Power Tools & General Tools Recommendations & Advice

divuk83 · 19 May 2020 at 12:37

Unless you have loads of money going spare or are going to use it loads I would get a fairly inexpensive SDS drill. A cordless combi drill won't be up to the job.
Decent, fairly cheap option:
https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-erh750-3-4kg-electric-sds-plus-drill-220-240v/232fv

Dave

Terminal_Boy · 19 May 2020 at 12:47

divuk83 said:
Unless you have loads of money going spare or are going to use it loads I would get a fairly inexpensive SDS drill. A cordless combi drill won't be up to the job.

Dave

This. Get an entry level corded SDS hammer drill and decent set of SDS bits.

fobose · 19 May 2020 at 13:11

I am just going to throw this in the mix:

This is a bit of a beast. Comes with the quick charger too.
https://www.sgs-engineering.com/m18fpd2-501x-combi-drill-bundle

NickK · 19 May 2020 at 13:29

fobose said:
I am just going to throw this in the mix:

This is a bit of a beast. Comes with the quick charger too.
https://www.sgs-engineering.com/m18fpd2-501x-combi-drill-bundle

Not sure that really would out perform an SDS. Ebauer states 3J and my Bosch SDS does 3.2J - plenty enough to blow the back out of blocks. Takes about 3 seconds to put a bolt hole in the garage wall vs 30sec for my hammer hand drill.

Both useful for different reasons - I find the two handed 2kg class SDS much better for making controlled drilling. It runs at 900rpm max but more torque simply outclasses the hone hand li-ion drill. However it requires two hands and it’s heavier to use up a ladder.
Btw £7 gets you an SDS to standard drill bit chuck. Works like a charm but don’t try hammer drilling with it - it lasts about 30 seconds from experience

The one handed li-ion drill better for screwing/drilling in plasterboard/block/wood unless it’s hard wood or stone.

fobose · 19 May 2020 at 13:43

Yup, appreciate what your saying there. I guess it depends on how many holes he needs to drill and if he would use the SDS for any other jobs. I've had an AEG corded SDS sitting in my garage for years unused because the cord always bothers me. Recently gave it away. The milwaukee I linked to is a much beefier version than your standard 50nm drill (this particular milwaukee is 135nm) so for the price I think its a really good deal. It sounds like PS is in need of a replacement cordless drill anyway so this might be the cheaper option for him in the long run.

P.S I am still using an old 18V milwaukee (51nm - C18PD) and I used it to chain drill my concrete floor across two door ways, plus around 10x single socket plug sockets to make them in to double sockets in an old 1970's property without much trouble.

divuk83 · 19 May 2020 at 14:13

For drilling concrete etc impact energy is just as important as (if not more than) torque. Having fitted quite a few ground anchors for bikes into concrete and also drilled into lintels etc, my old Bosch green cheapo SDS (only 1,7 J) beats my 18v DeWalt hands down. It's not the bits either as I have DeWalt Extreme bits for the combi and cheapo Bosch ones for the SDS.

It's not often I need to use the SDS, but I'm glad that I have it. If I used it more I would get a cordless one, but for how infrequently I use it I can't justify the cost.

Dave

NickK · 19 May 2020 at 14:43

divuk83 said:
For drilling concrete etc impact energy is just as important as (if not more than) torque. Having fitted quite a few ground anchors for bikes into concrete and also drilled into lintels etc, my old Bosch green cheapo SDS (only 1,7 J) beats my 18v DeWalt hands down. It's not the bits either as I have DeWalt Extreme bits for the combi and cheapo Bosch ones for the SDS.

It's not often I need to use the SDS, but I'm glad that I have it. If I used it more I would get a cordless one, but for how infrequently I use it I can't justify the cost.

Dave

I find the stability of drilling two hands with some distance works well (where there’s room to get the drill in). If you’re drilling long bits or coring then and SDS is a must (mine is corded), otherwise for most modern 30yo houses you can one hand 18V easily enough.

A decent one hand drill will do the majority of DIY and shelving etc.

cheesyboy · 19 May 2020 at 14:51

NickK said:
If you’re drilling long bits or coring then and SDS is a must

**Safety notice** make sure you buy a SDS with a clutch if you're coring!

Pretty sure my el cheapo £45 Screwfix one doesn't, though I had/have no plans for coring. I bought it for chiseling up a tile floor, and have made use of it only occasionally since. Nice to have, for when it's needed.

NickK · 19 May 2020 at 15:14

cheesyboy said:
**Safety notice** make sure you buy a SDS with a clutch if you're coring!

