Battery powered tools

[ian]

And miss the opportunity not to provide entertaining reading should the mothership ever delve into my browser history?

There's some hefty stuff out there. I can now see why it might need proper 240-volt electricity and not the weak and meel foreign varieties. I do live by the Ann Summers dildo proving grounds. I like to hope they're not working on something nuclear-powered and Made-in-Britain. All that frangible plastic. You'd be picking out pieces for weeks.

[Mr Larrington]

Joak about Dyson Dildo goes here ==>

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Joak about Dyson Dildo goes here ==>

Ditto the Heineken advert

[DuncanM]

I need a decent mains power drill for the usual DIY stuff (including putting holes in masonry). My current one was a 400W Bosch, which was never quite powerful and the chuck is knackered (last job the bit kept grabbing). It's probably 15 years old, so I can't complain.  Assuming I'm staying with mains (I have a crap 12V drill/driver that is mostly a screwdriver), is there anything specific I should look out for? I'm fairly brand agnostic (I think I have power tools from Bosch, Ryobi, Clarke (drill press, almost never used), Makita, B&D and others, few of which have batteries).

[pcolbeck]

Makita even do a coffee machine that uses the same battery pack as their cordless tools.

[quixoticgeek]

I need a decent mains power drill for the usual DIY stuff (including putting holes in masonry). My current one was a 400W Bosch, which was never quite powerful and the chuck is knackered (last job the bit kept grabbing). It's probably 15 years old, so I can't complain.  Assuming I'm staying with mains (I have a crap 12V drill/driver that is mostly a screwdriver), is there anything specific I should look out for? I'm fairly brand agnostic (I think I have power tools from Bosch, Ryobi, Clarke (drill press, almost never used), Makita, B&D and others, few of which have batteries).

I have a mains powered drill, but I left it in the UK, my battery Makita goes straight through any solid surface in the building I live in.

Brick, concrete, concrete mousse (the stuff they make the interior walls with here), all no problem.

Things to look for in a drill that will be drilling masonry:

- Chuck size - Make sure that the chuck is big enough to take the drill bits you need. I wouldn't want to go smaller than 13mm. This will allow most stills upto about 16mm to work.
- Level on it - Drilling masonry you often want to make sure your drill is level to make sure what you screw in fits well.
- Light - Nice add on, not critical, but I do like it
- Support handle - If you are doing something on troublesome solid stuff, being able to brace it with both hands, can be nice.

Beyond that, in terms of mains power drills, you get what you pay for, a 100 quid drill from blue company will be just as good as one from yellow, red, or green company. You're really looking at the polish features that make the drill easier to use.

J

[Polar Bear]

I need a decent mains power drill for the usual DIY stuff (including putting holes in masonry). My current one was a 400W Bosch, which was never quite powerful and the chuck is knackered (last job the bit kept grabbing). It's probably 15 years old, so I can't complain.  Assuming I'm staying with mains (I have a crap 12V drill/driver that is mostly a screwdriver), is there anything specific I should look out for? I'm fairly brand agnostic (I think I have power tools from Bosch, Ryobi, Clarke (drill press, almost never used), Makita, B&D and others, few of which have batteries).

I got a replacement chuck for my power drill last year.  Fine for everything really except perhaps bricks and concrete but I bought a cheap Lidl SDS drill for such tasks as they are so few and far between.

[quixoticgeek]

I got a replacement chuck for my power drill last year.  Fine for everything really except perhaps bricks and concrete but I bought a cheap Lidl SDS drill for such tasks as they are so few and far between.

I have a friend with an SDS+ drill, He won't let me use it, but if I give him beer, and mark where I want the holes, he will come over and make holes to the specification I want...

J

[DuncanM]

I need a decent mains power drill for the usual DIY stuff (including putting holes in masonry). My current one was a 400W Bosch, which was never quite powerful and the chuck is knackered (last job the bit kept grabbing). It's probably 15 years old, so I can't complain.  Assuming I'm staying with mains (I have a crap 12V drill/driver that is mostly a screwdriver), is there anything specific I should look out for? I'm fairly brand agnostic (I think I have power tools from Bosch, Ryobi, Clarke (drill press, almost never used), Makita, B&D and others, few of which have batteries).

