Recommend me a drill

[Smudger]

After trying to put up a towel rail and realising I don't have the right size drill bit, I thought I should look at getting a proper set. Then I thought: what's the point of a proper set if you don't have a proper drill? So, with about £60-£100 to spend, what's the best value set I can get? What voltage should I be looking at? I'd ideally like a rechargable drill, as it won't be heavy use, just generally drilling holes here and there in the house. ALso, can you get drills that use the hexagonal socket thingies that powered screwdrivers use?

[abaxas]

Buy two.

A corded hammer drill for heavy work and a cheapo rechargeable for everything else.

[Smudger]

Would I be able to get both for the price range though?

[abaxas]

Would I be able to get both for the price range though?

Easy.

Just keep your eyes on hotukdeals and something will come along.

Dont be put off by cheapo 15/20 quid chinese drills. They are fine for 95% of work, just lacking in power for masonry work.

Ie it's better to buy a 15 quid jobby which dies every 3-4 years than a 80 quid posh one you use twice a year.

[Knoxville]

I'd say pretty much the same thing to be honest. We've got two cheap 12v rechargables that get used for pretty much everything (I think they were HDUK twenty quid Aldi jobs themselves actually) and a bigger slightly more expensive 650 watt hammer drill for the heavier work but even that's not a Dewalt or anything flash. If you look at what most tradesmen use even they tend to stick to cheaper gear themselves unless they work for a company that can buy gear in serious bulk orders to knock the cost down. Look after the batteries well enough and a cheap one will do odd jobs around the house just as easily

Oh and yeah, you can get drill bits with a hexagonal chuck like a power screwdriver bit. They tend to be in smaller sizes in my experience though so it depends what you're looking for? Nearly all drills use a twist lock chuck mechanism now anyway which makes standard drill bits just as easy to work with.

[merdat]

Get a couple of B&q cheapo's one batt and one power, cost u about £20. If you don't have a lot of heavy work to do they will be fine . I've a couple of Bosch 24v drills - great drills but batteries are away on one of them and they cost about £60 to replace)-( gave it away as present but got it back when batteries died) . Had a makita 14.4 drill for years now -still one batt ok.

[blueball]

Screwfix Sale: http://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-828...bi-drill/39849

[Apex]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-Cordle...5104367&sr=8-1

[Sputnik]

This http://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-cdi2...bi-drill/63177

or

http://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-cdi2...bi-drill/32993

I use my Dewalt cordless for almost everything.

[wasabi]

Get an SDS drill. Once you've used one you'd never go back to a gutless normal drills.

Some have an option to take chisel bits which are really useful.

I got a Ferm one from screwfix years ago and still going strong. Closest new equivalent I can find is
http://www.screwfix.com/p/direct-pow...ill-230v/58494

[Sputnik]

Get an SDS drill. Once you've used one you'd never go back to a gutless normal drills.

I think using an SDS drill to put up a towel rail might be a bit over the top? Yes they are great things but, a good 18 volt cordless should be sufficient to do almost all normal DIY jobs.

[Smudger]

Thanks for the replies, guys. Anyone know if this bundle is any good?
You don't get a second battery, but it seems a lot of kit for the money...

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/blac...d-dykh-1102718

[abaxas]

Thanks for the replies, guys. Anyone know if this bundle is any good?
You don't get a second battery, but it seems a lot of kit for the money...

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/blac...d-dykh-1102718

Father had one. Not so good.

20 quid drill with a pack of bits.

It's Jan, so there are bound to be some deals about.

[Smudger]

Ah, OK.

So the 18v version at £66 would be as bad?

Also, what's the difference between a drill and a drill driver?

[Sputnik]

Also, what's the difference between a drill and a drill driver?

A drill driver does not normally have hammer action - Just drilling and doing up screws with adjustable torque settings.

A Combi does it all Drill, Hammer action and Torque settings.

Seriously do not buy a cheapo cordless or a Black and Decker one. I've had a few over the years Makita, Hitachi, Dewalt, Milwaukee all good quality kit with a good battery life.

I had a Black and Decker Proline cordless and it was rubbish. The gearbox broke regularly and battery life was terrible.

We also had a load of cheapo ones and they had terrible battery life, Poor power and took forever to recharge.

Those Titan drills I put the link for are good solid made things, They are made for Screwfix.

[rox0r]

I've gone through a fair share of drills over the years and now I stick with a good lithium ion 14.4v and an SDS for heavy work. I do have an 18v cordless but I only use that for jobs where I need to do a lot of piloting before screwing in like flooring, pilot in the 18v and driver in the 14.4v.

I also have an old corded drill for mixing plaster and paint etc, old faithful!

As for make and models, don't go mental but don't be a tightwad. Black and decker is perfectly fine for the home user. If you see yourself using your gear a fair bit for renovations or major projects then maybe invest in a decent brand like Erbauer.