Need a new cordless drill

[Kirk]

My cordless drill died on me this morning so looking to replace it, onlt to be used occasionally so what would you recommend?

Lithium battery, nicad battery or li ion battery?

Not looking for the top of the range like hilti etcmaybe spend £80 - £130

Cheers

 

[2into1]

I picked up a deWalt, with lithium batteries at Screwfix for about 100. Make sure it has hammer function if required as many of the cheaper ones don't. Lightweight but strong enough so far.

 

[larrylamb]

Agree with T4WFA. £100 will buy you a Makita or De Walt 18v Li-ion drill and 2 batts. £150 will buy the next level up with better drills and bigger batteries. Check also Toolstation, B&Q for offers and online tool sites.

 

[marshian70]

+1 for DeWalt.

 

[ArunAlec]

I have a Makita, with 2 li-ion batts. I'd never go back to Ni cads. Li-ion hold their charge and recharge very quickly.

 

[DavidofHook]

My Bosch died on me the other day for no apparent reason. After ferreting around I noticed that inside the handle of the drill one of the battery connections was green from damp. Sanded the green away and the drill is now fine so you may want to have a look at yours before splashing out (uniess you wanted a new one anyway!)

 

[pjm-84]

Bosch professional for me (blue rather then green). Small but powerful 10.8v. For heavy work I use my 28year corded Black and Decker

 

[JohnnyP]

+1 for a Makita

 

[Freeley]

Whatever you get make sure you get one with a lithium battery - they have no memory so don't have to run right down before being recharged.
I've got a Bosch 14.4v cordless screwdriver (with hammer function) and a Bosch 36v SDS hammer drill. Lovely bits of kit

Sent from my Galaxy S6

 

[hirsty]

Bosch 18v with 2x lithium batteries & hammer action, about £80

 

[SimonB]

+1 for DeWalt. I have 2 Bosch Professional cordless drills, the blue ones. As I don't use them frequently they discharged and now won't hold a charge at all. I tried the tips to get them to "relearn" how to charge, but it didn't work. A new battery is about just over half the cost of a new drill.
A DeWalt Li-ion seems to work very well, is smaller and more powerful that the Bosch and has a useful light which shines where the drill head is, sometimes useful in hard to see areas.

 

[bigmac77]

Is it the drill or the battery? If just the drill you might be able to pick up another naked drill to fit the battery quite cheaply.

 

[Keith Smith]

I have about 20 electric drills and most of them are DeWalt The latest 18V cordless is excellent, much lighter than the older NiCad version with a good run time even with a 1.3a battery.

 

[kave]

Anything Festool is nice

 

[mccp]

Having been through a number over the years, it is Dewalt 18 volt lithium every time.

See this page for a good explanation of the different types: http://www.its.co.uk/blog/buying-guides/dewalt-drill-buy/

Dewalt basically do three levels - the cheapest is often available from the likes of Screwfix on offer around £90 (depends on size and number of batteries). These have a lot of plastic components and are perfectly fine for occasional DIY. I've bought my daughter one of these. The next level up (700 series) is a good professional level drill for everyday use (I have two). The 900 series are the mutts nuts of the range, but probably only sensible if you are using it on site every day.

It's always better to get two batteries than one, even if they are much smaller capacity. My chargers tend to charge faster than I can use the battery up, so one on the drill and one charging gives you continuous use.

I don't know about the drills, but I have a Dewalt multitool with their new brushless motor, and that is well worth the money - it seems very solid and responsive.

Whatever you go for, don't buy a NiCd battery drill as the batteries will be dead within three years, and unless you are in a hurry, keep your eyes open for deals on sites like toolstop.co.uk and ffx.co.uk.

 

[SimonB]

Is it the drill or the battery? If just the drill you might be able to pick up another naked drill to fit the battery quite cheaply.

Unfortunately it's the battery. I have had them a fair time but you put it on charge and it takes about 10 minutes for the light to go off. It then discharges even quicker. Some videos on YouTube showing how to cure it, but they've not worked for me. Now moved onto DeWalt and Li-ion.

 

[larrylamb]

http://www.screwfix.com/p/bosch-gsb18-2-li-plus-18v-1-5ah-li-ion-cordless-combi-drill/9647j
Reduced, good buy for diy £89.99 with 2 batts and 3 yr warranty

 

[pete&gill]

De Walt XR range every time - a great range of tools with interchangeable batteries - just get the drill with 2AH batteries for a nice light tool, they charge in no time. The impact driver is awesome - get one of those as well (£100ish for the bare tool) and you'll never look back.

 

[Wogga]

Another for MAkita, the body lasts several sets of batterie. 20 yrs plus still going strong used commercially for the first 10.

 

[2haw]

I think me may of already replaced it a few years back!!