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Are they even a thing?
I need a new screwdriver because the battery on my current Bosch one no longer holds a charge, just like every other one i've ever had.
I don't use it often enough to keep up a regular charge / discharge cycle and on the occasions when I do use it, it tends to be for bigger jobs where I'm firing in massive loads of screws over a weekend where the battery life causes me to have to stop and recharge.
I rarely use one when I don't have ready access to power so I'm thinking that a corded driver might be a better option.
Any recommendations or am I being stupid?
Open it up and change the battery. Recycle the old one.
I bet its a 18650 or some other variant of a li-ion cell.
I hate the way these are put together. A 18650 is a standard cell used in everything from bike lights to Tesla cars, yet you can't get at them easily to swap out.
I hate these things, neighbour just got a lawnmower and hedge trimmer. They will all be in the bin after a couple of winters no charge cycles when the batteries die if I don't manage to intercept them first.
I guess it depends on how compact you want it, can't see any that look the same as a compact battery one but ones that look like drills are available (but then I guess you could just use a drill anyway if it has decent rpm control)
I need a new screwdriver because the battery on my current Bosch one no longer holds a charge, just like every other one i’ve ever had.
If you buy a semi-pro one then you can just get a new battery. The Li-ion battery packs seem to last years, I'm an infrequent DIY user and haven't replaced a Bosch or Festool pack after several years use (or lack of)...
Just get something on offer from Screwfix etc with two batteries.
Get something more useful like a combi drill that'll get charged more often?
as above, get a little impact driver (if you're using it to occasionally put lots of screws in), and you can change the battery if it ever dies. Normally in the region of £100 for a kit with batteries, an impact driver and a screwdriver
Buy something with dual battery packs for the win.
Buy something that has replaceable battery packs available although I'd suggest they're all proprietary to keep you locked in.
Lion batteries over NiCad for better longevity and usability.
And I'll throw this on here because it's important
I don’t use it often enough
That and buy something so cheap you don't really mind...?
I've got one of these:
Best power tool I've ever owned - never looses its charge while its sitting in the shed and if you are doing a lot of work with it then one battery on charge while you are using the other.
Its often on offer, think I paid about £60 for mine but that was four or five years ago now. Batteries still going strong even after all that time.
If you want bigger, then consider this. I bought one and it is suitably workable - and goes by the branding of various other drills in different colours from Screwfix and Wickes. It is half the price of the Dewalt I was going to buy - and I don't do enough DIY to justify a proper good one anymore. I had a 'good' Ryobi, both the batteries are dead in two years, the clutch is going and chuck slakens off in use - after the first one burst into flames on the charger and I already had another new battery on warranty.... New Ryobi batteries were same cost as this drill - with two batteries. The replacement batteries for this are available via the other brands - and are £25-35 not £60-80 like the Ryobi.
http://www.argos.co.uk/product/6218889
Bosch Ixo is about £28 and fine for all domestic screwing duties. Or get an impact driver if you're doing loads of bigger screws like putting in a deck.
My old Bosch drill (ni-cad) battery died after a few years of similar occasional use. New Li-ion stuff seems to fare much better.
Chin chin!
there are dedicated mains powered screwdrivers - but the market for them tends to be production / manufacturing - so they're not cheap.
You can just stick a screwdriver bit holder in the chuck of a regular mains drill - most these days have forwarded /reverse and a modicum of speed control in the trigger. I used one like that for years back when cordless drills were both prohibitively expensive and shit. They can get a bit hot if you do it a lot so run it at full blast with no load every now and then to run some air through it.
They're clumsy though - not having a battery in the handle makes them very front-heavy and tiring to use. If you already have one (or spot one in a car boot sale) give it a whirl and see how you get on. (look for one that has a switch by the trigger that allows you to reverse it and a dial on the trigger itself that allows you to prevent the trigger being full pulled and keep the speed down. Bought new mains drills aren't often a massive bargain as theirs not much demand/competition.
These days though batteries are a lot better and cope with non-use much better than they used to. Look for a good deal on one of the bigger names - a base-spec drill but using their 'proper' batteries. When, one day, the battery goes phut there'll be plenty of affordable and aftermarket spares available. Lower price /cheapo brands will have less of that backup further down the line.
I don’t use it often enough
The reason for that is that I have a selection of and a fondness for these.....
Usually quicker and easier for the occasional job but no use for building a decking or somesuch.
There is nothing better than a fully extended 18 inch Yankee for gently teasing out a hundred year old screw though
I would go for a cordless driver with 2 batteries (I used to use a corded drill, very rarely comes out now).
Check the cost of drill and driver combos as well.
I was using my elcheapo 'Guild' from Argos last night, and noticed that the battery says 'Samsung' on it...
Bosch Ixo is about £28
I've got one of those. It's ace, amazing amount of power for such a small device. Worth ponying up the extra for the torque-adjustable chuck, unless you enjoy rounding off screw heads.
Where are you getting it for that price? I paid like £50 for mine IIRC. EDIT: ignore that, mine was a kit, not the standalone model. £22 on Amazon or £37 with the chuck.
There is nothing better than a fully extended 18 inch Yankee for gently teasing out a hundred year old screw though
Yes there is, it's called an Impact Driver!
On a vaguely related note, came across this excellent drill fight amongst the pro tools (all brushless)...
They drilled a *lot* of holes for that test...
There is nothing better than a fully extended 18 inch Yankee for gently teasing out a hundred year old screw though
Oh, very 'Wayne Rooney'...
I'll stick another vote in for the Guild kit, they're really good for the money, I use an impact in my workshop for undoing nuts and bolts on cars and my daughter uses hers all day long building horse jumps for her business, and I've just plasterboarded two rooms with 30cm centres from 4.5m high ceiling to floor with my combi drill, they are really good cheap tools!
Thread resurrection......
just spotted a mains drill driver in my local Lidl. 2-speed still. Chuck pops off revealing a hex bit holder.