Which cordless drill?

[greenmeansgo]

This DeWalt or this Bosch?

It'll be for home use, as a drill and a screwdriver. Two German brands. Both have two 18V batteries. Is one better than the other?

The Bosch:

• Li-ion batteries
• has an extra handle with depth gauge
• is 200g lighter
• feels a little more plasticy to use
• two year warranty
• made in Hungary

The DeWalt:

• Ni-Cd battieries
• is black and yellow
• has a slightly flimsy handle on the case
• in all other regards feels nice and solid
• one year warranty
• made in the Czech republic

They seem to be pretty much the same drill, so can you help me make this trivial decision?

[mike]

100% De Walt.  I had a cheaper version of that bosch and it was shit - battery life was terrible and it felt like it was about to fall apart the whole time. I've now got exactly that dewalt and it's been fantastic.  The batteries last longer than they take to charge, which is a big step forward from the bosch.

I think all the builders that worked on our house had dewalts.

[Ham]

Makita is my preference

http://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-8391dwpe-18v-combi-drill/84044

Edit: Li-ion is better especially if you aren't using it regulalry - and yes this Makita is NiCad so maybe not

[Woofage]

Makita is my preference

http://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-8391dwpe-18v-combi-drill/84044

Edit: Li-ion is better especially if you aren't using it regulalry - and yes this Makita is NiCad so maybe not

I've got a Makita similar to that (well, 2 actually ) and it's the dBs. Yes, it's NiCad but so what? It's a pro quality tool and has taken everything I've thrown at it.

I think all the builders that worked on our house had dewalts.

Our builders used Makita! I did hire a Bosch breaker though and that was a ice tool.

Here's an anecdote: a chap I once worked with used to do S&M for Bosch. He (or his team) were responsible for the trick that all the consumer power tool manufacturers now do: create exclusive models for each distribution chain. It makes direct price comparisons between retailers impossible and helps keep the prices up. You have been warned... Also note that green Bosch tools are consumer grade. Pro ones are blue.

[loadsabikes]

Makita every time.
I've had them all over the years and Makita are best by a mile.

[hatler]

Bummer. Wish I'd seen this thread earlier.

I just bought a Bosch Li-Ion 14.4 volt drill driver.

NiCad batteries are a pain.

If I was using it professionally I'd run with a DeWalt. I spent half an hour with the owner of Simbles toolmerchants in Watford once going through the different brands. On all measures DeWalt came out on top. Better bearings, better windings, just sturdier.

However, they are more expensive, and what typically ends these type of products' use for me is when the battery goes kaput, so there's little point buying something at twice the price when the cheaper model will do what I need it for, and they end up getting thrown away at the same time 'cos the battery has failed.

And battery prices for five year old bits of kit are soooo expensive you might as well buy a whole new tool (which is what I just did).

[hubner]

Which is why I prefer corded tools to keep for the long term and think cordless are disposable tools, unless the batteries are a standard size and are generally available as spares.

I bought 2 corded drills recently;  £20 B&Q no brand/own brand (it was £13 when I got it), and a £15 Aldi. I've only used the  B&Q to drill a few holes so far but it works well enough.

[greenmeansgo]

Thanks for the replies so far. This concept of the corded drill has thrown it wide open! I have a rattly old Black and Decker corded drill which is getting past its best, which is why I was looking at these. I'm not too sure why I was looking for a cordless. So, any ideas for a corded drill/ reasons not to get a cordless?

[why1040]

I've got a Black and Decker cordless hammer drill that is at least 15 years old and still works beautifully.  To be fair, it hasn't worked THAT hard over the years, but it's still as reliable as the day I bought it. 

I like the convenience of the cordless, not having to worry about pulling the cord out, standing on it, falling over it or drilling through it.  Then again, I'm dyspraxic and perhaps more likely than most to actually do the above 

[Valiant]

To be fair, if you go for DeWalt XR/XRP, Makita, Hitachi, Panasonic, Festool, Bosch Blue, Decent AEG you probably won't regret it.

[Ham]

I mostly buy from ITS (they're local to me, too) here http://www.its.co.uk/ - mind the headline prices are ex vat

Question is, what do you want to use it for? Occasional use, you will get much better service from Li-ion - could you make do with 1 battery? Fast chargers mean that mean you just might have to have a cup of tea at some point in the work. If so, then you could buy a 1 battery Li-ion for the same cost as a 2 battery ni-cad. Are you assembling lots of flat pack furniture? If so you need a good, reliable clutch, Makita, deWalt have this, I would wonder about Bosch diy kit from my experience of it. Do you need a hammer drill? (Frankly, almost certainly but YMMV) If so, then 18v is likely beneficial, but consider also 14.4 - I have a Makita 3 x 14.4v battery Drill/Jigsaw combo that has done everything thrown at it. The cordless voltage race thing seems rather like camera megapixels - primarily aimed at marketing.

As valiant says, good brands are much of a muchness, prices are broadly similar too, and they probably all come from the same factory (Makita used to be made in the Yoo Ess of Ay, but that was a while back)

And to answer your question directly: reasons for cordless drill are convenience, screwdriving corded: power, cost

[urban_biker]

My Dad has the Bosch, I have the DeWalt.

