[Closed] Impact drivers, combo drills, 5ah batteries ...... confuddled

Get Makita LXT. Job jobbed.

Edit - I got the combi drill and driver set. I have used the driver a fair bit but if I hadn’t been building a log store and big shed I’d probably have made do with the drill. 3ah has been fine but I’ve since got the circular saw and hedge trimmer and 5ah would be good for those.

Avoid Ryobi. Buy Makita.

{Close thread}

Bah!22seconds too late

I wouldn't be without 2 batteries, a drill and impact driver. It speeds up DIY no end where you would otherwise be switching bit all the time. I'm committed to Makita 18v, everything has been great so far. Occillating multi-tool is also highly recommend for a whole multitude of jobs.

Dewalt.....

Makita, Bosch, Milwaukee. All good, all have their fan base. Choose whatever has an offer with the right battery type for additional kit.
Here you go
https://www.screwfix.com/p/milwaukee-m18-cblpp2a-402c-18v-4-0ah-li-ion-redlithium-brushless-cordless-combi-drill-impact-driver-twin-pack/699fj

Depends on what you're doing. 3ah batteries are more than enough for your enthusiastic DIYer.

My Makita combi has 5ah batteries. I've not had to change battery so far this week despite 5 full days of use.

Ryobi... Very much a DIYer/hobbyist tool.

Dewalt good, Makita better, imo.

Makita 18v with a selection of 4 & 5ah batteries.
Impact & drill driver, 4”‘grinders, sds etc, even one of our top handle chainsaws.
Wouldn’t go with anything else.

I think all my batteries are 3ah. For sure it's better to have 2 smaller ones than one big one. Only my angle grinder goes through them fast, for drills and drivers you need to be doing a lot to get through batteries.

I like makita lxt... They have a pretty full range, it's all quality without being <too> expensive (I'd love to have gone Milwaukee, but no), and you can get it everywhere. But also, I'm now an addict to the chinese "for makita" tools. My drill and impact (and vacuum cleaner, god I love the vacuum cleaner) are genuine but I've got 3 angle grinders for less than the price of one genuine makita ones and that's really handy, nice to not be constantly swapping discs.

Ryobi have a rep for going on fire a bit. My brother's used their kit for years and has no complaints except that the batteries go lame a bit fast.

Another Makita fanboi here.

The 5ah battery can make things weighty, but there's stacks of power.

Defo get an impact driver. They're a revelation for driving screws. I've got a brushless 18v Makita impact and it's such a nimble tool. It's awesome power defies it's size.

Does Ryobi do a coffee machine?.pah...

......Or a heated jacket

https://www.makitauk.com/product/dcj206z

Defo get an impact driver.

And a set of decent ear defenders.

Fegging hate impact drivers on jobs. Tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak....!

AVOID BOSCH.

I've a 5amh pro bosch and its wonderful, performs well, standard drill, lots of torques, hammer. Very happy with it.
It's even wireless and charges in its box.

Bosch are like Raleigh*, and have decided not to follow fashion, by making every tool they have as a bare tool, and instead have decided to narrow the choice to drill,impact,small saw(Saws you want powered really) a palm sander, jigsaw which again will probably be used in a workshop, next to a socket.
Most of us have variable interests, gardening, coppicing, carpentry both pro and not as pro and choosing bosch limits those other options.

Makita does a nice small chainsaw, a coffee maker, a lot more like leaf blower to hoover to wall chaser to well just about everything. Much as brands like ryobi, but better quality.

If I had the choice again, despite being happy with the performance of the one im stuck with, I would definitely buy makita, or such that had more options.

*Raleigh board apparently considered the new sort of mtbing to be a flash in the pan and decided not to invest in it. Oops 😕

Bosch are like Raleigh*, and have decided not to follow fashion, by making every tool they have as a bare too

Huh ? While they do have a more limited range of tools than makita they offer every tool they make as a bare unit.

I'm happy enough with the quality and the range. I've no desire for a battery powered coffee machine or chainsaw.

If you can afford Milwaukee nothing else needs a look and Ryobi suck, the trouble with kits/ sets is they seem like value until you factor in you'll be a charger and 2 batteries worse off. I have Erbauer brushless from screwfix and it's been faultless, batteries go up to 5ah, I've got a few Erbauer products that perform brilliantly. I've had Bosch and Hitachi ( now hikoki) break on me and my Makita got passed on to my brother because the batteries weren't lasting as long as they used to.

Ryobi doesn't suck, quality can be a bit variable with batteries, think I've had 2 out of 10 that were bad out the box, both got replaced by the store I bought them from. The rest have been fine and lasted years, I have a range of Ryobi tools, drills, impact driver, grinder and reciprocating saw, not had any issues with any of them. The drills have had some hard use, being my goto tools despite a suite of wired tools and a top end Hitachi battery drill.

If I was to start again I'd probably go Makita, but they didnt do the same range back then (or at least weren't as readily available) and cost more. Makita also do some entry level rubbish.

I use Dewalt and so do the guys in the trade who I know.

Ryobi doesn’t suck

Not saying they suck, as last cabinet shop i was in id about 5 on my bench. They come with 3 batteries used. 5 dewalt et all adds up, and shop use its more about less fiddling changing bits than worrying about how long it lasts on max or robust the stuff it. I've used it professionally before their green livery, and even intensively all day every day they cope pretty well.
Batteries as you say let them down.

