When I last bought an SDS drill it was easy - I bought the cheapest I could
find from Wickes at £99. Other makes cost twice that.

After seven years of abuse it is now working intermittently, so I have
decided to replace it.

Things are not so simple now.

There are ultra-cheap makes, less than £40.
The better manufacturers are now producing cheaper models - e.g. Bosch and
Makita for under £100.
There are still the horrendously expensive professional models.

It is only for DIY use - drilling, channelling, electrical back boxes,
taking down the odd wall, etc., but I want something that will last me
another seven years.

What are the current recommendations on the mid-range drills - e.g. around
the £100 mark?
Any good deals around?

--
Chris Melluish

On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 14:08:53 +0100, Chris Melluish
wrote:

drill

After seven years of abuse it is now working intermittently, so I have
decided to replace it.

Before you take that step, try removing a foot of flex at the drill end
and rewiring. It is not uncommon for a broken conductor in the flex to
cause this symptom. The strain relief can only do so much, and even
multi-strand wires will eventually fatigue. Sometime the wires touch while
actually being separate pieces of metal, when the drill will work,
sometimes not. It is actually surprising and a little worrying how many
IEC leads fail their annual test due to a discontinouous earth. Nothing to
be done in that case, but there are loads around the place.

John Schmitt

--
Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/

Chris Melluish wrote:
When I last bought an SDS drill it was easy - I bought the cheapest I could
find from Wickes at £99. Other makes cost twice that.

After seven years of abuse it is now working intermittently, so I have
decided to replace it.

Things are not so simple now.

There are ultra-cheap makes, less than £40.
The better manufacturers are now producing cheaper models - e.g. Bosch and
Makita for under £100.
There are still the horrendously expensive professional models.

It is only for DIY use - drilling, channelling, electrical back boxes,
taking down the odd wall, etc., but I want something that will last me
another seven years.

What are the current recommendations on the mid-range drills - e.g. around
the £100 mark?
Any good deals around?


I'd go for one of these:
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=101377&ts=42279&id=54139

or one of these:
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=101377&ts=42279&id=38347

Having roto stop is very, very useful.


--
Grunff

Grunff wrote:

Any good deals around?



I'd go for one of these:
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=101377&ts=42279&id=54139

Very fond of my one of those - it has a very refined speed control
allowing supprisingly delicate cutting when chiseling. I have also cut
4" cores with it in the past - so plenty of power when required.

As the OP said there is plenty of choice in the quality 2kg range these
days. Anything on this page ought to last a good many years:

http://www.lawson-his.co.uk/scripts/...hisel%20Drills


--
Cheers,

John.

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"Grunff" wrote in message
...
Chris Melluish wrote:
When I last bought an SDS drill it was easy - I bought the cheapest I
could
find from Wickes at £99. Other makes cost twice that.

After seven years of abuse it is now working intermittently, so I have
decided to replace it.

Things are not so simple now.

There are ultra-cheap makes, less than £40.
The better manufacturers are now producing cheaper models - e.g. Bosch
and
Makita for under £100.
There are still the horrendously expensive professional models.

It is only for DIY use - drilling, channelling, electrical back boxes,
taking down the odd wall, etc., but I want something that will last me
another seven years.

What are the current recommendations on the mid-range drills - e.g.
around
the £100 mark?
Any good deals around?

I'd go for one of these:
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=101377&ts=42279&id=54139

or one of these:
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=101377&ts=42279&id=38347

Having roto stop is very, very useful.

Avoid DeWalt, as they are just B&Ds.

Aldi were selling a £25 Makita lookalike with a 3 yr guarantee. Cn't be
that bad for DIY.

In article ws.net,
Doctor Drivel wrote:
Avoid DeWalt, as they are just B&Ds.

DeWalt produced one of the first lightweight (2Kg) roto-stop SDS drills
and it's still on sale today. The DW 556. Many on this group have got one
and are perfectly happy with it. A classic design.

DeWalt are the only brand that TLC sell. And TLC is one of the most
successful electrical wholesalers in the country. If DeWalt products were
universally crap they'd simply not sell them. Unlike sheds who can rely on
many of their cheaper products getting only occasional use - if any, if
bought as gifts.

