I need a new mains electric drill with a clutch!

[BML]

I broke my right thumb a few years ago using a round cutter to cut a hole through hard bricks. The cutter jammed but the drill kept going. The result a badly smashed right thumb. Today I was drilling a hole through a 5mm fence post, the drill bit jammed, the drill kept going, result a badly twisted left thumb.
I was told that if I had been using a drill with a clutch neither accident would have happened.
So its time to buy a new multi purpose mains electric drill which I will use for drilling into brickwork, wood and steel fence posts about3 to 5mm thick and it must have a clutch.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

You need a core drill then, rather than a standard SDS or rotary percussion one.

 

[SammyInnit]

So its time to buy a new multi purpose mains electric drill which I will use for drilling into brickwork, wood and steel fence posts about3 to 5mm thick and it must have a clutch.

The must have a clutch bit narrows it down to about nothing. Cordless there are plenty of options but with corded it's mostly one or the other.

 

[lostinthelight]

I have a gbh 226 DFR which is probably similar to one of these and has a clutch. https://www.buyaparcel.com/p/bosch-...hisel-chuck/?gclid=COz8o-2AoNQCFUJmGwodXPEJgQ

 

[Roger928]

Most SDS drills have clutches.

 

[Doggit]

And you can get a standard chuck for an SDS drill as well. Now why does it have to be corded though, and what's your budget. Most cordless drills have a clutch, so you just need one with enough power. I've got a dewalt corded drill floating round somewhere that has a clutch, so I'll give you the model number when I can find it.

 

[BML]

Firstly many thanks for all of the advice you all have offered but I do have some supplementary questions.

PreticeBoyofDerry
“You need a core drill then, rather than a standard SDS or rotary percussion one.”

I’m a failed Bricklayer so know nothing of such technicalities so would you be so kind as to give me the details of the: Core drill, a Standard SDS and a Rotary Percussion one.

Sammyinnit
“Cordless there are plenty of options but with corded it's mostly one or the other.”

I’m not certain what you mean, “one or the other.”

Lostinthe light
“I have a gbh 226 DFR which is probably similar to one of these and has a clutch.” https://www.buyaparcel.com/p/bosch-...hisel-chuck/?gclid=COz8o-2AoNQCFUJmGwodXPEJgQ

Many thanks for that, I will have a look at it.

Roger928
“Most SDS drills have clutches.”

Many thanks for that as well although as I said above, “I know nothing of such technicalities”.

Doggit
"And you can get a standard chuck for an SDS drill as well. Now why does it have to be corded though, and what's your budget. Most cordless drills have a clutch, so you just need one with enough power. I've got a dewalt corded drill floating round somewhere that has a clutch, so I'll give you the model number when I can find it."

I don’t understand the implications of the following. “And you can get a standard chuck for an SDS drill as well.” I do understand that most cordless drills have a clutch because I have one but I was not sure if it had the power for what I was doing. As for budget, that’s no problem because my wife is fed up with my injuries interfering with things like washing up!

The problem is that I’ve just not kept up to date with Drill technology although I have noticed that whenever we have a builder of any sort in to do a job the first thing they do is switch their wireless on and the second is to stick all their electrical tools on charge. Even the scaffolder used an electric drill to tighten his scaffolding clips up.

 

[SammyInnit]

When I said one of the other I mean it comes down to what you're doing.

If you're coring a lot of holes or using a lot of hole saws a core drill would be ideal because it has a clutch and that's the task it's suited for.

There aren't really any corded drill that are set up for having a a twin speed and clutch.

So when I said it's one or the other it comes down to what you're doing the most of to decide on what took is most useful and cost effective.

 

[BML]

SammyInnit
I'm looking for a general drill that will allow me to drill a hole for a raw plug into brickwork, drill a hole through wood or drill a hole through 4mm steel. I'm not particularly interested in a hammer drill because I'm not likely to want to do such work and of course the drill must have a clutch that I can set so I don't damage myself again.

 

[Doggit]

At the end of the day BHL, the choice has to be yours, all we can do is try and guide you by explaining the differences in the types of drill.

I have no idea why, but SDS drill normally have clutches in them, but a lot of corded drills don't, but SDS drills are more designed for drilling into hard concrete, but with a normal chuck, will then drill into anything, albeit at a slower speed, so as you want to drill steel, I'm not sure they're approriate.

