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Need a replacement cordless drill for the house. General diy and odd jobs. Anything better than something like this for the money?
TIA 😊 🙏
Looks good for the price. Slow battery charge but that shouldn't be a problem for DIY home use.
No spindle lock which I guess means you have to hold the chuck with one hand whilst opening/closing the top half of the chuck with the other hand, not really a huge disadvantage imo.
I would go for it, looks more than capable for DIY duties. IMHO
I’ve got this just after Christmas … still on offer. not used it in anger but seems a nice bit of kit and well reviewed
I recently got this and its perfectly decent :
Sure it was only £60 when I bought it...£90 now?!
I'd say you dont need to pay extra for a second battery for home DIY use.
It was to replace a 20 quid one I bought of amazon which was total junk.
^^ That's not a combi drill
I have one, it's excellent.
That said, if I was starting again, I'd go Makita LXT instead. Bosch have gone for a couple of excellent blade attachment systems on multitool (starlock plus) and angle grinder (x-lock) that the rest of the industry hasn't followed them with, so blades are more expensive, less selection and available from fewer places. If you're not likely to get a load more tools over time, this doesn't apply.
^^ That’s not a combi drill
^^ I didn't say it was but its perfectly decent for light DIY drilling (i.e wood) and screwdrivering.
I've got an ancient mains powered power drill for any heavy duty drilling, like stone/brick.
The OP wants something for "General diy and odd jobs."
If you can stretch to a drill and impact driver set I would, having one for drilling and one for screwing is a godsend if you are tackling bigger jobs. I've got a Dewalt 18v DCD 796 drill and DCF 887 driver with a quickish charger, but then again I am using them daily.
The OP wants something for “General diy and odd jobs.”
Which obvs means the most expensive brushless motor pro level drill / impact driver set with fast charger and multiple huge batteries.
MFI wardrobes expect nothing less...
A few of these use Erbauer kit at work and they take a right hammering.
Erbauer ECD18-Li-2 18V 2 x 4.0Ah Li-Ion EXT Brushless Cordless Combi Drill - Screwfix
Good thing about Bosch blue is.... There's one level of Bosch blue. There are different specs but they are all one level of quality.
Makita/DeWalt even Milwaukee - all have different quality tiers within so it's hard to know what your getting until you deep dive the part number.
With Bosch it's either green or it's blue.
If it's green it's disposable junk. All my blue stuff marches on.
Generally I buy a cheaper version first time round - if I break that I'm likely using it enough /hard enough to warrant a good one
My green Bosch cordless combi drill motor caught fire - the blue replacements 10 + years old The green jigsaw doesn't cut anything other than light timber without a fight -the blue replacement will cut anything put Infront of it.
Really want to pony up for a blue router but they are silly money.....I'll keep borrowing bruneeps for my odd router jobs 😉
Which obvs means the most expensive brushless motor pro level drill / impact driver set with fast charger and multiple huge batteries.
It makes sense getting a cordless with two batteries, no point bringing the DIY job to a standstill due to a flat battery.
Combi also makes sense as plenty of DIY jobs involve drilling into brickwork.
Also if you drop a blue Bosch drill from the top of a pair of steps it is more likely to survive than a green Bosch drill.
ITS had some good deals on Makita LXT a few weeks ago when I was buying.
I've got an Erbauer.
Can't fault it so far.
If it’s green it’s disposable junk.
Codswallop. It might not be as good as the Blue stuff, but it's still very good stuff. I have a drill that's about 12 years old, done loads and loads with it in that time and it's never failed. The batteries are still working and the latest version of the same battery is still compatible (Power4All). I also have a cordless hedge trimmer and strimmer using the same battery packs. IMO, for what the OP needs, spending extra on Blue is completely unnecessary.
Bosch looks fine but it's worth thinking about what you might want/need in the future - Makita LXT, DeWalt, Ryobi, etc have great ranges of bare tools so if you need a saw, or a strimmer, or a hedge trimmer then you've already got batteries and charger.
If there's no good deals on kits then often new chargers and batteries are being sold on ebay from people splitting kits, or they won't want the single charger when they have a double already. Then just buy the bare tool you need.
I bought a very similar? (might have been same model) drill from an online retailer and it died after 3 weeks. However, as Bosch do a bloody marvellous guarantee/warranty thing on their Pro tools - when I sent it off to them they replaced it with an upgraded model that has been brilliant for the last 2 years. So good and bad in equal measure.