I got a replacement chuck for my power drill last year.  Fine for everything really except perhaps bricks and concrete but I bought a cheap Lidl SDS drill for such tasks as they are so few and far between.

Can you use an SDS drill for non masonry stuff? I reckon I use the masonry bits more than the regular ones at the moment. Ah, googling suggests I would need a whole new set of drill bits. Might not be a terrible thing...

[Cudzoziemiec]

concrete mousse (the stuff they make the interior walls with here),

foam concrete

Not taking the piss, having lived ABROAD for a few years myself I know it's very easy with less common bits of vocab to use a right-sounding word that isn't the one which is actually in current use.

[quixoticgeek]

foam concrete

Not taking the piss, having lived ABROAD for a few years myself I know it's very easy with less common bits of vocab to use a right-sounding word that isn't the one which is actually in current use.

Oh I think the English is Breeze Block... But it's got the same sort of composition of an Aero or Wispa chocolate bar, but it's made of concrete, not chocolate...

J

[Cudzoziemiec]

Ah, breeze blocks. That makes sense. Mousse I think of as something a little more gunky, less aerated. Actually, I'm thinking of something like Angel Delight; but as everyone knows, the one true flavour of that is caramel. I'm hungry now.

[Diver300]

Can you use an SDS drill for non masonry stuff? I reckon I use the masonry bits more than the regular ones at the moment. Ah, googling suggests I would need a whole new set of drill bits. Might not be a terrible thing...

Most SDS drills allow you to turn the hammer on and off, and to turn the rotation on and off. (Some won't let you turn both off. If you do turn both off, it doesn't matter, the drill just makes noise but performs no useful action when you pull the trigger.

With the hammer turned off, you can put in an ordinary chuck with an SDS part on the back. Something like this:- https://www.screwfix.com/p/bosch-2607000982-keyed-chuck-sds-plus-adaptor-13mm/80892

Drill bits are generally separate for masonry, wood, and everything else. Masonry bits are used with hammer, the others without. The everything else bits are fine on wood, but wood bits are a bit better on wood and are also available with bit sizes much larger than the shank so that a 25 mm hole can be drilled in wood using a 10 mm chuck.

I have a 10 mm Bosch battery drill. It has a reasonable hammer action so it will drill small holes in softer masonry. I use it for screwdriving and 95% of all the holes I drill.

I also have a cheap mains SDS drill, some long masonry bits, and some SDS chisels, and a 13 mm chuck that fits it. It was only about £60 for the drill and anything vaguely equivalent and battery powered would be expensive and far heavier than the 10 mm Bosch drill. The SDS drill can put holes up to 25 mm in concrete, and on any masonry it's far faster than the battery drill.

[DuncanM]

I might was well get an SDS drill, some SDS masonry bits and the chuck to use my existing regular/wood bits. That will cover all bases where I need some oomph, I can use the drill press for super accurate stuff and the battery one for little easy jobs. Thanks for the useful advice.

[aidan.f]

Make sure the drill has an overload clutch. I would expect it as a given at the higher price/quality point you are looking at.
Prevents  broken wrists and burnt out motors.

[Polar Bear]

I need a decent mains power drill for the usual DIY stuff (including putting holes in masonry). My current one was a 400W Bosch, which was never quite powerful and the chuck is knackered (last job the bit kept grabbing). It's probably 15 years old, so I can't complain.  Assuming I'm staying with mains (I have a crap 12V drill/driver that is mostly a screwdriver), is there anything specific I should look out for? I'm fairly brand agnostic (I think I have power tools from Bosch, Ryobi, Clarke (drill press, almost never used), Makita, B&D and others, few of which have batteries).

I got a replacement chuck for my power drill last year.  Fine for everything really except perhaps bricks and concrete but I bought a cheap Lidl SDS drill for such tasks as they are so few and far between.

Can you use an SDS drill for non masonry stuff? I reckon I use the masonry bits more than the regular ones at the moment. Ah, googling suggests I would need a whole new set of drill bits. Might not be a terrible thing...