Perhaps you don't like them because they don't make hacksaws?

Aldi were selling a £25 Makita lookalike with a 3 yr guarantee. Cn't be
that bad for DIY.

A 'lookalike'? Most with sense buy tools by performance and price. You
apparently by looks alone. Do you ever actually by tools and use them?
Apart from that hacksaw, obviously.

--
*Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack? *

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

"Dave Plowman (News)" through a haze of senile
flatulence wrote in message ...
In article ws.net,
Doctor Drivel wrote:

Avoid DeWalt, as they are just B&Ds.

DeWalt produced one of the first lightweight (2Kg)

snip senile drivel

DeWalt are overpriced and average quality.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
Doctor Drivel wrote:
Aldi were selling a £25 Makita lookalike with a 3 yr guarantee. Cn't be
that bad for DIY.

A 'lookalike'? Most with sense buy tools by performance and price.

I bought an Aldi SDS drill for £25, with some bits (IIRC a pointed
"breaker", 1" chisel, and 9 other SDS+ bits from 6mm to 25mm). It
has done well, and is still doing well. 4J, too. This is not to say
that Makita (which one, though?) drills are sheyte. Just that my
£25 drill was an absolute and thorough bargain.

Doctor Drivel wrote:
Aldi were selling a £25 Makita lookalike with a 3 yr guarantee. Cn't be
that bad for DIY.

It's not bad at all (although mine was a "barrel motor" type). Mine's
done no end of work, and is still going strong!

However, I think the first thing to do is, as someone else (smitt?)
said, test the cable on the existing machine.

On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 22:27:02 +0100, Chris Bacon
wrote:

However, I think the first thing to do is, as someone else (smitt?)
said, test the cable on the existing machine.

It was indeed me, although I misinterpreted the description of
"intermittent" to mean that the drive was intermittent, not the hammer
action. As the hammer action runs on a sort of cam mechanism, sooner or
later it will wear out, particularly with all the abrasive dust which
accompanies hammer-drilling. I revived a 1950s Wolf drill by this method.
It still sees a little use, it is handy on some jobs to have two drills on
hand to save changing bits all the time.

John Schmitt

--
Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/

"John Schmitt" wrote in message
news
On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 22:27:02 +0100, Chris Bacon
wrote:

However, I think the first thing to do is, as someone else (smitt?)
said, test the cable on the existing machine.

It was indeed me, although I misinterpreted the description of
"intermittent" to mean that the drive was intermittent, not the hammer
action. As the hammer action runs on a sort of cam mechanism, sooner or
later it will wear out, particularly with all the abrasive dust which
accompanies hammer-drilling. I revived a 1950s Wolf drill by this method.
It still sees a little use, it is handy on some jobs to have two drills on
hand to save changing bits all the time.

John Schmitt

--
Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/

I took about six inches off the flex and it cured the problem. On
examination there was a break in the neutral of the removed bit, an inch or
so away from the drill.

I will still probably get a new one - the hammer action is either
non-existent or extremely violent, depending on how hard I press.

--
Chris Melluish

In article ,
Chris Melluish wrote:
When I last bought an SDS drill it was easy - I bought the cheapest I could
find from Wickes at £99. Other makes cost twice that.

After seven years of abuse it is now working intermittently, so I have
decided to replace it.

Things are not so simple now.

If you were happy with a Wicks one get another? They're reasonable value
for money.

--
*El nino made me do it

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

What are the current recommendations on the mid-range drills - e.g. around
the £100 mark?
Any good deals around?

--
Chris Melluish




Makita, one of the best drills I've ever bought)
--
Tony Sayer

As a Plasterer my rule of thumb is

If you use it everyday...get the best

If you use it once a week....get a decent one

If you use it once a month......get the cheapest

If its there to look at get the shinney one

Sean

tony sayer wrote:
What are the current recommendations on the mid-range drills - e.g.
around the £100 mark?
Any good deals around?

--
Chris Melluish




Makita, one of the best drills I've ever bought)

But do you use it on a day to day basis?