A core drill is designed to dill large holes (4 and 5") in a wall, and as the "core" bit can catch will drilling, they always have a clutch to avoid injuries. Now you mention in the first post that you broke your thumb when the round cutter jammed in the wall, but an SDS drill wouldn't have suffered that problem. So how big was the round cutter you were using.

Corded drills have more power than cordless ones, but you always need to find a plug nearby, or an extension lead, so they are very flexible and convenient. And with 2 batteries, do don't tend to run out of power. I suspect that something like the dewalt 995 cordless drill would deal with all your problems though, or a 796 if you want something a little lighter.

Lostinlights suggestion has all the bits you would want; it has a clutch, and SDS chuck for drilling into bricks, and a standard chuck that your used to for using steel drills, but as I said earlier it won't have the high speed for steel drilling.

I suspect that something like the dewalt 995 or 796 cordless drill would deal with all your problems though, but if money is no issue, then I'd be tempted to suggest that Losts suggestion of an SDS drill for brickwork, and a cordless drill for steel, may be more sensible than trying to get an all in one that won't do any of the jobs perfectly.

 

[SammyInnit]

I have no idea why, but SDS drill normally have clutches in them, but a lot of corded drills don't, but SDS drills are more designed for drilling into hard concrete, but with a normal chuck, will then drill into anything, albeit at a slower speed, so as you want to drill steel, I'm not sure they're appropriate.

While true, I use an SDS with a 4" hole saw once, through plasterboard and tin butt joint strip, when it caught on the tin it gave on the clutch but quickly burned the armature out. It was a very expensive cordless Hilti and a very expensive lesson learned.

 

[rsgaz]

I have no idea why, but SDS drill normally have clutches in them

If you are drilling with a large diameter bit (say, 16mm plus) though a concrete floor that has rebar, or through concrete that is full of those hard orange beach-type pebbles, boy you'll be glad of the clutch if the bit snags. It's not just the possible wrist injury from the twisting, it's your hand/forearm getting smacked into the nearest sharp edge or wall that wants to rip a chunk of skin from you!!

Gaz

 

[BML]

You say, "At the end of the day BHL, the choice has to be yours, all we can do is try and guide you by explaining the differences in the types of drill." Interesting as learning about drills is as a non technical person I was looking for advice on what will do what I want a a drill to do which is, drill into brickwork, drill into woodwork and drill into 4mm steel

Read more: https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/i-need-a-new-mains-electric-drill-with-a-clutch.483439/#ixzz4ivsSGIeW
With the greatest respect I can't understand how a drill capable of drilling into brickwork is not suitable for drilling through steel. Maybe its my age, 80 and I still have memories of the early cordless drills.

dewalt 995

 

[BML]

I looked for a dewalt 995 but there were several with partly that description.

 

[Roger928]

I use the Metabo SBE 1100 Plus (600867590) Impact Drill for drilling wood and steel. Its says it has a a clutch but I've never seen it operate so mebbe this drill is not for you as it is highly powerful and I usually find a clutch can be a nuisance.
Spent a whole day on the end of this drill the other day drilling eighty 25mm holes through 400mm deep timber beams so its no softy.
The thermal overload only cut in once and that was because the auger bit jammed and clogged a few times. So far I've found it impossible to burn out this machine.
Here are some of the features...

• Vario-Tacho-Constamatic (VTC)-Full Wave Electronics for work with materials requiring customised speeds, which remain constant under load

• Thumbwheel for speed preselection

• Robust die cast aluminium gear housing for optimum heat dissipation and durability

• Rotating carbon brush bridge for maximum performance even in anti-clockwise operation, e.g. for the removal of stubborn screws

• Metabo Marathon motor with dust protection for long service life

• Metabo S-automatic safety clutch: mechanical decoupling of the drive for safe working should the tool stop unexpectedly

• Forward and reverse rotation

• Spindle with hexagonal recess for screwdriver bits for working without chuck

• Overload protection: protects the motor from overheating

• Restart protection: prevents unintentional start-up after power supply interruption

• Cable-protecting ball joint for optimal freedom of motion when working

• Wear indication for carbon brushes

If your drilling 3" holes or bigger into wood then milwaukees big hawg angle drill is the way to go. I use a Makita with an angle attachment.
The important thing here is to use a keyed Jacobs chuck.
I'd never use an sds drill for steel as they don't have the correct speeds.
Above 13mm into steel and I pull out my magnetic core drill.