Hitachi and AEG are both make good stuff, but people seem reticent to buy it so it always ends up discounted and you can get some pretty good deals. Dewalt isn’t always as good as people like to think, so when it turns up cheap it can be less of a bargain than it appears. Can’t go wrong with pretty much anything from Makita if the price is right.
If you are going to use it a lot, as in most of the day, everyday, then something Li-ion is worth going for. If not you can get higher spec, older technology NiMh for a better price and the only really penalty you’ll pay is a bit of arm ache and a less flexibility with charging. The NiMh stuff often has lots of extras thrown in (a third battery, or more amps, extra drivers or accessory/ bit sets etc) which is handy if you don’t have all that stuff to begin with. If you are going to use it pretty infrequently some Makita drivers are sold with just one battery, given Li-ion batteries cost close to £100 on their own its away of getting a good quality versatile driver for cheap bucks. Li-on charges quick and you don’t need to fully charge it like older batteries so for stop start work its pretty smart.
The teensy tiny 10v (sometime called 12v, but they’re all the same) drivers that have appeared in the last few years can be surprisingly good. They’re often bundled as two drivers (regular and impact) and two batteries and a charger. If the drill in the pair has two speeds and a proper chuck then together they are a better tool than a regular drill driver is on its own (in most circumstances). They usually retail around £160 but bargains turn up now and then.
Aside from Screwfix for mail order also look at Axminster and D&M
