Mrs Grips wants a small cordless drill for general use, and it’d be handy for me probably too. We have a mains powered one which makes short work of brick and concrete, so my logic is that we can get a much lighter smaller 12V drill because we have the mains one.

It’s only for occasional DIY use, so whilst we both love nice quality stuff we could probably get away with something cheaper. B&Q have a Mac Allister 12V Li-ion one which looks tiny and is only £30. Any reason not to?

https://www.diy.com/departments/mac-allister-cordless-12v-1-5ah-lithium-ion-brushed-drill-driver-1-battery-msdd12-li/3663602798637_BQ.prd

Any reason not to?

only that it’ll probably be shit! 😃
Screwfix do an 18V version of that drill with 2 batteries (which is a good thing to have) for an extra £20 (although never used that brand so can’t say much about that one way or the other!)

Shit in what way?

The 18V version is quite a bit bigger and heavier. Light weight is a priority. As for two batteries – the current job is putting up a curtain rail into plasterboard and ash blocks, using four screws. I think one battery will manage it.

Parkside at Lidl had a 12v drill for the same price last week so may still be available – 2 speed and quick release chuck , led light
3 year warranty , I have a previous model and it coped well even with decking screws and general home DIY.

Similarly I’ve had good luck with Aldi power tools.
I have a mixture of Makita and Aldi 🙂

They have this 12v with free delivery and 3 year warranty:
https://www.aldi.co.uk/workzone-12v-li-ion-cordless-drill/p/078800228032000

I’d rather use a decent screwdriver than that…

My only experience of McAllister tools is a set of Allen keys that rounded off the first time I used them.

I’ve got a little Erbauer 10.8v impact gun (Silverline job is similar) for general drilling and hammering screws into bits of wood, came in handy while building the deck but my 18V Bosch Blue is miles better for serious drilling.

I’d rather use a decent screwdriver than that…

Can anyone give me actual experience or knowledge rather than brand snobbery?

Not sure about the op’s one but Screwfix are doing an offer on an 18v twin Dewalt set which looked very reasonable for £149.

I’ve currently got a twin Hitachi set; driver and drill, and a a Ryobi drill, mainly because I wanted an extra battery for other tools of theirs and the set was better value (that one lives with the caravan for steady duties – I’m lazy and have a dodgy back). In the past a Black and Decker has failed me and a Bosch sheered off at the chuck. Not got any experience of the MacAllister stuff personally but my Dad has some bits of theirs and he has no complaints. For that money, why not if it’s occasional use and if it breaks in a year warranty etc.

I have this one, and it is bloody good for what it is.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00L3XK06C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_4VN-CbVB908V6

My dad has more powerful drills if I ever need to borrow one, but have happily drilled into concrete, brick, wood etc without too much bother with this one. It also has a screwdriver setting on it which can be handy. The one I got has 2 batteries and an hour charger, which is also really good. I think the batteries can be used for their other cordless tools too, don’t quote me on it but pretty sure i remember reading that before. Not too big, not too heavy and also has a light to illuminate the hole your pounding away at. A great all round drill in my opinion.

Not sure about the op’s one but Screwfix are doing an offer on an 18v twin Dewalt set which looked very reasonable for £149.

Only five times the price of the one I quoted – perfect!

I should’ve known better…

OP says lighter smaller cordless why are you posting about 18v blasters ??

I missed the price part when I suggested the one in my link, sorry molgrips.

I’d probably push the boat out and get this set…
https://www.screwfix.com/p/mac-allister-msdd18-li-2-18v-1-5ah-li-ion-cordless-drill-driver/873fx

Or this…
https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-eri743ddh-18v-2-0ah-li-ion-cordless-drill-driver/4778t

And to be honest – unless you spend a small fortune to get the top models cordless drills are fairly useless for doing serious work. And same as you molgrips – if it needs some welly the corded drill comes out! 🙂

Shit in what way?

as in, “oh shit I’ve just wasted £30” 😂 It may be fine, but given how poor VFM B&Q is normally, is a £30 cordless screwdriver (which isn’t on special offer) REALLY going to be any good? Let us know!!

i have one of these https://www.clasohlson.com/uk/Cocraft-LXC-DD18-Drill-Driver/18-3630 and it’s very good for quick simple jobs

Lidl or Aldi drill, cheap as chips and usually a decent guarantee. For light home use they will be fine and are decent value for money.

I had a Lidl one for 5 years before it died, I properly abused it as well!

a mains drill is probably no heavier than most 12v drills anyway – you’re not having to lug around a battery.

I’d rather spend £30 on an extension cord than on a drill, it might just get through cinderblock, but if it gets to anything remotely tough it’ll just spin worthlessly

a mains drill is probably no heavier than most 12v drills anyway – you’re not having to lug around a battery.

Did you click the link I posted? It’s tiny, far smaller than a mains drill.

Just as a PSA really. It’s a good offer. Shan’t bother next time.

