Drills - what type do I need?

A decent SDS drill makes a huge difference. Buy a Makita one and you should be done.

SDS ftw. To avoid excessive break out it is a good idea to use a smaller diameter bit first and then a larger bit to accommodate whatever size cable. If you have assistance, holding a piece of timber over the area where the hole is going to exit the plaster should prevent any breakout at all.

Get one of these they are awesome. Very useful to have the chisel too

https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb278sds-6-3kg-electric-sds-plus-drill-9-piece-accessory-kit-230-240v/97533

JeZ

Hire one in, don't buy. Last time I did it I paid £50 or so for a weekend for a brilliant quality SDS.
I bought a big old drill bit (70cm long 16mm IIRC) if anyone want's to borrow.

Hard to beat that Titan for value.

I have their demolition hammer and it's been excellent. Saved me a fortune in hire fees over the years - plus I've lent it our to loads of friends etc.

I bought a Bosch SDS hammer drill with a clutch so I can use it with core drills etc

Hire one in, don’t buy. Last time I did it I paid £50 or so for a weekend for a brilliant quality SDS

Or just buy one and then it’ll be around whenever you need it. And you need an SDS drill more often than you’d expect. Unless you’re a pro you don’t need a top end cordless one. Screwfix and toolstation often have offers on dewalt and makita.

the bosch green sds is plenty for most DIY use. I wouldn't go cordless for an sds drill, they need a lot of power, and specialised drill bits. Also, turn the hammer mode off to start your hole otherwise the bit will jump all over the place. They go through bricks like a warm knife through butter, but are probably overkill on modern blockwork

SDS drill for sure. I got a Bosch corded one about 10 years ago & it gets used loads - I think it was about £110 from Screwfix.

I am not sure you need one of those really large ones for drilling some holes for cables. Maybe worth having, but I've not really encountered a job that my smaller one can't handle - perhaps you'd need a larger one for demolition type jobs.

This is similar to the one I own & it goes through concrete, breeze blocks, brick etc. without any bother.
I actually bought it to demolish a brick-walled pond that had large concrete foundations, but it's been used for tons more than that.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/bosch-gbh-2-26-2-7kg-electric-sds-plus-240v/8330r

I had an Aldi SDS one a while back and it was fantastic - I ended up striping the gearbox as I was core drilling a lot and punishing more than it was designed for - Aldi just sent me a new one FOC. For £50 it was amazing and even came with some useful bits.

Don’t bother with a cordless one, pointless expenditure - only really needed for professionals who might be working on houses with no power. If it’s your own house you are working on you’ll never need cordless ability.

Cordless SDS tend to be expensive as you need a lot of power/torque which only large voltage/capacity batteries can supply. Why spend hundreds on a 24v or whatever drill when a £50 corded one will run with 240v and many many watts!!

I am not sure you need one of those really large ones for drilling some holes for cables.

Depends on what your house is made of - parents house is made of bricks made from compressed power station waste - you can drill the hole with a sharp pencil. Our Victorian house bricks are pretty close to Engineering bricks - you need a full on SDS to make any progress...

Yeah, decent quality SDS with a cord, great for domestic use.
I use a Makita corded SDS at home, wasn't much more than some no name Amazon SDS.
I don't want to be cocking about with batteries when doing heavier stuff.

I've used a cheap one from Screwfix, Erbaur or something and the motor exploded in a spectacular fashion when worked hard breaking postcrete.

Decent drill bits make all the difference.
Get some decent quality ones rather than pound shop chinesium specials. Try to get the ones with 4 flutes on the end. A half decent drill with good bits will do pretty much all you want it to

To avoid excessive break out it is a good idea to use a smaller diameter bit first and then a larger bit to accommodate whatever size cable.

This is only really applicable with standard drill bits, you cant do it with core cutter(which I think the OP is on about) as with a core cutter you need a pilot drill hole to guide it.

I bought a corded 2kg SDS from screwfix (Site brand) about 10yrs ago for a house renovation and its done everything I have asked of it from 100mm vent holes to electrical chasing and tile removal. I would love it to blow up so I could buy a nice cordless one but it just won't seem to die.

NB If you're using core drill bits then you want a drill with a clutch which cuts out as soon as the core cutter catches - otherwise the cutter jams and the drill spins at 600 rpm which, as I found out, can be quite painful. Luckily it unplugged itself by wrapping the mains lead around itself as it span. Had some very bruised knuckles from that lesson.

Bought a proper drill with a clutch shortly after that.....

Cordless 18v Makita SDS with attached dust extractor, used on site most days drilling reinforced concrete. It's 5 years old and still going strong 👍

If you have assistance, holding a piece of timber over the area where the hole is going

Sounds like a job for @WorldClassAccident

As you have the batteries ) charger a Makita cordless SDS would be a good option.

