Cordless drill/driver. Which one should I get?

[classic33]

Twinfast was made for factory use first(air drills/drivers) with a different slot size.
Now found its way into DIY use.

 

[gbb]

Thank you very much everybody for all your helpful advice. I have ordered a Ryobi RCD1802M Compact drill driver, a couple of batteries and a charger. The compact size should be quite nifty when drilling holes in joists and other confined spaces, the max. speed is 1600rpm, and it has a 13mm chuck. It was a bit less than £140 all-up. If it lasts as long as my old Hitachi, I won't ever need to buy another!

I think I saw that In BnQ today, 2x 4ahr lithium batteries...very good for that price.
Over the years, weve used many different types, some are better, most are perfectly good if not abused, thats the only time we've had them fail...when we've really hammered them.
Things have moved on...my real heavy duty Panasonic cost £260 a few years ago..but it has nimh batteries which are ok now for short jobs, but never hold a charge. Thankfully, they recharge quickly. Lithiums are the business, so much better.

 

[Profpointy]

Twinfast was made for factory use first(air drills/drivers) with a different slot size.
Now found its way into DIY use.

My googling suggested you could have them with all sorts of heads - hex (like a car bolt), Phillips, whatever - so don't think "different slot size" is right.
Also, the point seems to be grippiness in what's being screwed into rather than better for air-driven tools to put in.

Did you mean Phillips / cross-head generally for this point ?

In fairness I'd not been aware of "twinfast" though had maybe heard the term in passing

 

[slowmotion]

I always thought that Twinfast had a double-start thread which means that it drives in faster but has the same (or better) strength once driven in as a standard thread. This could be rubbish of course.

 

[Profpointy]

I always thought that Twinfast had a double-start thread which means that it drives in faster but has the same (or better) strength once driven in as a standard thread. This could be rubbish of course.

that would make some sense, at least a maker's claim

 

[classic33]

My googling suggested you could have them with all sorts of heads - hex (like a car bolt), Phillips, whatever - so don't think "different slot size" is right.
Also, the point seems to be grippiness in what's being screwed into rather than better for air-driven tools to put in.

Did you mean Phillips / cross-head generally for this point ?

In fairness I'd not been aware of "twinfast" though had maybe heard the term in passing

Its a cross-headed design. Main use was industrial. Its crept onto the DIY market over the years.

 

[Profpointy]

Its a cross-headed design. Main use was industrial. Its crept onto the DIY market over the years.

These chaps do twinfast with a conventional hex (id bolt) head for screwing into aluminium sheet, so not inherently cross-head it seems

http://www.gkaluminum.com/DOWNLOAD FOLDER/FASTNERS/PANHEAD SCREWS.pdf

Not quibbling for the sake of it, but my curiosity got me googling when twinfast / supadriv etc came up

 

[slowmotion]

Woodworkers in the US are quite fond of hex socket head woodscrews. They have absolutely no tendency to cam out when they are being driven in. I think you may be able to find them over in the UK but I suspect that they are extremely pricey.

 

[Profpointy]

Woodworkers in the US are quite fond of hex socket head woodscrews. They have absolutely no tendency to cam out when they are being driven in. I think you may be able to find them over in the UK but I suspect that they are extremely pricey.

I've seen torx head woodscrews, which seems a pretty good idea to me

 

[slowmotion]

WARNING! Hardcore tool porn ahead. Strict Parental Supervision Advised.
Well, it turned up yesterday and I've spent a few hours in its company. I'm really impressed. It's not too heavy, is quite compact, and it has bags of torque...oodles of it.
A really nice little number. Here's the model...

Ryobi RCD 1802M.

I have no idea how it will shape up as regards reliability, but initial impressions are all good. Thank you for your advice.

 

[screenman]

I have two of them, one of them is standing up well to heavy daily use polishing scratches in cars panels and has done for 2 years, the other is held in reserve at home and is used around the house.

 

[slowmotion]

I have two of them, one of them is standing up well to heavy daily use polishing scratches in cars panels and has done for 2 years, the other is held in reserve at home and is used around the house.

Splendid! Thanks.

 

[ColinJ]

I knackered the bit within about 10 screws so I have decided to go Posidriv from now on. I found a company on eBay doing a bag of 10 PZ bits for a few pounds so I'll give them a go. They might turn out to be cheap rubbish but it seemed worth a punt.

Several successfully screwed screws later ... Ah - using the right type of bit for the screws DOES actually make a big difference!

 

[Poacher]

For anyone else looking for a cordless combi drill, Screwfix are likely to have this Bosch 18v one on special offer sometime in the very near future - maybe a one day only deal.

 

[SD1]

http://www.lidl.co.uk/en/our-offers-2491.htm?action=showDetail&id=28416