Recommend a drill

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Paddle mixer?

Get a paddle mixer drill.  Built for the job and don't burn out like wot ordinary drills do.

So where were we?

You need

a lightish corded drill
a heavier sds drill
a demolition hammer

a battery drill for drilling (2 if you want pilot holes - it's such a pain having to change bits)
another battery drill for for the screwdrivering - it's such a pain having to change bits.

a paddle mixer drill for mixing paint, plaster and mortar.

Personally I wouldn't have a really cheapo cordless as there's nothing worse IMO.

(Cordless drills can have a heck of lot of torque BTW.  Nasty injuries can arise from ignoring that.)

..and probably a larger shed and a bank loan.  Don't forget the bank loan, it's good for the economy.

[jsabine]

Yes, sure, n+1 applies to power tools just as much as to anything else.

I still reckon that, given a couple of hundred to spend on drills, I'd go for a decent cordless like the Mak or the Hitachi mentioned upthread, and a reasonably lightweight SDS. I don't think an SDS is overkill for domestic use if you do a reasonable amount of DIY - but then I have just sunk 8 electrical back boxes. Soft London brick - faced with bastard hard render.

Something like the DeWalt flipper drill sets - http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000051WR8 - can be really handy in reducing faff for pilot holes, countersinks and driving, as can quickchange bits, though they tend to wander a little.

If I still felt the need for an extra power driver, I'd probably go for one of the lightweight screw/impact drivers that are around. (Extra cordlesses do me fine at the moment ...)

DeWalt Extremes - yes, they're good, but I do prefer the Bosch.

(Paddle mixer drills, Kangos, that sort of thing - the hire shop keeps them until and unless I need one for months ...)

[Vince]

I have a Bosch 14 volt Li drill which does almost everything I need. Happy powered a 100mm hole saw through 20 mm of fibre glass/ply sandwich. Battery holds its charge when not being used and provides a lot of drilling time.
Everything else is fulfilled by the 25 year old B&D variable speed hammer drill.
I did have a hankering for a piller drill....
 

[Biggsy]

I did have a hankering for a piller drill....

Don't we all?  The times I've made a mess of things with a hand job...

Meanwhile, what is really so bad about a cheap cordless drill compared to a pricey cordless drill, apart from the battery perhaps not lasting a long time?  That is for the average Joe doing only occasional basic jobs at home, without a powertools fetish.  You just need something to go round and round at the speed you want.  Ok, I could say the same about bikes, but you don't ride a drill for as long and often as a bike.

(I blame my technique rather than my tool for my mess ups).

[Vince]

Don't we all?  The times I've made a mess of things with a hand job...

Meanwhile, what is really so bad about a cheap cordless drill compared to a pricey cordless drill, apart from the battery perhaps not lasting a long time?  That is for the average Joe doing only occasional basic jobs at home, without a powertools fetish.  You just need something to go round and round at the speed you want.  Ok, I could say the same about bikes, but you don't ride a drill for as long and often as a bike.

(I blame my technique rather than my tool for my mess ups).

I think you answered your own question!

[Jurek]

.......I did have a hankering for a piller drill....

You can pick up a Chinese made Clarke one here in the UK for less than we're talking about spending on a cordless.
I have one I bought probably around 10 years ago and it has been fine for all the things I've needed it to do.
I fitted it with a cross-slide and managed to do a bit of light weight milling in plastics (although I'm not sure how much radial loading the bearings would tolerate, were you to offer it metal to nibble at)
I doubt if it would put up with drilling all day, every day for very long though.....

[Vince]

I can get similar here. The main thing curbing my enthusiasm for it is lack of electrons in the garage. (Car battery for lights and a 600w inverter, which will probably laugh at the induction motor on pillar drills) I've not seen battery operated ones and drilling stuff in the kitchen is not going to go down to well with Mrs Wunja.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

OK here is a revolutionary idea,  inspired by Biggsy's hand job.

A breast drill, 2 speed:



They are so old hat that I was recently given one when it failed to attract any bids on ebay.  Amazingly you can actually produce decent holes with them still.  Even in masonry.  Quality construction, too.

[Vince]

Thumb to gearwheel interaction tends to get a bit messy IME.

[Polar Bear]

Lovely, simple, practical piece of kit asterix.  I've been lusting after one myself ever since my late father's one went missing. 

[drossall]

I don't have a breast drill, but I do have a similar hand drill. I use it as first choice for easier jobs, before my corded power drill. As above, I've never bothered with cordless.

[Von Broad]

I need a drill for general household hole creation. Im thinking of this one (and I don't really want to spend more than this as it'll only get occasional use):

http://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dw907k2v-12v-1-3ah-ni-cd-cordless-drill-driver/81433

Seems to be fairly well regarded. Any other suggestions?

Ok then, part two.

Give us your exact budget, the absolute top that you're prepared to spend and we'll give you our choices as we see fit, then you can sit back in judgement and make your choice.

