Cordless Hammer Drills

Author
Discussion

GreenDog

Original Poster:

2,261 posts

199 months

Thursday 16th July 2009
quotequote all
I've got a 12v Black & Decker which has lasted a good few years but the battery has given up the ghost and doesn't hold its charge very long now. A replacement will be about £30 or so but for not much more I could get an 18v Worx drill from Homebase or one of Wickes' own brand 14.4v models.

Has anyone had either of these or something similar and was it any good ? It'll only be used for DIY jobs but some of the 'Um-Bongo' unbranded stuff I've tried before hasn't as good as the B&D I've got despite supposedly being more powerful.

Cheers

B17NNS

18,506 posts

254 months

Thursday 16th July 2009
quotequote all
Using a cordless for hammer duties will destroy all but the best quality models. The are also woefully lacking in power.

Far better to have a regular drill/drive cordless type for wood and screwdriving applications and a dedicated hammer or SDS type for masonary.

I have a couple of Dewalt 18v Combos which work well in masonary but a quality SDS makes the cordless look like very hard work.

B&Q had a great deal a while back (may still be on) on an 18v Makita. Think it was £99 for the drill/drive, charger and 3 batteries.

Also keep an eye out at screwfix. They recently had a Dewalt SDS and a 12v cordless for £99.

Don't get overly excited by voltages either. A 12v Dewalt or Makita will run rings round a 24v budget model.

cjs

10,933 posts

258 months

Thursday 16th July 2009
quotequote all
Agree with the comments above. The Makita 18v jobby is very good, we have many on our firm. If you don't want to spend that much (£90) then Wickes own brand are good value and also look at Ryobi for mid priced stuff.

annodomini2

6,908 posts

258 months

Thursday 16th July 2009
quotequote all
What do you do more of:

A: Drilling?

B: Driving screws?

If its A look at Drill/Drivers

If its B look at Impact drivers

Best stuff I've personally found is the Makita LXT stuff with the lithium batteries, but they are very expensive.

Best deal I've seen, is on screwfix the Bosch 10.8v units Combo drill and an impact driver plus batteries and charger for £99

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/96657/Power-Tools/Ki...

As the person above said if you're doing heavy masonry work get an SDS.

mas99

4,837 posts

191 months

Thursday 16th July 2009
quotequote all
Screwfix were doing a goodish price on the ryobi 18v kit.

Off hand I think a drill driver/jigsaw/sander and 2 batteries for about £79.


andy43

10,544 posts

261 months

Thursday 16th July 2009
quotequote all
Always check the amp/hours on the batteries - the cheap offers I've seen on Makita and Dewalt are usually 1.3 Ah, which don't, erm, screw for as long.
Look on screwfix at the battery prices vs amp/hours to get an idea of what'll keep going and what will need recharging relatively quickly. 2.0 Ah upwards is a good sign.

GreenDog

Original Poster:

2,261 posts

199 months

Thursday 16th July 2009
quotequote all
Thanks for the replies.

It's only for light DIY use, I'll not be using it day-in, day-out and the B&D has been great for this. As I remember its only a 1.5aH battery but its more than powerful enough for my needs.

Cheers

Mojooo

13,020 posts

187 months

Thursday 16th July 2009
quotequote all
ba nd q were doing their own make for £7 - even i was tempted

didn't bother in the end as i dont want to keep buying crap i dont use

but i am thinking of getting it next tiem as it could be handy now and again without having to fireup the proper drill

Plotloss

67,280 posts

277 months

Thursday 16th July 2009
quotequote all
Makita or Blue Bosch.

eps

6,436 posts

276 months

Thursday 16th July 2009
quotequote all
I guess there isn't a possibility to replace the battery?

netherfield

2,786 posts

191 months

Thursday 16th July 2009
quotequote all
I have a Dewalt which has been excellent,on a special from Screwfix,£60 with 2 batteries.

It was bought for a big job in the garden,must have done 5,000 decking type screws with it.

Handy for hammering for a No 8 or 10 screw,obviously saves having to drag out the extension lead if it's just a little job.

The one before it was an el cheapo job around £25,screw around 20 screws and the damn thing was flat,and 3 hours to charge again.

With the top brands like Dewalt you can still get parts and batteries years later.

Edited by netherfield on Thursday 16th July 22:40

cirks

2,485 posts

290 months

Thursday 16th July 2009
quotequote all
Makita - got mine from Screwfix a year or so ago - £90 including 3 batteries. Will still use corded drill for really tough hammer stuff but the Makita has been excellent for everything I've thrown at it. Builders that I know say the De Walt are pretty rubbish these days compared with the Makita

sleep envy

62,260 posts

256 months

Thursday 16th July 2009
quotequote all
mas99 said:
Screwfix were doing a goodish price on the ryobi 18v kit.

Off hand I think a drill driver/jigsaw/sander and 2 batteries for about £79.
my father bought one - it's f'ing heavy, too heavy in fact if you have to drill or screw above your head

makita or blue bosch would be my choice or green bosch at a push if it's for light DIY

B17NNS

18,506 posts

254 months

Monday 20th July 2009
quotequote all
Just got a B&Q trade brochure through the post.

Current offer is a Dewalt mains SDS and a nifty little drill drive for £70.

Absolute bargain I reckon.

annodomini2

6,908 posts

258 months

Monday 20th July 2009
quotequote all
May want to take a look at this:

http://www.directbrandtools.com/Detail.asp?qsFullS...

They're normally £200-£300 depending on where you go.