As you are running wires I guess you are only looking at 10mm holes ?

Ideally borrow one 😁

I like the look of that Bosch for ~£100. Was thinking cordless as I already have batteries and a charger but if cordless doesn’t deliver enough oomph then corded is OK. Not likely to be drilling a hole for an extractor fan or anything, just cables so holes up to 20mm I guess if that makes a difference to any recommendations…

Slight thread drift - for those drilling long holes through breeze block or brick, what tips do you have for ensuring you pop out where you intend to? Some skill and judgment or some calc to get to an angle? Also, I'd like to prevent blow out but drilling two holes (inside to middle, then outside to middle) probably requires some pro level drilling... I'd like to run some cat 5 cable through two external walls at some point

Get the cheapest SDS cordless from Screwfix/Wickes etc, should be less than £50. That will be more than enough for the job and you will have it for years.

Another happy owner of the screwfix SDS here. Life is too short for drilling holes in concrete with a hammer drill.

I've got one of those big Titan rotary hammers. It's great when I need a lot of grunt either drilling or chiselling but it's heavy, hard to control and blows dust absolutely everywhere. For holes in brick I bought an Erbauer corded SDS. Cheap and excellent.

Some skill and judgment or some calc to get to an angle? Also, I’d like to prevent blow out but drilling two holes (inside to middle, then outside to middle) probably requires some pro level drilling… I’d like to run some cat 5 cable through two external walls at some point

I just stick a box on the outside to hide the blowout!

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Slight thread drift – for those drilling long holes through breeze block or brick, what tips do you have for ensuring you pop out where you intend to? Some skill and judgment or some calc to get to an angle? Also, I’d like to prevent blow out but drilling two holes (inside to middle, then outside to middle) probably requires some pro level drilling… I’d like to run some cat 5 cable through two external walls at some point

drill hole 1 from the inside, then get a really long thin drill bit, through the initial hole and out the other skin, then make it biggerer from the outside. I've got a ~2' 8mm (from memory), amazon have some at 1000mm long that are a bit wider

www.amazon.co.uk/Rolson-48695-Long-Drill-1000/dp/B005F9R1IK/

I think mine is one of these

www.amazon.co.uk/UK-Drills-Hammer-Tungsten-Carbide/dp/B01MTNYEH1/

The big plastic box is a neat way to hide the blow out, good idea!

I have the big titan SDS with the box of accessories/bits, should be something in there that will work OK

Did the last one of these threads end up with the OP in A&E when the core drill stuck?

Anyway, take care!

Really rate my bosch blue SDS, great tool to have

Did the last one of these threads end up with the OP in A&E when the core drill stuck?

Just drilling a hole for a CAT-5 cable, the drill bit won't be wide enough to get the drill to start spinning round...

On the subject of core drills - anyone have any bright ideas as to how to remove the arbor pilot bit (taper fit) after you forgot to turn off percussion before drilling...

drill hole 1 from the inside, then get a really long thin drill bit, through the initial hole and out the other skin, then make it biggerer from the outside

This works, used to do it for a living. You can still get damage, but we'd be fitting kit over the hole.

I once drilled out through a wall in a very posh old house. I heard what sounded like brick on car body work. Thinking someone had parked under my work area I legged it downstairs and promptly hit my head on a wooden beam.
Next thing I'm staring at the ceiling. Wondering why the world went purple.

Was brick on a dustbin or something like that.

Was thinking cordless as I already have batteries and a charger but if cordless doesn’t deliver enough oomph then corded is OK.

As long as you aren’t buying cheap shite then cordless is more than man enough for the job.
Don’t know many pros who use a corded so that speaks for itself

Makita SDS and good drill bits.
Take it off hammer before you go all the way through the external brick.

Don't be tight on drill bits drill a few holes then use new ones if the wall are like footflaps ie Victorian engineering.
Don't forget drip loops for external cables

I got a Toshiba SDS corded for about £95 off Amazon, much lighter than the cheap lumps, only going to have domestic use so corded is fine, recommend

What's the difference between the long looking ones as opposed to the shorter stubby ones? Is it simply the ability to work in tighter spaces?

eg

Makita DHR241Z 3.3kg 18V Li-Ion Cordless SDS Plus Drill - Bare | SDS Drills | Screwfix.com

or

Makita DHR243Z 3.1kg 18V Li-Ion LXT Brushless Cordless SDS Plus Rotary Hammer - Bare | Bare Units | Screwfix.com

I've got both, the longer one rarely gets used as it's not brushless so much less powerful.

Bottle one has connections for a HEPA filtered dust extractor that runs from the same battery. Brilliant bit of kit