Great for the pro, too much for the novice. :-P
--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:

Makita, one of the best drills I've ever bought)


But do you use it on a day to day basis?

Great for the pro,

agreed

too much for the novice. :-P

Nonsense. A novice will get better results by far with a Makita SDS they
they will with a 5kg shed special - they are worlds apart in ease of use
and finesse.



--
Cheers,

John.

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| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

"John Rumm" wrote in message
...
The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:

Makita, one of the best drills I've ever bought)


But do you use it on a day to day basis?

Great for the pro,

agreed

too much for the novice. :-P

Nonsense. A novice will get better
results by far with a Makita SDS they
they will with a 5kg shed special -

Nonsense. 2kg cheap SDS drills are available and they ...well ...drill
holes like an SDS.

Doctor Drivel wrote:

Nonsense. 2kg cheap SDS drills are available and they ...well ...drill
holes like an SDS.

Used one have you? Thought not.

I have yet to see a cheap one with a decent speed controller. If you
know of one please post a link.

A three function machine will do alot more than drill holes. Having a
rotation lock for the chisel bit is also well worth having. Cheapies
often don't have this either. Without it you have a small breaker, but
a tool that is no use for accurate chase cutting.

If you had actually used any of these tools it would be as obvious to
you as it is to the rest of us.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
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| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

In article ,
The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:
Makita, one of the best drills I've ever bought)

But do you use it on a day to day basis?

No DIYer is likely to do. But might give it heavy use during a project.

Great for the pro, too much for the novice. :-P

Depends on your priorities. A decent drill is likely to be more pleasant
to use. Lots of cheapies are just far too heavy, for one thing. Not a
problem when breaking up a concrete floor, but very much one when chasing
walls.

Of course you may subscribe to the drivel idea of buying purely on looks.

--
*I'm not as think as you drunk I am.

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

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

No DIYer is likely to do. But might give it heavy use during a project.

Ours (DeWalt) got used pretty much every day for about 3 years. It has a
very easy life now (house all finished), getting used maybe once a month.


--
Grunff

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:
Makita, one of the best drills I've ever bought)

But do you use it on a day to day basis?

No DIYer is likely to do. But might give it heavy use during a project.

Great for the pro, too much for the novice. :-P

Depends on your priorities. A decent drill is likely to be more pleasant
to use. Lots of cheapies are just far too heavy, for one thing. Not a
problem when breaking up a concrete floor, but very much one when chasing
walls.

I like chasing walls.
One of the few things I can catch.
The problem is, what to do with them then........

"David W.E. Roberts" wrote in message
...

"Dave Plowman (News)" through a haze of senile
flatulence wrote in message
...
In article ,
The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:

Makita, one of the best drills I've ever bought)

But do you use it on a day to day basis?

No DIYer is likely to do. But might give it heavy use during a project.

Great for the pro, too much for the novice. :-P

Depends on your priorities. A decent drill is likely to be more pleasant
to use. Lots of cheapies are just far too heavy, for one thing. Not a
problem when breaking up a concrete floor, but very much one when
chasing
walls.

I like chasing walls.
One of the few things I can catch.

Richard Cranium can't catch them. They keep moving.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
Depends on your priorities. A decent drill is likely to be more pleasant
to use. Lots of cheapies are just far too heavy, for one thing. Not a
problem when breaking up a concrete floor, but very much one when chasing
walls.
Oh (innocence) , aren't there any expensive SDS drills that are
heavy, then?

Chris Bacon wrote:

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Depends on your priorities. A decent drill is likely to be more pleasant
to use. Lots of cheapies are just far too heavy, for one thing. Not a
problem when breaking up a concrete floor, but very much one when chasing
walls.

Oh (innocence) , aren't there any expensive SDS drills that are
heavy, then?

Plenty - but they tend to have hammer output energies in the 4 to 6J
range rather than 2 - 3J like the smaller lighter ones (or the heavy
cheapies).

--
Cheers,

John.

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

Many thanks for all the replies.

I think they confirmed what I was thinking anyway - avoid the cheap ones,
the professional ones are for professionals, and go for a mid-range one.

