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Cordless Drill

Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 3:35 pm
by Squiggle
Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced 18v cordless drill please.

No power in garage.......

Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 3:57 pm
by d_harris
What are you intending to use it for?

And what is a reasonable budget?

I've had no problems with Performance Power stuff (B&Q own brand) but my father swears by Wickes own brand.

Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 4:10 pm
by Squiggle
Dan_Harris wrote:What are you intending to use it for?

And what is a reasonable budget?

I've had no problems with Performance Power stuff (B&Q own brand) but my father swears by Wickes own brand.
Hi Dan,

To make even more holes in the mog!

Have a strong feeling I'm going to need to drill extra holes to secure the headlamp that is leaving the wing!

So, use will be for doing bits n pieces on the car down the garage where there is no power..

Wouldn't mind being able to use some of the 'sanding' wire brush attachments too.

Loyal pal at JLH said 18v's a good idea.

Prices seem to be around £50+ for that size.

Don't want to go to much higher. Certainly not over £100 unless it makes the tea and turns rust into shiny metal. As if ....... :roll:

Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 4:20 pm
by d_harris
I second the 18v, still not quite as good as a corded one though

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produ ... rewdrivers

Looks like a cracking deal :D

Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 4:52 pm
by Peetee
You're not going to get the best with that budget and I've never spent more myself. What ususally happens with the cheaper models is the clutch ratchet wears making the head slip at lower torque. Also the locking mechanism for the bits becomes less effective.
One of these days I'll spend a decent amount and get one that lasts. :roll:

Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 5:08 pm
by linearaudio
I've got a "nu-tool" one, of the slow charge/2 battery type so you seem to get more out of a charge. Cost me £20 on offer, so cheap I had to do it! Must say its been abused like all my tools, and took it. Also, no-one is going to nick it if they spot it, unlike a Makita!! And if I bounce it off the shed roof (done that) I'm not going to cry about it!

As a renowned bodger and skinflint, I also have an "old dog" 16.8v one of the same brand. The battery pack gave up after 5 years, and, having a spare 18v pack,and nothing to lose, I dissected it and squeezed another cell in, so its now over-volting by 1.2v! Gives it a bit more go!

Go for one which has a half decent speed, as some of the budget ones are painfully slow in order to improve their torque ie ~800rpm. You can soon tire of waiting for a hole to appear at that speed!

Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 5:43 pm
by HarryMango
Tesco do them now - IIRC 18V was about £23 & 24V was £30 this was certainly 2 speed & a 1 Hour charger - probably not the best quality but good enough if your not going to overwork it.

Rog

Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 11:54 pm
by bmcecosse
ALDI have a very good, very high power cordless - it's a great buy! I bought one last time around - and it's a really useful weapon.

Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2009 8:27 am
by GAS
I would get one with at least two batteries that are a minimum of 2 m amp.
The gun is nothing, It's the batteries.

But if its for drilling out thousands of spotwelds,go for a cheep corded drill.
Even they have about a 3 year waranty

Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2009 11:49 am
by GeoffC
GAS wrote:
But if its for drilling out thousands of spotwelds,go for a cheep corded drill.
Not much use in a garage without power :roll:

Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:13 pm
by paulhumphries
GeoffC wrote:
GAS wrote:
But if its for drilling out thousands of spotwelds,go for a cheep corded drill.
Not much use in a garage without power :roll:
Consider an inverter and corded drill running off a leisure battery ?

Personally I've had quite a few cordless drills and my current one is a SITE from Screwfix. It's basically a Makita only red with different badges. The literature even says contact Makita for warrante ! Screwfix say made for them by Makita and I cann't see any difference other than colour - and price.
Well worth considering as quality drill and excellent power - better than my previous 24v drill.
I paid £48 with 4 batteries on a recent promotional offer.

Paul H.

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2009 1:35 pm
by mike.perry
Not much use in a garage without power
I've got a very long extension lead

Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 11:28 am
by Kevin
mike.perry wrote:
Not much use in a garage without power
I've got a very long extension lead
I think you had better lend squiggle your 800 metre one then Mike :wink:

Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 12:27 pm
by superchargedfool
I have had a few over the years and my dewalt is by far the best. Yes it was expensive but well worth it.

As previously mentioned a high percentage of the cost is the batteries, and you get what you pay for.

In your shoes I would buy a cheap one and except its short comings. Mid priced ones I feel are a waste of money. If you are going to spend morre than a cheapo would cost go the whole hog and buy a good one.

Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 3:31 pm
by alainmoran
1kW Generators are pretty cheap and will run most power tools, and as someone else said inverters are a good option too.

IMO you are never going to get the same kind of consitent torque out of a battery powered drill as you will out of a corded one, especially if you buy a 'cheep' cordless drill.

I'll bet you a pint that you will end up wishing that you had just gone the gennie route in the end.

Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 4:15 pm
by dp
B&Q were doing 750W 2 stroke generators for about £40. Advantage is you can use corded drills, vacuum cleaners and so on. Disadvantage is weight, noise and fumes.

Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 8:25 pm
by linearaudio
dp wrote:B&Q were doing 750KW 2 stroke generators for about £40. Advantage is you can use corded drills, vacuum cleaners and so on. Disadvantage is weight, noise and fumes.
£40?? Was that a recent promotion, if so I'll get one. Be useful to keep for occasional use at that price!

Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 8:06 am
by dp
Oops should have said 750W not 750KW. They seems to appear now and then in B&Q, the other DIY stores, Halfords,that kind of place. I think about 6 months ago but might have been 12.

Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 11:06 am
by andrew.searston
hi i brought a sainsburys brand 18v cordless hammer drill for 10 quid. and its brilliant. cheapest 18v on the market....