Help me find new power tools

I have a load of bosch blue 18v stuff with batteries from 3 to 6ah. I’ve found it all really good. Not had an issue with their newer chucks. I have an older, very industrial bosch hammer drill that has a less good chuck that can sometimes release after the first hole.

My favourite drill/driver though is a bosch 12v GSB. These are really light, but have loads of torque. Easy to use all day and you can carry spare batteries easily as they’re so small. The interchangeable right angle / offset chucks are fantastic. I wouldn’t be without the offset one.

If you do get an impact driver make sure you have some safety specs, I’ve had a dewalt bit explode on me in the past (to be fair it was well well used) and a bit hit my cheek…..  now always wear eye protection when drilling and driving.

I know its sensible to do so, but I had become a bit lax about just screwing stuff

Timely thread this as I’m just about to undertake a bit of DIY trying to add some much needed storage space.

Best quality/value combi kit I found was this one –

https://www.toolstation.com/dewalt-dck2062d2t-gb-18v-xr-brushless-compact-combi-drill-impact-driver-twin-pack/p64637

I’ve been using the same Erbauer drill as Harry (with 4Ah batteries) at work for nearly 5 years now. It gets used daily for drilling SS up to 20mm thick, doing up SS nuts, bolts and screws and drilling/screwing packing crates. My only gripe is the 13mm chuck as I sometimes need to use a 16.5mm bit. It replaced a DeWalt when the clutch burned out after 2 years of the same usage.

So that’s a thumbs up from me.

I’ve recently acquired an Erbauer Impact Screwdriver that uses the same EXT batteries and it’s also very good.

For your van project and many jobs an 18v drill is a heavy cumbersome tool .

look for a quality 10.8v /12v compact quality tool with things like right angle adaptors

Festool CXS , Bosch GSB – Makita Milwaukee M12 etc

For drilling holes in walls use an sds corded.

We’ve got Makita 18v and 10.8V.

For the sort of woodwork you’d be doing fitting out a van the 10.8v stuff is much more useful (in fact most woodwork below framing stud work ). The tools are lighter, smaller and the power is more controllable – the 10.8 impact driver is an awesome thing (the 18v is so powerful it’s all to easy to drive a screw right through a piece of timber). This kit is a bargain for £130.
When we built our house we had all the makita 18v tools but also had one of these impact drivers each as they were so handy (and we’ve got a couple of the drill drivers now in the workshop as they’re only about £30 as a bare tool)

https://www.powertoolworld.co.uk/makita-clx224aj-10-8v-12v-max-cxt-slide-drill-driver-impact-driver-twin-kit-inc-2x-2-0ah-batts

The one thing they would come unstuck on is drilling any thicker metal – then you’d want an 18V but. they’re not all equal – the 453 is the one you see that’s always cheap but the 458 has more than double the torque.
https://www.makitauk.com/products/combi-drills-lxt-18v-18vx2

if you’ve got a decent 14v drill that still works a new (genuine) makita battery is the most obvious step.

ANOTHER vote for Makita.

I’ve bought into the DeWalt ‘ecosystem’, absolutely no complaints about the tools but the range, price and 2nd hand availability for Makita is so much better.

Another vote for the 10.8v makita impact driver. Driven thousands of screws when laying ply subfloor without ever feeling the need for more power.

You’ve persuaded me to take the Dewalt 18v stuff back to toolstation and buy that makita 12v kit. Went for the combi drill kit which is a bit cheaper as well for some reason.

https://www.powertoolworld.co.uk/makita-clx228aj-10-8v-12v-max-cxt-slide-combi-drill-impact-driver-twin-kit-inc-2x-2-0ah-batts

Shame it’s so much more to get the brushless version but I’m sure these will be just fine.

Makita 18V here. All good. I have loads of ‘tools’ now: strimmers, routers, blowers, inflators, you name it.

For the smaller tools I have Bosch 12V, such as screwdriver, ‘dremel’ etc.

ery true, the best tool in the world also won’t be any good if you don’t use it properly as kayak said.

