Comments on: Can Anyone Recommend A Good All-purpose Drill For Diy Around The House?

By: cheezyhi

cheezyhi — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:16:16 +0000

With all the answers I can’t believe that not a single person recommended a Ryobi. They make a good drill for a good price it is sold at Home Depot. The best part about it is you can buy several other attachments that use the same battery. Saw, saw saw, spiral saw, etc. etc. etc.
I am a professional and use the Ryobi several times a week. I have found they last about as long as the higher priced drills but the batteries are cheaper. You want at least 2 batteries. I have 5 batteries. I am not convinced the Lithium batteries are worth the cost yet.
You might look into the multi tool kits that come with 2 batteries a drill a small circular saw and a saw saw. The batteries saws need a lot of batteries to do more than a few cuts but they are light weight and come in handy at times. But they are not a replacement for corded saws.

By: Cannonbo

Cannonbo — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:16:15 +0000

Get a drill with two batteries, an hour charge time, a 1/2 inch chuck, hammer action, high rev count (1400 and above), 14v or above and that should pretty much cover anything you would want to do around the house.
However its always best to have a corded drill on hand, get a cheap one to go alongside your cordless drill. Ive seen them as cheap as £12-£15
I would go for something with those features, also the higher in millamps the battery is the longer it will generally last. Dewalt and Makita are excellent brands, also black and decker, Ryobi, Hitachi etc.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:16:14 +0000

I would have a look at the Bosch Professional Li-Ion Cordless Screwdriver GSR10.8V-LI . This may be only 10.8v but it can screw a 3in screw no probs without a pilot hole. It really has so much torque considering its size. I have been using one for 6 months and its fantastic. Get it, you will not be disappointed everyone i know who uses these rates them highly. http://www.gardencentreonline.co.uk/DIY-…
You could then get and SDS DeWalt drill for all your heavy drilling needs. For under 2 Hundred quid you will have tools that will do the job and last.http://www.gardencentreonline.co.uk/DIY-…

By: mgerben

mgerben — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:16:12 +0000

Get a brand name. If you get a nameless TokiBoki model, all you get is an electric screwdriver.
Look at ease of use. Is it easy to alternate between drills and screws? Because this is something that is going to happen often.
Does it have a gear, like low gearing for powerfull, controlled screwing and high gearing for drilling?
Whatever you buy, it will be good for wood, it may do masonry, but it is won’t drill concrete. Not on batteries, not with any hammer function. You need a real drill for that. China makes nice 500 Watt nameless drills for less than $50, which eat through concrete.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:16:11 +0000

You’re in the same position my brother was last summer, when he fixed his place up for selling. One of your criteria, drilling into masonry, makes your drill/driver selection tough – or at best, limited. To drill masonry you require a hammer drill, or rotary hammer. Makita makes a fine 18-volt Li-ion model (BHP451) that is ½” and has hammer drill functions.
What I convinced my brother to do, and he ended up happy with it, was to get a factory reconditioned BHP451, use it during his house fixup and then sell it on line.
The only problem you’ll have with the BHP451 is its weight. The weight is somewhat problematic when using the tool as a screw gun. It is not ‘stupid heavy,’ but it would not be my choice for a screw gun only tool. I left a link to an independent review of the tool that will give you all of the specs on it, as well as photos.
Another option would be to buy a reconditioned Makita screw gun only – that will also drill wood and metal easily – and rent an impact drill to drill your masonry holes. You’d need to know where (and what size) you wanted all of your holes before you rented.

By: Huge

Huge — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:16:10 +0000

If you are not a professioinal builder or carpenter you do not need to pay the price for a professional quality all purpose drill. Particularly, as most of them are made in the same factories regardless of the brand name. Personally, I would go for the best design that suits you from any of the top brands – Bosch being my choice.
A standard percussion drill will do all you need they rotate at around 3,000 revs per minute (rpm) but for more power their hammer action pounds the turning drill bit at around 40,000 blows a minute. They will do all DIY jobs, and softer stone such as limestone or light concrete. For a cordless rotary drill you need at least a 14V and for a combi drill 24V. Li-on batteries perform buch better but for occasional use you would not really need that just buy a drill with two fast charge battery packs and have one on the go and the other on charge. Remember combi drills are large and heavy so I use a standard lightweight rotary drill for most jobs and the combi only for heavy duty tasks. See Screwfix direct for a good range and some user reviews