It sounds like the Makita will fit the bill - I particularly liked the
comments about controllable chiselling.

I was getting a bit fed up with the Wickes one anyway - I was finding I had
to press harder and harder to start it chiselling, with a tendency to
destroy what I was chiselling.

--
Chris Melluish

Chris Melluish wrote:
I was getting a bit fed up with the Wickes one anyway - I was finding I had
to press harder and harder to start it chiselling

You should not press on an SDS drill, just let the bit "float"
on the cushion of blows given. If you press on it, it will
not drill efficiently.


with a tendency to destroy what I was chiselling.

That's the idea of it.

"Chris Bacon" wrote in message
...
Chris Melluish wrote:
I was getting a bit fed up with the Wickes one anyway - I was finding I
had to press harder and harder to start it chiselling

You should not press on an SDS drill, just let the bit "float"
on the cushion of blows given. If you press on it, it will
not drill efficiently.

That's not how mine works. Unless I press quite hard there is no hammer
action at all, just a lot of noise. If what you say is correct then it was
faulty anyway.


with a tendency to destroy what I was chiselling.

That's the idea of it.

No, I just want to cut into a brick, not shatter it into pieces.


--
--
Chris Melluish

Chris Melluish wrote:
"Chris Bacon" wrote in message
...

Chris Melluish wrote:

I was getting a bit fed up with the Wickes one anyway - I was finding I
had to press harder and harder to start it chiselling

You should not press on an SDS drill, just let the bit "float"
on the cushion of blows given. If you press on it, it will
not drill efficiently.


That's not how mine works. Unless I press quite hard there is no hammer
action at all, just a lot of noise. If what you say is correct then it was
faulty anyway.


with a tendency to destroy what I was chiselling.

That's the idea of it.


No, I just want to cut into a brick, not shatter it into pieces.


I bought a Silverline 868603 Hi-Spec SDS+ Hammer Drill from
http://www.transtools.co.uk/ for £52 it does the job and I have
succesfully chased the whole house with it and cut back boxes. But I
would say my mates Dewalt and Bosch are both nicer to use and provide
better control but for the half the price I have better than half the
performance and as it will get very little use once the house is done
i'm happy.

Paul

"Paul" wrote in message
...
Chris Melluish wrote:
"Chris Bacon" wrote in message
...

Chris Melluish wrote:

I was getting a bit fed up with the Wickes one anyway - I was finding I
had to press harder and harder to start it chiselling

You should not press on an SDS drill, just let the bit "float"
on the cushion of blows given. If you press on it, it will
not drill efficiently.


That's not how mine works. Unless I press quite hard there is no hammer
action at all, just a lot of noise. If what you say is correct then it
was
faulty anyway.


with a tendency to destroy what I was chiselling.

That's the idea of it.


No, I just want to cut into a brick, not shatter it into pieces.


I bought a Silverline 868603 Hi-Spec SDS+ Hammer Drill from
http://www.transtools.co.uk/ for £52
868606
That looks like the Aldi £25 Makita lookalike, except Aldi give a 3 year
guarantee and it is 1000 w

Chris Melluish wrote:

You should not press on an SDS drill, just let the bit "float"
on the cushion of blows given. If you press on it, it will
not drill efficiently.


That's not how mine works. Unless I press quite hard there is no hammer
action at all, just a lot of noise. If what you say is correct then it was
faulty anyway.

Lubrication is the key... try dunking the back end of the bit in a
little grease occationaly before use.

with a tendency to destroy what I was chiselling.

That's the idea of it.


No, I just want to cut into a brick, not shatter it into pieces.

;-) yup some can be a bit "all or nothing" can't they...

--
Cheers,

John.

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

On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 13:08:53 +0000 (UTC), "Chris Melluish"
wrote:

What are the current recommendations on the mid-range drills

Roto-stop is worth paying real money for.

Hammer stop and a fast second speed lets you drill small holes in steel.
Sometimes this is the difference between carrying one drill on site and
carrying two.

When buying a cheapie, check the weight. Many of them work, but they're
a horrible weight to be dragging around. This is especially true of 9"
angle grinders!

Why not another Kress from Wickes?