Don't have a drill.. Sds drill?

[dale1uk]

Buy an SDS AND a good quality cordless hammer drill.

It's all about the right tool for the job - sometimes that's an SDS, sometimes a cordless.

Get a cordless impact driver as well while you're at it. You can thank me later.

This

I have a Milwaukee M12 fuel hammer drill and impact driver set and the drill is good enough for 90% of the jobs I do. It's more powerful than you'd expect and nice and lightweight. The impact driver gets used loads more than I ever expected. Id be lost without it now.

I've also recently got an M18 CHX fuel SDS for when I need to do any heavy duty work. Between the 2 of them I've not come across any job they can't cope with.

I've got a corded DeWalt SDS but that never comes out anymore since I got the cordless Milwaukee. Dragging out the transformer (it's 110v) and cables is just a chew on and no longer worth it. Good quality cordless tools makes jobs so much easier

 

[Scrutinize]

Borrowed a normal drill and couldn't get through the wall behind the plaster board.

Should I just get an sds drill and be done with it? Is there any drawbacks to going whole hog?

Yes, there are lots of occasions including concrete lintels where even high end combi drills struggle compared to a proper SDS. No need for cordless either.

I have various inc the Titan SDS . The Titan is brilliant as a hammer chisel and breaker ie for lifting tiles, chasing walls, breaking concrete and impact drilling into everything. This one which for £10 more has a lot more useful bits https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-tt...s-drill-22-piece-accessory-kit-230-240v/4172g

For a lighter weight sds these are pretty good

https://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-hr2470wx-2-3-3kg-electric-sds-plus-drill-240v/29604

https://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-d25133k-gb-2-6kg-electric-sds-plus-drill-240v/2864j

https://www.screwfix.com/p/bosch-gbh-2-26-2-7kg-electric-sds-plus-240v/8330r

 

[bainbridge]

I borrowed my father in law's DeWalt 240v sds to drill out 15mm holes to accommodate rawlbolts for joist hangers I was fitting.

It went into dense concrete blocks like I was drilling a thermalite.

 

[Deleted member 66701]

This

I have a Milwaukee M12 fuel hammer drill and impact driver set and the drill is good enough for 90% of the jobs I do. It's more powerful than you'd expect and nice and lightweight. The impact driver gets used loads more than I ever expected. Id be lost without it now.

I've also recently got an M18 CHX fuel SDS for when I need to do any heavy duty work. Between the 2 of them I've not come across any job they can't cope with.

I've got a corded DeWalt SDS but that never comes out anymore since I got the cordless Milwaukee. Dragging out the transformer (it's 110v) and cables is just a chew on and no longer worth it. Good quality cordless tools makes jobs so much easier

Yup, with a good impact driver you can just screw straight into blockwork without the need for rawl plugs using something like this https://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-w...x4S1b9VlXfA6fv305qQaApFsEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Bigpops]

Get a cordless impact driver as well while you're at it. You can thank me later.

This. Best tool I've ever bought. It's so beyond using a cordless drill, which I did for donkeys years, it's not even funny.

 

[dl8860]

This. Best tool I've ever bought. It's so beyond using a cordless drill, which I did for donkeys years, it's not even funny.

If I had a big project coming up I'd buy one, but haven't had the need since I sort of got the itch to buy one.

Aside from the faff of changing a drill bit for a screwdriver bit, do you really notice that much better performance? Surely a decent combi has the ability to drive screws in most materials with no actual performance problems? What other benefit am I missing?

 

[Bigpops]

If I had a big project coming up I'd buy one, but haven't had the need since I sort of got the itch to buy one.

Aside from the faff of changing a drill bit for a screwdriver bit, do you really notice that much better performance? Surely a decent combi has the ability to drive screws in most materials with no actual performance problems? What other benefit am I missing?

It's completely different to using a cordless drill. Once a screw gets reasonably tight with a cordless drill you have to pile on the pressure or the bit will cam out of the screw head. That doesn't happen with an impact driver, it just starts to rotational hammer and the bit stays in the screw head with little effort from yourself while it drives the screw home.

