Hi all,

I've founda couple of threads on Google regarding choice of an SDS drill
which I'm now going to get. I had originally thought of getting the cheap
5kg Ferm model; from Screwfix to see what SDS was like, but from past
threads I'll be so impressed I'll ending up buying a better one soon anyway.
If I only want to drill holes and maybe chase out the odd socket box would
the 2kg Makita HR2540 be OK. I don't want to break a lot of concrete or
anything but it seems to have the features such as a safety clutch and
variable speed which other contributors have reckoned were very useful.
Thanks for any feedback. Peter.

PJK wrote:

I've founda couple of threads on Google regarding choice of an SDS drill
which I'm now going to get. I had originally thought of getting the cheap
5kg Ferm model; from Screwfix to see what SDS was like, but from past
threads I'll be so impressed I'll ending up buying a better one soon anyway.
If I only want to drill holes and maybe chase out the odd socket box would
the 2kg Makita HR2540 be OK. I don't want to break a lot of concrete or
anything but it seems to have the features such as a safety clutch and
variable speed which other contributors have reckoned were very useful.


Do you mean the HR2450? If so, then yes, buy it. Good drill.


--
Grunff

Hi Peter.
I had originally thought of getting the cheap
5kg Ferm model; from Screwfix to see what SDS was like, but from past
threads I'll be so impressed I'll ending up buying a better one soon
anyway.

I bought a cheapo 5kg SDS to see what they were like and I'm a complete
convert. I'm looking to buy a lighter one myself. The 5kg jobbys are like
a small breaker, a bit heavy for hole drilling etc.

I'm going to use my cheapo to break up my drive and if it survives it won't
owe me anything, then buy a 2kg - possibly the Wickes one.

Dave

In article , PJK
writes
Hi all,

I've founda couple of threads on Google regarding choice of an SDS drill
which I'm now going to get. I had originally thought of getting the cheap
5kg Ferm model; from Screwfix to see what SDS was like, but from past
threads I'll be so impressed I'll ending up buying a better one soon anyway.
If I only want to drill holes and maybe chase out the odd socket box would
the 2kg Makita HR2540 be OK. I don't want to break a lot of concrete or
anything but it seems to have the features such as a safety clutch and
variable speed which other contributors have reckoned were very useful.
Thanks for any feedback. Peter.



Yes get one, just do it! . Excellent bit of kit bought one a few months
ago and its the best bit of kit I've ever owned!. Wish I'd bought one
years ago!.....
--
Tony Sayer

"Grunff" wrote in message
...
PJK wrote:

If I only want to drill holes and maybe chase out the odd socket box
would
the 2kg Makita HR2540 be OK.

Do you mean the HR2450? If so, then yes, buy it. Good drill.


Yes, I meant the HR2450, if I'm going to use the Screwfix catalogue much
perhaps my next purchase should be a pair of glasses! Thanks to you and
others for the advice, I'm ordering it today.

Peter.

"PJK" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I've founda couple of threads on Google regarding choice of an SDS drill
which I'm now going to get. I had originally thought of getting the cheap
5kg Ferm model; from Screwfix to see what SDS was like, but from past
threads I'll be so impressed I'll ending up buying a better one soon
anyway.
If I only want to drill holes and maybe chase out the odd socket box would
the 2kg Makita HR2540 be OK. I don't want to break a lot of concrete or
anything but it seems to have the features such as a safety clutch and
variable speed which other contributors have reckoned were very useful.
Thanks for any feedback. Peter.

Screwfix are doing a deal for a Makita for £99.

I bought the 5kg one (actually badged as "Challenge" from B&Q) and...
A: was totally converted to SDS
B: nearly knocked the whole sodding house down with it - drill all the
way through a brick and you get a cone-shaped exit wound

So permanently lent that to a friend and bought a Bosch with SPEED
CONTROL.
Whatever you get, make sure it has "rotation stop" so you can buy all
those chisel attachments from ScrewFix.

Al.

David Lang wrote:
Hi Peter.
I had originally thought of getting the cheap
5kg Ferm model; from Screwfix to see what SDS was like, but from past

I bought a cheapo 5kg SDS to see what they were like and I'm a complete
convert.

