Drill Driver

[matt]

Having hi-jacked this old thread I thought I would start a new thread with my shortlist...

My original intention was to buy a drill/driver to complement my 18v DeWalt and lightweight 7.2v Li-ion Makita impact driver (the tiny one 17Nm torque...)

Here is the shortlist compared

Grateful for any thoughts...

Cheers

 

[Charlotte]

I would bank on the Dewalt lasting ages.....my 7.2v drill driver has done 10 years of much more work than it was designed for. One of the batteries is now goosed and it is underpowered for driving 4" 6mm screws.....but it still gets there eventually.

That said, I want to replace it with the makita twin pack when things get busy again.

 

[logchopper]

I've got a Makita BHP452 (in the limited edition white) and it's a fantastic bit of kit, I can't recommend it enough. I've only got the one battery, but I've never had a problem with it, and it only takes 20mins to go from flat to a full charge, so if it ever did run out on me I'd just stop for a cup of tea

 

[ndbrown]

I would second the vote for the 18vLi Makita. I had a 12v NiCd Makita for many years but it was a bit light for some jobs and a bit heavy/overkill for screwdriving.
Changed to an 18v Makita BHP451 / BTD140 Impact driver with Li batteries. Built a 13m x 5m long deck with them last year and based on my experience, I would be OK with one battery if that was the most cost effective option (I had 2 though).
Now also have a Bosch 10.8v Screwdriver and 10.8v Impact Driver and this combination of tools suits what I need to do. Was able to sell my old 12v kit through e-bay and was surprised to get more than I thought for them. Overall, the cost of changing was not as high as I thought by shopping around. There are some really good deals out there!

 

[Calpol]

Another vote for Makita here! 18V Li-ion bits are light and comfy and the 20min charger is the dogs. They do a 4 function drill (drill, driver, percussion & impact) which looks pretty slick as well, I'm looking at one myself...

 

[matt]

Oh no :shock: The rank outsider is going up the list... Hmmm...

 

[chippy1970]

Another vote for Makita here! 18V Li-ion bits are light and comfy and the 20min charger is the dogs. They do a 4 function drill (drill, driver, percussion & impact) which looks pretty slick as well, I'm looking at one myself...

Dont get the 4 function one I was warned away from them by a dealer he had loads back for waranty work, he said they just crammed too much stuff into a tiny unit and they just went wrong.

As for the rest of the Makita 18v Li-ion stuff its great I have 2 drills 4 batteries and an impact driver had some of it for 2 years used every day on site and still going strong (touch wood).

 

[matt]

Hmmm... I'll give the 4 function one a swerve then. I find myself hankering after getting more than one drill so I can drill, pilot, countersink, and screw without messing about constantly changing bits... Lazy, eh?

For years I used a 7.2v ni-cad Bosch green driver (which was subsequently replaced with the 7.2v Makita Li-ion impact driver which is OK to a point).

I may just go for the Screwfix deal. Two 14.4v Makita drill drivers (with one battery each) for £88 after discount.

...but then should I be getting a meatier impact driver... Hmmmm...

I used to be indecisive, now I'm just not sure...

 

[Gavin-T]

A bit more cash but well worth the outlay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FESTOOL-564198-TD ... %3A1318and you can use their snappy stuff to save time swapping bits round . I have the 15.6v version and have got two chucks for it so i can drill with one, counter sink with another then put the screws in with the bit holder. Saves me no end of time on site

Gavin.

 

[matt]

Now you're just messing with my mind!

I've made a decision! I'm going to swing by Screwfix tomorrow morning and get this twin pack. It gives me the flexability to use one of the drivers and rotate the two batteries or, if I need to, use both and charge as required (30 min charge time so not the end of the world - especially as they're not likely to need charging at exactly the same time).

With the discount it comes to £88 which, given my indecision, is an sum I'm happy to spend to satisfy my short term needs. If it serves my longer term needs then that's a bonus.

It also means I'll be happier to spend more when my DeWalt 18v eventually gives up.

Thanks for all the input.

 

[Gavin-T]

Only a 10mm chuck on it though. If you do decide to get it still you can get these http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Battery-For-Makit ... 240%3A1318
if you dont think the batteries are much cop.

Gavin.

P.S go for the festool!

 

[chippy1970]

Now you're just messing with my mind!

I've made a decision! I'm going to swing by Screwfix tomorrow morning and get this twin pack. It gives me the flexability to use one of the drivers and rotate the two batteries or, if I need to, use both and charge as required (30 min charge time so not the end of the world - especially as they're not likely to need charging at exactly the same time).

With the discount it comes to £88 which, given my indecision, is an sum I'm happy to spend to satisfy my short term needs. If it serves my longer term needs then that's a bonus.

