill/drivers just can’t. Batteries are cheap and the charger is pretty fast.
You can get them a lot cheaper than this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-Professional-Cordless-Lithium-Ion-Batteries/dp/B06XDGX4J1
I have £100 to spend at B&Q, Screwfix or Wickes. This seems to fit the bill for me (mostly lightweight DIY duties). Any yays or nays?
https://www.wickes.co.uk/Bosch-PSB-1800-LI-2-18V-Li-Ion-2-X-1-5Ah-Cordless-Combi-Drill/p/132176
Or the 18v version of that one above (why is 18V cheaper?)
They are both 18v. The blue one is the professional version and should be way better than the green DIY version. That's a pretty good deal on the blue one imo. Price difference is mostly Wickes v Screwfix (overpriced DIY Vs discount pro)
Thanks. The 18v question was related to the 12v version of the same thing, which appears to be £50-70 more expensive. Maybe some detail I'm missing, but the price decides it for me.
I have both those 18v drills
The green ones shite and was bought before I knew any better. I keep meaning to sell it on but tbh it would be a crime to inflict that nonsense on anyone.
The blue unit is a much more useful all round drill
The 18v question was related to the 12v version of the same thing, which appears to be £50-70 more expensive. Maybe some detail I’m missing, but the price decides it for me.
Ah, OK. I think I get it now. Usually the 18v combi drill from any maker is a bit cheaper as it is the first thing people buy. Sort of a gateway drug to get you into their system. Also they are the most popular so the most discounted, especially when new models come out.
Thanks @trail_rat. I thought the green one seemed "too good to be true".
My 18v Makita drill batteries are knackered - they will not hold charge. Whilst i love a new tool, I don't love DIY, and there is nothing wrong with the drill or charger for the work I do.
Please can any one recommend a decent supplier of replacement PA18 batteries, there are copies on Amazon £35 Ebay £17 are these any good or will the burn my house down and explode in action
Thanks
That's a NiCad battery isn't it? That'll be pretty old now. You used to be able to get new cells put into them, no idea if anyone is still doing that. I'd be a lot less worried about a dodgy NiCad than a dodgy LIon battery, though
nickjb the original are Ni-Cd the copy replacements are Ni-Mh
do you think the copies are worth a punt?
thanks
Definitely worth getting new batteries , I got some for Makita 12v kit - PA12 - from ebay , try and get them from seller in UK , they usually are ni-mh , the std Makita chargers cover both types.
Saves chucking perfectly good tools , at one time they were the best you could get.
Edit to add brand they are Flureon I think
What twin pack to get from screwfix for a £200 budget. Looking for a combi and an impact really. Small, lightweight, lasts a few years. Currently have a ryobi combi and an ancient black and decker...
I think the Makita 18v lxt is about that, maybe £20 over. It'll be lower end kit, but still way better than DIY brands. It gets you into the system so you can buy bare tools pretty cheaply. If you really don't think you will buy many more compatible tools then the DeWalt is a little cheaper and you'll get brushless
I'll have a look. Seems like there are a few models types. Think best bet might be go in and see what's recommended.
That's not really how Screwfix works
I am well aware of how the place operates. Order stuff, collect, can ask advice whilst there...
The people who work in screwfix are usually nice, polite and helpful but not likely to have any first hand knowledge of the products they sell. Read the reviews.
Apart from me
I have used loads of tools from screwfix and i work there.
Often get asked what the difference between a combi and an impact is..
Nail guns i struggle with, collated brads, staples, guage, is an area i have little knowledge of so i am going to buy a cheapo off ebay so i can teach my self.
But SDS drills, rotary hammer, cordless drills, circular saws, impact guns i use and can advise on.
Makita kit seems to be the trades go to brand, all 18v same batteries and charger