Spec me a new drill please

cyber69

cyber69

cyber69

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My dad's old Dewalt 12v cordless drill is on it's last legs, both batteries coming to an end after 16 years!

I'm now looking to replace it and it will be used mainly for DIY around the home, drilling into brick, concrete, plasterboard etc.

I'd rather spend the extra and get another drill that will last another 10 years so I've been looking at Makita this time. They do a lot of different models and i'm just wondering if it's worth while going for a brushless motor?

My next job around the house is to fix a wooden board which is just above my garage door which has dropped a little bit. I need to put some screws in it to fix it in place so I have to drill through the wood and into the concrete/brick and maybe metal lintel above. Would an 18v cordless drill be up to this job? Or do I need something more like an SDS drill?
 
I have a 18v Makita and I don't think it's cut out for drilling through lintels.
 
Is the lintel metal?

I have a old Bosch 24V li-ion green drill and a 2Kg SDS class Bosch 850W blue series. I've drilled through pretty much everything in the home with both.

The 24V li-ion drill will go through metal, brick and concrete as long as the bits are sharp but takes a little time. As you know they give you a lot more flexibility into getting between joists and into one handed situations up a ladder. The only thing I have found that it can't drill was the concrete test plug for the later.

The SDS with 900 rpm and 850W simply goes through everything like butter but needs two hands and had physical size that means it won't get into those smaller situations.

15973416571_77784d88a8_b.jpg


In my view a good, modern 24V li-ion system (with 4AH batteries) would do the job - the main thing is how sharp your drill bits are!

edit: brain fart this morning - not a 24V but 18V. There is a 24V available though..
 
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cyber69 said:
Would this one be any good?

http://www.fastfix.co.uk/makita/Makita-DHP459RFE-18v-Brushless-Combi-Drill.html

And one of these also? (for doing my garage door job)

http://www.fastfix.co.uk/makita/Makita-HR2630-SDS-Plus-Rotary-Hammer-Drill.html
Click to expand...

Just a point about the SDS in there (and the one I have):
* the SDS chuck system is a push in, it doesn't have a tightening chuck. You can get adaptors (relatively cheaply under £10) but you will find that you cannot use hammer action with the adaptor.
* SDS chucks will need SDS bits. Normal bits/hex bits will not work without an adaptor.
* most SDS will switch between hammer action and normal drilling, also some have the option to switch off rotate - fit a chisel/flat bit and you can strip tiles off the wall in breakneck speed.
* ensure the SDS drill has an automatic safety clutch. This prevents the drill injuring you (breaking fingers/wrist etc) if the bit jams. This is a must for coring bits and for longer bits. So if you're getting an SDS it needs to have it because it will be doing the heavier work..

Main important stats (ignore the others)
Impact energy: 2.4 J <-- decent
Input Wattage: 800 w <-- go for the 240V otherwise you'll need to drag around a construction site 110V transformer everywhere (heavy and more expense)
Net weight: 2.8 kg <-- decent means it's not too heavy
No Load Speed: 0 - 1200 rpm <-- that's good not too fast although you may need to hold back from full speed on larger drill bits.
Click to expand...
but:
* missing safety clutch (talks about torque thing but that's no guarantee)
* has 3 modes (SDS/rotate/chisel)
* has variable speed on the trigger (very useful) for slow starting accurate jobs

That drill if the stats are decent (the bosch has more impact energy) but the drill will outclass the battery hammer action by miles.
 
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Personally I'd get a decent 18v cordless for "oddjobs", and for things like drilling in to concrete etc, have a good hammer drill in your toolbox - I love my GSB1600RE, wouldn't be without it.

Brick is another matter, you really want SDS for that, but the issue with SDS is that they're very inconvenient in terms of bulk etc, so really they're a tool to use when you need the penetrating power, but not one for general use.
 
Makhaira said:
Personally I'd get a decent 18v cordless for "oddjobs", and for things like drilling in to concrete etc, have a good hammer drill in your toolbox - I love my GSB1600RE, wouldn't be without it.

Brick is another matter, you really want SDS for that, but the issue with SDS is that they're very inconvenient in terms of bulk etc, so really they're a tool to use when you need the penetrating power, but not one for general use.
Click to expand...

I was also surprised with an adaptor how well it went through metal too (rotatory only position). The two hands being further apart mean better control.

Concrete depends on the type and the mix. The stuff I had even the SDS had to use a line of drill holes to cut it up as the PSB just left a little indent.
 
After much deliberating and reading up on drills I bought one of these today

F253ADD0-CACF-4A8E-8E49-F2912499513F_zpsvay2eqny.jpg


Have I purchased wisely? It was between this and the Makita Dhp480rmj
 
The specs look very good, better than the Makita you were looking at. That should serve you very well.
 
cyber69 said:
After much deliberating and reading up on drills I bought one of these today
Have I purchased wisely? It was between this and the Makita Dhp480rmj
Click to expand...

Yes given that the boiler installer had a load of Milwaukee and then a Bosch SDS for the heavy job. He was using a very battered (and seemed very usable) Milwaukee drill and impact driver.
 
mattyg said:
Bosch Blue is cracking gear.

Milwaukee stuff seems new over here but is big in the states and well regarded.
Click to expand...

Milwaukee used to be good gear years ago, it was bought about ten years ago by a far east consortium who own various power tool brands including Ryobi. A lot of Ryobi and Milwaukee tools are the same and not great quality. Theres a guy on youtube called AvE and he reviews power tools stripping them down, looking not only at the build but also how they run and are controlled. Worth looking at if you interested in that sort of thing.

My personal preference for tools are Makita or Bosch Blue.
 
Milwaukee are fantastic imho.
I use mine daily with the 4ah battery for combi drill and grinder.

No complaints with it.
I reckon sticking with same manufacturer so that batteries are interchangeable between multiple use power tools.

If it's for Diy then a cheaper model would be fine.

Al
 
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