You would think it not a problem but I cannot find an electric pistol drill with 13mm chuck that just drills holes. I don't want battery powered, SDS or hammer action just a compact drill that plugs into the mains.

They've gone the same way as phones and cameras; too many additional features and too clever for their own good!

I had the same dilemma, in the end B&Q turned up trumps with an entry level Bosch

Downside, it has a hammer action that I did not want
Upside, self fastening chuck if that's what it's called, no need for a chuck key, was a bit dubious of this at first but now I have used it it's very good

quote:

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Originally posted by mark chandler
I had the same dilemma, in the end B&Q turned up trumps with an entry level Bosch

Downside, it has a hammer action that I did not want
Upside, self fastening chuck if that's what it's called, no need for a chuck key, was a bit dubious of this at first but now I have used it it's very good

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I had a lovely old wolf drill with correct Jacobs chuck, it must have been 50 years old before the gearbox gave out, I give the new one a couple of years tops

eBay has some decent looking second hand drills, the old metal cased 2 speed black and deckers are a sturdy bit of kit, just a bit bulky.

Doubt you'll find anything without hammer action these days unless you go for second hand (though every drill I've seen it's selectable so no real problem if you don't want to use it).

What about http://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-hp1631k-2-710w-percussion-drill-240v/46545
You can get cheaper, but Makita is a good brand in my experience and you get 3 years guarantee.

For really compact I've just got one of these in the sales http://www.screwfix.com/p/bosch-gsr10-8vli-10-8v-1-5ah-li-ion-drill-driver/71236 tiny and seems powerful enough for what I want (I use the corded on bigger jobs), again 3 years on the drill 2 years on the battery.

Nothing will touch an air drill for size, but a bit of a faff for small jobs.

quote:

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Originally posted by iank
Doubt you'll find anything without hammer action these days unless you go for second hand (though every drill I've seen it's selectable so no real problem if you don't want to use it).

What about http://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-hp1631k-2-710w-percussion-drill-240v/46545
You can get cheaper, but Makita is a good brand in my experience and you get 3 years guarantee.

For really compact I've just got one of these in the sales http://www.screwfix.com/p/bosch-gsr10-8vli-10-8v-1-5ah-li-ion-drill-driver/71236 tiny and seems powerful enough for what I want (I use the corded on bigger jobs), again 3 years on the drill 2 years on the battery.

Nothing will touch an air drill for size, but a bit of a faff for small jobs.

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A old 9V, 12V cordless makes a good small drill when converted to a corded one and connected to a car battery. Obviously this is just for using in the workshop or on the car (I wouldn't like to carry the battery). Not the same power as a mains drill but still useful for small or awkward jobs. As said, Ebay is good source, got a old Bosch drill (no hammer action), paid £5.00.

I hadn't thought of secondhand but if they are available at that kind of price well worth a punt.

Thank you very much for the advice

John

You can still get compact, single speed drills with no hammer action but the chucks tend to be limited to 10mm max.

If that's a compromise you could make, check out the Bosch GBM 6 RE (very small and light, and part of their professional range) and the Makita 6413 (slightly larger and heavier, but more powerful than the Bosch).

The Hitachi D13VF is a bit larger again but has a 13mm chuck and is significantly more powerful. It's an expensive machine however.

i'm trying to find a decent corded drill at the moment. i used my bosch professional sds drill with a chuck fitted the other day to drill through some 6mm steel, flew through it drilling nice and slow but still with plenty of power. but with the chuck fitted its just to big and bulky to use in the garage on car things.

both my cordless and corded drills loose all power when you slow them down enough to drill through steel.

i tried to find one without hammer action but there is not many available and none that have the other specs i want without spending a lot of money on one.

I pinned the hammer action selector in the off position on the ancient Woolworth's drill I use because it was getting in knocked on and ruinning drill bits.

[Edited on 24/8/14 by britishtrident]

I use one of these at work. Straightforward two speed with no hammer. Not the cheapest but pretty much bomb proof .

http://m.bosch-professional.com/gb/en/tools/drills-impact-drills/drills/gbm-13-2/index.html

Thank you all for your helpful replies.

For the lighter jobs I've just bought this Bosch air drill for £20 delivered.

Bosch pistol drill

For heavier jobs I've got a De Walt SDS with a keyed chuck so in the absence of a reasonable priced mains pistol drill I hope this will be a good compromise.

John