Hi Al
B: nearly knocked the whole sodding house down with it - drill all the
way through a brick and you get a cone-shaped exit wound

Oh, not just me then :-)

Dave

In article ,
"David Lang" writes:
Hi Al
B: nearly knocked the whole sodding house down with it - drill all the
way through a brick and you get a cone-shaped exit wound

Oh, not just me then :-)

Drill a pilot hole all the way through with a thin drill.
Then drill halfway through from each side. This also helps
avoid the tendancy of the bit to just push the whole brick
out of the second skin when doing a large hole through a
9" brick wall.

For large holes, it also helps if you widen the hole in a
few stages with progressively larger bits.

--
Andrew Gabriel

On Wed, 6 Jul 2005 08:45:28 +0100, "PJK" wrote:

Hi all,

I've founda couple of threads on Google regarding choice of an SDS drill
which I'm now going to get. I had originally thought of getting the cheap
5kg Ferm model; from Screwfix to see what SDS was like, but from past
threads I'll be so impressed I'll ending up buying a better one soon anyway.
If I only want to drill holes and maybe chase out the odd socket box would
the 2kg Makita HR2540 be OK. I don't want to break a lot of concrete or
anything but it seems to have the features such as a safety clutch and
variable speed which other contributors have reckoned were very useful.
Thanks for any feedback. Peter.

The 900w one in argos is very good for the money.

(If you buy one open it and check it in store to see if it's a
'previously used' one!)

Makro have some for £15+vat but they are only 650w and (AFAIK) don't
come with any drill bits.

sponix

Hi Sponix

The 900w one in argos is very good for the money.

Would that be the Challenge (710/6330) @ £39:99 ? If so it looks exactly
the sames as the B&D KD960KC (710/5812).

Makro have some for £15+vat but they are only 650w and (AFAIK) don't
come with any drill bits.

Think the OP was looking for a 2kg SDS. I was in Makro last week & could
only find 5kg machines.

Dave

On Wed, 06 Jul 2005 19:40:53 GMT, "David Lang"
wrote:

Hi Sponix

The 900w one in argos is very good for the money.

Would that be the Challenge (710/6330) @ £39:99 ? If so it looks exactly
the sames as the B&D KD960KC (710/5812).

The one I bought was the £29 one (710/5702)

The bits alone would cost more than that in B&Q!

Makro have some for £15+vat but they are only 650w and (AFAIK) don't
come with any drill bits.

Think the OP was looking for a 2kg SDS. I was in Makro last week & could
only find 5kg machines.

Yes, have just seen that on reading again. It doesn't say on the Makro
flyer what weight they are/were.

Dunno how heavy the argos one is...I work in feet and cubits...it's
heavy enough to make your arms ache though!

sponix

Hi Sponix
The one I bought was the £29 one (710/5702)

Dunno how heavy the argos one is...I work in feet and cubits...it's
heavy enough to make your arms ache though!

It appears to be a 5kg jobby. I'm looking for a smaller lighter one just
for drilling, I don't like my arms to ache!

Dave

Sponix wrote;

The 900w one in argos is very good for the money.


Just picked one up. Looks nicely built, drills brick & concrete very well.
Chisel function is not as good as my big turbo nutter SDS, but you could
remove a brick or chase a wall with it - slowly. Chisel does at least stay
in one plane & not move about. My main use is drilling anyway.

Comes with a 3 jaw/SDS extra chuck, 3 bits, chisel & point. Well pleased
for £40.

Dave

On Thu, 07 Jul 2005 12:30:35 GMT, "David Lang"
wrote:

Sponix wrote;

The 900w one in argos is very good for the money.


Just picked one up. Looks nicely built, drills brick & concrete very well.
Chisel function is not as good as my big turbo nutter SDS, but you could
remove a brick or chase a wall with it - slowly. Chisel does at least stay
in one plane & not move about. My main use is drilling anyway.

Comes with a 3 jaw/SDS extra chuck, 3 bits, chisel & point. Well pleased
for £40.

There's a 16 (?) day money back guarantee if you don't like it..

David Lang wrote:

The 5kg jobbys are like
a small breaker, a bit heavy for hole drilling etc.

Did anyone else notice that the latest toolstation catalogue has a
cheapie silverline SDS for 25 quid? (order code 88952)

The interesting thing is that the design looks very much like a 2kg
class machine rather than one of the usual 5kg brutes.

(not recommending it since I have never used it, but it may be a better
bet if you are after chapie SDS)


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
David Lang wrote:

The 5kg jobbys are like
a small breaker, a bit heavy for hole drilling etc.

