[Closed] New drill time...

Don't know much about the relative merits of each but 1.5ah is pretty low capacity. I would budget for another larger capacity battery too if you buy the dewalt.

The Dewalt one is pants. Mine stopped working after a year of regulat but light use. If I accidently take it off hammer onto drill I have to strip it down to use hammer again.

Makita is our go to brand, its reasonably priced reasonably well put together and can survive us abusing it for a couple of years.

My dewalt Nicad has done 5 house renovations.

My wife’s dewalt lithium ion has done3. I use hers by choice now. We went for the small battery packs as it makes the whole thing lighter, light enough to make a difference where using above my head especially.

If you do go for the small battery’s I’d go for 3 as they take a good 40 min to charge

I went from Cheap to Blue Bosch. Brilliant in comparison, a couple of years in now and it just works.
Small and light too.
The bare impact driver I bought afterwards is a beast.
It was under £100 with two 2.4ah batteries and charger, from Woolsey / Plumbcenter.

I have the blue bosch with 1.5ah batteries. Nice and light.

I use the 4ah off the cordless grinder if I am going to be doing an all day project but rarely ever deplete a 1.5ah despite it being termed "small"

I normally use 2 Ah batteries in my Bosch drill but occasionally I have to swap it for a 4Ah when the going gets tough eg this afternoon it stalled drilling into a 4" post, and would only continue with a 4Ah battery, the 2Ah couldn't deliver enough current.

All the tradesmen I know use either Makita or Milwaukee tools.

I bought one of those brushless Dewalt drills last weekend to replace an ancient battery drill that died, I paid £130 from screwfix with 2 x 3 ah batteries. I've only put up a couple shelves with it so far but it seems decent for the money.

I have an Erbauer from Screwfix.

It's been properly hammered for 5 years since moving in to the house of hidden horrors!

Never missed a beat and was 99 quid with two batteries. One battery is noticeably less long lasting now but still has plenty of power and run time.

Would buy again.

If you do go for the small battery’s I’d go for 3 as they take a good 40 min to charge

Depends on the charger - the charge time isn't something vendors tend to list but a good charger should charge a 1.5ah battery in about a quarter of an hour and get it to about 80% charged very quickly indeed. Its larger capacity batteries 4ah and over that the charge time starts to become significant. If you've only got one battery then so long as you can get a decent charge into it while you have a cuppa 1.5ah is going to be be plenty around the house. If you have two batteries even a fairly slow charger is unlikely to hold you back

Makita tends to put decent chargers in with all their kit (with the exception of the weird non LXT stuff). Dewalt are devils for putting crappy slow cheapo chargers in kits even in with some of their top dollar stuff - the fast charger sold separately is only about £12 so its a measly corner to cut.

Bigger capacity batteries only really pay dividends if you use them for other tools - grinders and circular saws in particular,  those tools are only really a viable once you get over 3ah but for drilling and driving 1.5 is more than plenty - especially with modern brushless motors.

I have quite a lot of makita lxt stuff, great recommended. Also have a look at the smaller cxt stuff it gets good reviews. I’ve just picked up a trim saw, and the cxt batteries are a lot smaller and lighter than lxt. I find I do get wrist ache from a long day with a lxt drill and 5amp batteries. I’m probably going to pick up a smaller cxt drill for most in the house stuff.

Look at power tool world or ffx

Makita also do a cordless coffee machine and a cordless electric blanket. Need I say more?..

this is a decent deal
https://www.its.co.uk/pd/DHP485PACK-18v-LXT-Brushless-Combi-Drill-with-1-x-3Ah-Battery,-Charger,-Bag-and-Accessories-_MAKDHP485PACK.htm

Careful with Screwfix and Toolstation, as their versions of all kit are for the light diy'er and are nowhere near as good as the pro stuff, especially the dewalts.

I've recent got a Milwaukee Fuel gen 2 impact m18. Its a beast of a driver with the highest touque out of all the major brands. It can feel a bit agricultural because of the power which is why a lot of people prefer makita and dewalts. Whatever you do get, don't get the Bosch driver bit set they are gash and don't bite screws like dewalts do!

I eventually bought a Makita 18V 3A after having burnt my way through numerous other cordless drills over the years - as big a battery capacity as you can reasonably afford, metal gears and hammer means I can drill into brick no problem. I'm shortly going to be doing a self-build project and will be buying more stuff. DeWalt is just Black & Decker in fancy packaging.

DeWalt is just Black & Decker in fancy packaging.

Possibly for the cheapy Screwfix/Toolstation offers that abound, however their top professional XR range holds up along with the other big brand professional kit and in the case of their 18v combi drill, is far more capable than them all. There are a couple of blokes from Australia who do reviews on YouTube and their assessment of it was top choice. You pays yer money and you take yer choice, as they say.

