Board logo

Buying a BIG drill
James - 12/12/13 at 09:59 PM

Alright, probably not that big but I think I want a bigger hammer drill than the 650w Ryobi I have. It more than enough for 90% of DIY jobs and its small and light enough to carry round easily. However Now I have a whole house to majorly renovate/rebuild I don't think its up to it.

Off the top of my head I'd use it for: I have a shed load of channelling to do, some core drilling and probably a bunch of other jobs to do that will take more power. I've enquired about renting and 3/4 hires and I will have paid for my own! I tried the channeling with the Ryobi and it took ages.

I normally buy well respected, quality brands such as Makita but this won't be used so much that I need the reliability. I also won't be using it elsewhere other than home so won't be lugging it around so weight is less of a problem.

So, I was thinking of something like this:
1500w

The Ferm one is pretty cheap? Complete junk or worth having?

Opinions appreciated!

Thanks!
James

nick205 - 12/12/13 at 10:27 PM

With power tools I've found cheaper ones with a higher watt rating to be less capable than better brands with slightly lower power ratings.

For example, the 2000 watt erbauer (screwfix) router I bought was pants compared to the 1600 watt De Walt one I borrowed from my Dad.

Like wise the 1500 watt Black & Decker jigsaw I had was rubbish compared to the 1200 watt Bosch one I replaced it with.

I.e. a cheap motor can use plenty of power, but that's not the same as delivering plenty of power.

[Edited on 12/12/13 by nick205]

HowardB - 12/12/13 at 10:31 PM

If you are going to use it for core drilling then a clutch is important. I have a bosch blue., that is good, the metabo that I borrow is much better. Hth

daniel mason - 12/12/13 at 10:43 PM

james. look at the offers screwfix have on the bosch drills. mega cheap sds hammer drills!

daniel mason - 12/12/13 at 10:48 PM

look in power tools,drills, 2 function SDS. 240v 2kg bosch SDS £20 inc VAT

slingshot2000 - 12/12/13 at 10:59 PM

quote:
Originally posted by daniel mason
look in power tools,drills, 2 function SDS. 240v 2kg bosch SDS £20 inc VAT


I was so surprised at that, I had to go and look it up to see if it really was such a bargain! There is a catch to it is only 500watts.
May not be much use for chasing channels and core drilling, remembering their warranty, it is worth trying for £20 !
Definitely.

Regards
Jon

daniel mason - 12/12/13 at 11:06 PM

not bad drills though. they will be pretty robust as well! we use the higher powered bosch ones and they are good.

ste - 12/12/13 at 11:19 PM

No stock near me, if anyone has near them and fancy collecting one for me

slingshot2000 - 12/12/13 at 11:56 PM

quote:
Originally posted by ste
No stock near me, if anyone has near them and fancy collecting one for me


I had a quick look, but none of the 6 branches within 20miles of me has any in stock. Shame, as for £20 I would have bought one to have as back up to my DeWalt.

Regards
Jon

NigeEss - 13/12/13 at 12:13 AM

I bought mine in B&Q several years ago for about £40, it's got a clutch and has had a lot of
use including core drilling two holes through a two foot granite wall to put outlets for a kitchen sink
and bathroom waste.

ashg - 13/12/13 at 12:18 AM

Buy once buy makita. I have thrown out so many cheap tools I have lost count. I have built 2 cars and renovated 3 houses and not one makita tool has broke. I have managed to kill a Bosch pro drill and angle grinder, makita stuff just won't die!

rash12 - 13/12/13 at 06:27 AM

as above the jobs neater with a makita

renetom - 13/12/13 at 08:15 AM

Hi
Been in the building industry since 1980
Had every good make of drill you can think of
some costing £4-500 hundred pounds, never bought cheap.
Then one day we needed an extra drill on a job
so went out an bought a professional Wickes one
compared to the others it was relatively cheap
about a £105 if memory serves, its pneumatic
hammer action is quieter & far more efficient than rotary hammer
Had the thing for almost 25 years & still works as good as the day
I bought it . all the rest having gone in the bin long before.
All my guys bought one & can honestly say not one has broken.
good luck

Phil.J - 13/12/13 at 10:39 AM

I also bought a Wickes SDS hammer drill a couple of years ago for some building work and it has been great. Together with a set of SDS chisels it seems unbreakable, I even use it like a small Kango on concrete breaking jobs.

