Before people start saying its a pile of pants (the Argos Challenge SDS
drill for £30) - I got it because I was completely knackered after doing the
best part of sinking a double socket box in a brick wall. Trying to drill
with a basic hammer drill and chisel out the bits of brick was a right pain,
taking ages and wearing my arm out! The hammer drill was pants and just
wasn't up to the job. I decided that spending £30 on a cheapo SDS drill to
get this job done was cost effective (especially as it included 2 basic
chisels) seeing as I had a number of jobs to do (including replastering) and
having a dead arm and wasted time would be more of a problem than £30 spent.

After using it I've noticed two features that it appears to lack. Firstly,
you cannot lock it on. This means having to constantly pull the trigger
whilst drilling/chiseling - a right pain. Secondly there doesn't appear to
be a rotation lock mechanism. Whist I can stop it rotating under power, I
can't seem to get it to stop rotating under vibration. Okay on a point
chisel but on the flat chisel it can be a problem as you want to keep the
flat piece in a certain place and angle..

All told though, I'm pleased with it - it made a good job of breaking up the
bricks though it does weight a ton.

It looks like the £50 Performance Power one from B&Q though I noticed their
one has a trigger lock - no idea about rotation lock.

Does anyone else have experience of the Challenge SDS Drill and whether
there's any way of stopping the bit rotating under vibration when its in
hammer only mode?

Thanks

David

David Hearn wrote:
Before people start saying its a pile of pants (the Argos Challenge SDS
drill for £30) - I got it because I was completely knackered after doing the
best part of sinking a double socket box in a brick wall.

Your reason for getting it doesn't make it less of a pile of pants :-)


All told though, I'm pleased with it - it made a good job of breaking up the
bricks though it does weight a ton.

This is one of the biggest failings of the £25-£50 SDS machines - they
weigh far too much. I know - I had two before buying my DeWalt.

--
Grunff

David Hearn wrote:

Does anyone else have experience of the Challenge SDS Drill and whether
there's any way of stopping the bit rotating under vibration when its in
hammer only mode?

That also seems to be a common feature of many drills in this class. You
normally need to go to Bosch or Makita money (i.e. 100 - 120) for a
decent multi position rotation lock.


--
Cheers,

John.

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"Grunff" wrote in message
...
David Hearn wrote:
Before people start saying its a pile of pants (the Argos Challenge SDS
drill for £30) - I got it because I was completely knackered after doing
the
best part of sinking a double socket box in a brick wall.

Your reason for getting it doesn't make it less of a pile of pants :-)

He bought it to do one job. It did it, was worth it, and anything also above
that is a bonus. Sound logic.

All told though, I'm pleased with it - it made a good job of breaking up
the
bricks though it does weight a ton.

This is one of the biggest failings of the £25-£50 SDS machines - they
weigh far too much. I know - I had two before buying my DeWalt.

DeWalt? Please, now that is pants. You can get a superior Makita for less.

Does anyone else have experience of the Challenge SDS Drill and whether
there's any way of stopping the bit rotating under vibration when its in
hammer only mode?


I have the Argos one and I can definately turn rotation off. There's a
big knob near the chuck mechanism that you have to rotate.

I agree the lack of trigger lock is a PITA. Still, can't complain for
£30.

Jon.

Tournifreak wrote:
Does anyone else have experience of the Challenge SDS Drill and
whether there's any way of stopping the bit rotating under vibration
when its in hammer only mode?


I have the Argos one and I can definately turn rotation off. There's a
big knob near the chuck mechanism that you have to rotate.

Yeah, I found that turns powered rotation off (ie. for non-drilling work) -
but it didn't lock it so you couldn't rotate it yourself (or by vibration).
In my case the chisel might be facing North/South when I start, but after a
few seconds its rotated itself 90 degrees slowly to East/West.

I did notice though that the switch/knob at the back of it wouldn't go right
to the hammer part - it looked as if it needed to move another couple of
degrees - but no matter what forcing I did - I couldn't get it to go that
final part. I assumed it was just a feature of the knob. I will check
though whether the chuck needs to be at a certain angle before it can lock -
but I doubt it.

I agree the lack of trigger lock is a PITA. Still, can't complain for
£30.

Nope - did what I needed it to do.

David

IMM wrote:
"Grunff" wrote in message
...
David Hearn wrote:
Before people start saying its a pile of pants (the Argos Challenge
SDS drill for £30) - I got it because I was completely knackered
after doing the best part of sinking a double socket box in a brick
wall.