Caveaat:  yes you can, or at least on my cheapie you can.

My Lidl cheapie even came with an SDS+ to non-SDS converter including attached chuck.  I wasn't expecting that when I opened up the case.  It has a non-SDS and a non-hammer mode.

[Gattopardo]

Makita even do a coffee machine that uses the same battery pack as their cordless tools.

With a grinder?

[Gattopardo]

I need a decent mains power drill for the usual DIY stuff (including putting holes in masonry). My current one was a 400W Bosch, which was never quite powerful and the chuck is knackered (last job the bit kept grabbing). It's probably 15 years old, so I can't complain.  Assuming I'm staying with mains (I have a crap 12V drill/driver that is mostly a screwdriver), is there anything specific I should look out for? I'm fairly brand agnostic (I think I have power tools from Bosch, Ryobi, Clarke (drill press, almost never used), Makita, B&D and others, few of which have batteries).

I have a mains powered drill, but I left it in the UK, my battery Makita goes straight through any solid surface in the building I live in.

Brick, concrete, concrete mousse (the stuff they make the interior walls with here), all no problem.

Things to look for in a drill that will be drilling masonry:

- Chuck size - Make sure that the chuck is big enough to take the drill bits you need. I wouldn't want to go smaller than 13mm. This will allow most stills upto about 16mm to work.
- Level on it - Drilling masonry you often want to make sure your drill is level to make sure what you screw in fits well.
- Light - Nice add on, not critical, but I do like it
- Support handle - If you are doing something on troublesome solid stuff, being able to brace it with both hands, can be nice.

Beyond that, in terms of mains power drills, you get what you pay for, a 100 quid drill from blue company will be just as good as one from yellow, red, or green company. You're really looking at the polish features that make the drill easier to use.

J

How about the terracotta insulation bricks.  SDS drills make some big holes easily.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Make sure the drill has an overload clutch. I would expect it as a given at the higher price/quality point you are looking at.
Prevents  broken wrists and burnt out motors.

That's a good point.  Be very wary of using even battery drills to make large holes in timber.  They can have more torque than you'd expect.  My colleague broke his wrist drilling timber. Keep a very firm grip too.

[Diver300]

Make sure the drill has an overload clutch. I would expect it as a given at the higher price/quality point you are looking at.
Prevents  broken wrists and burnt out motors.

That's a good point.  Be very wary of using even battery drills to make large holes in timber.  They can have more torque than you'd expect.  My colleague broke his wrist drilling timber. Keep a very firm grip too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb0ooQKbflM&t=7s starting at 1:50 shows what a drill can do.

[Mrs Pingu]

Sigh. I was sort of ready to go for Makita. But I also want a new hedge trimmer.

Now, I shouldn't need a new hedge trimmer as we have a gardener, but he doesn't trim it often enough. I've just spent the last week hacking away at the top of it cos it was getting too tall. Even Pingu struggled with our current hedge trimmer (I don't feel so bad now). But it seems like Bosch do the most feeble-friendly hedge trimmer, about 1kg lighter than the smallest Makita. (I have no idea what the current one weighs, I should prolly check that)
So maybe I should get all Bosch tools instead...

[Kim]

Sounds like a job for Anna Daptor?

[Jurek]

Makita.
15 years ago I would've been saying 'Elu' - until DeWalt bought them and reduced their motor windings by 30%.
Rendering them kak.
There is a reason why have no yellow/ black power tools in my fleet.

[Gattopardo]

Makita.
15 years ago I would've been saying 'Elu' - until DeWalt bought them and reduced their motor windings by 30%.
Rendering them kak.
There is a reason why have no yellow/ black power tools in my fleet.

Did Elu make battery tools?  The corded stuff is lovely tho.

[Jurek]

Makita.
15 years ago I would've been saying 'Elu' - until DeWalt bought them and reduced their motor windings by 30%.
Rendering them kak.
There is a reason why have no yellow/ black power tools in my fleet.

Did Elu make battery tools?  The corded stuff is lovely tho.

Yes . They did.