Drill and impact driver combo kit recommendations

[clogs]

I only ever bought Japanese batt tools...so disapointed with the Euro stuff......
thats until I wanted a 3/8 plus a 1/2 impact guns...after trying I bought Millwaukee fuel, 18v brushless...
So thats the route for the future...Millwaukee all the way as the other stuff die's.....
Just a heads up.....look at eBay.de Germany...my impact guns were roughly 1/2 the UK price....as for warrenty u can deal with
Millwaukee UK...they also have an extra years warrenty if u fill out the ownership form on line.....all warrenty claims are on line now...

 

[Phil Pascoe]

You bought Japanese tools made in China as opposed to European and American tools made in China?

 

[Jameshow]

G

True, but think the extra weight of the 5A batteries is too much for me.
A case of balancing power and weight, especially in tight corners.

Good point probably only useful for trades people.

Or if you want to use it in cordless circular saw etc.

Cheers James

 

[RichC]

Another vote for the 18v Makita kit, I can’t remember the last time I needed to dig out my corded hammer drill. Even the 5ah batteries recharge quickly.

 

[ian33a]

I have half a dozen or so DeWalt Lithium Ion 18V drills together with associated batteries and chargers. They are rugged enough and I have had zero battery failures. I also very seldom dig out a corded drill because there is plenty enough torque for most jobs.

 

[YorkshireBert]

Hi, after 14 years my trusty cordless Hitachi drill and drill driver combo is quickly dying on me.
Looking for a Drill and Impact driver pair to replace them, so many to choose from, minefield decision.
What are your recommendations, budget around £225 max.

Milwaukee all the way, I’ve found them to be excellent & other bare units, jigsaw etc good price too.

 

[k1w1]

I recently bought the Milwaukee fuel drill and impact driver and cannot fault it so far. Possibly a little over budget.

likewise, I got mine at screwfix on special a year ago around that price. Semi professional use so gets a workout and the not used for a bit and still holds its charge. My son in law is a joiner and swears by the brand

 

[Jonm]

I like Makita and find the 18v impact drivers better than Dewalt, they seem better controllable and you do not have to push so hard. I have gone for the 10.8 stuff as it is so light and handy to use. But I had to get some 18v makita batteries for a strimmer and subsequently bought a lawn mower when it was on offer. So I now have a choice but find I go for 10.8 when buying other items. Just bought a 10.8 jigsaw, £65 and it is really good.

One issue I would check, particularly on a drill is the light and if there is a shadow from the chuck. On my combi drill there is a shadow starting right on the tip of the drill, in low light conditions it makes things worse, I have taped over mine, perhaps the latest ones are better. Dewalt 10.8 hex driver has good lights but single rather than two speed. (My son has Dewalt which I use fairly often)

The makita 10.8v sds is superb for drilling small holes, no chisel function. It is what I call a “luxury” tool, used it yesterday to fit an alarm bell, up a ladder, great.

The 10.8v vs 12v (max) is all marketing nonsense started by Dewalt?

 

[okeydokey]

another vote for Makita

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Screwfix have some half decent prices on DeWalt kit atm. Apart from their chucks not being top rate it is good gear. I lent my drill to a chap doing some work for me when his boss had gone off without unloading his van - he said how much more comfortable to use mine was - he was used to 4ah and 5ah batteries, mine is only 2ah. For the vast majority of amateur and home use 2ah is fine, and very much heavier a disadvantage.

 

[MikeJhn]

Another vote for DeWalt, I have two sets of 18v LiIo brushless, the ones in France have not been used for a year due to the travel restriction during the pandemic, got here yesterday and the batteries are still fully charged, I have 2Ah batteries in them as they are much lighter and able to be used all day, built this pagoda base year before last without re-charging.

 

[brittonc]

I have a DeWalt 18v impact driver and combi drill and love them both. Stacks of power and the batteries last ages. I did a lot of looking around before going for DeWalt but the reviews, price and warranty persuaded me. One of the best decisions I've made and have bought a few other DeWalt tools which are also great.

 

[Spectric]

You need to think about usage, if in the trade or a heavy regular user then having the larger capacity batteries is great but if only occasional and light use then having lower capacity batteries may be an advantage. It seems the batteries like to be exercised, ie discharged and recharged to keep them in top condition so having high capacity and low usage will mean they sit around longer charged and less charging, will try and dig out link to the info.

 

[OldWood]

My brother is a professional and is very much in favour of Milwaukee. One word of warning from him is that he is of the opinion that deals from the likes of Screwfix are made down to a price with plastic bits instead of metal and possibly plastic bushes instead of proper bearings..
Rob

 

[Jake]

You bought Japanese tools made in China as opposed to European and American tools made in China?

Makita produce in Japan and UK and many other places (including of course China). Panasonic produce in Japan mostly I think. Hitachi used to in part, not sure since the buy out and name change.

Milwaukee is Chinese through and through these days, nothing American about it (well, HK holding company, but no real difference these days)

 

[Jonm]

Milwaukee .............. nothing American about it

The name is American!

 

[k1w1]

My brother is a professional and is very much in favour of Milwaukee. One word of warning from him is that he is of the opinion that deals from the likes of Screwfix are made down to a price with plastic bits instead of metal and possibly plastic bushes instead of proper bearings..
Rob

If that’s the case with screwfix do we assume that also applies to Dewalt and Makita etc as well ??
My son in-laws van full of Milwaukee is still going strong

 

[TheTiddles]

Where a tool is made isn’t really pertinent, unless you just want one made in a certain place. iPhones, Dell laptops… lots of well built things are made in China.

The part numbers sold by Screwfix etc are the same as those sold by other retailers and have the same warranty so unless they’re controlling stock on another mechanism?

The dewalt tools I’ve used seemed nice enough, personally I use Makita mostly as their customer service is fantastic.

I think Mafell do the best saws but no matter what tool you see people using, there’s almost always a green vacuum pipe connected to it.

 

[Soylent1]

Another vote for makita here.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I've spoken to two builders recently - one has changed all his kit from Makita to Milwaukee, the other from Makita to DeWalt.

A danger of these threads is that most people recommend stuff because they've had it for years - which of course is often irrelevant to the brand's quality now. I've brilliant Bosch stuff that's 30+ years old, but I can't recommend Bosch on that basis.

On the Screwfix part number issue - yes, often the numbers are the same, but whole designation can be slightly different - e.g. ABC1234, ABC1234b, ABC1234d etc. and it's impossible to find out what the difference is. Or it was last time I tried to do it.