Your reason for getting it doesn't make it less of a pile of pants
:-)

He bought it to do one job. It did it, was worth it, and anything
also above that is a bonus. Sound logic.

I forgot to say that I was struggling on finishing the first double box and
that I had a second one to do, and another room which would need more
sockets! So, its still got some extra uses to go. Must admit though - the
box I did by hand (or mostly by hand) is much neater than the one I did from
scratch using the SDS Chisel... but then again, it took about 1/5 of the
time!

David

IMM wrote:

Your reason for getting it doesn't make it less of a pile of pants :-)


He bought it to do one job. It did it, was worth it, and anything also above
that is a bonus. Sound logic.


Sound logic if:

[a] It's the only job he's ever intending to do with an SDS
or
[b] You're a complete moron

--
Grunff

John Rumm wrote:
David Hearn wrote:

Does anyone else have experience of the Challenge SDS Drill and whether
there's any way of stopping the bit rotating under vibration when its in
hammer only mode?

That also seems to be a common feature of many drills in this class. You
normally need to go to Bosch or Makita money (i.e. 100 - 120) for a
decent multi position rotation lock.

My £90 (a while ago) Stayer has all lock types:-
No rotation, fixed
No rotation, free
Rotating and hammering
Just rotating

At the time it was one of the cheapest SDS drills available, it's done
lots of hard work for me over the past year or two and shows no signs
of falling apart yet.

--
Chris Green

IMM wrote in message ...
DeWalt? Please, now that is pants. You can get a superior Makita for
less.


The Makita is not superior. The chuck does not lock in the chiselling
position.

Regards
Capitol

"Grunff" wrote in message
...
IMM wrote:

Your reason for getting it doesn't make it less of a pile of pants :-)


He bought it to do one job. It did it, was worth it, and anything also
above
that is a bonus. Sound logic.


Sound logic if:

[a] It's the only job he's ever intending to do with an SDS

That's what he said he got it for. One job. So anything else is a bonus

or
[b] You're a complete moron

I assume the collective You're. Why would anyone be a moron by a cheap for
one job? Duh!

DeWalt? Please, now that is pants. You can get a superior Makita for
less.

Tried both. Makita wins hands down, but not for less.

--
Adam

In message ,
writes
John Rumm wrote:
David Hearn wrote:

Does anyone else have experience of the Challenge SDS Drill and whether
there's any way of stopping the bit rotating under vibration when its in
hammer only mode?

That also seems to be a common feature of many drills in this class. You
normally need to go to Bosch or Makita money (i.e. 100 - 120) for a
decent multi position rotation lock.

My £90 (a while ago) Stayer has all lock types:-
No rotation, fixed
No rotation, free
Rotating and hammering
Just rotating

At the time it was one of the cheapest SDS drills available, it's done
lots of hard work for me over the past year or two and shows no signs
of falling apart yet.

Yeah, I bought one of those about 2 years ago and have been equally
pleased with it.

With regard to the OP, ISTR complaints of bit rotating under hammer only
mode in previous posts regarding this (or similar SDS drills)

I am the only one who thinks these el cheapo SDS drills are deliberately
made much heavier than they need to be so as to feel more 'meaty' ?
--
Chris French, Leeds

"chris French" wrote in message
...
In message ,
writes
John Rumm wrote:
David Hearn wrote:

Does anyone else have experience of the Challenge SDS Drill and
whether
there's any way of stopping the bit rotating under vibration when its
in
hammer only mode?

That also seems to be a common feature of many drills in this class.
You
normally need to go to Bosch or Makita money (i.e. 100 - 120) for a
decent multi position rotation lock.

My £90 (a while ago) Stayer has all lock types:-
No rotation, fixed
No rotation, free
Rotating and hammering
Just rotating

At the time it was one of the cheapest SDS drills available, it's done
lots of hard work for me over the past year or two and shows no signs
of falling apart yet.

Yeah, I bought one of those about 2 years ago and have been equally
pleased with it.

With regard to the OP, ISTR complaints of bit rotating under hammer only
mode in previous posts regarding this (or similar SDS drills)

I am the only one who thinks these el cheapo SDS drills are deliberately
made much heavier than they need to be so as to feel more 'meaty' ?

Nah, to put professionals off.