Did anyone else notice that the latest toolstation catalogue has a
cheapie silverline SDS for 25 quid? (order code 88952)

The interesting thing is that the design looks very much like a 2kg
class machine rather than one of the usual 5kg brutes.

(not recommending it since I have never used it, but it may be a better
bet if you are after chapie SDS)

If you are buying a cheapy SDS get it from a shop, so it is easy to take
back and replace if it is wrong.

Doctor Evil wrote:

If you are buying a cheapy SDS get it from a shop, so it is easy to take
back and replace if it is wrong.

Nice idea, but I have not seen any shops with 2kg cheapie SDS drills
though.....

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
Doctor Evil wrote:

If you are buying a cheapy SDS get it from a shop, so it is easy to take
back and replace if it is wrong.

Nice idea, but I have not seen any shops with 2kg cheapie SDS drills
though.....

You takes your pick...and maybe hassle.

"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
David Lang wrote:

The 5kg jobbys are like
a small breaker, a bit heavy for hole drilling etc.

Did anyone else notice that the latest toolstation catalogue has a
cheapie silverline SDS for 25 quid? (order code 88952)

The interesting thing is that the design looks very much like a 2kg
class machine rather than one of the usual 5kg brutes.

(not recommending it since I have never used it, but it may be a better
bet if you are after chapie SDS)

Poor spec it does not chisel and can only do hammer, and no hammer stop.
The next is £50 with hammer stop and no chisel. The cheapest they have that
chisels is £100.

The Wickes Kress was going for Around £80-90 and Screwfix are doing a Makita
for £100. Bets get one of those.

"s--p--o--n--i--x" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 07 Jul 2005 12:30:35 GMT, "David Lang"
wrote:

Sponix wrote;

The 900w one in argos is very good for the money.


Just picked one up. Looks nicely built, drills brick & concrete very
well.
Chisel function is not as good as my big turbo nutter SDS, but you could
remove a brick or chase a wall with it - slowly. Chisel does at least
stay
in one plane & not move about. My main use is drilling anyway.

Comes with a 3 jaw/SDS extra chuck, 3 bits, chisel & point. Well pleased
for £40.

There's a 16 (?) day money back guarantee if you don't like it..

The B&D for £46 is better value from Argos.

Doctor Evil wrote:

Poor spec it does not chisel and can only do hammer, and no hammer stop.

It has a hammer seletor on top. It is also described as SDS Plus which
often indicates roto stop as well.

Still you are the expert on cheap and nasty tools.

The Wickes Kress was going for Around £80-90 and Screwfix are doing a Makita
for £100. Bets get one of those.

Makita HR2450X is the one I would go for personally... in fact I did.
Very good it is too.

116 inc VAT from Lawson HIS with extra keyless chuck, chisels, and SDS
drill bits.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
Doctor Evil wrote:

Poor spec it does not chisel and can only do hammer, and no hammer stop.

It has a hammer seletor on top. It is also described as SDS Plus which
often indicates roto stop as well.

No, that's just the interface with the bit. A better indicator is a set of
chisels in the pack.


Still you are the expert on cheap and nasty tools.

The Wickes Kress was going for Around £80-90 and Screwfix are doing a
Makita
for £100. Bets get one of those.

Makita HR2450X is the one I would go for personally... in fact I did. Very
good it is too.

116 inc VAT from Lawson HIS with extra keyless chuck, chisels,

See...

And don't overlook the importance of a safetly clutch which is much harder
to determine in the cheaply presented drills.

Jim A

John Rumm wrote:

It is also described as SDS Plus which
often indicates roto stop as well.


SDS Plus is the specification which defines the bit holder. SDS Max is
the bigger version.


--
Grunff

In article , John
Rumm writes
Doctor Evil wrote:

Poor spec it does not chisel and can only do hammer, and no hammer stop.

It has a hammer seletor on top. It is also described as SDS Plus which
often indicates roto stop as well.

Still you are the expert on cheap and nasty tools.

The Wickes Kress was going for Around £80-90 and Screwfix are doing a Makita
for £100. Bets get one of those.

Makita HR2450X is the one I would go for personally... in fact I did.
Very good it is too.


Yes and an excellent bit of kit it is too. Why not save up a bit and get
one instead of having something lesser and waste your money?....


