educate me on drills.....

b0rn2sk8 said:
I disagree, 2ah is more than fine for DIY and gives a far better balanced tool.



This



Sold out now... I imagine it will be back though.
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Agree I much prefer using multiple 2ah batteries than fewer bigger ones. Even more so if you're using then all day.
I have about 5 2ah batteries and they charge faster than I use them so always 1 or more fully charged ready to go, with the benefit of lighter tools.
 
koooowweeee said:
Clearly you have never done more than put a screw in the wall. I've got both a 2 and two 5ah and I use them for work. The 2 won't last long at all and when it start to lose a bit of power you can get any power to get a big screw in. Especially on a impact driver.
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I found myself driving 300mm timberloks recently using my 2ah batteries all day and it was not an issue. Didn't even bother getting the 5ah out.
 
This is where my M12 Milwaukee fuel drill and impact driver shine, as you get high capacity batteries and the tools are still nice and lightweight and compact.
 
The 2AH batteries are ok at first but with use they deteriorate, so you end up with shorter and shorter working time. When I was working I was using them to drill 5mm holes for pop rivets a lot on conveyor belts and general metalwork when they started to go you would be lucky to be able to get 10 holes from a battery. Also I think it was due to the irregular charging as the drills would be used by several people.
 
Another question, if I may, how ‘important’ is brushless? I understand brushless motors are more efficient etc but should it be a deciding factor when looking at drills?

reason I ask is since it was suggested above to look into the eco system of brand were I to buy into it, ryobi are becoming much more appealing. I could see myself slowly amassing quite a few bits in the one+ range but I’ve noticed the drills mostly seem to be brushed rather than brushless. So just curious if that was a negative point against them.
 
tonys said:
The 2AH batteries are ok at first but with use they deteriorate, so you end up with shorter and shorter working time. When I was working I was using them to drill 5mm holes for pop rivets a lot on conveyor belts and general metalwork when they started to go you would be lucky to be able to get 10 holes from a battery. Also I think it was due to the irregular charging as the drills would be used by several people.
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Is that not the older battery type though, my 5+ year old ones are just as good as ever. They also don't lose power until they basically just stop and are completely flat.
 
They are the same drills as you buy now, this happened on both the DeWalt and Makita drills. My old bosses would buy what was on offer when we needed new ones that's why we had both. Go to your local diy store and try them out for comfort.
 
I bought in to the Ryobi One+ system and got their brushless drill with 2x 5ah batteries about 4 or 5 years ago and then got a 'bare' regular impact driver.

Definitely get both as they're different tools for different jobs and once you have an impact driver you'll wonder how you ever lived without one. I could do with a 2ah battery for the drill to be honest as the 5 is a bit heavy but its nice to never worry about the charge as they seem to last forever.

I'm sure the Makita or Dewalt are better quality than my Ryobi after having briefly used other peoples BUT for my kind of home DIY use the Ryobi stuff has been fine for me, for me the cheapness of the other tools make up for it as I've since got an impact wrench, angle grinder and garden strimmer as they were so cheap, i doubt i'd have done that with the other brands. The other brands impact wrenches seemed quite expensive compared to Ryobi and i really wanted one for working on cars so one of the main reasons i chose what i did.
 
I went with the Makita range as I have used the angle grinders at work for years and I found them great to work with. I got the twin drill pack when it was on offer then the circular saw ( managed to cut the skin off the tip of my finger through stupidity though ) and grinder with 3x 5AH batteries. I find the larger battery balances the drill better compared with the small one.
 
Thekwango said:
as per the title really. usage would be diy jobs, replacing decking boards, fence panels that sort of thing (though there are lot of fence panels needing replacing along with several posts)

is it better to go with this 'twin pack' drill & impact driver combo
https://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-d...combi-drill-and-impact-driver-twin-pack/210hf

or just spend most of the budget on what i presume would be a better drill?

ideally i'd want to keep the budget south of 200 quid as much as possible.

on a side note......i could have sworn there was a stickied thread about diy tools or am i imagining things?!
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ChrisD. said:
Massive thread in this section:

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/dont-have-a-drill-sds-drill.18921634/
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It is an undeniable fact that you can never have too many power tools and drills; nor can you have too many power tool related threads.