I'm just about to set to ripping up a concrete floor and chase out some
walls for pipework, sounds like this would do the job, does it come with
chisels?


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On Tue, 10 Feb 2004 19:19:23 -0000, "IMM" wrote:


"Grunff" wrote in message
...
IMM wrote:

Your reason for getting it doesn't make it less of a pile of pants :-)


He bought it to do one job. It did it, was worth it, and anything also
above
that is a bonus. Sound logic.


Sound logic if:

[a] It's the only job he's ever intending to do with an SDS

That's what he said he got it for. One job. So anything else is a bonus

£30 for one job seems poor value to me.....


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

In article ,
IMM wrote:
DeWalt? Please, now that is pants. You can get a superior Makita for
less.

I've had a DeWalt for ages, and it's been great - can't fault it. Have you
experience of both, or is this just another example of your website
comparisons?

--
*Marriage changes passion - suddenly you're in bed with a relative*

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

In article ,
chris French wrote:
I am the only one who thinks these el cheapo SDS drills are deliberately
made much heavier than they need to be so as to feel more 'meaty' ?

A heavy drill might well be an advantage if chasing into floors etc. But
not for walls. ;-)

--
*What boots up must come down *

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

Capitol wrote:
IMM wrote in message ...

DeWalt? Please, now that is pants. You can get a superior Makita for

less.


The Makita is not superior. The chuck does not lock in the chiselling
position.

depends on your Makita - it does on my one (Makita 2450)

--
Cheers,

John.

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\================================================= ================/

In message , Justin
writes

I'm just about to set to ripping up a concrete floor and chase out some
walls for pipework, sounds like this would do the job, does it come with
chisels?


If you mean ripping up a whole floor, then don't use an SDS drill for it
- they aren't up to it. Hire something to do the job.

It will chase the walls, but I would not want to hold one of these cheap
heavy jobs up for too long.
--
Chris French, Leeds

"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 10 Feb 2004 19:19:23 -0000, "IMM" wrote:


"Grunff" wrote in message
...
IMM wrote:

Your reason for getting it doesn't make it less of a pile of pants
:-)


He bought it to do one job. It did it, was worth it, and anything
also
above
that is a bonus. Sound logic.


Sound logic if:

[a] It's the only job he's ever intending to do with an SDS

That's what he said he got it for. One job. So anything else is a bonus

£30 for one job seems poor value to me.....

He didn't think so.

On Wed, 11 Feb 2004 09:12:31 -0000, "IMM" wrote:


"Andy Hall" wrote in message
.. .
On Tue, 10 Feb 2004 19:19:23 -0000, "IMM" wrote:


"Grunff" wrote in message
...
IMM wrote:

Your reason for getting it doesn't make it less of a pile of pants
:-)


He bought it to do one job. It did it, was worth it, and anything
also
above
that is a bonus. Sound logic.


Sound logic if:

[a] It's the only job he's ever intending to do with an SDS

That's what he said he got it for. One job. So anything else is a bonus

£30 for one job seems poor value to me.....

He didn't think so.

At the time. Now he has to get a better one and overall will have
spent more...


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 11 Feb 2004 09:12:31 -0000, "IMM" wrote:


"Andy Hall" wrote in message
.. .
On Tue, 10 Feb 2004 19:19:23 -0000, "IMM" wrote:


"Grunff" wrote in message
...
IMM wrote:

Your reason for getting it doesn't make it less of a pile of pants
:-)


He bought it to do one job. It did it, was worth it, and anything
also
above
that is a bonus. Sound logic.


Sound logic if:

[a] It's the only job he's ever intending to do with an SDS

That's what he said he got it for. One job. So anything else is a
bonus

£30 for one job seems poor value to me.....

He didn't think so.

At the time. Now he has to get a better one and overall will have
spent more...

He said it still works.

If you mean ripping up a whole floor, then don't use an SDS drill for it
- they aren't up to it. Hire something to do the job.

It will chase the walls, but I would not want to hold one of these cheap
heavy jobs up for too long.


not the entire floor, just an area large enough to sink a bath into the
floor about 6 - 8"


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In message , Justin
writes

If you mean ripping up a whole floor, then don't use an SDS drill for it
- they aren't up to it. Hire something to do the job.

It will chase the walls, but I would not want to hold one of these cheap
heavy jobs up for too long.


not the entire floor, just an area large enough to sink a bath into the
floor about 6 - 8"


I still wouldn't use an SDS for it, it will take ages, and possibly
knacker it.