 

[jaybee]

I have a Dewalt 18v Brushless normal all purpose drill which I use for majority of my drilling jobs.
I also have a Titan SDS beast and I don't think I've ever used it on internal walls apart from when I had to drill a large hole using a hole saw. They can be big, heavy, bulky, powerful beasts which obviously means you are less accurate and can blow out bricks and surrounding wall/plaster etc. When you need to do demolition work though they are ideal. Like chiseling/chasing and generally being a complete animal.

 

[Hotwired]

This. Best tool I've ever bought. It's so beyond using a cordless drill, which I did for donkeys years, it's not even funny.

Not false.

Messed up my wrist a few years ago putting in tons of 100-150mm timber screws using a drill.

Decided mid job this was ridiculous and looked into impact drivers. Got a reasonable 18v one and it sinks dirty great timber screws without any pilot hole or straining to put downward or counter twisting force on the tool unlike a drill. The tradeoff is the moderately loud harsh rattle of the hammer inside it but it's not that bad.

If I had a big project coming up I'd buy one, but haven't had the need since I sort of got the itch to buy one.

Aside from the faff of changing a drill bit for a screwdriver bit, do you really notice that much better performance? Surely a decent combi has the ability to drive screws in most materials with no actual performance problems? What other benefit am I missing?

See above.

No drill is going to match the ability of an impact driver. Wouldn't use it for very small screws though.

You need to experience it to understand the difference. A drill can screw stuff and with low enough gearing it probably will screw the same screw eventually but an impact driver there's no twisting or aggressive pressure needed on the tool which really matters with large numbers and large screws.

So less fatigue and strain to you and it's disgustingly faster to put a screw in with an impact driver to boot.

Imagine the most massive wood screw you've seen and think of how you'd put it in with a drill. You'd pre-drill a hole because it would be really stiff right? You could do it without any pre-drilling at all with an impact driver and it wouldn't feel stiff or try to twist your wrist off and it would be fast.

 

[theone8181]

Not false.

Messed up my wrist a few years ago putting in tons of 100-150mm timber screws using a drill.

Decided mid job this was ridiculous and looked into impact drivers. Got a reasonable 18v one and it sinks dirty great timber screws without any pilot hole or straining to put downward or counter twisting force on the tool unlike a drill. The tradeoff is the moderately loud harsh rattle of the hammer inside it but it's not that bad.



See above.

No drill is going to match the ability of an impact driver. Wouldn't use it for very small screws though.

You need to experience it to understand the difference. A drill can screw stuff and with low enough gearing it probably will screw the same screw eventually but an impact driver there's no twisting or aggressive pressure needed on the tool which really matters with large numbers and large screws.

So less fatigue and strain to you and it's disgustingly faster to put a screw in with an impact driver to boot.

Imagine the most massive wood screw you've seen and think of how you'd put it in with a drill. You'd pre-drill a hole because it would be really stiff right? You could do it without any pre-drilling at all with an impact driver and it wouldn't feel stiff or try to twist your wrist off and it would be fast.

Is this the same tool that van be used for removing stiff nuts, like wheel nuts? If so I do want one just not sure I'd use it much.

 

[200sols]

Imagine the most massive wood screw you've seen and think of how you'd put it in with a drill. You'd pre-drill a hole because it would be really stiff right? You could do it without any pre-drilling at all with an impact driver and it wouldn't feel stiff or try to twist your wrist off and it would be fast.

You pre drill for other reasons like stopping splitting of wood and to achieve a stronger bond as well. Impact drivers are great I wouldn't be without mine but they don't negate the need to sometimes drill pilot holes.

 

[Deleted User 298457]

Found the impact driver far too aggressive for wood at all frankly. Only use it for going into walls. It is a godsend for unscrewing without stripping heads of more rusted screws though.

 

[Gav_r26]

I think that what people don't realise is there are bricks and there are BRICKS - The FIL had a council house and even with a electric hammer drill he would wear out a drill for each hole - Use a SDS drill and it was fine - - I have electric drills and 18v battery drills but if I am drilling hard bricks or concrete the cheap Lidl SDS drill is the one to go for - it also has a standard chuck with the kit.

