Cordless drill
- Thread starter Mungo
- Start date
Many ranges of drills, such as Makita offer brushless drills. They are a bit more expensive, but will last longer. So probably worth getting if it's going to get a good bit of use. But one with brushes, if used for the occasional DIY project will last a very very long time. I think they all pretty much have Li-ion batteries now and certainly on my Makita the charge lasts if you don't use it for months and if you are using it all day and it runs out, by the time you've made a coffee and drunk it, it'll be ready to go again. Just be careful that some drill offers come without a battery, ideal if you are replacing a worn out or broken drill, but if you get one of those, then you'll have to obviously buy a battery and charger, which will be more than buying a drill, charger and battery kit in a nice case. For most light DIY jobs, a 2.0AH battery will be fine and a 5.0AH will last a good bit longer, but the price goes up steeply.
As you can see above there's a good few to choose from. Screwfix, Toolstation and don't ignore B&Q and even Amazon often have one or two on offer, so have a look around.
Oh, and one more thing. When buying batteries, go for the genuine ones for your drill of choice. Cheaper offerings often lie abut their AH rating and some in the past have been known to start fires.
As you can see above there's a good few to choose from. Screwfix, Toolstation and don't ignore B&Q and even Amazon often have one or two on offer, so have a look around.
Oh, and one more thing. When buying batteries, go for the genuine ones for your drill of choice. Cheaper offerings often lie abut their AH rating and some in the past have been known to start fires.
jthyttin
Well-Known Member
Basically all of the 18V choices offer enough torque and RPM. Pay attention to ergonomics, i.e. handle a few if possible. If cannot handle, look for review videos and on paper, lighter is better. Including battery, make sure to pick at least one low capacity small form factor, like 2Ah.
Don't forget the "ecosystem", although you now only want drill you might need or want something else in near future. High capacity batteries make up large part of the cost so it pays to share them among tools. There's also package discounts, where you basically get some tools or batteries for free. Different brands have different combinations of tools in packages.
Tools that might make life easier include work lights (usually low cost, decent performance and long run time since the batteries are high capacity), angle grinder (any metal related stuff on the road), chainsaw (any wood related stuff on the road). Also multitool is quite handy around the house, you can do stuff with it you didn't think possible.
Don't forget the "ecosystem", although you now only want drill you might need or want something else in near future. High capacity batteries make up large part of the cost so it pays to share them among tools. There's also package discounts, where you basically get some tools or batteries for free. Different brands have different combinations of tools in packages.
Tools that might make life easier include work lights (usually low cost, decent performance and long run time since the batteries are high capacity), angle grinder (any metal related stuff on the road), chainsaw (any wood related stuff on the road). Also multitool is quite handy around the house, you can do stuff with it you didn't think possible.
Foxyboy43
Well-Known Member
The curse of the otherwise excellent
That got me reaching for my Bosch at 5 past 6 in the morning! It takes a bit of effort to get the desired click but I did it!
Can’t wait to see if the bit falls out again!
A lot of people will swear by the "own brand" or budget tools, Lidl, etc. and to be fair for domestic use they're probably OK, but I'd suggest you're better off spending a wee but more for a decent name. Milwaukee is top teir but pricier, DeWalt are very good for a bit less money.
You'll often see deals on the big brand kit - Google the model number to see if it's a "proper" milwaukee/dewalt/etc. or one that's been exclusively (and cheaply) made for special offers. There's nothing "wrong" with the kit you see on deal, but it's never as good as the standard lines.
If you are shopping deals, things to compare in the specs would be:
How much torque?
How big is the battery and is it a "high output" or standard battery? (Do you need a big battery? Lower amp-hour is cheaper if you're not expecting to work it very hard, but stick to 18v)
Plastic or metal components?
How many speeds?
Clutch settings in driver mode?
Do you want/need a hammer function?
You'll often see deals on the big brand kit - Google the model number to see if it's a "proper" milwaukee/dewalt/etc. or one that's been exclusively (and cheaply) made for special offers. There's nothing "wrong" with the kit you see on deal, but it's never as good as the standard lines.
If you are shopping deals, things to compare in the specs would be:
How much torque?
How big is the battery and is it a "high output" or standard battery? (Do you need a big battery? Lower amp-hour is cheaper if you're not expecting to work it very hard, but stick to 18v)
Plastic or metal components?
How many speeds?
Clutch settings in driver mode?
Do you want/need a hammer function?
Last edited:
Crowstalker
Well-Known Member
I would advise against cheap tool like Parkside from lidl I've have a few and they definitely have a cheap breakable feel to them in top of that I was charging a battery not so long ago and the heat that was coming off it was scary so I quickly decided to get rid of all the Parkside tools.
I currently have a few cordless dewalt tools and I cannot fault them.
What ever brand you go for stick with it in the long run and you will only need to buy the bare tool once you have a few batteries.
I currently have a few cordless dewalt tools and I cannot fault them.
What ever brand you go for stick with it in the long run and you will only need to buy the bare tool once you have a few batteries.
Thank you !
I am happy with my Bosch Pro drills and other eco system tools, used for domestic DIY. The pro versions are the blue ones.
If you put a lot of screws in to wood look at the drill and driver combo sets. The impact driver is a revelation for this task. Battery wise having two smaller capacity batteries works quite well. They are lighter when in the drill and fully charge faster. So on most DIY jobs one will charge while you are working with the other, swap them over and continue. The battery capacity makes a big difference to cost when comparing deals. Any advert that has 'bare' in the title has no battery or charger, just the drill.
If you put a lot of screws in to wood look at the drill and driver combo sets. The impact driver is a revelation for this task. Battery wise having two smaller capacity batteries works quite well. They are lighter when in the drill and fully charge faster. So on most DIY jobs one will charge while you are working with the other, swap them over and continue. The battery capacity makes a big difference to cost when comparing deals. Any advert that has 'bare' in the title has no battery or charger, just the drill.
If I have an 11 year old Makita, will new batteries still fit?
My problem is that the batteries have gone.
Rake Aboot
Well-Known Member
DeWalt or if you’re feeling flush Milwaukee
The latter has a huge range of gear that uses the M18 batteries as well
The latter has a huge range of gear that uses the M18 batteries as well
jthyttin
Well-Known Member
You can probably either change the actual cells yourself, or pay to have it done. Will be cost effective DIY, not so sure if you have to pay for the work (you have to factor in that you get brand new drill and warranty, if buying new).
The batteries are detachable.
You can buy new ones. It’s just not clear to me if they fit in the old drill, and I can’t see a way to test without having to buy one to find out!
Similar threads
