SDS+ Hammer drill - Makita/Bosch?

Associate
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Starting to renovate my new house. Going to need a corded SDS+ hammer,rotary and chisel drill. Something beefy enough to chase wires/pipes, drill through walls and generally handle everything at the heavy end of DIY.

I'm going to guess the response here will be "they're much the same, see which one feels nicer", but I thought I'd ask :)

Based on mates/family these are the 2 front runners so far:

Makita HR2470

Bosch GBH 2-26DRE

So what are peoples favourites?
 
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Makita are a higher tier manufacturer than Bosch.

Do you really need to use one that much, consider hiring one and buying a cheapy one to keep.

If you think you can do the big jobs in one fairly short spell then hiring could work out cheaper. Better tools do the job easier and faster, plus you can get lower HAV (hand arm vibration) graded tools.

I used to be in this industry so know a little about it. If you consider hiring try HSS, Speedyhire, Brandon as a suggestion.
 
Commissario
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I'll second/third the Makita if it's going to be used heavily.

If it's just going to be used a few times a Bosch (still better than B&D IMO), or possibly even a real cheapy.

For chasing wires iirc you can get a dedicated chaser (basically a two cutter circular saw type thing with brick cutting blades) fairly cheaply which will probably do a better job, and be easier than the SDS for straight lines, fairly cheaply.
 
Soldato
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Another vote for the Makita. We've used them at work for years, will last you a long time if you look after it.

But it depends on if you'll get enough use out of it to justify the price (see above post).
 
Soldato
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If you want a budget one that chisels aswell then there's one for £70 on Amazon that comes with a load of tools, I got one for removing plaster, etc and it seems okay
 
Soldato
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I have that Makita and its been great, not sure how i lived without an SDS! I too am renovating my house (for past 2 years really) and the drill has made light work of chasing out etc. My walls inc internal are solid brick and before the SDS i would chew through drill bits easily (even top class ones, they just lasted longer but went same way)

I paid less than that with 3 sets of drill bits and a chisel, will dig out the recipt if you havent ordered already?
 
Tea Drinker
Don
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You don't need anything that big or heavy duty, do you have a cordless drill does it have a hammer function.

For chasing hire a proper chaser from Hire Centre and chase everything in in a weekend, probably £25 much neater and less mess :)

If I had to buy one it would be the Makita
 
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No they're not.

They are for sure. Having worked in the largest tool hire company in the UK for years Makita are 100% a higher tier better quality manufacturer than Bosch.

Sure the lower end Makita stuff isn't anything special but their top end stuff is waaaay better than bosch.

And this is the reason I say if you can string the jobs together and hire the best gear its a much better thing to do than buy something yourself.

ps I no longer work in too hire before anyone accuses of alterior motives.
 
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Working for the largest tool hire company in the UK for years doesn't prove anything.

Both manufacturers spend millions on R&D every year (although I suspect that Bosch spend more being the sort of company that they are) and both offer equal product ranges for the professional and the enthusiast.

The internet is full of people who'll always say "Makita are best" or "Bosch are best" as is the case with almost anything. Some people have tried both and found that all their Bosch tools died after a year or all their Makita batteries exploded after a year. Horses for courses.

If I was in the OPs situation the main thing I would be asking myself is why Makita only offer 1 years warranty when Bosch offer 3?

From a supplier side of things, Makita are in the same league as B&D or any other manufacturer... whereas we have two Bosch reps who can be contacted by phone any day of the week to sort out supply issues, customer queries, missing parts, etc.
 
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Bosch tools are way below makita quality.

No they're not.

Had my Makita drill at work for 11 years still going strong, been through countless, bosch and Dewalt in the same period.

Wow. My uncle has been a bathroom fitter for the past 30 years and he's always used DeWalt and never had a problem with them. That doesn't prove anything. All that means is that the Makita you bought was a reliable one and the Bosch and DeWalt that you bought weren't for whatever reason. 1 drill out of how many million these companies sell every year going wrong or working forever means nothing at all.

These debates always go the same way.

Person X: "Well I bought BRAND A and it lasted for a million years! My BRAND B stuff only lasted 10 seconds! Therefore BRAND A is the bestest brand ever in existance ever!"

Person Z: "Well I bought BRAND B and it lasted for a million years! My BRAND A stuff only lasted 10 seconds! Therefore BRAND B is the bestest brand ever in existance ever!"

Ad infinitum.

I could find ten people who swear by Hilti. I could find 10 people who swear by Hitachi. You could find x amount of people who swear by any of the major brands and discredit the rest.
 
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OP
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Derbyshire
Thanks for the replies!

robskinner/Werewolf/maccapacca
The jobs are going to be spread out over a few months (probably years) due to time/money/space reasons. So I'll probably buy most of the stuff meaning I can do it at my leisure. I'm hopefully going to manage things so I can do the big jobs - demolish 3 fireplaces, chase 1/2 the house etc - with tools from the hire shop.

Shimmyhill - haven't yet bought anything so if you can let me know where you got your stuff from that would be very helpful!
 
Associate
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To be honest, for home use, pretty much anything is OK.

I'd be looking at a cheap 6+kg SDS+ for chiselling/breaking stuff and then get a 2kg decent one (or a 24+v cordless SDS) for use drilling holes.

If it was me I'd be buying a blue Bosch SDS though. Just prefer them to Makita.

6kg:

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/88854/Power-Tools/SDS-Drills/Titan-PDH26S6-6kg-SDS-Plus-Drill

2kg:

Edit - this Milwaukee drill is a good deal. I know their cordless kit is good and their regular non SDS drills, so I'm guessing their SDS ones can't be bad.

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/79859.../Milwaukee-TTI-PFH24E-2kg-SDS-Plus-Drill-230V

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/73560/Power-Tools/SDS-Drills/BOSCH-GBH-2-26DRE-2kg-230V-SDS-Plus-Drill
 
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