SDS drill - repair or replace?

[RogerS]

My DW SDS drill has knackered its' armature and it'll cost about £75 to be repaired. I can't make up my mind whether it's worth repairing it or just ditching it and putting the money towards a more beefy one as the DW is a little bit lightweight in the hammering stakes.

Wondered what folks would do and if go for a new one - which one? I need three functions - hammer only, hammer + rotary, rotary.

 

[BradNaylor]

I don't know if the offer's still on but before Christmas I got a DW SDS and a cordless drill for £99.00 from Screwfix.

 

[Jake]

Get a Bosch GBH4, you won't regret it.

 

[RogerS]

Get a Bosch GBH4, you won't regret it.

£360?! Cough...splutter....gulp.

 

[RogerS]

I don't know if the offer's still on but before Christmas I got a DW SDS and a cordless drill for £99.00 from Screwfix.

Was it this one? link

 

[Andy Pullen]

Screwfix are doing a nice little Ryobi 2kg SDS for £49.99 don't know if it has rotation stop though.
I found the ones that are any use as breakers with the rotation stop are heavy and awkward for just drilling so why not buy a light one like the Ryobi then a cheap breaker type for £30ish aswell, y'know the type with the motor slung under the main drill body.

 

[RogerS]

Andy - nice idea - do you have a link as the cheapest I see is £79.99?

 

[Andy Pullen]

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/23674?&cm ... de-_-Image

Regards

 

[Gary]

Try this, it makes the £75 repair bill look a joke.

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/43520/Pow ... Driver-12V

 

[Paul Chapman]

Roger, B&Q (and many other outlets) do the cheapo SDS drills with all the functions for about £25 or so. They work quite well. You could almost treat them as disposable at that price.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[RogerS]

Gary - thanks for the link. It's the one that Dan referred to, I think. Makes me sick as a parrot as I paid about £150 for that drill when it came out...and if it is exactly the same model ...well...robust it ain't.

Paul - good idea were it not for the fact that me and B&Q aren't exactly on speaking terms at the moment!

 

[Gary]

Roger

I'm glad it's a good drill as I've just ordered one now it's come down in price again. It was £99 last time I looked. It will bridge the gap between cordless and my big 110 volt Bosch and the free cordless will also come in handy. :lol:

 

[Andy Pullen]

What amazes me is that it was only about ten or so years ago that SDS drills became affordable to tradesmen at all. Up until then we would drool over them whilst using our 'green' Bosch hammer drills. Then they were £150 each for a standard 'blue' Bosch SDS which was half a weeks wages now you can get one for less than a mornings wage.

 

[Gary]

The way of the modern world now Andy. I bought my daughter a lap top for a third of the price of my desktop 18 months a part. The laptop makes the desktop look somewhat pedestrian in performance.

 

[Jake]

You can get them for about £200 if you look around, and they are absolutely fantastic. I have never regretted it, it's a big step up from a 2kg class drill, but still wieldy enough. I use it most weekends for something or other, and it's never batted an eyelid even after two full days of using it as a concrete breaker (I should've hired the right tool to save time, but it did the job).

 

[Paul Chapman]

Paul - good idea were it not for the fact that me and B&Q aren't exactly on speaking terms at the moment!

Don't have to go to B&Q - they seem to sell the same drills, under different names, in lots of different shops (small hardware shops as well as the sheds).

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[RogerS]

Thanks Jake. Seen one on eBay..£199. Job done. I've knackered two SDS drills and so reckon I need something more robust like this one.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

 

[Gary]

Roger

You'll be very happy with this drill. I have one (110 volt) and have used it as a mini breaker and was well impressed. The extras that come with it are good quality too.

I hope I'll be happy with the DeWalt. I sometimes I need something smaller and can't be bothered to transport the transformer.

 

[AndyBoyd]

I must admit the only cheapo tool I have that is wonderful is my Mannesman SDS drill (39.99€) I've used it loads and it keeps on performing.

I only bought it to mount my machines into the concrete floor as it was cheaper than a rental plus buying the 16mm bit (came with 5 bits and a chisel), and wow does it keep on working.

 

[mailee]

It must be around three years ago I bought a Power Pro SDS drill from B&Q for £45 and although I do not use it daily it has seen some action over that time and is still working well. I have dug up a concrete patch with it, cut countless holes into concrete for gate posts and drilled everything I could find. I would say that is damn good value for money. :wink: