New toy, big drill

[rodgy-dodge]

I do hope you are wearing appropriate safety footwear..

oh yes steel capped boots

 

[Andy_R]

Are you sure you haven't been in my neck of the woods recently? Hole in the wall gang

 

[subaqua]

Built a disabled access ramp this weekend for my MIL at her caravan. Took all my tools down, bought all the timber from the local merchant, measured up, started cutting. Oh bugger where is my drill.... 70 miles away.

Off to B&Q for a mains drill (cant stand battery ones), not much choice, but stumbled across a SDS Rotory hammer drill. This will do, looks OK.

Feck me its a beast. I was only drilling 3mm to 5mm holes, but it aint half powerful when a screw bit attaches, shot the bigger screws straight into the joists. The torque was amazing. The battery screwdriver packed in pronto as it couldn't handle the amount of work. Got the job done in double quick time.

This is having used a standard drill for years.

Can't wait to have a go drilling concrete as I believe these are awesome. Down side, is you need SDS masonary bits, but that's where the drill gets its extra power. It will take standard bits for wood and metal.

Power tools.. Hmmmm bzzzzzz bzzzzzzz

SDS doesn't give you extra power, the bigger heavier duty motor and gearing inside does that. waht SDS is just a quick release system that is more efficient than a standard chuck at transferring hammer action.
i have a great bosch GBH 2-24DSR 10 nearly 10 years old now and still going strong. does rotary hammer, rotary only and hammer only so yes you can put a chisel bit in it for rapid removal of tiles etc . you can also get flat wood bits ( spade bits) etc with an SDS end.

SDS drill bits are also generally made a little more robustly and don't fall apart after 1or 2 holes.

still use a cordless for driving screws , but again a bosch proffesional ( blue cases) rather than a DIYer special. buy cheap buy twice.

 

[subaqua]

I had a go with this at the weekend:

View attachment 8708

no gloves, no safety glasses , oh dear.

hard hat not required though. from the limited scope of the pic.
I would have sat down with the machine centred between my legs less chance of a wrist breaker when it jams and twists, which they can. YMMV

 

[asterix]

still use a cordless for driving screws , but again a bosch proffesional ( blue cases) rather than a DIYer special. buy cheap buy twice.

IME there is a big difference between cheap cordless and professional stuff. Have recently bought a cordless Makita planer, luxury after a corded machine.

 

[Panter]

[QUOTE 1813793, member: 45"]OK, drill freaks.

I need a simple cordless for drilling and screwing. No heavy-duty stuff, just the around-the-house odd job sort.

Budget strictly £60. What's my best bet? I've had B&D but the shaft bends. I bought a cheap Aldi one but the battery was rubbish. Over to you.....[/quote]

I bought a Dewalt a couple of years ago for about that budget, just the basic 12V one. Seems fine so far

 

[mickle]

I use Bosch (regular green 'domestic', not the blue pro gear) which includes a 12v drill/screwdriver and 14v hammer drill (which both use their universal charger) and a dirty great SDS. After I bought one it made sense to get the same again - for reasons of battery/charger compatibility. They seem to have the right balance of cost versus performance + durability and have seen a lot of work. The downside is battery availability when they eventually pack-up (Ni-Cads...) which often cost more than buying a complete set. So that's what I usually do, as the batteries start to show signs of ill-health I keep my eyes open for deals.

I like having the choice of three different drills/drivers, it means I've always got the right size for a job, and, for those jobs which require screw/drill/screw/drill etc you're not forever swapping bits.

I'm looking forward to using the latest gen of batteries. NiCads are so forgetful when they get old.

 

[Gareth]

I am a champion of the Ryobi 18 volt One-plus range of cordless tools. I have 23 different cordless tools from the range and one battery fits them all, most of which are now 5 years old, used on an almost daily basis by me when working with; wood, steel, glassfibre, etc. both in the workshop and on site (maintainence and repair jobs in local factories, boat yards and offshore).

They are tough, light tools that work all day, and cope with my robust work load.
example; I have pilot drilled, counter sunk and driven 1300, A4 stainless steel 5 x 45 woodscrews in a single day on a boat built job, and on Tuseday this week I drilled and tapped 150, 8mm bolt holes in 12mm thick steel RSJ, 40 feet up in the roof of a local factory on only 3 battery recharges, using 3 ryobi pistol drills: one set up for drilling, and the second set up to do the first cut tapping, and the 3rd pistol drill set up for final cut tapping, and I was only on site for 6 hours.

I've had one cordless tool failure in 5 years, when I tried to rip down a solid 40mm thick fire door with the circular saw, but Ryobi changed it straight away under their no quibble 2 year warranty.

 

[subaqua]

I am a champion of the Ryobi 18 volt One-plus range of cordless tools. I have 23 different cordless tools from the range and one battery fits them all, most of which are now 5 years old, used on an almost daily basis by me when working with; wood, steel, glassfibre, etc. both in the workshop and on site (maintainence and repair jobs in local factories, boat yards and offshore).

They are tough, light tools that work all day, and cope with my robust work load.
example; I have pilot drilled, counter sunk and driven 1300, A4 stainless steel 5 x 45 woodscrews in a single day on a boat built job, and on Tuseday this week I drilled and tapped 150, 8mm bolt holes in 12mm thick steel RSJ, 40 feet up in the roof of a local factory on only 3 battery recharges, using 3 ryobi pistol drills: one set up for drilling, and the second set up to do the first cut tapping, and the 3rd pistol drill set up for final cut tapping, and I was only on site for 6 hours.

I've had one cordless tool failure in 5 years, when I tried to rip down a solid 40mm thick fire door with the circular saw, but Ryobi changed it straight away under their no quibble 2 year warranty.

oddly enough B&Q have some good offers on Ryobi cordless stuff at the moment and its modular too so you don't end up with multiple chargers.

 

[Gareth]

The one battery fits all was the reason I bought tools from the Ryobi range. ...... I've even bought 'er-indoors the mini hedge trimmer, garden sprayer, and strimmer from the one-plus gardening range.

I have bought some of my Ryobi tools from B&Q, but most of them I have bought from Ryobi-direct: their quick service is outstanding. http://www.ryobi-direct.com/