And tbh on decking I would use torq head screws

Yeah, the big joist screws were torque, definitely better. I bought everything at once though. I’ll know for the next one 😀

An impact driver gives a push as it turns (that’s the racket it makes) so I find it never messes up the head (assuming the right bit, holding it perpendicular and applying a bit of pressure). So when you have to remove a screw who’s head has been mangled and a screwdriver won’t touch it, they whip it out nearly every time. Sometimes the bit shatters – I’ve found this happens more with the impact-specific ones.

Don’t touch that Makita set from B&Q – some weird non-standard battery that doesn’t isn’t compatible with their normal 18v tool range.

If you just want a drill/impact driver that’s fine.
I got one and 2x extra batteries. (So 4 batteries total)
If you really need you can get an adapter to LXT.

I ended up ordering the BL Makita LXT set from Screwfix that I posted earlier as after posting thought it was too good a deal to miss! It’s just arrived & I had to double check they’d sent the right one, it is significantly smaller and lighter than the old non-brushless version (despite being faster/more torque). Might be worth bearing in mind for those who find 18v tools a bit heavy normally.

If budget allowed I’d go for a Milwaukee brushless set, either 12v or 18v depending on what you were doing.

Have to say now that I’ve used it a bit the Dewalt 18v I got myself for Christmas is a smashing bit of kit…

Another vote for Screwfix Erbauer range- just completed major alterations- framing, drywalling, new joists and floors, windows and door frame fixings, new large kitchen etc. 18v impact driver and drill have been fab- nice to use, super-reliable, great battery life, and have survived multiple drops and soakings!

Also big shout-out for Screwfix Titan 6.3kg corded SDS- was only about £50 on offer, its a bit of a bruiser, but makes easy work of core-cutting, brick drilling, demolition etc and just refuses to die!

Agree to stay clear of DIY shed budget ranges, but my experience of the cheap Screwfix stuff has been excellent.

Go with whichever has the most bare tools in that battery size- Makita is likely the best here.
Bosch and dewalt dont do such a great range, and sure as fate you’ll need something else.

Ryobi, while not really a pro tool do a huge range of bare tools their batteries work with from diy to gardening.

I was involved in the creation of these products (I have no monitory involvement with the company)
https://badaptor.com/badaptor-2/
I know them seem costly but the development & tooling cost were expensive!

Thanks all …went for the Dewalt combo from Screwfix, and brushless too as they were on deal!

I’m a Makita man but there are some killer deals for Dewalt drills, that Screwfix one was pretty decent. I wonder if they treat it like a gateway drug. Get you in and before you know it you’ve got the compressor, chainsaw and coffee machine

Love my Dewalt impact and combi.

It’s so much more convenient to be able to drill a hole and screw in a screw without having to swap bits and settings all the time.

Very robust too.

andylc
Free Member

No they just last longer! Overkill for standard diy tools but very useful if you also want to use them for chainsaw, strimmer, leaf blower, hedge trimmer etc. Even with 2 x 6Ah batteries my twin 18v brushless leaf blower only lasts about 15-20 minutes.

I don’t think that’s the case. If you look at impact driver tests on YT sometimes it makes a difference.

I guess probably the batteries are wired with 3.6v * 5 in series to give 18v. Then for the bigger ones they wire additional sets of cells as above but in parallel (keeping the voltage at 18 but increasing the runtime & also maximum amps).

@andywill that is a fantastic product! Do you have plans for others? What I’d really like is bosch procore or coolpack 18v batteries (which I have loads of) to bosch green / power4all 18v tools (of which I only have a strimmer, whose battery barely makes it around the lawn) .

For diy, despite what I said above, I’d probably consider 12/10.8v

I’m on Makita 10.8. Lovely kit. Lightweight, and there’s not much round the house that the combi drill won’t do, only hogging out big holes in brick really, and for that there’s a cheap corded SDS. Otherwise the bare tools are decent value, plus you get some utility stuff as well like vacuums and torches and even some novelty stuff like coffee makers. We use a 10.8v shop vac in the house for quick cleanups, it was far better value than a battery dyson.

But. Personally. Going from scratch I would probably do 18V, because skilsaw & grinder.

However, if you don’t need the beefier tools then go 10.8V.

All my chucks are sans wobble.

@Hot_Fiat. Its not my product, I only helped with production engineering the products & tool design. As far as I know the company have not indicated they will do others.

Just borrowing the OP’s thread.

I’ve got an 18v DeWalt combi which is ace but it’s also a very large and fairly wieghty bit of kit that’s about 9 years old and a MacAllister 12v impact driver.

The impact driver is playing up so thinking about a drill and impact set.

All the heavy stuff I have (circ saw, SDS etc.) is corded and I’m happy with that as it’s only used where there’s a power supply.

I’ve got a shed to build and quite a lot of shelving/fitting out to do so mainly wood drilling and screwing into timber with 3-6mm screws of lengths varying from 20mm to 100mm. This is pretty typical of the kind of garden / home stuff I’d be using for.

I’m thinking about the pair of Erbauer 12V in link below.

Screwfix

I can accept an hour to charge as I’ll use charge time as cutting, lunch, coffee time and I have the DeWalt as backup.

Or am I better looking at the 18v?

I don’t want to spend mega bucks as this is for 3-4 big projects and casual use a year.

