I'm a bit overwhelmed looking for a new cordless drill and was after some help.

Ideally looking to spend about £100 or less on:

18v
2-3 batteries
3/8" chuck
Hammer action

Lots of good deals on the the outgoing NiCad technolgy – look for a makita or bosch (blue not green) with all the functions you want and you should find a deal that appeals to you and you won't be disappointed. Dewalt stuff is OK but not as good as it used to be. I've always found Dewalt stuff feels more robust than it actually is, and lacks finesse in use.

18v isn't the be all and end all though. My 14v makitas produce more torque than the equivalent 18v dewalts, and 14v is pretty much the range standard for makita stuff.

The new Li Ion stuff is better in all sorts of ways, but unless you use a driver all day every day, or have small hands, then they are not better ways that you'll ever be able to appreciate.

You'll get decent prices from Screwfix, Toolstation, D&M tools online, and B&Q in the physical world.

14v Makitas is where it's at.

I bought an 18V Ryobi from Screwfix on offer last week, 2 Li Ion batteries, nice feel to it, hammer action, on offer for £ 86 (allegedly reduced from £ 160).

What skidartist says! The LiIon stuff is brilliant but the benefits are only there if you're using one every day. Also, I had a 14V DeWalt for years which I thought was great until I swapped to using a mate's Makita and then my own new Hitachi. They felt far better than DeWalt.

Also, to repeat, there are loads of deals around on outgoing NiCad packages – bearing in mind that the old NiCad 18V batteries are pretty heavy fellas. You should be able to find a deal on anything by Bosch or Makita. The last bit of blue (trade…green is DIY) Bosch I bought (jigsaw) had a three year warrenty with it but I haven't seen many deals going on Bosch drivers.

2 batteries should be more than enough?
Hammer action is a bit overrated on cordless drivers (unless you're going into cheese)…unless you're going up into 32V SDS stuff but that's serious money up around there.

Why a 3/8" chuck ? I would expect all 18v drills to have a 1/2" chuck. Which is obviously quite useful.

Also why 3 batteries ? I've always considered deals with 3 batteries to be a bit of a gimmick – if kept properly charged up, the battery in the drill should easily last whilst the spare is being charged. If you are doing a job which is really hammering your batteries, then you should be using a corded drill imo. Obviously 3 batteries will over time last longer than two, but if you are going to use the drill for DIY purposes then I'm guessing that you will find it difficult to keep all three constantly charged.

And as skidartist says, 14v should be more than adequate if it's a decent drill.

stumpyjon's 18V Ryobi from Screwfix sounds like a good deal imo.

Quite like the look of this one

Stumpyjon – do you have a link to the deal or model?

This looks good imo

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/57840/Power-Tools/Cordless-Drills/Hitachi-DV18DVC-JK-18V-Cordless-Combi-Drill-Torch

£80 for that??? Bargain…I'd be biting their hand off. Hitachi do nice kit these days.

I've just seen this :

Quantity – – Back Soon

😕

Sorry, can't find it, looks like the deal's finished. Can't even see that model on their site. Worth keeping an eye on the site though if you don't need it asap.

What is this one like? Anyone?
Ryobi 14v…

I wouldn't bother mastiles_fanylion. It only has one battery and a three and half hour charger …… which could seriously bugger up the continuity of the job in hand 😕

Yeah, the one battery put me off a bit. But then again, it is only for occasional use.

Makro had a great deal on a Black & Decker one last week – 18v, two batteries etc all for £35 inc VAT but they sold out straight away.

Found a nice 18v Ryobi with 2 Li-ion batteries for £100 but the batteries are only 1.4ah. I can get the same drill with 2 larger 2.4ah batteries for 50% more (£150 for those who are mathematically challenged 😉 ) and wondered whether you thought the 1.4ah batteries would be enough?

What will you be using it for AB?

In my capacity as a cabinetmaker i need to use quality tools,so this is my recommendation-

Makita are a good pro tool company 8) my biscuit jointer is made by them

However Bosch blue drills are pretty damn good
the feature i like on them is the chuck lock ,where you only need one hand to tighten,once youve let go of the trigger the spindle locks,you can use the whole gun to turn the screw the last bit ,if youre working fine that is.
Makita make the best belt sanders 8)

If you just want a good drill for rough-joiner work ,go for ryobi

1.4ah batteries would be enough?