:D

There is plenty of advice already on brands and type etc but one of the most important aspects is charging and battery tech. This is where Makita, Milwaukee and Dewalt are leagues ahead of the budget brands like Einhell, Ryobi etc.

The cheaper Makita, Dewalt and Milwaukee kits often come with the lower end 60-90min chargers though like the set linked to above.

If you look at the advertised charging time you should be aiming for the ones with chargers that deliver 30-35min mark for 2Ah, and 45-60min for 4Ah and 5Ah batteries. I find Makita offer the fastest charging on higher capacity batteries.

Looking today, a lot of Makita and Dewalt offers have ended or sold out. Several of the kits were 20-30% cheaper earlier in the week. Prob pre easter/spring deal changeover.

koooowweeee said:
Clearly you have never done more than put a screw in the wall. I've got both a 2 and two 5ah and I use them for work. The 2 won't last long at all and when it start to lose a bit of power you can get any power to get a big screw in. Especially on a impact driver.
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7-8 years ago+ 1.5Ah was the norm. 2Ah mid and 3Ah high end. The lower capacity is offset where they charge in c30mins and weigh very little.

2Ah Dewalt batteries are fine for home use in drills and impact drivers, used to be standard in trade, providing you get the fast charger.

However there is often little cost differential at the moment when buying the 3Ah or higher capacity kit.
 
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koooowweeee said:
Clearly you have never done more than put a screw in the wall. I've got both a 2 and two 5ah and I use them for work. The 2 won't last long at all and when it start to lose a bit of power you can get any power to get a big screw in. Especially on a impact driver.
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Clearly you don’t know how to post without being completely patronising and have no idea what my experience actually is.

No one is disputing that bigger batteries last longer. What I and a load of other plasters are saying is a 2ah will last long enough for DIY which is what the OP is asking about and gives a far better balanced tool to actually use which is important for a novice.


Thekwango said:
Another question, if I may, how ‘important’ is brushless? I understand brushless motors are more efficient etc but should it be a deciding factor when looking at drills?

reason I ask is since it was suggested above to look into the eco system of brand were I to buy into it, ryobi are becoming much more appealing. I could see myself slowly amassing quite a few bits in the one+ range but I’ve noticed the drills mostly seem to be brushed rather than brushless. So just curious if that was a negative point against them.
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Brushless tend to be higher end products that can also have more power/torque and can be more compact and efficient.

That said if two drills have the same spec, the main difference between a brushless and brushed version will be battery life and be a more compact tool. Brushes will wear out over time but can normally be replaced.

In terms of Ryobi, they are fine for what you need and you can buy into the range with confidence. They do pretty much everything from drills to lawnmowers using the same battery and their bare tools are inexpensive. You will end up with more tool for your money buying the Ryobi range.

They are a tier down from Dewalt and Makita but realistically the difference between an Aldi special and a mid range dewalt is very small these days. Especially for DIY and even fairly demanding DIY use.

Where dewalt, etc often skimp on their more value based twin packs is the charger, as said above they are pretty slow but ‘adequate’. That screwfix two pack has a particularly show one for a 4ah battery but it’s still a lot of tool/battery for the money. They do offer faster ones in the range if needed.
 
I'm looking at this as a starter set - Any thoughts for a beginner?

Just moved in to our first home and have nothing so starting from scratch, will be used for general DIY for now, curtain rails and the like, but want to have enough power and quality that it'll last for years when I eventually use it for bigger jobs. Saw some packs with an impact driver as well but not sure what they're used for really?

Also what about good quality bits? Every pack I look at, whether good name brand or not, everyone says they break too quick? Any recommendations?
 