The batteries are still working and the latest version of the same battery is still compatible (Power4All).
Having a different battery interface was a mistake IMO, they could just have had two grades of batteries.
Having a different battery interface was a mistake IMO, they could just have had two grades of batteries.
As in the Blue and the Green range use a different battery pack? That does sound a bit daft.
so if you need a saw, or a strimmer, or a hedge trimmer then you’ve already got batteries and charger.
The Bosch Green with Power4All batteries have a range of items that the battery pack can be used on too.
I bought my son the same Makita that stox has.
Very good drill and as ernie says,it's nice to have two batteries.
As in the Blue and the Green range use a different battery pack? That does sound a bit daft.
Same # cells inside and same voltage, but different form factor so not compatible.
I imagine the Green uses cheaper, lower capacity cells.
The Green only has a slow charger, whereas Blue has a fast charger option as well.
IMO, for what the OP needs, spending extra on Blue is completely unnecessary.
There is a link up there for a green Bosch drill which isn't a combi drill and only comes with one battery.
The OP's link is for a blue Bosch drill with a spare battery and hammer action, for an extra 40 quid.
An extra 40 quid is hardly Megabucks, just the extra battery has to be worth that, never mind having to buy a hammer drill on top.
£55 with two batteries and you might want a portable pressure washer at some point...
Update- managed to get one of these kits (smaller batteries, but the smaller footprint and weight suits me) for 120
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084GSNQLY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
Cordless- defo 2 batteries to keep the job going- one charges while u keep working. Small increase in £ for additional functions inc torque and hammer action generally worth it
I've bought some of the Mac Allister stuff from B&Q and to be honest it's perfect for household stuff. Their cordless impact driver is really good. I'd check out their combi drill options.
Same # cells inside and same voltage, but different form factor so not compatible.
I imagine the Green uses cheaper, lower capacity cells.
The Green only has a slow charger, whereas Blue has a fast charger option as well.
Ahh right - I never have a problem with having a slow charge cycle as I now have four batteries (sourced via cheap Ebay finds) so I never run our even when cutting my massive hedge in the summer.
You won't convince me other wise Johdoh. Every single bit of green kit I've bought has expired when used for any significant duration order other than the 1/2 sheet sander..... But that said I never used that for long as the blue palm 1/4 random orbital sanders just better working - similar story with most of my forays into green.....bought for a job. Used heavily for that job then requires replacement so I buy a better unit.
My green drill(which was pants as a drill anyway*) caught fire in use......
If anyone's local to Aberdeen and wants 2
gen1 power4all batteries let me know - I'll never use them.
Blue is vastly superior in use and longevity than green on a wide sample of their kit and does many more (DIY) useful tools as oppose to gardening tools. - blue grinder - circular saw -both work well - the blue electric 12v knife was a game changer for insulation of complicated shapes.
As Ernie says for the 40 quid it's a no brainer if you can make the stretch I'll be surprised if a DIY user will need to replace it. Batteries are much easier to find long term also
*I Was spoiled early on by my old man's hilti kit - Bosch blue isn't as good as that but it's a damnsight closer than green - which tbh I've stopped buying and now buy erbauer if I'm not sure on a tools long term requirement.
Another erbauer fan here, had a few Makita bits at twice the price and no better, bought 9 different Erbauer tools now, and all been great
I'm a big fan of the Makita stuff. Got a combi drill and impact driver (probably close to 10 years ago now I'd guess!) and since then have added numerous other tools that all operate off the same battery. It's been great, worked flawlessly, and since I made the mistake of buying an old Victorian house it all gets used constantly.
Update- managed to get one of these kits (smaller batteries....
I think large batteries are greatly overrated and not worth the extra cost in most cases imo. Changing a battery is no big deal and if you have a reasonably fast charger you are very likely to constantly have a battery with charge in it.
Also a large battery can add considerably greater, and imo mostly unnecessary, weight to a drill. Maybe not so much of a problem for DIY applications but the weight of a tool is a consideration if you are using it all day long.
Although, with a small (single cell series) battery, the max torque is limited by the battery, not the drill. So, in some drilling applications eg auger bit in wood, I've had to swap the 2Ah to 4Ah after the bit got stuck...
But, generally, I use 2Ah as they are lighter.
Makita.
I dont have a Makita drill, ive 3 Bosch drills. But Makita do a huge group of bare tools and Bosch hardly make any. So on that premise, I'd recommend Makita over any other.