Everybody needs pinning down a bit

[Valiant]

I did have a hankering for a piller drill....

Don't we all?  The times I've made a mess of things with a hand job...

Meanwhile, what is really so bad about a cheap cordless drill compared to a pricey cordless drill, apart from the battery perhaps not lasting a long time?  That is for the average Joe doing only occasional basic jobs at home, without a powertools fetish.  You just need something to go round and round at the speed you want.  Ok, I could say the same about bikes, but you don't ride a drill for as long and often as a bike.

(I blame my technique rather than my tool for my mess ups).

The cheap ones aren't serviceable and tend to have plastic gear boxes. Vibration, stability and noise is better too but that's less of an issue.

PS I need a piller drill, and was looking at the clarke as I only really need it to do m3 bolt holes on patch 19" panels. I'll be using QMax punches for the larger holes.

[Sergeant Pluck]

I need a drill for general household hole creation. Im thinking of this one (and I don't really want to spend more than this as it'll only get occasional use):

http://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dw907k2v-12v-1-3ah-ni-cd-cordless-drill-driver/81433

Seems to be fairly well regarded. Any other suggestions?

Ok then, part two.

Give us your exact budget, the absolute top that you're prepared to spend and we'll give you our choices as we see fit, then you can sit back in judgement and make your choice.

Everybody needs pinning down a bit

Thanks! £100.

[Von Broad]

[changed reply]

k.
If you're going cordless only then I wouldn't hesitate to get that Dewalt you first mentioned, I doubt you're going to get better than that for £100. [89 now I see].

[edit]...Actually....no, don't get that...you want this...far better

http://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dc100ka-gb-18v-1-3ah-ni-cd-cordless-combi-drill/73596?cm_sp=Tools-_-CordlessCombiDrills-_-DC100

I was toying with the idea of a cheaper cordless and something mains coming in at £100 [which is easily possible], but it's not good thinking.

[jsabine]

I did have a hankering for a piller drill....

Don't we all?  The times I've made a mess of things with a hand job...

Meanwhile, what is really so bad about a cheap cordless drill compared to a pricey cordless drill, apart from the battery perhaps not lasting a long time?  That is for the average Joe doing only occasional basic jobs at home, without a powertools fetish.  You just need something to go round and round at the speed you want.  Ok, I could say the same about bikes, but you don't ride a drill for as long and often as a bike.

(I blame my technique rather than my tool for my mess ups).

The cheap ones aren't serviceable and tend to have plastic gear boxes. Vibration, stability and noise is better too but that's less of an issue.

Torque, accuracy and speed control are rather better on decent drills with decent cells. (Obviously you get into diminishing returns fairly rapidly: buy a £40 cordless, and you'd notice the benefits of a well-chosen £100 one even if you only used it two or three times; start with the £100 one, and you won't really gain much from spending £250 unless you're using it daily.)

As for serviceability, it tends to be the very cheapest tools that have a spare set of brushes in the box ...

(Contrary to the impression I'm probably giving, I'm not really a tool snob: it's just that cordless drills and jigsaws (corded or cordless) are the two where I think I'd rather do without than buy less than a semi-pro model. Lots of other stuff, I've got really cheap versions and haven't yet found an excuse to upgrade.)

[jsabine]

[changed reply]

k.
If you're going cordless only then I wouldn't hesitate to get that Dewalt you first mentioned, I doubt you're going to get better than that for £100. [89 now I see].

[edit]...Actually....no, don't get that...you want this...far better

http://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dc100ka-gb-18v-1-3ah-ni-cd-cordless-combi-drill/73596?cm_sp=Tools-_-CordlessCombiDrills-_-DC100

I was toying with the idea of a cheaper cordless and something mains coming in at £100 [which is easily possible], but it's not good thinking.

Between those two, definitely the DC100 not the 12V one. I reckon both the Makita and the Hitachi linked upthread are worthwhile too - I'd probably go for the Mak simply on well-established brand reputation, but the Hitachi may be a better deal even though it's a little more.

(Not sure if the Makita Gattopardo linked to is the same as http://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-bhp453sh-18v-1-3ah-li-ion-cordless-combi-drill/58614 - looks like it, but the Screwfix details confirm it has a metal gearbox. As Valiant says, this is a good thing.)

It's also worth getting decent bits, depending on what you want to make holes in. I really rate the Bosch MultiConstruction bits I've banged on about already; they're really good on masonry and will go through most other stuff as promised. For most metals around the home, start with a small pilot hole and go up in size (well, if you want to end up with a hole bigger than 5mm or so, I'd say) - I tend to just use dirt cheap jobber bits and chuck them fairly rapidly - small sizes tend to break before they're blunt anyway.

[Von Broad]

Between those two, definitely the DC100 not the 12V one. I reckon both the Makita and the Hitachi linked upthread are worthwhile too - I'd probably go for the Mak simply on well-established brand reputation, but the Hitachi may be a better deal even though it's a little more.

