I am in the process of persuading myself (and more importantly SWMBO) that
my upcoming house move, and associated job list, will go a lot better if I
had a better drill/driver than my current B&Q one.

To this end which would the assembled populace reccomend? Budget upto £100
(ish) and I don't really want a combi drill as I don't do much masonry work.

I was thinking of either the Bosch 14.4v at £70 from Screwfix

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...93318&id=75255

or possibly a Makita

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...93318&id=29438

I quite like the look of the above deal (12v drill and Impact driver £140)
but I wonder how much use the impact driver is - I'm looking at doing a bit
of decking over the Summer so will an impact driver be better at this sort
of construction than a drill/driver or is it likely to be a bit excessive?

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Cheers

Mark

On 2007-01-28 14:11:56 +0000, "Mark Spice"
said:

I am in the process of persuading myself (and more importantly SWMBO) that
my upcoming house move, and associated job list, will go a lot better if I
had a better drill/driver than my current B&Q one.

To this end which would the assembled populace reccomend? Budget upto £100
(ish) and I don't really want a combi drill as I don't do much masonry work.

I was thinking of either the Bosch 14.4v at £70 from Screwfix

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...93318&id=75255

or possibly a Makita

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...93318&id=29438

I quite like the look of the above deal (12v drill and Impact driver £140)
but I wonder how much use the impact driver is - I'm looking at doing a bit
of decking over the Summer so will an impact driver be better at this sort
of construction than a drill/driver or is it likely to be a bit excessive?

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Cheers

Mark

Both Makita and Bosch have good quality motors and batteries and good
speed/torque behaviour, which is the key thing.

Either of the purchases you suggest would be good, although a 14.4v has
a bit more oomph and longer run time. OTOH, the Makita is coming with 3
batteries.

I have the forerunner of the 6280, a 14.4v model, and that has worked
very well indeed. With three batteries, you can drive screws
continuously, in effect - I've done it for loft boarding and making
ramps etc. using decking board.

The impact driver is interesting and would be of use for attaching the
framing components together if you are doing a fair amount. For the
top boards, I don't think it buys much over and above a regular
screwdriver.

Mark Spice wrote:
I am in the process of persuading myself (and more importantly SWMBO)
that my upcoming house move, and associated job list, will go a lot
better if I had a better drill/driver than my current B&Q one.

You can't really go that far wrong with Bosch or Makita. I'm becoming a
great Makita fan. I have an Makita 800 watt router that thinks its a 1500
watt router and just does everything right and a Makiya jigsaw that must be
the result of advanced alien technology.

Having said that, I'm also a great Wickes fan. Their power tools are made
by Kress in Germany and IMO are excellent value for money. 3 year warranty
for professional use as well.

They have an 18v combi with 2 x 2 a/h batteries & a 1 hour charger for
£89:99. You can also buy a jigsaw, circular saw & nailer which use the same
batteries. http://www.wickes.co.uk/invt/167231

I have a 14.4v Wickes combi which has done loads of work including 5 decks
this year (06 I mean) and is used every day. Plenty of torque & good
battery life.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
...
Mark Spice wrote:
I am in the process of persuading myself (and more importantly SWMBO)
that my upcoming house move, and associated job list, will go a lot
better if I had a better drill/driver than my current B&Q one.

You can't really go that far wrong with Bosch or Makita. I'm becoming a
great Makita fan. I have an Makita 800 watt router that thinks its a 1500
watt router and just does everything right and a Makiya jigsaw that must
be
the result of advanced alien technology.

Having said that, I'm also a great Wickes fan. Their power tools are made
by Kress in Germany and IMO are excellent value for money. 3 year
warranty
for professional use as well.

They have an 18v combi with 2 x 2 a/h batteries & a 1 hour charger for
£89:99. You can also buy a jigsaw, circular saw & nailer which use the
same
batteries. http://www.wickes.co.uk/invt/167231

I have a 14.4v Wickes combi which has done loads of work including 5 decks
this year (06 I mean) and is used every day. Plenty of torque & good
battery life.


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

I certainly can agree with your comments about the jigsaw. I actually
bought the Makita after reading the responses to your query and your
subsequent review - so cheers for that.

I wasn't going to worry too much about commonality of batteries - I don't
need a lot of cordless kit just a drill/driver should be enough. I prefer
the idea of extra power (and cheapness) of mains kit for slicing and dicing.

I am tending towards the Makita but.......


Cheers

Mark

In article ,
The Medway Handyman wrote:
Having said that, I'm also a great Wickes fan. Their power tools are
made by Kress in Germany and IMO are excellent value for money. 3 year
warranty for professional use as well.