Unless you want to constantly use the drill throughout the day, I can't see why not imo.

there's a bosch 24v one that comes up for £100 on B&Q all the time

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=10256482&fh_view_size=10&fh_location=%2f%2fcatalog01%2fen_GB&fh_search=bosch+24+drill&fh_eds=%c3%9f&fh_refview=search&ts=1251808342059&isSearch=true

give it 2 weeks and it'll be back there. I've done the whole house up with it, and its been pretty good. Get a sds driver if you're going to be doing a lot of drilling in masonry, makes all the difference.

What do you think of this for a deal?

looks like a good deal i have one of them 12v bosch drills and really like it,
however the electric drill is 110v so you would also need a transformer to use it

oops, didn't think of that!

At that price I would be very tempted to buy it AB (depending on what you need electric drills for of course)

You can buy a tranny for about £40, and the 12volt cordless should be enough for your needs – specially if you have an SDS drill as well. And of course you have the added advantage of safer 110volt power supply.

I wouldn't be tempted with 24volt cordless drills btw, they are not necessary imo (unless it's a SDS drill) and they are considerably heavier, bigger, and more awkward to use – specially in confined spaces.

Yeah, once you start getting into big voltages, the size of the battery itself then means the drill/driver will be awkward for that once or twice you need it in a tight spot.

If you're going into masonry, believe me and the others who have said it, a cheap-ish plug in SDS will make the job so much easier. I use the things for a living and still have a plug in SDS for the meaty stuff (e.g. doing the clearance for a long screw + wallplug) and use an 18V for the final few turns of the screw. The hammer setting on my 18V (which was fairly pricey at the time) would struggle going into anything more than breeze block and eats up battery big-time. Also, on an SDS drill, you'll have the option of a purely hammer i.e. no rotary action, setting which is useful for any chasing or chiselling that you don't fancy doing by hand.

110V trannies are cheap now but are a bit of a weight to be lugging around to be fair. No great prob if you're just using it at home though…and as the lynch fellow says, safer too.

Bought the one in 5labs link today, mostly as i was desparate I'd have preferred the gsb version (blue) but couldn't find one, Got it as the batterys are the same and the chuck mounts the same (i changed the chuck straight away). not a bad bit of kit but the supplied batteries are half the charge and its no where near as robust. If it blows up in the next few days I'll let you know. BTW the last one has lasted about three years of pretty heavy use and I had to change as the front bearings started to wobble and the hammer action locked….

Thanks for all the advice so far guys. Went to my local Screwfix last night to take a look at these two:

Ryobi 18V Compact Cordless Drill

Ryobi 18V Combi with 2 x Li-ion Batteries

I know you said go for a Ni-Cad drill, but these two look quite good so I went to give them a feel. Both pushing out 37nm of torque and it was noticeable how much better the smaller, more compact model was to hold. The Li-ion batteries made the whole package very light too, but something about the drills didn't convince me to buy either of them.

After your suggestions, I might try and see if I can get a hold of a 14.4v Matika and see what I think of that.

You do you realise that the first one is naked – don't you ?

I like Li-ion batteries, I would certainly choose them over Ni-Cad. I think Deadly was suggesting that for DIY purposes, it wasn't worth paying over the odds for Li-ion. And as he pointed out, and you have discovered, Ni-Cad are alot heavier.

Having a wee look at 14v Makita drill and there are TONS of varieties. A little confused by the differences in each of them. Also most look only 10mm chucks.

Here are a few of the deals I found:

One
Two
Three
Four

Any thoughts?

If it was me, out of those, I would go for the Ryobi 18V Combi with 2 x Li-ion Batteries**. Those 4 you've listed are drill drivers, I reckon you'll find a combi drill very useful – sure it won't be as good as 24v SDS drill, but it'll get you out of trouble most of the time. It's also got a half inch chuck, although it is quite a bit heavier than 4 drill drivers. I also reckon Ryobi is very good DIY quality – why waste your money on a drill which is designed to be used throughout the day every day, when you only need to use one perhaps once a week ? Although TBH, I bet there's little difference between Ryobi and Makita when it comes to quality – a bit like the difference between XT and XTR if you like.