Pretty sure my el cheapo £45 Screwfix one doesn't, though I had/have no plans for coring. I bought it for chiseling up a tile floor, and have made use of it only occasionally since. Nice to have, for when it's needed.

yes the safety clutch was top of the criteria and I agree (cored 100mm and 150mm cores with it).

Dave85 · 19 May 2020 at 16:25

This is most likely a stupid questions but seeing as numpty here didnt read the item description on screwfix properly its my own fault. I have a miter saw coming tomorrow it can do Max. Cross Cut: 125 x 55mm the joists i'm cutting for my deck are 45 x 145 so they are too wide layed flat by 20mm. Screwfix have advised i can reject the delivery and get a refund and buy one that will make the cut but the next one up seems super overkill and nearly double the price. Can i simply flip the board over once its cut 125mm and do a small cut again?

divuk83 · 19 May 2020 at 17:40

Dave85 said:
This is most likely a stupid questions but seeing as numpty here didnt read the item description on screwfix properly its my own fault. I have a miter saw coming tomorrow it can do Max. Cross Cut: 125 x 55mm the joists i'm cutting for my deck are 45 x 145 so they are too wide layed flat by 20mm. Screwfix have advised i can reject the delivery and get a refund and buy one that will make the cut but the next one up seems super overkill and nearly double the price. Can i simply flip the board over once its cut 125mm and do a small cut again?

You could flip them over and cut, but it will be fiddly. I take it you got the little evolution one? I used to have one and it is a good saw but it has it's limitations. If you are using it without a stand to cut large, heavy deck boards that require flipping to finish the cut I think you might find it quite fiddly and annoying. I would just use a circular saw and a rafter/framing square as a guide to get quick straight cuts. You will be able to move the saw round the wood, rather than trying to position the large bits of wood in the saw, which would be a little easier if you had a mitre saw stand to support the wood and could cut the full board without having to flip it.

Dave

Raymond Lin · 19 May 2020 at 18:15

I guess if you have a stop block then it shouldn't be a problem with measurements (much), it just will take you longer.

Dave85 · 19 May 2020 at 18:27

Thanks for your replies. I do have access to a circular saw as well so could always use that my assumption from poor research was the mitre might be better. Yeh its the evolution one from screwfix. It's a small deck so only have about 4 to 6 joists to cut so will see how it goes with the first then crack out the circular if needed.

Hedge · 19 May 2020 at 19:14

I have the evolution mitre saw and I've always wished for a bigger one. Cutting skirting boards and having to flip it was a total pain in the arse.

I'd be getting the bigger one myself.

JRJ · 20 May 2020 at 12:04

Decent price if someone needs a twin set

https://www.toolstation.com/dewalt-...ss-combi-drill-impact-driver-twin-pack/p88353

checjb · 20 May 2020 at 17:24

That DeWalt set is the same price as the 5.0ah Milwaukee twin set I just bought from Screwfix. I just upgraded from a Titan twin set that I've had for years and did my kitchen and studio cabin with. Just found out that the 1.5ah batteries no longer hold charge past about 10 mins so treated myself. Wow, the Milwaukee set is seriously powerful compared to my Titan set. Admittedly, the Titan set was about £70 5+ years.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/milwauke...ess-combi-drill-impact-driver-twin-pack/229hv

b0rn2sk8 · 20 May 2020 at 18:46

A couple of small trade offs between the two.

The dewalt is slightly more powerful but has smaller batteries.

Either way both are very good and any pro would be happy with either, for DIY they are both excellent. I guess for me the biggest factor would be the cost and specs of the other tools in the range as these are just the gateway to spending way more on tools!

checjb · 20 May 2020 at 19:35

b0rn2sk8 said:
These are just the gateway to spending way more on tools!

Ain't that the truth. I now look at tools like I used to look at toys and sweets as a kid.

dl8860 · 21 May 2020 at 09:36

2 x 5Ah is a bit overkill for DIY right? I just bought a dcd796 with 2x2Ah on the basis that my previous NiCad drill seemed to last plenty long enough when the batteries were in good health and that was 2x1Ah. I'm not exactly a hardcore DIYer, but I went for 2Ah as it seemed the right balance between capacity and weight/price.

Martynt74 · 21 May 2020 at 09:38

For drills/impact drivers then yeah a 2AH is plenty.

I only really used my larger batteries for saws etc. Like you said the weight of the bigger batteries gets a bit much on a drill and makes it feel unbalanced.