They have an 18v combi with 2 x 2 a/h batteries & a 1 hour charger for
£89:99. You can also buy a jigsaw, circular saw & nailer which use the
same batteries. http://www.wickes.co.uk/invt/167231

I have a 14.4v Wickes combi which has done loads of work including 5
decks this year (06 I mean) and is used every day. Plenty of torque &
good battery life.

Worth looking at their high torque drill. It's a basic type - no hammer
action etc - but has the very useful feature of a right angle drive
adaptor. I bought it for that alone - but as just a drill it's very good
with two excellent batteries and a decent charger. Not cheap, though.

--
*Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker? *

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

Mark Spice wrote:

I was thinking of either the Bosch 14.4v at £70 from Screwfix

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...93318&id=75255

or possibly a Makita

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...93318&id=29438


One limit on both drills is the 10mm chuck. Just consider if that's
going to be relevant to your intended use (e.g. if you plan to use M12
bolts on the framework for the decking).

Both drills look good, but I know I've found a 13mm chuck damned useful
in the past half way up a ladder.

On Sun, 28 Jan 2007 18:42:47 +0000, Mike Dodd wrote:

One limit on both drills is the 10mm chuck. Just consider if that's
going to be relevant to your intended use (e.g. if you plan to use M12
bolts on the framework for the decking).

Both drills look good, but I know I've found a 13mm chuck damned useful
in the past half way up a ladder.

Not sure why you'd especially need 13mm up a ladder but you do need it to
drive larger holesaws and some other torquey tools. I'm particularly PO-ed
that my 18V deWalt angle drill only has a 10mm chuck whilst my 14.4V dW
has a 13mm! Anyone know if you can change them?

"John Stumbles" wrote in message
news
On Sun, 28 Jan 2007 18:42:47 +0000, Mike Dodd wrote:

One limit on both drills is the 10mm chuck. Just consider if that's
going to be relevant to your intended use (e.g. if you plan to use M12
bolts on the framework for the decking).

Both drills look good, but I know I've
found a 13mm chuck damned useful
in the past half way up a ladder.

Not sure why you'd especially need 13mm up a ladder but you do need it to
drive larger holesaws and some other torquey tools. I'm particularly PO-ed
that my 18V deWalt angle drill only has a 10mm chuck whilst my 14.4V dW
has a 13mm! Anyone know if you can change them?

The Wickes (Kress) angle attachment drill I mentioned can have hex drills
and bit inserted not using the chuck in the drill body or the angle
attachment. So if your bit/drill size comes in a hex shaft format then no
problem with chuck sizes. I know some guys who have replaced all they
bits/drill with hex shanks. So much easier and the Kress angle attachment
gets in real tight using hex stubby augers or flat bits - far tighter thana
DeWalt or Makita angle drill. Look at the bottom picture here. The Wickes
version is all grey.
http://www.kress-elektrik.de/en/

John Stumbles wrote:

Not sure why you'd especially need 13mm up a ladder but you do need it to
drive larger holesaws and some other torquey tools. I'm particularly PO-ed
that my 18V deWalt angle drill only has a 10mm chuck whilst my 14.4V dW
has a 13mm! Anyone know if you can change them?

For 12mm anchor bolts, for the framework for an air-conditioner compressor.

But yes, particularly impressed with DW cordless. It's effectively
retired my corded B&D

"Mike Dodd" wrote in message
news:45bd461c.0@entanet...
John Stumbles wrote:

Not sure why you'd especially need 13mm up a ladder but you do need it to
drive larger holesaws and some other torquey tools. I'm particularly
PO-ed
that my 18V deWalt angle drill only has a 10mm chuck whilst my 14.4V dW
has a 13mm! Anyone know if you can change them?

For 12mm anchor bolts, for the framework for an air-conditioner
compressor.

But yes, particularly impressed with DW cordless. It's effectively retired
my corded B&D

Those combi drills are a waste of time. Impact Drivers are now affordable
and pee all over those heavy cumbersome things. My advise for a complete
drill kit is:

1. An Impact Driver. Can drive in lag bolts with ease and small enough to
use drilling between joists using short shaft hex drills and bits.

2. A Wickes (Kress) 15.5 angle drill attachment drill. An angle drill and
drill/driver all in one. See my other post for description.

3. A 2kG SDS drill. The Wickes Pro (Kress).

Cost?
1. Impact Drivers can be had for £99
2. £120 for Kress drill
3. SDS Wickes (Kress) drill for £99.

Total: £318 For three top quality pro tools that will do just about
everything you want.

"Mark Spice" wrote in message
...

I am in the process of persuading myself (and more importantly SWMBO) that
my upcoming house move, and associated job list, will go a lot better if I
had a better drill/driver than my current B&Q one.

To this end which would the assembled populace reccomend? Budget upto £100
(ish) and I don't really want a combi drill as I don't do much masonry
work.