Everything depends on the hardness of your bricks and I think a lot of people today haven't really come into contact with very hard engineering bricks or the ones used in my old house on gable end buttresses that had been fired a few times.

The outer brickwork on my 1972 bungalow has very hard bricks so SDS every time.
The Titan above is over kill - just get a SDS that looks like a normal electric drill.
My Lidl drill is same as this.
http://offers.kd2.org/en/gb/lidl/pgiKi/

Fully aware there are bricks, and then there are bricks! Our old house was built in 1902 and from bricks that were renowned through the county for being so damn hard. That's when I went to the Bosch drill bits. Nothing else would touch them but they flew through them. You can have the best equipment in the world, but if you use the wrong tooling its pointless. You wouldn't drive around a field in a 4x4 with slick tyres and blame the 4x4 when you got stuck would you?

 

[Martynt74]

I think that what people don't realise is there are bricks and there are BRICKS - The FIL had a council house and even with a electric hammer drill he would wear out a drill for each hole - Use a SDS drill and it was fine - - I have electric drills and 18v battery drills but if I am drilling hard bricks or concrete the cheap Lidl SDS drill is the one to go for - it also has a standard chuck with the kit.

Everything depends on the hardness of your bricks and I think a lot of people today haven't really come into contact with very hard engineering bricks or the ones used in my old house on gable end buttresses that had been fired a few times.

As mentioned, my old house used Accrington brick which are renowned as being hard as hell.

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co....ng-accringtons-reputation-worlds-best-bricks/

A Dewalt combi was fine for a 16mm hole through the entire hole.

 

[Hotwired]

You pre drill for other reasons like stopping splitting of wood and to achieve a stronger bond as well. Impact drivers are great I wouldn't be without mine but they don't negate the need to sometimes drill pilot holes.

Yes for quality purposes you might still pre drill, the point was it wouldn't stop an impact driver if you didn't.

 

[Scrutinize]

Found the impact driver far too aggressive for wood at all frankly. Only use it for going into walls. It is a godsend for unscrewing without stripping heads of more rusted screws though.

It depends on the wood, type and length of screw and whether you are driving through other materials. For wood that is prone to splitting, using the right quality screws is essential and/or drilling a pilot hole.

You can do a decent amount of light wood screwing with a Bosch IXO. This is one of my most used power tools for normal jobs and general assembly / disassembly through the year. With a pilot hole you can also drive decent sized screws into brickwork/internal walls using an ixo.

Nothing beats a good impact driver though especially when coupled with quality impact bits. I use the Makita 18v LXT system for most of my cordless tools.

 

[200sols]

You can also use an impact driver for drilling, they work really well with spade bits.

 

[Hotwired]

Is this the same tool that van be used for removing stiff nuts, like wheel nuts? If so I do want one just not sure I'd use it much.

It's the same rotational hammering but it's a different tool.

Impact drivers have a hex socket primarily for screwdriver bits and are generally smaller than a cordless drill.

Impact wrenches have a square pin e.g. 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4, 1" for sockets and the smallest ones are about the size of a normal impact driver.

You can use adapters to get an impact driver to use sockets.

 

[Deleted User 298457]

It depends on the wood, type and length of screw and whether you are driving through other materials. For wood that is prone to splitting, using the right quality screws is essential and/or drilling a pilot hole.

You can do a decent amount of light wood screwing with a Bosch IXO. This is one of my most used power tools for normal jobs and general assembly / disassembly through the year. With a pilot hole you can also drive decent sized screws into brickwork/internal walls using an ixo.

Nothing beats a good impact driver though especially when coupled with quality impact bits. I use the Makita 18v LXT system for most of my cordless tools.

Well yeah but also a tool with no variable speed control is quite hard to not overtighten/ put the screw in deeper than intended. Especially when it has so much torque.

Bosch IXO is a great shout though, these things are great.

 

[200sols]

Well yeah but also a tool with no variable speed control is quite hard to not overtighten/ put the screw in deeper than intended. Especially when it has so much torque.

Bosch IXO is a great shout though, these things are great.

Most are variable speed.