Ryobi also years ago did a pro range. I'd one of their 1hp 8mm routers and it was excellent. Standard was dark blue and the trade kit a light blue. Shame they stopped that kit, it was good.
But time tech has moved well on and you do get now in the cheaper brands not dissimilar to the early Hitachi and Bosch blue cordless when it first came out.

Oddly enough there still seems to be a market for old Stanley Yankee*

*(Hope thats not considered racist these days, heavens sake I dont want to offend delicate ears.).

Screwfix are doing a Makita pack of two 5ah batteries, brushless combi drill, charger and case for £180 at the moment. It’s a good starting point. Buy an impact driver too (£60 or so online) if you’ll be doing anything where you’re putting in lots of big screws and/or predrilling holes for screws. Else the combis are plenty good enough for most screws just not quite as quick.

The 5ah batteries are overkill for most drill/screw use unless you’re doing hundreds but they are handy for any higher drain stuff you might get in the future - grinders, saws and the like. Having at least two batteries means one can be charging while you use another.

For the odd tool that Ryobi does and Makita doesn’t (like the handy hot glue gun) you can get a battery adaptor quite cheaply, works well.

I hardly ever use my Makita LXT combi. A Festool 10.8v drill is such a lightweight pleasure to use and its right angle feature means getting into tight spaces us a doddle. I have a cheap Erbauer impact driver that refuses to die and for masonry a cheap corded SDS is miles better than a hammer setting on a combi

I bought into the Makita LXT range - only breakage in 10yrs was a burnt out drill before brushless was a common feature - and a couple of the original batteries died.

I've got:

Jigsaw
Angle grinder
Circular saw
Reciprocating saw
Small angle drill
Combi drill
Impact driver
Impact wrench
Large bandsaw
Small bandsaw
Multitool
SDS drill
Vacuum cleaner
Torch
Bluetooth/DAB radio
Heated jacket
8 various batteries
2 chargers

ive got a Milwaukee Fuel M18 impact, it's beasty with one of the highest driving ratings of any impact, though that can have downsides, such as snapping screw heads off, or stripping out the screw head (it has got an auto torq setting to prevent this), but it does mean on bigger jobs it will drive pretty much anything with ease.

I've also got Dewalt plasterboad screw gun, which quite frankly is the best tool in the whole wide world - you'll appreciate this next time you have to put up 500 sheets of plasterboad. Weirdly, although that is my only dewalt tool (i dont include the strimmer, which is good too), i have way more batteries than i should - they breed.

Also, do Makita do the "DIY" version like dewalt do??

I’ve also got Dewalt plasterboad screw gun, which quite frankly is the best tool in the whole wide world – you’ll appreciate this next time you have to put up 500 5 sheets of plasterboad.

Fixed that . I borrowed the hilti plaster board screw gun for my dining room/utility. Makes life so much easier but it is a bit of a 1 trick pony.

Managed to kill my Makita 18v brushless combi drill last week. Not sure how really as I've not abused it, though it might have fallen off a couple of benches a few times.

Finally killed it drilling 25mm auger bit holes in tree trunks 400mm deep. Gearbox just gave up then motor.

Just out of warranty obviously (make sure you take time to register the tool for longer warranty. I forgot)

TAFKAASTR, your Makita habit looks very similar to mine! 😂

Most of the modern top brands will be more than enough for DIY/home use. 3ah batteries will be plenty.

Each brand have their 'better' tools....

Makita and Milwaukee for drills
Bosch and Mafell for saws
Festool for Sanders and the Domino.
DeWalt..... Pah, robust but unrefined.

I'm 25 years in the Bespoke furniture and boat fitting trade. I have a mix of tools but stick to Bosch for cordless just for battery sake and they are good tools. (Makita batteries had a habit of dying, dunno if they have fixed it)

Watch out for the makita 18v stuff that is not lxt. It’s often sold cheap in deals in b&q but it isn’t compatible with the 18v lxt range and is limited to a couple of tools and batteries. It’s the equivalent of the other brands diy range I guess.

My experience of a Bosch combi with 4ah battery is that this set up would be ok for 95% of DIY users.
It'll easy do a half day push 2" screws on a single charge, and the battery charges quickly (over lunch for example).
If you frequently and need to drive bigger stuff (coach screws and hole saws for example), then a impact driver is quicker and better on battery.

Makita/Dewalt/Milwaukee.

Basically, make your choice between one of those 3 familes of tools and go from there. A good starting point is the usual drill/driver/2x batteries/charger combo.

My choice is Milwaukee 18V. They do all sorts of DIY/Mechanical/Garden type tools. Some lovely battery site lights too.

If you've only ever owned a drill, then the first time you use an impact driver in anger will be life changing.

And a set of decent ear defenders.

Fegging hate impact drivers on jobs. Tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak….!

Not just me then!

I have to use ear defenders to use one.

I've got the Makita and Milwaukee impact drivers and have to say I prefer the Milwaukee. It's smaller, feels more powerful and the 6.5amp battery is about half the size of the less powerful Makita ones. Saying that though, I also have a Makita drill, angle grinder, jigsaw, circular saw and DAB radio and I love them.