I went for the Dewalt because:

1) Nicad batteries - Lion batteries are great (and light) but they degrade over time. I know laptop batteries struggle to last more than a couple of years. Nicads are recoverable if you leave them alone for long enough.

2) The DeWalt has a full metal gear box

[Jaded]

If you plan to use it infrequently, then it might be better to reconsider corder, as the (Li-ion) batteries will benefit from being kept charged.

[graculus]

For a cordless and corded drill of the same weight I find the cordless to be easier and less tiring to handle. The cordless drill is in effect a handle with the motor at one end balanced by the battery at the other. For a corded drill you have to support the weight and provide a twisting force to to keep the bit aligned vertically.

[YahudaMoon]

From experience and used many a different drill of the cordless variety Id say the best are

Hilti

Milwakee

Makita

Hitachi

These are the kind of drills you can use / abuse on a daily basis

Dewault are poor. I've  broke many of them. The motors are OK though the housing is cheap compared to the above. Dewault are a DIY tools. OK for the home though if you need something that won't break and you use on a daily basis buy what the trades use and purchase one of the above

Dewault are part of the DIY tools group Black & Decker (poor)

[mrcharly-YHT]

I've hammered a Ryobi for about 6 years now. Lots of small steel drilling, wood, masonry. It's great. Nothing failing on it, both batteries still going strong.

If you think you will use cordless for drilling steel or masonry, get as high a voltage as you can afford.

[greenmeansgo]

Thanks for all the comments. I'm slightly clearer now.

I think I'll go have a look at this Makita suggested upthread. I've now heard good and bad experiences with both Bosch and De Walt, but only good about Makita. I'm more or less decided on cordless, but remain a little confused over battery types, as the opinion seems to be divided on Li-ion vs Ni-Cd for occasional use.

[Tom M]

I've got one of the £99 Makita ones too and been very pleased with it. Not something I know a lot about, but coped with a good variety of DIY jobs, has good battery life, and seems to hold the charge well even if not used for some time.

[Valiant]

I'd go with Hitchachi over Makita. They still use Japanese motors.

DeWalt have a wide range of products. Low to Mid range are DIY. The uppers are anything but. I kill drills. There are few I haven't. The only one that hasn't died is my Atlas Copco.

[Diver300]

I would always go for Li-Ion over Ni-Cd, particularly for occasional use.

Ni-Cd have a much higher self-discharge rate, but it isn't consistent across different cells. If you charge the battery and then leave it for a few months, some cells will be flat. The pack still has enough power to be used, and the good cells cause the flat ones to over-discharge and you often get negative voltage on some cells. They don't like that.

Then you charge it up. The good cells get overcharged because there is no way to charge the dead cells only, so the good cells get damaged as well.

[gordon taylor]

I've got one of the £99 Makita ones too and been very pleased with it. Not something I know a lot about, but coped with a good variety of DIY jobs, has good battery life, and seems to hold the charge well even if not used for some time.

Makita - amazing. 

[greenmeansgo]

Well, I went ahead and got one of those Makita's that I linked to. Looks good, sturdy case, feels well made. No little light that the others had, but I only noticed it afterwards: I don't feel this is much of an issue.

It has Ni-Cd batteries. I'm not going to worry too much about whether a different sort is better, because it's always going to be a compromise at this price level. Thanks to all for your input - I have learnt new things along the way! The main thing is that the perfect product at a given price point never seems to exist. Similarly it's not worth buying the very best product all the time unless it's actually going to get used a hell of a lot.

I thought YACF would be a good place to gather opinions on this topic. I wasn't disappointed!

[Kim]

I would always go for Li-Ion over Ni-Cd, particularly for occasional use.

I was thinking along the same lines.  But more realistically, in the absence of supercaps, I'd go for mains powered for occasional use.

The thing about battery powered drills is that, regardless of technology or capacity, the battery usually has no more than n-1 screws worth of charge in it.

[Blodwyn Pig]

I've JUST bought one!! In screwfix yesterday and saw this neat little hitachi 18v combi drill (drill/hammer drill) with 2 li-ion batteries and a 60 min charge, with a case for £99 ;( £100 off usual price)D. Saw the de walt ones and the bish bash ones but both only had 1 battery. Its a luverrly drill to use, and the hammer function makes lots of jobs so much easier than with a corded drill.  My small de-walt drill driver is 12v and does lack a bit of punch, and one of the 2 ni-cad batts had died, so I had 2 de-walt drills and 1 battery, but managed to 'spike' the dead one with a car battery, and it now takes a charge, and works again.  Depending on how much you'll use it considder the cost of a second battery on top of the price (not cheap) and compare it with a twin battery pack price.  I use mine every day, as I 'do up' properties that I buy in a sorry state, so they get a hard life, my first de-walt 12v is now 7 years old and has a wobbly chuck, but still able to put up ceilings with it.

ps sorry just read op's last post , ie he's got one now,  doh!!

[Jurek]

Elu.
If you're putting in screws all day.
And can still find one.....
I have a 12v Elu which weighs about twice that of an 18v DeWalt - and has much, much more poke. More motor windings = more weight = more grunt. Never let me down.
The batteries?.... another matter.

If not, Festool.
Spendy, though.