Any opinions?

With the erbauer and in general its worth watching the consumables spares availability before buying. I was looking for a planer and erbauer looked great at first until I realised that if the drive belt wears out it is impossible to get a replacement.

FWIW, the 18V Dewalt combi I’ve bought has surprised me in being much smaller and much, much lighter than my old worn out drill … very hand friendly!

If budget allowed I’d go for a Milwaukee brushless set, either 12v or 18v depending on what you were doing.

I bought the 18v set recently. The driver happily spun off the wheel nuts on my car when I was changing a tyre. But apart from that I can’t yet recommend them cos they’ve not really been used. Struggled for years with my dad’s old B&D corded drill. Got all the big jobs done and then go out and replace it… daft.

silverneedle
Free Member

With the erbauer and in general its worth watching the consumables spares availability before buying.

This is one thing I really like with Makita (it’s probably true of others). Like, I accidentally killed my wee dustbuster by carelessly sticking the nozzle in a puddle, it’s totally a “dry only” vacuum and the water got sucked in and sprayed right over the control board, dead the next time I started it up.But you can buy the boards.OK it was £14 but that’s totally worth it- and not only that but the tool was designed for repairability. No solvent welding, no impossible reassembly etc. Or, you can buy the body alone (no tools etc) for £30.

@garage-dweller/
I’ve got one of these. It’s amazing. So light you can use it all day, yet really powerful. The best bit though, for assembling furniture and general DIY is the offset and right angles chuck adapters as you can get into places that other drill/drivers just can’t. Batteries are cheap and the charger is pretty fast.

You can get them a lot cheaper than this:

I have £100 to spend at B&Q, Screwfix or Wickes. This seems to fit the bill for me (mostly lightweight DIY duties). Any yays or nays?

https://www.wickes.co.uk/Bosch-PSB-1800-LI-2-18V-Li-Ion-2-X-1-5Ah-Cordless-Combi-Drill/p/132176

Or the 18v version of that one above (why is 18V cheaper?)

https://www.screwfix.com/p/bosch-gsb-18v-55-18v-2-0ah-li-ion-coolpack-brushless-cordless-combi-drill/242KH

They are both 18v. The blue one is the professional version and should be way better than the green DIY version. That’s a pretty good deal on the blue one imo. Price difference is mostly Wickes v Screwfix (overpriced DIY Vs discount pro)

Thanks. The 18v question was related to the 12v version of the same thing, which appears to be £50-70 more expensive. Maybe some detail I’m missing, but the price decides it for me.

I have both those 18v drills

The green ones shite and was bought before I knew any better. I keep meaning to sell it on but tbh it would be a crime to inflict that nonsense on anyone.

The blue unit is a much more useful all round drill

The 18v question was related to the 12v version of the same thing, which appears to be £50-70 more expensive. Maybe some detail I’m missing, but the price decides it for me.

Ah, OK. I think I get it now. Usually the 18v combi drill from any maker is a bit cheaper as it is the first thing people buy. Sort of a gateway drug to get you into their system. Also they are the most popular so the most discounted, especially when new models come out.

Thanks @trail_rat. I thought the green one seemed “too good to be true”.

My 18v Makita drill batteries are knackered – they will not hold charge. Whilst i love a new tool, I don’t love DIY, and there is nothing wrong with the drill or charger for the work I do.

Please can any one recommend a decent supplier of replacement PA18 batteries, there are copies on Amazon £35 Ebay £17 are these any good or will the burn my house down and explode in action

Thanks

That’s a NiCad battery isn’t it? That’ll be pretty old now. You used to be able to get new cells put into them, no idea if anyone is still doing that. I’d be a lot less worried about a dodgy NiCad than a dodgy LIon battery, though

nickjb the original are Ni-Cd the copy replacements are Ni-Mh

do you think the copies are worth a punt?

thanks

Definitely worth getting new batteries , I got some for Makita 12v kit – PA12 – from ebay , try and get them from seller in UK , they usually are ni-mh , the std Makita chargers cover both types.
Saves chucking perfectly good tools , at one time they were the best you could get.
Edit to add brand they are Flureon I think

What twin pack to get from screwfix for a £200 budget. Looking for a combi and an impact really. Small, lightweight, lasts a few years. Currently have a ryobi combi and an ancient black and decker…

I think the Makita 18v lxt is about that, maybe £20 over. It’ll be lower end kit, but still way better than DIY brands. It gets you into the system so you can buy bare tools pretty cheaply. If you really don’t think you will buy many more compatible tools then the DeWalt is a little cheaper and you’ll get brushless

I’ll have a look. Seems like there are a few models types. Think best bet might be go in and see what’s recommended.

That’s not really how Screwfix works

I am well aware of how the place operates. Order stuff, collect, can ask advice whilst there…

The people who work in screwfix are usually nice, polite and helpful but not likely to have any first hand knowledge of the products they sell. Read the reviews.

Apart from me
I have used loads of tools from screwfix and i work there.
Often get asked what the difference between a combi and an impact is..
Nail guns i struggle with, collated brads, staples, guage, is an area i have little knowledge of so i am going to buy a cheapo off ebay so i can teach my self.
But SDS drills, rotary hammer, cordless drills, circular saws, impact guns i use and can advise on.
Makita kit seems to be the trades go to brand, all 18v same batteries and charger