** I still think 18v is probably an overkill and if there's a 14.4v equivalent, I would go for that.

Thanks. I'm a little unclear about the relationship between the volts and the torque. Some of the Ryobi 18v drills have torque around 37nm, but some of the 14v Bosch and Makita drills can manage the same levels of torque, if not more, but are smaller bodies and voltage.

So, am I better to go for a voltage, or is it the torque numbers that really count?

Well ok, Bosch and Makita drills cost more money than Ryobi ones so they pack a bit more power. Again, it's like the difference between XT and XTR …. pay more money for XTR and you'll get the same thing only lighter – but is it always worth it ? I wouldn't get too hung up on torque, although I've never owned a Ryobi, I bet it has plenty of torque. TBH, my Bosch 14.4 has far more torque than I actually need – it will often snap screws or screwdriver bits if I have it on maximum.

Been looking about for a few days now and think I'm quite close to deciding on this drill. It's a Bosch 14.4v Cordless with 3 x 1.3ah Lithium-ion batteries.

It comes with a 3 year guarantee. The batteries might only be 1.3ah, but there is three of them. Also, there is a fair whack of money off and it's about £50 less that what it sells for elsewhere. Torque up to 50nm as well – which seems plenty. Pretty lightweight too.

Any final thoughts before I pull the trigger?

Thanks.

Did you buy one yet? I noticed Elliots seemed to have some good deals on Makita.

Not for me, but looks a great deal for anyone after a drill, angle grinder or jigsaw.

Although TBH, I bet there's little difference between Ryobi and Makita when it comes to quality – a bit like the difference between XT and XTR if you like.

Absolute bollox, I am a tradesman & have owned both, still do in fact I have Mak stuff that is 15-20 years old & still performs. It is made for professional use, Ryobi is DIY stuff but it is pretty good for its cost but not a patch on Mak.
If its for DIY then buy Ryobi & you won't be dissapointed, but if you use it day in day out buy the Mak stuff.

Absolute bollox………Ryobi is DIY stuff but it is pretty good for its cost ……

Nicely taken out of context there mate.

Of course the sentence before the one you quote, makes exactly the same point as you do, ie :

"I also reckon Ryobi is very good DIY quality – why waste your money on a drill which is designed to be used throughout the day every day, when you only need to use one perhaps once a week ?"

My comment was an attempt to show a lay person that whilst Ryobi might not be 'the XTR' of power tools, it's certainly good quality DIY/entry level gear and shouldn't be dismissed out of hand. Maybe the XT-XTR analogy wasn't the best in hindsight, and Alivio/Deore-XTR would have been a better one, but 'absolute bollox' ? not imo.

BTW your comment "I am a tradesman" does little to impress me – I've seen plenty of tradesmen with tools that are simply a heap of sh1te. And after all, you freely admit to owning Ryobi …….. which as all tradesmen know, are DIY power tools 😉

Don't you love a smart arse, who thinks he knows what he is talking about & comments on stuff he has never used let alone owned.

He he ….. tell me waynekerr ……… how come you're such an expert on DIY tools ? ….. is it cause you is a 'tradesman' ? 😀

I freely admit (as I have on previous threads) that my personal experience of DIY tools is more or less nil – well apart from when I have very occasionally borrowed tools. Which is the reason for my past reluctance to advise on DIY tools. I do however have credible, if undoubtedly hearsay information, which suggests that Ryobi do indeed manufacture excellent DIY tools. If however you have experience which suggests otherwise, and you feel that you are able to offer a better DIY alternative, then I am of course happy to accept your expertise on such matters 8)

I freely admit (as I have on previous threads) that my personal experience of DIY tools is more or less nil – well apart from when I have very occasionally borrowed tools. Which is the reason for my past reluctance to advise on DIY tools

So why have you posted 11 times on this thread?…is it cause you is a "IT guy" who thinks he's an expert on everything? 😀