Those cheap versions aren’t bad though, the Bosch 55 is commonly flung into bundles, has a full metal chuck and is near as damn it the same as my 65 minus the Bluetooth module capability.

Some of the “basic” versions are also the old top or only models for the range, the 120 jigsaw was the only one until the 150 turned up, for most folk 120mm is plenty of capacity.

Oh, and for anyone in the Bosch ecosystem, pro Thursdays is worth a watch, currently 20% off all 18V tools which puts them well below the resellers.

https://www.bosch-professional.com/gb/en/pro-thursdays/

And mind pro deals for bonus extras

https://www.bosch-professional.com/gb/en/pro360/prodeals/

Sorry, but didnt really mean they were no good, just after scanning OP’s initial post about a van conversion, I though something more robust might be a better investment.

I’ve no issue with the lighter weight versions, and I’ve 3 Bosch professional and a bosch pro impact which are all light duty.(you know the reasons for so many, cabinets etc hinges etc having 3 or 4 drills on the bench saves a lot of fiddling about changing bits, drill bit sizes etc etc)

To be honest, I’d point Hannah right towards this. Yes wait for it…….FESTOOL…  😯

It’s a little bit more than the makita in your link, but better quality wise and is really compact. Fitting out a van is going to mean getting cabinets,panels and the like into tight spaces, so having a full length gun is really just going to hinder. Plus it comes with the right angles chuck which is really going to help in cabinet etc assembly.

Its probably better made, and you can use it for a couple of years then flog it and get back 3/4 of your outlay(or near abouts) I know its the name, but the Makita or Bosch etc dont really hold their price well, and you get the distinct feeling they are really just generic

https://www.screwfix.com/p/festool-cxs-10-8v-2-x-2-6ah-li-ion-cordless-multipurpose-drill/407PF?kpid=407PF&cm_mmc=Google-_-Datafeed-_-Tools?kpid=KINASEKPID&cm_mmc=Google-_-TOKEN1-_-TOKEN2&ds_rl=1244066&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi4apsZ6OgAMVR-3tCh03MAl8EAQYASABEgJ0HfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I have that cxt set.  it’s very nice, light and easy to use.  I also have lxt which does get occasional use  but my default is lxt.  they also do a cxt impact wrench which is quite a nice and a tiny circular cut off saw which is quite handy if you are doing stuff like shiplap and want to cut it in situ (like roofing a shed)

I bought a Bosch 12v Pro drill, probably 7 or 8 years ago, when I first saw them recommended on here. Then I got the impact driver from the range. They’ve been great for what I’ve needed.
A couple of years ago we were needing a new lawnmower, so I bought an 18v Makita LXT mower, plus a hedge trimmer. I’ve since got the tyre inflator, a vacuum cleaner, and most recently, a circular saw. Again, all great.

We’ve got quite a bit of Dewalt gear at work, we’ve had a few of the drill/driver clutches fail, so I didn’t/wouldn’t bother with them.

Makita here for me,  a plus is it’s great being able to buy the knock off tools from ebay to put the good batteries in.

Reading the right angle chuck suggestion above, I found this Milwaukee right angle adaptor a revelation for when working in tight spaces such as cabinets

Makita ‘coz then you can buy the cordless vacuum and we all know that housework and cleaning is a pink job
{ducks and runs out of the thread}

Gosh. This is nearly as complicated as buying a van in the first place. Thanks for all the info!

RustyNissanPrairie
Full Member

Makita ‘coz then you can buy the cordless vacuum

Yeah but it’s crap! I still use mine occasionally since I have it, but compared to my cheapo Hoover cordless it’s absolutely rubbish, and the hoover cost about the same even with a battery and charger

So  yes its not simple and there are lots of opinions .

But please take on board our advice about your biggest and most expensive/intensive job

The van  – this is effectively like  installing a fitted kitchen , where you need to take care be nimble and be in control.