I really thought this would do the job for you OP
But then I realised it would likely be 24v not 12v , its worth a look though …

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Unimog-Mercedes-Drilling-Rig-Borehole-water-well-drilling/273695227834?hash=item3fb981bfba:g:8-kAAOSwDNZcX-qi

ive got a black and decker EPC12 that i was bought for fathers day which unfortunately hasnt got much grunt and ive replaced it with milwaukee.

ill never use it again, it sounds like itll do what you want from it, in the good old stw way of looking after each other, you can have it if you like.

im in lincoln if youre anywhere near, or you can have it for postage (unless of course the postage is more than the price of the one youve seen anyway) 😀

Lols @ finishthat…

I’m all Makita and a colleague has their 10.8v twin pack. Absolutely tiny. I always take the sips out of him for using a child’s drill. But actually, it’s really good and plenty of power.

However, over your budget obviously. Only reason I mention it is the 10.8v stuff tends to be nice and small and light so I would go for something from a budget brand in 10.8v. All the big sheds do them, or Lidl/Aldi have good returns periods as suggested above.

Sorry for the tetchiness but it’s a bit frustrating.

Anyway, went to B&Q, most of the drill drivers are 40-50nm, the £30 one was only 10nm! So that was a good reason to dismiss it. It wasn’t noticeably lighter than the next one up at £55 and 30nm. But the display was confusingly mis labelled so I ended up with a higher model Mac Allister again, with 45nm, but only one battery for £45. And it’s pretty nice all in. Enough power for the job and quite small. Not the lightest but outside of a posh one the best we’re going to get I think.

I bought one of these Bosch from plumplace a few months ago advice from an earlier thread on here, pretty good £60 deal

No.

How much will it get used? I have the last Parkside 20v li-ion drill from Lidl, it is fairly shit but it’s not like I’m a chippie, it’s for light use and it only has to last for as long as the battery does before going wonky (which is what’s always done for more expensive tools that I’ve owned)

Silverline do a tiny wee 10.8v pistol drill which is surprisingly decent, don’t ask it to put a hole in steel but for household stuff it complements a mains drill really well. It’s also an excellent screwdriver. It’s ended up being one of my most used power tools ever, which I feel kind of bad about considering I own proper man tools.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/273701391393

I have an 18v Bosch blue drill.
It’s a bit rubbish. Not powerful enough for most masonry, can’t go more than a 10mm drill through wood.
And it’s a little heavy. I think going for a lighter, lower voltage one is a good move.
I generally end up dragging out the corded SDS drill for most jobs.

The impact driver, on the other hand, is fantastic.

Silverline are the cheapest worst tools I’ve every bought never again, torx bit that chewed and twisted trying to take a disc off a bike for eg

Treat yourself.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2gasdex]screwdriver[/url] by Stephen Williams, on Flickr

Well this one definitely isn’t shit. It feels solid, the thingy spins when you press the button, no issues so far. It’s got hammer and two speeds. Curtain rail has been fitted.

The mains drill I have is Bosch and was £35, so given I’ve spent £80 on two drills I’ve got far more power and capability than if I’d bought one drill for the same money.

I agree Molgrips- I’ve got a second hand Bosch Uneo (10.8v) and a second hand Bosch SDS. Cost for both was <£100 and they’re ideally suited to their respective roles, much more than a 18v jack of all trades.

I’ve messed around with cheap stuff… Had a 14.4v Makita drill/impact driver set for a few years now, small, light but brilliant performance. If you shop around for deals they’re not terribly expensive. The torque settings on the drill/driver are accurate so if you are screwing into something fragile, like putting together some IKEA flatpack, it’ll drive fast and stop when it’s hand tight. I use the driver with impact sockets on the car, and it made putting together a load of planters in the garden a v easy task last weekend. It can’t cope with very hard stuff, like aged concrete lintels so I’ve got a Toshiba SDS for the tough jobs.

This has been great and for only £15 more.

PSA: Bosch GSB18-2VLI combi drill with batteries kit 2 x 15Ah £59.99 @ Wolseley

I have an 18v Bosch blue drill.
It’s a bit rubbish. Not powerful enough for most masonry, can’t go more than a 10mm drill through wood.

Sounds like it’s broken or battery damaged. NB They make loads of different models but I would have thought all their 18v would be fine in masonry. I have a fairly basic 60 Nm Bosch Blue drill driver which is almost as good as a mains powered drill, not found anything it can’t drill through yet. NB If you’re drilling very wide holes, you do notice it copes better with a larger Ah battery, which can sustain high currents better than the smaller ones.

Completely irrelevant to the OP, but this very comprehensive review shows you what you can expect in performance these days from 18v drills..

I have an 18v Bosch blue drill.
It’s a bit rubbish.

I find that a bit surprising. I have an 18v bosche green and it goes through everything.

A 10mm masonry bit is a big ask though so i zip in a little masonry bit then folliw it with the 10mm. Which also helps with getting the hole somewhere near where i want it rather than writing my name in the plaster.

And i’ve put some big spades and blunt forstners through sycamore with it. Slow going mind!

Must be an issue with it, managed to drill 8 holes through 3″ of wrought iron with my 18V Bosch Blue, took a bit of effort with cooling fluid and a few battery charges, a pillar drill would have been better but used what I had and it did OK.

Worx cordless, then you can give yourself an excuse to buy the cordless jet washer too and share batteries and chargers! I bought a drill and impact driver for £100 over Xmas, been great so far. Now have 3 batteries and 2 chargers, always got backup 🙂