I earn my living using tools.

their top professional XR range holds up along with the other big brand professional kit and in the case of their 18v combi drill, is far more capable than them all.

Yep. I use Dewalt 996/796 combis
It’s a top quality tool all metal gearbox etc
The 796 with a little 2ah pack will see you through most DIY tasks , it’s compact and well weighted/balanced with plenty of grunt. useful belt hook and bit holder with a helpful LED light too.

Grab to 2 batt pack if you can stretch your budget.

https://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/Dewalt-Dcd796D2-5035048616598-18V-2X2.0Ah-Li-Ion-Xr-Brushless-Combi-Drill-Kit

Just bought an Erbaur from B&Q. They were doing a deal for £100 including battery and charger. Used it quite a bit so far and it's great. Well built, got all the usual features.

Can spend more than double that by the time you've got a battery and charger on a Dewalt, Makita or something more 'pro', but totally unnecessary for home DIY. If you're a tradesman hammering it day in day out and can get VAT back then potentially worth it, but actually the builder I used for my extension said in day in day out pro use even the expensive Makita's and their like don't last either, so he just bought cheap and often. So something like the Bosch you had already looked at and the Erbaur will last a home DIY'er for years and years. Hell my last proper cheap cordless drill lasted the thick end of 8 years and the Erbauer I've just bought feels like a proper quality bit of kit..same construction as the much more expensive Makita's.

I've a pile of blue bosch kit, with coolpack batteries ranging from 2 to 6ah. It's brilliant stuff. I've also the slightly lower capacity GSR12-15fc drill/driver. This is stupendously good: really light weight but with lots of torque. The interchangeable chucks with offset and right-angle heads are very clever indeed.

metal gears

I'm pretty dubious of the benefits of metal gearboxes on drill drivers - my entry level makita has lasted around four times as long as the metal gearboxed drivers that preceded it and it was always the gear boxes that failed. I think under more continuous heavy load- just drilling-  they'd be better but the sudden stop / start of screw driving the extra rotating mass seems to be detrimental

+1 for makita. Their 18v stuff is absolutely bombproof. Worth keeping an eye on amazon as they quite regularly have the bare kits on offer.

The decent makes are undoubtedly better, but I’ve got some Lidl ’parkside’ 20v kit (impact driver and drill driver) that has taken some serious abuse. Made in Germany and performs well, plus a good warranty (that I’ve never had to test). Built and metal roofed a large custom built timber frame garage with them; no dramas; it was a lot of drilling and driving compared to a normal duty cycle that a competent DIYer would put tools through; I was pleasantly surprised by how well they stood up.

If you're likely to be doing any serious drilling into brick or masonry, consider an SDS drill. It doesn't need to be cordless if it's only occasional use. My conventional hammer drill would take 5 min to drill a 6mm hole for a rawlplug in our bricks - a £50 Screwfix SDS drill was a minute for 20mm hole to put a cable through - knife through butter.

Thanks everyone, plenty of useful tips there.

Careful with Screwfix and Toolstation, as their versions of all kit are for the light diy’er and are nowhere near as good as the pro stuff, especially the dewalts.

Ah that's interesting. I just compared what appears to be the same drill set for the same price - one from Screwfix, one from Power Tools UK. On the face of it they're identical - but then you see that Screwfix provide a cheaper/slower charger and a basic carry case. Sneaky!

If you’re likely to be doing any serious drilling into brick or masonry, consider an SDS drill.

I always look forward to borrowing my step-dads Boschhammer SDS+ 🙂

If you’re likely to be doing any serious drilling into brick or masonry, consider an SDS drill. It doesn’t need to be cordless if it’s only occasional use

I think in a DIY setting they're not always going to be necessary. Its fairly rarely the case on my travels that I need to get the SDS from the van. Most masonry is easy enough to drill with a drill driver - there may be instances where an SDS is faster but unless theres a fair few holes to drill the time saved doesn't offset the time it takes to go and get it. But I always travel with it because when you need one you really need it.

In you're own home if a drill driver works then it works. I work in all sorts of settings - domestic and industrial buildings and the only house I've ever had a real challenge is my GF's mums house - a 1920s ex-council one from when stuff was built properly - the bricks are very tough and are dense and black in the middle and a regular hammer drill just can't make a dent on them- an SDS was the only way to go. If thats what your house is like then thats what you need. But I refurbed my mums house from top to bottom and there was nowhere that a cordless drill couldn't easily work- I don't even bother switching on hammer most of the time.

To the OP I'd first look for who does a good impact driver in the torque range you want and then choose a drill with the matching battery set.

Regarding the SDS comments, you've also got to use them carefully if drilling right through bricks for pipes / chain drilling bigger holes etc. It is very easy to discover that the "knife through butter" feeling is because they have completely blown away the back face of the brick you were drilling thorough leaving an ugly mess.