I cannot think of a single use case for an impact driver for that job , not one that could better done with a compact  drill/driver. They are great for timber  framing , specialist metal self drilling/tapping bolts etc  .

Imagine holding something in place whilst reaching for the drill/screwdriver , do that a few times with a chunky 5ah 18v battery thing and it soon gets annoying and the arm/hand start to wobble  and  slip/scratch etc.

Here are a couple of  options that will definitely work well for your main project.

For the walls pickup a used corded hammer or sds drill for peanuts – no finesse needed.

Blue one:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/bosch-gsr-12-15-fc4-12v-2-x-2-0ah-lithium-coolpack-cordless-flexi-click-screwdriver/755PG?kpid=755PG&cm_mmc=Google-_-Datafeed-_-Tools?kpid=KINASEKPID&cm_mmc=Google-_-TOKEN1-_-TOKEN2&ds_rl=1244066&gclid=CjwKCAjw5MOlBhBTEiwAAJ8e1qrABFDPWKzd1Kl_Y8OlU6IqK2pwgKnOAdekWZBuoqckONpjvZzNAhoCnhgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Red one:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/milwaukee-m12-bddx-202c-12v-2-x-2-0ah-li-ion-redlithium-cordless-drill-driver/774HF?kpid=774HF&cm_mmc=Google-_-Datafeed-_-Tools?kpid=KINASEKPID&cm_mmc=Google-_-TOKEN1-_-TOKEN2&ds_rl=1244066&gclid=CjwKCAjw5MOlBhBTEiwAAJ8e1n1rfV3IRix4EfL5Z3alD6oDTP6vLQrENspeTZzyew9ZKxVT8vK6jRoCmMgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

compact

Definitely Festool.

If money is no object, top of the range Hilti.

I cannot think of a single use case for an impact driver for that job , not one that could better done with a compact  drill/driver.

Maybe. But I’ve seen o many people driving screws badly with an 18v drill pressed hard, skipping out of the head and rounding off the screw. The 10.8 v impact driver puts screws in much better.

Now if it’s really soft delicate materials yes the drill driver is better (especially since you’ll be ore drilling every screw…)

I have lots of Festool, some Aldi and a bunch of in between tools.
My most used item is an 8 year old Erbauer impact driver. Bloody thing won’t die to give me an excuse to get a fancy one. You need at least 2 drill/drivers with you to stop the incessant changeovers. I love my little 10v Festool drill. An utter extravagance, but its compact 90 degree option has got me out of (into) some impossible squeezes.
I wont try drilling into a wall with anything other than my cheap Erbauer SDS. Hammer drills are no alternative to SDS.

And another thing. I only by Reisser or Spax screws. Self drilling and countersinking. Avoids pilot drilling in most cases. And Fischer duopower wall plugs. Never turn in the hole.

.

I think I have the hardest walls (horrible Dalry brick) known to man and have never once reached for an SDS. A decent bit makes more of a difference than a 1/2 ton SDS drill unless you’re going outside of normal chuck capacities.

The only thing I’ve ever used an SDS for is core cutting or 20mm pipe holes.

Oh, and the Bosch ‘Dremel’ is actually a Dremel but with the pro battery.

I’ve a set of Ryobi that I got from a mate who used to be a demonstrator.

I’ve abused the drill and it’s showing its age (I’ve had it seven years and he had it a fair few before). It’s done well.

I had some 18mm holes to drill in concrete so I cut the sds splines off an SDS bit and used it for 8 holes. The drill got hot, struggled but got the job done.

I don’t think they make that model any more with the metal chuck.

I think I have the hardest walls

I’m here from Accrington. I used to frequent a pub which had a Nori brick on the bar as an ashtray and the running joke was that it was there to prevent people from stealing the counter. Your walls are a pussy.

😁

(in seriousness, yes, as others have said, decent screws and twist drills make a hell of a difference)

My bricks dad is harder than yours.