--
Tony Sayer

Doc wrote;

The B&D for £46 is better value from Argos.

As far as I could see it's identical apart from colour & label.

Dave

"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
Doctor Evil wrote:

Poor spec it does not chisel and can only do hammer, and no hammer stop.

It has a hammer seletor on top. It is also described as SDS Plus which
often indicates roto stop as well.

SDS Plus is NOT rotostop.

Still you are the expert on cheap and nasty tools.

No my dear friend, value for money and the right tool for the job. This £25
job is fine for hammering only. 3 yr gurabntantee and if you only want to
hammers as you have other drills, then this is fine for a DIYer.

The Wickes Kress was going for Around £80-90 and Screwfix are doing a
Makita
for £100. Bets get one of those.

Makita HR2450X is the one I would go for personally... in fact I did.
Very good it is too.

116 inc VAT from Lawson HIS with extra keyless chuck, chisels, and SDS
drill bits.

For DIY work the Argos 900w at £40 looks good and well specced. But only
one year guarantee. You could get the £25 job from Toolstation and spend
£20 on a mains drill for normal drilling. There again I suspect the spec is
better than what the website says. I would ring them up first before
ordering.

"David Lang" wrote in message
o.uk...
Doc wrote;

The B&D for £46 is better value from Argos.

As far as I could see it's identical apart from colour & label.

Dave

Well the £40 900w Challenge is the one to go for with all the extra bits.

"David Lang" wrote in message
o.uk...
Doc wrote;

The B&D for £46 is better value from Argos.

As far as I could see it's identical apart from colour & label.

Dave

There are slight differences on the case mouldings.

In article .net,
Doctor Evil wrote:
Still you are the expert on cheap and nasty tools.

No my dear friend, value for money and the right tool for the job. This
£25 job is fine for hammering only. 3 yr gurabntantee and if you only
want to hammers as you have other drills, then this is fine for a DIYer.

Have you actually got experience of this drill? Or, as usual, just
comparing adverts? And what experience have you of DIY? Last we heard of
was you cutting plastic pipe with a hacksaw resulting in a leaking joint...

The Wickes Kress was going for Around £80-90 and Screwfix are doing
a Makita for £100. Bets get one of those.

Makita HR2450X is the one I would go for personally... in fact I did.
Very good it is too.

116 inc VAT from Lawson HIS with extra keyless chuck, chisels, and SDS
drill bits.

For DIY work the Argos 900w at £40 looks good and well specced. But
only one year guarantee. You could get the £25 job from Toolstation and
spend £20 on a mains drill for normal drilling. There again I suspect
the spec is better than what the website says. I would ring them up
first before ordering.

I'd get the Makita, since it's a known good make. Unless there were
several *personal* recommendations on here for one of the cheaper ones.

One day you'll realise the 'look' of a tool has nothing to do with how
well it performs. It's simply a marketing ploy for the unwary, and
designed to catch their eye in a display.

I'll give you an example. I've got some ancient wood chisels that belonged
to my father. Well worn and with scruffy wood handles. But retain their
edge far better than any modern chisel I own. Put those in a display with
new ones in a shed, and none would buy them. Despite being better
performers.

--
*If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
David Lang wrote:

The 5kg jobbys are like
a small breaker, a bit heavy for hole drilling etc.

Did anyone else notice that the latest toolstation catalogue has a
cheapie silverline SDS for 25 quid? (order code 88952)

Toolstation have all their dills by maker: Bosch, DeWalt, Ryobi, etc, and
the DIY range. Lord Hall said Ryobi was only DIY, Toolstation think
otherwise.

They also have in the DIY section 1/2" router for £34. This can cut a
kitchen worktop. So, if you only need to cut the worktop, get template and
this router and a cheap way of cutting your worktops.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article .net,
Doctor Evil wrote:
Still you are the expert on cheap and nasty tools.

No my dear friend, value for money and the right tool for the job. This
£25 job is fine for hammering only. 3 yr gurabntantee and if you only
want to hammers as you have other drills, then this is fine for a DIYer.

Have you actually got

snip drivel

The Wickes Kress was going for Around £80-90 and Screwfix are doing
a Makita for £100. Bets get one of those.

Makita HR2450X is the one I would go for personally... in fact I did.
Very good it is too.

116 inc VAT from Lawson HIS with extra keyless chuck, chisels, and SDS
drill bits.

