New drill required

[davepuma]

Yup, another drill question!

My existing Bosch 24v cordless isn't working as well as it should, which is more than likely down to the battery. I have always promised myself a good drill, so have been researching a new purchase. The current 24v drill is a big old unit and pretty heavy so I have been looking for something a little lighter for general DIY use.

I started looking at smaller drills e.g. 12v and 14.4v but every drill recommendation thread seems to go for 18v models. I saw a nice package of 10.8 Bosch tools that I thought would be ideal for around the house and thought about buying a corded drill to supplement this when I need to drill into masonry. My first question is therefore who uses the lesser powered models e.g. 10.8v, 12v and 14.4v? If everyone recommends 18v combi's, who is buying the others? I don't particularly need batteries that will last all day either. If the battery runs out, I'll stick the kettle on as I'm not exactly on the clock when I'm doing DIY.

A couple of people I know who are in the trades use either Makita or DeWalt so this is where I first looked. I was a little dismayed to find that both of these manufacturers only offer a 12 month warranty. I'm pretty unlucky with electrical purchases and it isn't uncommon for me to discover something has broken down 12 months 1 day after purchase so I then started looking for something that has a 3 year warranty. Bosch and Milwaukee came up. Bosch I'm familiar with but I hadn't heard of Milwaukee and have read mixed reports, which isn't uncommon on forums, although I get the general impression that their after sales service is good. Why don't Makita or DeWalt back their products with a longer warranty? I would have thought if you're paying a premium price, a longer warranty period would give more piece of mind.

Who are the more exotic brands aimed at and why are they so expensive? I'm referring to Hilti, Festool and ProTool. I couldn't believe the prices of some of them. Are they that good or are the prices simply so high as they're niche products?

Bosch, DeWalt and Makita appear to be the easiest to get a replacement battery for too. Whilst I'm hoping that the drill and battery will last a few years, I would like to think that I could just nip down to the wholesalers and get a replacement battery over the counter should I need one in a hurry.

 

[gregers]

before someone else mentions it take a look at the ryobi range.

 

[davepuma]

LOL. I wondered how long it would be before someone mentioned Ryobi. I had obviously searched the forums beforehand and their name does come up a lot!

 

[streetlighter]

Hey i have a a varient of drills ranging from
10.8v Bosch Li-Ion Drill
14.4v Bosch Combi Li-Ion
18v Makita Li - Ion Combi
18v Milwaukee Li-Ion Combi

B&Q have an offer at the moment for an
18v Makita Combi Drill
2x NiCd Batterys
Hard Case

for around £100 which cant be sniffed at.
If you want li-ion the id go for a deal screwfix have on atm
Makita 18v Combi Drill
1 x 18v Li-Ion Battery
Hard Case

for £150

There is alot of good deals at the moment knocking around its just a case of looking around!

 

[big-all]

before someone else mentions it take a look at the ryobi range.

ryobi ??

is your bosch green or blue ??

its horses for coarses really
i tried an experiment between reciprocal saws the bosch 10.8v the ryobi and dewalt 18v on a bit off 3x2" par as you would expect the 18v hammered the 10.8v
now expecting a 10.8v to cut a 2x3 is a big task but it done it in 40 seconds now its not your first choice but it will do it slowly but surely
in the same way you would not use a light duty tool continuos for heavy duty work they will rise on the odd occasion you ask them to
and as an aside the ryobi cut the wood in 15 seconds as opposed to the dewalt 20 seconds but this may be because off the fact it was holding it on a plastic table and the table oscillation slowing down cutting

should add they all had fully charged li-ion batteries

 

[davepuma]

Hey i have a a varient of drills ranging from
10.8v Bosch Li-Ion Drill
14.4v Bosch Combi Li-Ion
18v Makita Li - Ion Combi
18v Milwaukee Li-Ion Combi

Wow, you have a fair few there!!

B&Q have an offer at the moment for an
18v Makita Combi Drill
2x NiCd Batterys
Hard Case

for around £100 which cant be sniffed at.
If you want li-ion the id go for a deal screwfix have on atm
Makita 18v Combi Drill
1 x 18v Li-Ion Battery
Hard Case

for £150

There is alot of good deals at the moment knocking around its just a case of looking around!

I've seen the Makita BHP453RFX 18v (1x3ah L-ion battery) for £150 at a few places e.g. http://www.power-tools-pro.co.uk/ma...-x-3ah-lithium-battery-13mm-chuck-p-5536.html

If you want the pack with the second battery the price goes up to at least £230, often more.

Can anyone explain what the main differences are between the 453 and 452 models? They are more or less identical in price.

 

[davepuma]

is your bosch green or blue ??

It is green. Whilst not really looking at a 10.8v drill, I fancy the other 10.8v tools that Bosch do in the Monster pack but I'm not sure what I would use them for. I suppose the 10.8v drill would be fine for easier tasks. I think I will therefore continue my search for a decent combi cordless drill and worry about the 'gadgets' another time.

 

[opps]

If you want a 3 year warranty



http://www.festool.co.uk/Products/P...4300&name=Cordless-drill-T-12+3-Li-2-6-Set-GB

The most impressive 10.8v on the market but don't look at the price!!!




They do a erm... budget version

http://www.festool.co.uk/Products/P...=564272&name=Cordless-drill-CXS-Li-1-3-Set-GB


They really are the best brand of cordless drills I have ever used

 

[davepuma]

This seems like a good deal:

http://www.my-tool-shed.co.uk/p1012...I_Combi_18v_Drill_Twin_Pack/product_info.html

Bosch 18v L-ion twin kit (Combi + SDS). I don't know why it states 1 yr warranty though, I thought all Bosch pro stuff was 3 yr.

I'm toying with the idea of that package due to it being the same batteries for both, tidy box and should cover everything I need. It's either that or a cordless combi for now, which to be honest will do most of what I need and if I need SDS, I could always get a corded later on e.g. £120 for a Bosch SDS+ or just hire one.

What do you guys think?

 

[seaangler]

looks like a very good deal

all bosch blue comes with a 12month warranty - if you register it online then you get a 3 year warranty on the body only

 

[iaith]

I've given up on 18v cordless for drilling holes in walls, and now use a corded sds for walls and a 10.8 bosch for everything else.
If it's warranty you want , Wickes offer 5 years on their pro (kress) range. Apparently you bring the broken tool in with your receipt and they replace with it with a new one. But it does sound a bit too good to be true .

 

[davepuma]

I ended up going for Hilti and very impressed so far.

 

[27neth]

You can't go wrong with the Hilti drills.. I have the 22v combi, 22v sds and the 14v impact driver... Also got the 22v circular saw, just waiting for a jigsaw to come out next...

John....