Spec me a drill...

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Mat

Mat

Mat

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I'm in the market for a reasonable drill, something with a bit of oomph and mains powered. I already have an 18v cordless but sometimes I just need the continuity of mains and the guts to go through stuff without too much bother (hammer/percussion included).

This has caught my eye, off the back of a recommendation by someone who uses many drills:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/hitachi-dv16v-j6-590w-percussion-drill-230v/17555

but if there are any others worth looking at I'm all ears. Ta.
 
I would personally buy a Makita, their tools are top notch. It looks as though there is a similar one on there for £10 more. Ask your mate if that one is any good. :)
 
Makita definitely. All the trade guys who I've ever had over to my place have pretty much Makita everything. So much so that I bought myself a Makita drill and it's perfect for what I need.
 
Ok if you're doing a 'big' drill to add to a normal hand drill I'd ensure that the drill has:
* two hand ability
* safety clutch for when the bit snags (a must for coring)
* variable speed on the trigger
* reverse - this is good if you're using long bits
* SDS Plus - because hammer with a normal chuck isn't anywhere as effective.
* Hammer Energy is important - check this, if the drill doesn't indicate it then walk away.
* selectable rotate only, rotate with hammer and hammer without rotate
* able to hold the drill (plus a good 1 Kg of hardware) at chest height (because 5kg is hard work you may want something lighter)
* If this is your larger drill then look at a decent wattage.


I have a Bosch PSB 18V Li-ion and a corded Bosch 850W 2kg class SDS (3.2J hammer) I've used for coring and hard stuff (including metal and wood using non hammer with a normal chuck adaptor). It's light enough to use normally but has oomph (it was my 40th birthday pressie).

The 3.2J hammer action is probably the high end of what I would use for 1980s house build bricks as the drill will cause the back of the brick to explode out like an exit gunshot wound you can control this by using the variable speed and switching to rotate only if you need.1.6-3.2J is fine. I put 10mm holes in the garage using hammer in 5 seconds to get a good 1.5+ inches for bolts. If you want to break thick concrete then rent a titan breaker instead but it will do tiles and brick breaking nicely.
 
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Thanks guys, think I'll go for the Bosch SDS Plus, a bit set and get a chuck adapter so I can use the bits I already have as well.
 
As someone who has one I wouldn't recommend the adapter to use non SDS bits on your SDS drill. Just get a new set of SDS bits, they are not that expensive.

Dave
 
divuk83 said:
As someone who has one I wouldn't recommend the adapter to use non SDS bits on your SDS drill. Just get a new set of SDS bits, they are not that expensive.

Dave
Click to expand...

I broke one chuck adaptor attempting to hammer - it lasted less than 30 seconds. The second.. works well with wood and metal (garage door). They do work but once you're used to the SDS system a normal chuck doesn't quite cut it :) I have a set of normal bits but I have specific SDS ones. Putting up a picture doesn't normally need SDS unless you're living in a stone walled house.. so having an adaptor means you can use the same bits in both drills.
 
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Yeah maybe for wood and metal (can't imagine why anyone would use screwdriver bits in them). I have an SDS drill for heavier jobs and a cordless 18v combi for lighter masonry and everything lighter than that. If you can afford 2 that's what I would go for. As the op already has a combi I would get an SDS and some extra masonry bits rather than an adapter as I can't imagine needing the SDS for anything other than masonry jobs if it's your second drill.

Dave
 
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