Spec me - Corded (yes, corded) drill replacement

Makhaira

Makhaira

Makhaira

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Joined
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Lancashire, UK
Well it's with a bit of genuine sadness that my old drill died today. It's older than me, probably about 30 years, and hasn't missed a beat. Today though it decided to finally give up the ghost, with one of the bearing runs and contents shattering, causing too much damage to be worth repairing. It had a good innings though...

So I'm after a replacement for doing heavier stuff than my little cordless offerings can handle. The old drill was a 500w with hammer function. I'm after something equivalent - no bells or whistles, just a rock solid mains powered drill, with hammer, for doing large pieces of woodwork, holes into masonry, and some occasional metalwork.

This is one of those workshop items that I won't use that much, I just find it critical from time to time!

Any and all pointers to add to my research welcomed!

Cheers.
 
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Makhaira said:
The old drill was a 500w with hammer function. I'm after something equivalent - no bells or whistles, just a rock solid mains powered drill, with hammer
Click to expand...

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/7106062.htm
I bought one of those to make some inch deep holes in masonry for my bay window curtain rail
500w
the hammer function is a toggle
the trigger is pressure sensitive and not on/off
says only 13mm for masonry though but I obviously went far beyond that going 1inch deep

might not be appropriate if your using it for extended periods of time without rest though as it heats up a little quick but is self cooling so you can just run it full speed without any load to cool it down again.


cheap as hell though
 
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SDS bits don't slip in the chuck, plus you have the opition to use sds chisels & points for chasing & tile removal, plus light breaking.
 
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Makes sense, I was looking to steer clear of sds to minimise cost, but looks like that is no dearer than a straight percussive! I'll sleep on it and shop around for prices and reviews, cheers for the recommendation!
 
And sds will drill into hard concrete like a lintel, so easily compared to a percussion drill.
Also using sds shank mandrels for hole saws, no slipping, & there is no chuck key to lose with sds.:D

This is a good offer, comes with a free'keyless chuck adaptor', a quick google will find similar offers.

http://www.buyaparcel.com/pageview....=HR2230 240v&gclid=CJn__rvI87gCFUbHtAodqjQAtg

Also look for the Makita-HR2610, it gives you the option to use core bits up to 68mm.
 
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^
yes you can (they have a second chuck) or mine does anyway

My SDS was a lot cheaper than my normal drill, but I only bought a cheapo for a few jobs. They are impressive things to play with though, absolutely battering their way through concrete like it was chalk
 
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The drill will last him another 30 years if he doesn't use it much, so warranty isn't worth considering tbh. I have drilled thousands of 6mm holes into brick, stone and concrete for concrete screws on a daily basis and it is still going strong after 6 or so years.

All decent brands seem to be pretty much indestructible, unless you start using them for massive breaking tasks that a much heavier breaker should be used.

For occasional use i'd be tempted to just go for a decent percussion drill. SDS drills are already quite long and with the keyed chuck adapter it extends it further, plus they are quite heavy. If it will be used for woodwork mainly then something smaller and lighter might be a better bet.

I use a small Bosch percussion drill for woodworking tasks around the house and my shed/workshop.
 
Gone for the Bosch GSB 1600RE in the end, it's one of their professional items so should last me well! Only £85 too :).

Nightglow - likewise, but there are times like now where I'm drilling through about 4 inches of hardwood for a bench where the cordless is infinitely slower than the corded!
 
Makhaira said:
Nightglow - likewise, but there are times like now where I'm drilling through about 4 inches of hardwood for a bench where the cordless is infinitely slower than the corded!
Click to expand...

Shame that wasn't mentioned in original post, as I would have suggested something different.
 
Sorry, was just an example of "large woodwork" in the OP. It was you that put me onto the Bosch "blue" range with the last thread on reciprocating multi tools. Still really really pleased with that one :).
 
I have a Bosch GSB 1600RE brilliant for boring through fence posts.
But, for masonry & hard concrete, I prefer my Bosch GBH 4 DFE sds, very old now, but much quicker.
 
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