need a new battery drill

[sunnybob]

My favourite Makita 18 volt battery drill has lain down and died after 10 years strenuous work. Motor and chuck are worn out so its not worth repairing.
Any one know of a good deal on a new battery hammer drill /drill /driver? I would really prefer Makita again, but if I can get more for my money without sacrificing quality, I'm interested.

I'm now accepting that I need a small battery screwdriver to save my hands, so a combo deal would be even nicer.

 

[sammy.se]

Hiya,

I'm a Makita fan as well, but I noticed that Bosch has a 'week of deals' on Amazon this week.

There is this Bosch combi pack:

but it's a drill and impact driver combo.

Deal price is £170, which is down from £200.

 

[sunnybob]

The main drill looks fine, but that second one is an impact driver (which appears to have something missing at the chuck end), it's way above what I want.
Ta anyway.

 

[Eric The Viking]

You can get at least one model of Bosch 10.8V ("12V") drill/driver on its own in a zip-up case with two batteries for around $100 USD on Amazon. Daughter-in-law has just bought one for my son's birthday. The brushless version is quite a bit more, but much more torque too. I have the trad one and I like it.

When I got it I did compare it to the Makita ("white") ones: the Makita does seem better made, and the Bosch is notable for a "sloppy" shaft. Initially this was annoying, but I got used to it, and now I find it helpful as 80% or more of the time it's doing screwdriving, where that's actually helpful. The Makita is $loads more expensive though.

 

[sunnybob]

I cant buy anything from the US, customs duty will more than double the price to my door. It has to be Britain (while the UK is still in Europe of course :roll: )

 

[Droogs]

do you not have lidl in cyprus bob?

 

[fezman]

Hi Bob,

I bought this a while back (paid a bit more for it too :-( ) . I can't say I've used all the attachments regularly but the offset attachment is great.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06 ... UTF8&psc=1

I was going to buy 2 additional bosch pro 12v batteries when Amazon had this https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1 on offer on Saturday for £64 (£10 more than the batteries cost). So bought this too.

I was a little concerned that the 12v stuff would not have the ooomph i might require, but have been pleasantly surprised. They are relatively lightweight, but seem to have plenty of torque. That said, I do have a couple of dewalts to use when max torque needed.

 

[Sideways]

Brushless drills ARE nice and are taking over from brushed models. I'd take the chance to trade up in your situation.
Cheap drills tend to have cheap chucks so if durability and precision matter do bear that in mind.
I've got the little 10.8 (12v) bosch (brushed) and find it light and handy, but after living with it for a while I do find it a bit feeble and the chuck is cheap and nasty.
I'd pick a decent light weight 18v brushless model next time.
Everyone has their own preferences regards brands so if Maklita fit your hands, and you like them, stick with them...
I think the best deals are to be had at trade shows, otherwise watch ebay for a 10 or 15% off one day special over the summer and buy from one of the bigger online retailers.

 

[sunnybob]

I do have a Lidl in the nearest town. I have bought a few items there and they have all proven to be total junk, even worse than silverline.
No way will I buy my new drill from them.

That bosch looks interesting with the rotating heads, but I am worried about 12 volt. I really do use my drill to its limits. After 10 years with 18 volt I was actually hoping for 20 or 24 volt. But the suggestion is noted, ta.

 

[MikeJhn]

Bob

I recently picked up this deal for under £200.00, does not seem to be on offer at the moment, but Amazon had the deal as well recently.

https://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/Dew ... t-Twin-Kit

Found this: https://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dck20 ... pack/5742x

 

[Trevanion]

I recently picked up this deal for under £200.00, does not seem to be on offer at the moment, but Amazon had the deal as well recently.

Are you sure it was the metal chucked drill that was under £200 or was it the set with the plastic chucked drill? At the moment the FFX offering is the cheapest I've seen the set with the DCD796 drill.

If I was going to buy a new cordless kit it would be DeWalt, the newer stuff is very good and good on price.

 

[Setch]

I got the same Dewalt kit as Mike, but with 3 batteries and metal Chuck, from screwfix at the end of last year. I've been really happy with it, tons of grunt, compact and light weight. Big step up from the Ryobi +1 drill and impact driver I was using before.

 

[MikeJhn]

Didn't even know that DeWalt made anything other than a metal chuck, look at the Screwfix post above.

 

[Trevanion]

Didn't even know that DeWalt made anything other than a metal chuck, look at the Screwfix post above.

I didn't mean entirely plastic. One drill has a knurled metal sleeve and another has a plastic over-moulded sleeve which is about £20 cheaper. Plus the Screwfix offering has two 1.5AH batteries whilst the FFX offering has two 5AH batteries plus the heavier duty drill.

 

[MikeJhn]

I find the 5AH batteries are far to heavy to work with all day, the 1.5AH batteries are perfect to work with all day, unless you are on a production run they last most of the day, as long as you put them on charge when you stop for coffee they are IMO better than the heavier longer Amp/hour versions.

 

[Trevanion]

I find the 5AH batteries are far to heavy to work with all day, the 1.5AH batteries are perfect to work with all day

I do agree with that statement, if you're only doing the odd bit of drilling here and there then the 1.5AH batteries are a perfect size. I'll quite oftenly drain a 5AH battery in less than an hour during workflow if I'm doing a lot of holes and screwing etc, hence why I tend to lean to the bigger sizes.

 

[TFrench]

I have the bosch 10.8v twin pack. Been brilliant for the last 5 years heavy DIY use. They're tiny, light and powerful. I use the impact driver as a screwdriver all the time - it has enough "feel" to not overtighten and wreck things - its very easy to drive screws into plasterboard and not break the paper - can't do that with my big makita. The combi has enough power to drill in brick - you wouldn't want to do it often, but it can. My view is that for DIY and workshop, 10.8v is ample. Anything above and beyond its capabilites - get the corded out.

 

[MikeJhn]

This Gazebo base and decking where all done with the 1.5Ah batteries without a recharge all day, you must work much longer hours than I do.

Just been going through the photo's of the Gazebo and noticed my DeWalt 18v Nimh on the deck, so I must have used that as well, mind you it is over 20 years old and still taking a charge and is usable.

 

[Setch]

The pack i got came with 3 x 3.0 amp hour batteries, which seemed like a no-brainer, I battery for each tool and 1 on charge, plus they're not as heavy as the larger batteries.

I agree that the battery life is astonishing. I've probably only charged mine 3 or 4 times since I bought them, and I screwed down a ply subfloor and then the hardie board too, without the battery indicator dropping below 3 bars.

 

[sunnybob]

I seem to be falling between the cracks here.

I want a good solid drill, with lots of volts (big batteries are good because I dont use it all day every day so weight isnt an issue). But I really dont want that second impact driver. I have no use for it. All I want it a small item that will undo nuts and bolts, and small screws to save my poor hands from all that twisting.