[Edited on 13/12/13 by Phil.J]

hkp57 - 13/12/13 at 10:45 AM

If it is for very limited use ( I don't know how much work is meant by 90% of the time you don't need it) for the 10% I would wait until you have a couple of jobs lined up then hire one for the weekend from a local tool hire shop.

Charlie_Zetec - 13/12/13 at 10:56 AM

quote:
Originally posted by ashg
Buy once buy makita. I have thrown out so many cheap tools I have lost count. I have built 2 cars and renovated 3 houses and not one makita tool has broke. I have managed to kill a Bosch pro drill and angle grinder, makita stuff just won't die!


I've purchased a selection of tools for home renovation and DIY over the past few years, as I decided to do jobs myself instead of getting people in to do them. As such, I decided to spend a little extra and get professional bits instead of cheap-o stuff (as a treat to myself at the same time).

I used to be a DeWalt man through and through, but have since found myself buying Makita bits as well. I've got various drills in terms of battery and corded including DeWalt 18V 1.3Ah Ni-Cad drill/driver (for £99 with two batteries @ Screwfix, can't go wrong for small jobs and been going for years), DeWalt Li-Ion impact driver (came as part of a set with a cordless SDS, and great for shed and garage extension building), DeWalt 18V Li-Ion SDS drill (great for quick internal jobs such as shelves, picture hooks etc.).

But, the biggest and best drill I own is a Makita AVT 4.5Kg SDS drill with roto-stop (110V). It's not cheap at about £350, but I've used it for channeling walls, knocking box socket holes in walls, chiselling up parts of my driveway for cabling and pipe-laying, and never once has it let me down. Friend also borrowed it recently for core-drilling and fitting his bathroom in new extension, and did all jobs with ease.

As everyone has said, buy a big-named brand, and you won't be disappointed. Usually find their customer service is better as well, and larger items are serviceable by specialists if they get regular heavy use, rather than replacement.

ashg - 13/12/13 at 11:36 AM

the other good thing about makita is should it get damaged the parts are pretty cheap in comparison to some other brands.

tompat3463 - 13/12/13 at 12:58 PM

I would never walk past Makita gear.. All the hire places use them for one reason.....realiability.......ive had a makita sds hammer drill for 5 years now...ive used it to cut 4" cores though 300mm stone walls and it has never let me down

BenB - 13/12/13 at 02:41 PM

I bought a screwfix own brand SDS 5kg drill. Only downside is its chuffing heavy. But it works like a dream. I wasn't sure if it had a clutch but the first time I did some core drilling it became apparent that it does

JoelP - 13/12/13 at 07:48 PM

I use a titan one at work, chasing walls and drilling vents etc. 40 quid and they usually last a couple of year of heavy trade use. You can't moan. Also has loads more impact energy than all the rivals.

cliftyhanger - 13/12/13 at 09:05 PM

I too bought a screwfix titan 1500watt Bobbie a year ago.it replaced a similar priced b+q one that survived 30mins (that may be an exaggeration, may have been 20)
It has knocked down walls, dug out concrete fence posts, channelled out loads of stuff and so on. It is a bit heavy, and really a smaller drill is better for drilling. But this thing is great as a mini breaker. Better for left handers as the motor fan blows dust in your face a bit if right handed.

James - 17/12/13 at 05:16 PM

Well, in the end I went against my better instincts and bought cheap so I went with the Titan one.

My current hammer drill has always been good enough so apart from this job and some core drilling for the boiler it won't see much action so reliability is not such an issue.

If it fails after a year then it's only £50 gone which is cheaper than hire and as Screwfix is open so late I can get another easily if I need it.

I usually buy Makita and love it but £300 just seemed too much for one job!

Thanks for the advice!

James