Yes, I'd agree.

It's a damn nice little drill.
And this kind lucid gentleman shows you just that
[Is that my old woodwork teacher?  ]

http://youtu.be/HNwcucK6Qs8

That's it, you're sorted!

[Sergeant Pluck]

Between those two, definitely the DC100 not the 12V one. I reckon both the Makita and the Hitachi linked upthread are worthwhile too - I'd probably go for the Mak simply on well-established brand reputation, but the Hitachi may be a better deal even though it's a little more.

Yes, I'd agree.

It's a damn nice little drill.
And this kind lucid gentleman shows you just that
[Is that my old woodwork teacher?  ]

http://youtu.be/HNwcucK6Qs8

That's it, you're sorted!

Very convincing video, that, thanks! I am highly unlikely to need to do any more than that in the foreseeable future.

It's this one, isn't it?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/370890063041?lpid=54&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=54&ff19=0

I'd be happy to find one a bit cheaper with a single battery but I can't see that precise model in that format.

[Von Broad]

It's this one, isn't it?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/370890063041?lpid=54&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=54&ff19=0

I'd be happy to find one a bit cheaper with a single battery but I can't see that precise model in that format.

Yes, and also this one, a tenner cheaper and no postage.
[No connection with seller!]

It's sold as a unit with case and two batteries. I haven't seen this model with a single battery.

One thing I've had no experience of [I'm sure others have] is how long these li-lon batteries last lying idle in a drawer?

I have a friend who makes bespoke furniture, so he uses cordless drills all the time, and he has a whole cabinet full of perfectly good drills with exhausted batteries - although we're talking older technology here. It makes no economic sense to buy replacement batteries, they're very expensive, sometimes almost the same price as a new unit. He's pretty much at the other end of the spectrum to you in terms of usage, but it's worth remembering that batteries will eventually die. I've had two Makita 18v ni-cd cordless drills, perfectly good drills, used them quite a bit doing various jobs and both sets of batteries were shot after about 14 months. I sold one on ebay for £28! I doubt you'll need to worry too much about that though.

Not wishing to go over old ground, but just make sure in your mind that a basic variable speed corded drill won't meet your requirements. Stick it in a drawer and it's there in the same state as you left it. [Not saying you should mind !]

I've been using my Hitachi today again - drilling into masonary. I was reminded of some of the points mentioned in this thread. It coped very well. [Better than my views about 18v cordless being able to do such tasks in fact.]
But quality drill bits are very important.

If I keep reading this thread much more I'll be buying another one myself!

[jsabine]

Li-ion batteries are very low self-discharge. I have no direct experience of them, but I'd expect them to be better than the NiMh batteries I have, which retain enough charge to get most small jobs done for at least a couple of months.

You can sometimes find good deals on batteries - I've seen replacement DeWalts for thirty or forty quid, though obviously buying two is more appropriate for a £250 drill than a £100 one.

[Jaded]

I do see this thread as "Recommend a Drill Sergeant" in the index and am taken back to Platoon, every time.

[Von Broad]

Just closing down....

Oh yes....I like that....wanting very much

'Brushless motors'...err, didn't realise they were using those in power tools....

So here I am now at midnight reading about brushless motor technology.... and
Goodness sake. I need to get some sleep.

The internet's just bloody mad!
Either that or we're all mad for using it!

[Biggsy]

One thing I've had no experience of [I'm sure others have] is how long these li-lon batteries last lying idle in a drawer?

You'll find (out-of-date IMO) articles stating around three years, but actually they're good for a few more years than that when stored in a cool place.  The capacity just gradually reduces, rather than them suddenly becoming useless at some point.  NiMH and NiCad in practice doesn't last longer when the cells have been charged unevenly.

My old cheap NiCad cordless drill now only works for a very few minutes after charging.  I was thinking of just rebuilding the battery, but this thread is persuading me to get a better drill instead.  Damn you all! 

Li-ion batteries are very low self-discharge. I have no direct experience of them,

You have experience of them if you have a mobile phone. 

[jsabine]

One thing I've had no experience of [I'm sure others have] is how long these li-lon batteries last lying idle in a drawer?

You'll find (out-of-date IMO) articles stating around three years, but actually they're good for a few more years than that when stored in a cool place.  The capacity just gradually reduces, rather than them suddenly becoming useless at some point.  NiMH and NiCad in practice doesn't last longer when the cells have been charged unevenly.

I was assuming VB meant how long they maintain a useful charge for (ie self-discharge half-life), rather than how long until the cells had deteriorated. This is, I think, largely related to the number of charge/discharge cycles, compounded by uneven self-discharge leading to uneven charging.

Li-ion batteries are very low self-discharge. I have no direct experience of them,

You have experience of them if you have a mobile phone. 

Ho ho.

<pedant-plus>
Actually, I've been on Li-Po since my 6310i.