I've got 2 Makita belt sanders, and those are excellent, so quality wise they are worth buying.
Incidentally, isn't this What cordless drill thread #27 ?
So, i sell them, demo them, use them and sort out warranty returns on them.
I own a blue bosch and its been flawless in approx 10 years of diy use. Worn out a bush on the chuck using it as a side cutter to chase out brick mortar but thats a user error, not a design flaw.
Erbauer gets my vote. For the amount of work the op is actually going to be doing. Put against cost, warrenty, new battery if req, i would buy one and use the spare cash for decent drill bits.
I had a bosch green, the drill was fine but the charger was crap, died twice in warranty and took a battery with it, just not worth replacing so it all got binned. Mate has that erbauer ext drill, it's very good ime. Not got the fine control of my basic LXT makita but it's also lighter so that's swings and roundabouts.
But for me it's still makita, you can get an lxt drill battery and charger for the sort of price range this thread's been mostly discussing (the drill is the gateway drug, they know that's how they get you hooked). All their stuff is decent, usually pretty sensibly priced, and the "aftermarket" ie knockoffs are super useful- I have an impact, drill and a couple of other genuine makita tools, and a genuinec harger and batteries, but I also have a cheap chinese strimmer, spare impact, air blower and light that are cheap and nasty but use the LXT battery, and which are good enough for the work they do. I'd not buy a makita strimmer, for my little garden but £38 for the makita-esque one, aye. It's such a boost for the ecosystem
Other thing about cordless for "about the house" is it's likely to sit around doing nothing a lot, which is hard on batteries and tends to show the difference between cheapest and less cheap.
A vote for Ryobi here. I have a Ryobi petrol powered hedge trimmer which has always started first time and never let me down in 10 years. Got a Ryobi cordless drill (drill, hammer drill and screwdriver) 5 years ago and still going. Just purchased junior his own one.
You do need to like the honda boy-racer school of design mind.
Incidentally, isn’t this What cordless drill thread #27
It is but I always drop in to see the latest recomendations/experiences/offers. My ~20 year old Makita NiCads (whaaaaaat? 😲) died recently and so the body is now obv useless. You can't get replacement genuine and I don't see the point in buying cheap knock offs for them to die in a couple years.
Being 'that sort of chap', I'd already bought an on offer Blue Bosch off the back of one of these 27 threads. So under the bench Makita, welcome Mr Bosch to your new home. 👍
I have tbat drill, well i think its tbe same one, came in a multipack with a impact driver/ wrench (same tool does both). First time I gave used Bosch, initial thoughts are that its much better than DeWalt, which I killed 3 of in a year in my ladt job.
Time will tell but so far Im happy with my purchase.
If its DIY then Lidls Parkside stuff is OK, 3 year no quibble guarantee.
If I had the money though, I would go Makita or Milwaukee every time. Very imoressed with the Milwaukee tools at my new job.
Ryobi petrol powered hedge trimmer which has always started first time and never let me down in 10 years.
I had a petrol hedge trimmer with no name. It took 10+ min to start first use every summer then 5+ min every other time. A few times it would have been quicker to go and buy one of these and do the job than persevere with mine. I thought all petrol trimmers took that long to start ☹️.
It died and I went for cordless DeWalt. It starts forts push, is quieter and cuts significantly better than my old ones.
DeWalt for drills since 2011 for me. Thats 4 significantly renovated houses in that time. My nicad one is still fully functional but I steal my Mrs lithium drill as it seems to have more power
@hopefiendboy I just picked on of those up "cheap", obviously binned off a multi-buy deal, to compliment my 60. To be honest I'm hard pressed to tell the difference (I think the 60 has the Bluetooth capability) so for £50 it was an easy decision.
I think large batteries are greatly overrated and not worth the extra cost in most cases imo. Changing a battery is no big deal and if you have a reasonably fast charger you are very likely to constantly have a battery with charge in it.
Also a large battery can add considerably greater, and imo mostly unnecessary, weight to a drill. Maybe not so much of a problem for DIY applications but the weight of a tool is a consideration if you are using it all day long.
This.
I want a couple of those smaller batteries but TBH the 4ah units aren't that bad, you really want 5ah or above for the likes of impact drivers though.
EDIT: Wish I'd seen this sooner as I've been thinking of getting an ugga dugga https://www.screwfix.com/c/tools/kits-twinpacks/cat830712?brand=bosch