For DIY work the Argos 900w at £40 looks good and well specced. But
only one year guarantee. You could get the £25 job from Toolstation and
spend £20 on a mains drill for normal drilling. There again I suspect
the spec is better than what the website says. I would ring them up
first before ordering.

I'd get the Makita, since

This one would recommend not to get your drill fixed if sparks were coming
out of it, after all he advises 18 years service for boilers.

In article s.net,
Doctor Evil wrote:
They also have in the DIY section 1/2" router for £34. This can cut a
kitchen worktop. So, if you only need to cut the worktop, get template
and this router and a cheap way of cutting your worktops.

Anyone care to translate into meaningful English?

But surely your famous hacksaw will be ok for this?

--
*Marathon runners with bad footwear suffer the agony of defeat.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Grunff wrote:

John Rumm wrote:

It is also described as SDS Plus which often indicates roto stop as well.



SDS Plus is the specification which defines the bit holder. SDS Max is
the bigger version.

Not convinced that there is any difference between plain "SDS" and "SDS
plus" in this respect (SDS max however is very different). I was
commenting on the ad men's ploy where they seems to say SDS plus more
often when they are referring to roto stop drills.

I have no idea whether this one has roto stop (although I would be
surprised if it did not have hammer stop is spite of drivel's claim).
Personally I would not buy it, not being a fan of cheap SDS's, but for
those that don't mind a lack of finesse and safety it may be a lighter
weight option than many 25 quid offerings.

(I do enjoy the irony of Drivel saying the OP should buy Makita though! ;-)

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

John Rumm wrote:
SDS Plus is the specification which defines the bit holder. SDS Max is
the bigger version.


Not convinced that there is any difference between plain "SDS" and "SDS
plus" in this respect


No, there isn't - sorry, I wasn't clear enough.

SDS is a generic term which doesn't accurately describe any particular
tool. SDS Plus is the small SDS chuck system (like the machines we're
talking about in this thread), SDS Max is the big ones.


--
Grunff

Hi Doc

There are slight differences on the case mouldings.

Whatever.

Tried mine today for the first time. 10mm bit, 4 x 60mm deep holes in
concrete. Brilliant! Variable speed is a bonus - easy to get an accurate
start.

Well pleased at £40. Seems like a good tool.

Dave

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article s.net,
Doctor Evil brilliantly wrote:

They also have in the DIY section 1/2" router for £34. This can cut a
kitchen worktop. So, if you only need to cut the worktop, get template
and this router and a cheap way of cutting your worktops.

Anyone care to translate into meaningful English?

Boy! You are senile.

In article .net,
Doctor Evil wrote:
They also have in the DIY section 1/2" router for £34. This can cut
a kitchen worktop. So, if you only need to cut the worktop, get
template and this router and a cheap way of cutting your worktops.

Anyone care to translate into meaningful English?

Boy! You are senile.

Really? What would you be cutting on a worktop that required a router and
template?

--
*Prepositions are not words to end sentences with *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Sat, 9 Jul 2005 11:02:10 +0100, "Doctor Evil"
wrote:


"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
Doctor Evil wrote:

Poor spec it does not chisel and can only do hammer, and no hammer stop.

It has a hammer seletor on top. It is also described as SDS Plus which
often indicates roto stop as well.

SDS Plus is NOT rotostop.

Still you are the expert on cheap and nasty tools.

No my dear friend, value for money and the right tool for the job. This £25
job is fine for hammering only. 3 yr gurabntantee

Redeemable in B&Q in Mumbai presumably?



--

..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com

On Sat, 9 Jul 2005 12:16:48 +0100, "Doctor Evil"
wrote:


"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
David Lang wrote:

The 5kg jobbys are like
a small breaker, a bit heavy for hole drilling etc.

Did anyone else notice that the latest toolstation catalogue has a
cheapie silverline SDS for 25 quid? (order code 88952)

Toolstation have all their dills by maker: Bosch, DeWalt, Ryobi, etc, and
the DIY range. Lord Hall said Ryobi was only DIY, Toolstation think
otherwise.

So clearly you believe them since it says so on the web site. You're
a marketing man's dream.



They also have in the DIY section 1/2" router for £34. This can cut a
kitchen worktop. So, if you only need to cut the worktop, get template and
this router and a cheap way of cutting your worktops.

No doubt it says that on the box as well.....

There's one born every minute.



--

..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com