LiamJ said:
Saw some packs with an impact driver as well but not sure what they're used for really?
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Drills twist a bit using a motor turning some gears.

Impact drivers use a motor to spin up a flywheel inside the tool which whacks the bit round, spins up again, whacks it round a bit more. It does this many times a second

It matters for large screws or lots of screws. The rotational hammering from the impact driver twists back against the user a lot less than a drill and puts screws in faster, even doing (or undoing) screws that are too stiff for a drill to turn.

Saves your wrists if a job is big enough.

Also impact drivers make a loud rattling noise as the flywheel hammers away. Sometimes an issue.
 
Hotwired said:
Drills twist a bit using a motor turning some gears.

Impact drivers use a motor to spin up a flywheel inside the tool which whacks the bit round, spins up again, whacks it round a bit more. It does this many times a second

It matters for large screws or lots of screws. The rotational hammering from the impact driver twists back against the user a lot less than a drill and puts screws in faster, even doing (or undoing) screws that are too stiff for a drill to turn.

Saves your wrists if a job is big enough.

Also impact drivers make a loud rattling noise as the flywheel hammers away. Sometimes an issue.
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Okay, sunds like I might need one in future then for building stuff in the garden. Plans for maybe a deck, but that'll probably be for next summer. Thanks.
 
LiamJ said:
Haha, as I expected, I read a few reviews and people say they snap on first use! Impossible to tell what's good.

Thank you though, will order some! :)
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I was doing quite a bit of metal drilling last Sunday and it was the first time I used them, they were certainly better than all the other crap I've bought since the 70s.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
Brushless tend to be higher end products that can also have more power/torque and can be more compact and efficient.

That said if two drills have the same spec, the main difference between a brushless and brushed version will be battery life and be a more compact tool. Brushes will wear out over time but can normally be replaced.

In terms of Ryobi, they are fine for what you need and you can buy into the range with confidence. They do pretty much everything from drills to lawnmowers using the same battery and their bare tools are inexpensive. You will end up with more tool for your money buying the Ryobi range.

They are a tier down from Dewalt and Makita but realistically the difference between an Aldi special and a mid range dewalt is very small these days. Especially for DIY and even fairly demanding DIY use.

Where dewalt, etc often skimp on their more value based twin packs is the charger, as said above they are pretty slow but ‘adequate’. That screwfix two pack has a particularly show one for a 4ah battery but it’s still a lot of tool/battery for the money. They do offer faster ones in the range if needed.
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many thanks for the input.

i have to say i've ended up with a lot more to think about than i had planned! i just assumed, or maybe hoped, there was a stand out 'winner' in the budget diy category.....how wrong was i :p

i'm torn now between waiting for the dewalt 2 x 5ah drill pack linked above coming back into stock or a slightly cheaper ryobi offering with weaker batteries but a possibly cheaper eco system in general (e.g. i can see myself buying the one+ strimmer at some point given it's about 70 quid, whereas the dewalt equivalent seems to be about twice that)
 
I personally think the Ryobi stuff isn't as robust as the main brands but they are cheaper. If you'll only use them occasionally they'll probably be OK.
 
Thekwango said:
many thanks for the input.

i have to say i've ended up with a lot more to think about than i had planned! i just assumed, or maybe hoped, there was a stand out 'winner' in the budget diy category.....how wrong was i :p

i'm torn now between waiting for the dewalt 2 x 5ah drill pack linked above coming back into stock or a slightly cheaper ryobi offering with weaker batteries but a possibly cheaper eco system in general (e.g. i can see myself buying the one+ strimmer at some point given it's about 70 quid, whereas the dewalt equivalent seems to be about twice that)
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At that price for the drills I'd be tempted to go DeWalt/Milwaukee (whatever is on offer around 200quid mark) and then buy into the Ryobi for the garden stuff. Have been in a similar position and feel both ecosystems may be the right answer given Ryobi seem to do decent mowers, strimmers, leaf blowers etc.
 
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