Don't bother with Bosch or Makita this is better quality. Go for the Wicks
Hi-Torque cordless drill. It has a right angle adaptor - you just pull off
the keyless chuck, clip it on - it locks in near any direction - and clip
back on the chuck. Hex bits can be slipped right into the drill body and
angle attachment with the chuck removed. Twp Panasonic celled batteries
too.

Excellent drill, two decent batteries and an intelligent charger. They were
on special offer for about 100 quid - but don't know about at the moment.

http://www.wickes.co.uk/invt/167237

A battery angle drill will cost you £170 alone. This is an angle drill and a
drill/driver. No contest.

Made by Kress in Germany. Bought on the web or in the shop. 3 yr guarantee
too. The shops occasionally have deals, so wander in and see.

Mark Spice wrote:
I am in the process of persuading myself (and more importantly SWMBO) that
my upcoming house move, and associated job list, will go a lot better if I
had a better drill/driver than my current B&Q one.

Make sure you do buy one!

Having promised my self one for our recent house move, I bought a 14V
Black and Decker from Homebase with two batteries.

It's been wonderful. Frankly, one of the best tool purchases I've ever
made. Not because of the particular model but simply that it was
always to hand. Cordless is *SO* convenient.

So, made sure you do but a decent drill/driver. It really will make
your life easier. Two fast charging batteries are worth getting. One
charges while the other discharges...

As to the specific brand and model I see there's lots of advice going
so I'll stop now!

Guy
-- --------------------------------------------------------------------
Guy Dawson I.T. Manager Crossflight Ltd

"Guy Dawson" wrote in message
...
Mark Spice wrote:
I am in the process of persuading myself (and more importantly SWMBO)
that
my upcoming house move, and associated job list, will go a lot better if
I
had a better drill/driver than my current B&Q one.

Make sure you do buy one!

Having promised my self one for our recent house move, I bought a 14V
Black and Decker from Homebase with two batteries.

It's been wonderful. Frankly, one of the best tool purchases I've ever
made. Not because of the particular model but simply that it was
always to hand. Cordless is *SO* convenient.

So, made sure you do but a decent drill/driver. It really will make
your life easier. Two fast charging batteries are worth getting. One
charges while the other discharges...

As to the specific brand and model I see there's lots of advice going
so I'll stop now!

Guy
-- --------------------------------------------------------------------
Guy Dawson I.T. Manager Crossflight Ltd


As we have just had confirmation of the move (next Tuesday) the issue has
been brought to forefront of our minds. Thus I have sprung for the Makita
plus impact driver. The theory being that I might need the impact driver
now but I'm sure to get use out of it later. Also three batteries just seem
to offer much more flexibility than two (OK so I know that means that I'll
end with 2 flat batteries and a half charged one in the drill but I can
dream of organisation)

Mr Screwfix should be scurrying around his little shop right now getting my
stuff together.....

Cheers for all the advice

Mark

"Mark Spice" wrote in message
...

"Guy Dawson" wrote in message
...
Mark Spice wrote:
I am in the process of persuading myself (and more importantly SWMBO)
that
my upcoming house move, and associated job list, will go a lot better
if
I
had a better drill/driver than my current B&Q one.

Make sure you do buy one!

Having promised my self one for our recent house move, I bought a 14V
Black and Decker from Homebase with two batteries.

It's been wonderful. Frankly, one of the best tool purchases I've ever
made. Not because of the particular model but simply that it was
always to hand. Cordless is *SO* convenient.

So, made sure you do but a decent drill/driver. It really will make
your life easier. Two fast charging batteries are worth getting. One
charges while the other discharges...

As to the specific brand and model I see there's lots of advice going
so I'll stop now!

Guy
-- --------------------------------------------------------------------
Guy Dawson I.T. Manager Crossflight Ltd


As we have just had confirmation of the move (next Tuesday) the issue has
been brought to forefront of our minds. Thus I have sprung for the Makita
plus impact driver. The theory being that I might need the impact driver
now but I'm sure to get use out of it later. Also three batteries just
seem
to offer much more flexibility than two (OK so I know that means that I'll
end with 2 flat batteries and a half charged one in the drill but I can
dream of organisation)

Mr Screwfix should be scurrying around his little shop right now getting
my
stuff together.....

Cheers for all the advice

Mark

You may want to change the order. £140 for a Makita Impact Driver and
drill/driver.

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=100372&ts=87158&id=29438




http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...87158&id=29438

Mark

You may want to change the order. £140 for a Makita Impact Driver and
drill/driver.

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=100372&ts=87158&id=29438




http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...87158&id=29438

I think he knows that.

It gives the price on the web page.

"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...

Mark

You may want to change the order. £140 for a Makita Impact Driver and
drill/driver.

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...87158&id=29438

I think he knows that.

It gives the price on the web page.

Matt, have you gone and bought one?