Reliable combi drill for occasional DIY

ceemuk

ceemuk

ceemuk

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30 Jul 2009
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I'm looking for a reliable combi drill for occasional DIY (masonry, wood, metal, plastic).

Looking for a kit that contains box, drill and 1 or 2x batteries.

I'm aware the bigger the battery the heavier the drill, and have been taking a look at a lot of DeWalt Makita and also Einhell.

Budget is no more than £150, ideally a bit less.

Any recommendations/thoughts?
 
LIDL had one in, I think last week.
£35 with drill plus one battery.

Seems to do the job just fine (3 year warranty too), and at that price its practically disposable :)
 
ceemuk said:
I'm looking for a reliable combi drill for occasional DIY (masonry, wood, metal, plastic).

Looking for a kit that contains box, drill and 1 or 2x batteries.

I'm aware the bigger the battery the heavier the drill, and have been taking a look at a lot of DeWalt Makita and also Einhell.

Budget is no more than £150, ideally a bit less.

Any recommendations/thoughts?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't spend that much. I've bought the lidl and aldi stuff and it's worked for years
 
ceemuk said:
I'm aware the bigger the battery the heavier the drill, and have been taking a look at a lot of DeWalt Makita and also Einhell.
Click to expand...
They're all good brands.

DeWalt - American, popular with trades
Makita - Japanese, competitive on price
Einhell - German

You can't go wrong with any of them. You need to think about the tool ecosystem and what else you might want a battery for in future, as they can be used across tools. I would probably go Makita as they are decent quality and good on price. DeWalt is a bit pricey. Einhell are less common but they are German and therefore probably decent on quality.
 
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Use Makita stuff at work and it's been bulletproof considering the abuse it gets.
Begs the question, for occasional DIY do you really need something branded like that? Cheaper stuff is likely to perform adequately for what you need.
 
Makita is a nice ecosystem to get into IMO. They make nice stuff at a good price. In general I like Japanese stuff, they have good manufacturing.
 
All I would say is if you just want something good enough for home use and you are not planning on buying into an ecosystem of products avoid the cheapest drills from the big brands, they are not the best value.

Their good stuff which is worth paying the extra for is higher up the range, the base stuff is very similar to cheaper brands in terms of power and quality, you just pay extra for the brand and an entry into the wider ecosystem.

If you just need a drill, get a lidl/aldi special or look at something like Ryobi - cheaper than the big brands, good enough for home use and a massive ecosystem of tools.
 
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Worx worth a look into as well. Their slammer drills are good and make drilling masonry easy. So they are good if you want a multi purpose drill. Find I use it more than my DeWalt.
 
Bought an Aldi one Ferex, this year, cabled so it's light, with a long cable, I already have a good extension lead reel.
£18.99 with a keyless chuck and powerful enough for all DIY uses that I can think of.
 
There is a middle ground to also consider like Titan or Einhell from Screwfix. I use Makita stuff but if I need a tool for a one off the Titan stuff is decent, gets very well reviewed too.
 
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Go on Screwfix or Toolstation site. They’ll have a starter pack of combi, battery and charger for one of the big 3. Just get whichever is on offer.


its.co.uk

Makita DHP487SF 18V LXT Brushless Combi Drill, 1x 3.0Ah Battery & Charger

Get it tomorrow: Great Deal on Makita DHP487SF 18V LXT Brushless Combi Drill, 1x 3.0Ah Battery & Charger and on many more Power Tools . Rated EXCELLENT on Trust
its.co.uk its.co.uk
 
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Another shout for einhell as a middle ground for DIY use. Just be aware they tier their products.

TC = Consumer
TE = Enthusiasts ( not sure buts their mid tier)
TP = Professional

I've only used thier TP combi drill so don't know how much worse they get as you drop down the tiers.
 
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Those cheapo dewalts etc, wouldn't bother. Just go real cheap from Aldi/Lidl or step up to next tier of makita, dwalt etc.

Blue is best but we all know that.
 
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Within budget and my choice of tools is

Bosch Blue <--- LINK

Yeah, the batteries are not big, but will see most for usual home DIY and come the sales, bigger AH batteries can be had at decent prices.

I've been abusing one of my battery drills since 2016 and it still does what I ask of it every time and without any complaints (matched up to 5AH batteries)
 
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Do you really need two batteries, by the time you've flattened it it's dinner time and you've finished the job anyway.

Unlikely you'll need 8 hour use of a drill in home environment. Also if you were doing bigger jobs - into masonry then having mains drill is handy, I've got three drills

battery drill/hammer
mains drill/hammer
mains drill/SDS
 
pigeonguyuk said:
Ive got a load of Ryobi stuff and has served me well

They have a basic starter Drill here
uk.ryobitools.eu

Cordless BMC Combi Drill Starter Kit | RYOBI 18V ONE+™ RPD18-2C20B

Ryobi - 18V ONE+ Cordless BMC Combi Kit (2 x 2.0Ah & 1.5 Ah Charger)| Outstanding BMC Combi Kits from the Ryobi power tool range. Buy online today
uk.ryobitools.eu uk.ryobitools.eu
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I went Ryobi as well as a middle ground option, I got tired of returning Aldi stuff that had died but didn't want the additional cost of the big brands. I've been really pleased with the kit over the last couple of years and touch wood none of it has died and I've given the multi-tool and compact SDS some serious abuse.
 
a1ex2001 said:
I went Ryobi as well as a middle ground option, I got tired of returning Aldi stuff that had died but didn't want the additional cost of the big brands. I've been really pleased with the kit over the last couple of years and touch wood none of it has died and I've given the multi-tool and compact SDS some serious abuse.
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Agreed. Their Brushless Range is worth the extra money too.

Ive started getting Dewalt Tstak Case and Shadowfoam inserts to protect/organise my small tool selection too :)

Once ive bought my own house and doing more Diy/refurb work is when ill probably take the leap to something more robust like Milwaukee
 
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