ISTM that the chiselling function of an SDs is really a replacement for
that where you might have done it by hand with a hammer and cold chisel
or bolster, - chasing, cutting out holes for back boxes cutting out
holes for waste pipes etc.

They aren't breakers.

I'd still hire a small light weight breaker/demilition hammer.
--
Chris French, Leeds

Interesting, it's been improved. 2400 doesn't.
Regards
Capitol

John Rumm wrote in message ...
Capitol wrote:
IMM wrote in message ...

DeWalt? Please, now that is pants. You can get a superior Makita for

less.


The Makita is not superior. The chuck does not lock in the chiselling
position.

depends on your Makita - it does on my one (Makita 2450)

--
Cheers,

John.

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chris French wrote:
In message , Justin
writes

If you mean ripping up a whole floor, then don't use an SDS drill
for it - they aren't up to it. Hire something to do the job.

It will chase the walls, but I would not want to hold one of these
cheap heavy jobs up for too long.


not the entire floor, just an area large enough to sink a bath into
the floor about 6 - 8"


I still wouldn't use an SDS for it, it will take ages, and possibly
knacker it.

ISTM that the chiselling function of an SDs is really a replacement
for that where you might have done it by hand with a hammer and cold
chisel
or bolster, - chasing, cutting out holes for back boxes cutting out
holes for waste pipes etc.

They aren't breakers.

I'd still hire a small light weight breaker/demilition hammer.

Would you use one for removing tiles
Bathroom tiles floor to ceiling on every wall

(Previously removed tiles by hammer and chisel and it was a PITA)

Regards

Hays

T610 Housings in stock now!!
www.phonepro.go.to


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In message , hays
writes
chris French wrote:

If you mean ripping up a whole floor, then don't use an SDS drill
for it - they aren't up to it. Hire something to do the job.

Would you use one for removing tiles
Bathroom tiles floor to ceiling on every wall

Yes, that's fine, you can buy wide bladed chisels for just this job.

But this is certainly a case where I would want to steer clear of these
heavy cheapo drills - my Stayer, which is a fairly typical weight is
about 2.5 kg, that's enough for this sort of job.
--
Chris French, Leeds

"hays" wrote in message
...

snip

Would you use one for removing tiles
Bathroom tiles floor to ceiling on every wall

(Previously removed tiles by hammer and chisel and it was a PITA)

Regards

Hays

I just spend the weekend doing exactly that.

No probs whatsoever using a Bosch PBH2200, which is available for about £90
from Argos. As others have said I wouldn't like to think about using a
cheapo drill for this sort of job, where you may spend some time with the
drill at or above head height

I did fork out another £30 quid for a tile chisel, which offers a decent
improvement over the narrow chisel bit I was using before with less likely
hood of digging into the wall when chiselling. £30 for one bit seemd a lot
initally but I've a complete kitchen do to as well so I could happily
justify this purchase to myself.

cheers

David

hays wrote:


Would you use one for removing tiles
Bathroom tiles floor to ceiling on every wall

(Previously removed tiles by hammer and chisel and it was a PITA)

Regards

Hays


Bought a gadget from Tilemates (or similar sounding name) for removing
tiles.

Basically a 4" square of steel plate sharpened on one edge. Opposite edge
has a bit of 3/4" square bar welded along it. Attached to this bar is an
angled handle. Holding the handle you bring the sharpened edge down the
wall between tiles and wall. The mass of the square bar provides enough
momentum to rip tiles off walls in great sheets with little effort.

Come to think of it, it looks a bit like a small adze.

Oh and it was some completely forgetable, i.e trivial, price.

HTH Richard

"Richard Savage" wrote in message
...
Bought a gadget from Tilemates (or similar sounding name) for removing
tiles.

Basically a 4" square of steel plate sharpened on one edge. Opposite edge
has a bit of 3/4" square bar welded along it. Attached to this bar is an
angled handle. Holding the handle you bring the sharpened edge down the
wall between tiles and wall. The mass of the square bar provides enough
momentum to rip tiles off walls in great sheets with little effort.

Come to think of it, it looks a bit like a small adze.

Oh and it was some completely forgetable, i.e trivial, price.

That sounds like the sort of thing I could do with, instead of the wallpaper
scraper and 'Brickies' trowel. Anybody know what this is actually called
and where I could get one? We don't have a Tilemates in Leeds.

TIA

John