Careful with Screwfix and Toolstation, as their versions of all kit are for the light diy’er and are nowhere near as good as the pro stuff,

Source for that sweeping generalisation ?

Source for that sweeping generalisation ?

Er, every tradesman I know who ever bought DeWalt from Screwfix 🙂

So it's just DeWalt.

And it's caused by seeing brand names and not actually checking out the model numbers .

Just like buying a telly from.currys or a washing machine from radio rentals.

They do actually have good DeWalt stuff it's just that people see yellow and don't see the value in buying the 300 quid drill over the 99 quid drill as both are DeWalt .

I opted for bosch blue, 5ah/wireless charging.

With hindsight I'd not have went with bosch.
Nothing wrong, and I've always liked bosch's single lock chuck over the two handed ones, just as im less likely to drop it fiddling with it.
Reason is bosch seem to have that Raleigh attitude on mtb's, they just dont do much else you can use the batteries for. Basic jigsaw, little circular saw, both of which you'd preferred powered, an angle drill and an impact drill.
Makita, dewalt, hitachi all have big ranges including that nice coffee machine above, and a nifty well reviewed short chainsaw. and I wish id kept that in mind

oldnick
Member
Source for that sweeping generalisation ?

Er, every tradesman I know who ever bought DeWalt from Screwfix 🙂

Yes, makita are the same as well, yoh have to be careful with the model numbers.. The awesome deals they flash are the diy jobs.. My father in law got sucked in on that and took ages to understand why it was so different.. Anyway, for light work, cheaper ones good, prolonged or heavy work get the pro models.

Very often you can find body only deals which are good value, then look for a battery and charger separately, that's what I did.

Yes but if you look beyond the front pagw of the catalogue the good stuff is there.

As for Bosch

https://shop.bosch-professional.com/gb/en/products/cordless-tools--101304

Pretty comprehensive range. Yes they don't have many gimmicks such as coffee machines but they cover most work job bases

As said Bosch make plenty of useful tools, a coffee maker isn't going to build much. Plenty of bare bones warehouse and refurb deals to be had too.

a 1920s ex-council one from when stuff was built properly – the bricks are very tough and are dense and black in the middle and a regular hammer drill just can’t make a dent on them

Dalry?

Milwaukee are fantastic, I've had makita and bosch die on me, lower end dewalts aren't great, the newer Erbauer ext are pretty good and great value, I wouldn't buy anything under 2.0 ah, get 4.0 ah if you can.
I have an Erbauer corded that has drilled through a big granite boulder with Bosch multi construction masonry bits, pretty impressed by its performance.

It's already been said Milwaukee are the gold standard (although not indestructible) in the trades but you will pay for the privilege!

For all day everyday use, the bigger the battery the better and obviously you'll need at least two.

 I’ve also the slightly lower capacity GSR12-15fc drill/driver. This is stupendously good: really light weight but with lots of torque. The interchangeable chucks with offset and right-angle heads are very clever indeed.

Yeah, I have the little Bosch too as well as my 18v Makita. Brilliant little drill. The interchangeable heads are dope.

It’s already been said Milwaukee are the gold standard

I've not seen any kind of reason that they're any better than any other brands to be honest. Why are they the 'gold standard'?

Saw a YouTube review of a drill recently. The forward/reverse button is a button on top, meaning you have to use your other hand instead of an intuitive flick of the thumb right alongside the trigger. That would get old quick. For that reason, I'm out.

Ask any tradesman that owns one. They have usually been through most of the other brands over the years and Milwaukee (for the most part) last the longest in constant use, it's as simple as that.

my experience. dewalt makita milwauki bosch and hitachi(hikoki).hilti all high end brushless tools are as good as each other. I have hitachi(hikoki) only because batteries less likely to be knicked out the charger on site its lasted 3 years of work so far as industral roofer apart from the jigsaw which seems to be made of cheese. For diy work it would be hard to look past ryobi

I've a Makita set, because I bought a set cheaply and have added on as I went, I do find the smaller batteries struggle under hard load compared to my bigger 5.0ah batteries.

But having 1/4 drive and 1/2 drive impact drivers for car use,

The small top handle chainsaw mentioned above and a cordless vacuum cleaner.

All great kit.

Read the review 3rd down from the top...

https://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dcd778m2t-sfgb-18v-4-0ah-li-ion-xr-brushless-cordless-combi-drill/979hf

Ha . I was boring a hole with my dad's hilti corer.....that near happened.

Once my dad moved off big site work rife with thieves to solo projects he moved from DeWalt/Makita/Bosch replace every year kit to hilti for his high turn overtools. That was the last gun he bought about 10 years ago.just took it to France with him. Certainly was expensive. But assuming you can avoid the thieves it's proved it's worth.

PSA
https://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-dlx2142sm-18v-4-0ah-li-ion-lxt-cordless-combi-drill-impact-driver-twin-pack/610cf