It also means I'll be happier to spend more when my DeWalt 18v
eventually gives up.

Thanks for all the input.

Dont get them I bought a 12v Makita a couple of years ago just because I wanted a small cheapo one for getting in wall units this was before i splashed out on the li-ion kit.

The makita's with the orange batteries dont last long all my batteries died after one year. The drills are OK but the orange batteries dont seem to last if used every day hope this helps you. Think they are only 1.3 ah where as the LI_ION ones are 3 ah and if left laying around for a while they dont discharge at all.

 

[Rich]

Hmmm... I'll give the 4 function one a swerve then. I find myself hankering after getting more than one drill so I can drill, pilot, countersink, and screw without messing about constantly changing bits... Lazy, eh?

For years I used a 7.2v ni-cad Bosch green driver (which was subsequently replaced with the 7.2v Makita Li-ion impact driver which is OK to a point).

I may just go for the Screwfix deal. Two 14.4v Makita drill drivers (with one battery each) for £88 after discount.

...but then should I be getting a meatier impact driver... Hmmmm...

I used to be indecisive, now I'm just not sure...

Bosch green is for the DIY sector, Bosch blue is for the trade sector, you get what you pay for, I like Bosch tooling and their innovations.

Rich.

 

[pooka]

Just to throw one other option (well, two options really I guess!) into the mix, Rutlands have some Panasonic drills in their clearance sale at the moment:

* Panasonic 12V Impact Driver for £150
* Panasonic 12V Hammer Drill Driver for £100

Both drills take the same 3.5Ah NiMH batteries, and they each come with 2 of them, so if you were to buy both drills you'd basically have 4 batteries for either drill. Not cheap but very good value compared to their original prices.

I've used neither drill, but I do have the 15.6V NiMH Panasonic drill driver and have been impressed by it. Also the 14.4V Li-Ion Panasonic impact driver got top rating in the Taunton test of impact drivers in 2008 (they tested a variety of makes and models ranging from 10.8V to 18V). That doesn't guarantee the quality of the above models of course (the above models are certainly in a lower class in terms of power), but Panasonic do seem to produce good drills.

 

[matt]

Rich. The green Bosch was one I had from years ago. It was very good. It's the Makita that I was describing as "ok to a point" :shock:. The Bosch was surprisingly good for green.

Since deciding on the Makita I've come across this Metabo... 13mm chuck and 2Ah batts. Also 50Nm torque and 1400rpm max speed and spindle lock. The only slight downside is that it weighs 2.1kg. I think I can live with the weight though (my DeWalt is 2.8kg!). In terms of Ah and torque it matches my DeWalt. I think this ticks a lot of the right boxes for me and, whilst Metabo does not seem the most popular brand I've yet to find anyone who has had a bad experience.

Panasonic seems like a good deal but slow RPM and low torque.

 

[andycktm]

Have you seen the AEG's that are reduced in B&Q Matt?

 

[pooka]

matt, the Bosch 10.8V Li-Ion range are worth considering too:

* Bosch GSR 10.8V Drill Driver
* Bpsch GDR 10.8V Impact Driver

They pack a lot of power for their size. I have the impact driver above and an older version of their drill driver and have been happy with them both. They are not as powerful as some of the larger alternatives but their size and weight are very convenient. The only issue I have had with the impact driver is that it would be nice to have the option of varying the torque as some impact drivers allow you to do - the driver itself should auto adjust to some extent but mine has snapped heads off a few 5x50mm screws (the quality of the screws may have played a part, mind you).

The Axminster prices above are not necessarily the best value as I have seen packages from various suppliers (including ebay) which sell both drills together and then they can prove to be a bargain.

 

[matt]

Thanks again for all the input. I settled on the Metabo in the end. I can't dispute the benefits of Li-ion but Ni-cad only really looks poor by comparison. With one exception all my cordless have been Ni-cad and have been absolutely no problem for me.

 

[dddd]

Can I just ask a silly question here, I'm also in the market for a Li-ion drill/driver, have decided to spend a bit of money this time though (I believe you get what you pay for).
However looking on screwfix I see there is a Makita BHP452RFX For £146 (on special) and BHP451RFE for £293, now on the face of it they look the same although the first only has one battery, now £150 for a battery seems steep so what I would like to know is am I looking at Makitas equivalent of the Bosch Green and Blue brands. If I am then how do you tell the difference?
I've had Green Boschs and the cheaper Dewalts in the past and none of them have really given the best service so I don't want to fall into that trap again.


Cheers

N.

 

[andycktm]

The drill was originally £229 so £70 for a batt.The reason it is cheaper is because everybody wants 2 batts.
But unless your onsite i cannot see why one batt. isn't enough with a 22 mins recharge time.10 mins would be enough to carry on.
£200+ i don't think you need to worry about quality.