I'm looking for a small cordless drill/driver to replace the crap
green Bosch 9.6v one I have at the moment.

I already have a wonderful 12v Metabo that does all the heavy work
(why does anyone need more than 12v cordless drills) and I was almost
thinking of getting a second one the same but I then realised that
something a bit lighter would actually do the job of a 'second drill'
very well and be lighter and handier than the Metabo.

So, what natty little lightweight cordless drills do people recommend?
I think I'd prefer 9.6 volt simply because of the smaller size of the
battery pack. Price not the sole criterion but I'd like to keep it
under £100.

--
Chris Green

wrote:
I'm looking for a small cordless drill/driver to replace the crap
green Bosch 9.6v one I have at the moment.

I already have a wonderful 12v Metabo that does all the heavy work
(why does anyone need more than 12v cordless drills) and I was almost
thinking of getting a second one the same but I then realised that
something a bit lighter would actually do the job of a 'second drill'
very well and be lighter and handier than the Metabo.

So, what natty little lightweight cordless drills do people recommend?
I think I'd prefer 9.6 volt simply because of the smaller size of the
battery pack. Price not the sole criterion but I'd like to keep it
under £100.

If you are looking for primarily a driver, then the Makita TD020DSE 7.2V LXT
Lithium-Ion Impact Driver is simply outstanding.

https://tools4trade.com/shop_product...spx?pid=143011

Several people on this group have one (including me) - they may well be
along in a while to rave about it as well.

Incredible bit of kit.



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

The Medway Handyman wrote:
wrote:
I'm looking for a small cordless drill/driver to replace the crap
green Bosch 9.6v one I have at the moment.

I already have a wonderful 12v Metabo that does all the heavy work
(why does anyone need more than 12v cordless drills) and I was almost
thinking of getting a second one the same but I then realised that
something a bit lighter would actually do the job of a 'second drill'
very well and be lighter and handier than the Metabo.

So, what natty little lightweight cordless drills do people recommend?
I think I'd prefer 9.6 volt simply because of the smaller size of the
battery pack. Price not the sole criterion but I'd like to keep it
under �100.

If you are looking for primarily a driver, then the Makita TD020DSE 7.2V LXT
Lithium-Ion Impact Driver is simply outstanding.

https://tools4trade.com/shop_product...spx?pid=143011

Several people on this group have one (including me) - they may well be
along in a while to rave about it as well.

Incredible bit of kit.



Concur.

I have found *removing* screws with it to be amazing - they almost jump
out! Definitely lighter than my cordless. Gets into places not
accessible by most drills. Minimal torque is applied to the hand holding it.

Find myself thinking, if I wanted to buy myself another power tool, I'd
buy another one of these. Obviously silly but ...

Was the original price really £170 or so?

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

In article ,
The Medway Handyman wrote:
If you are looking for primarily a driver, then the Makita TD020DSE 7.2V
LXT Lithium-Ion Impact Driver is simply outstanding.

https://tools4trade.com/shop_product...spx?pid=143011

Several people on this group have one (including me) - they may well be
along in a while to rave about it as well.

Incredible bit of kit.

It performs well but I'm not over keen on the ergonomics. The handle
should lock in position for a start and the switch isn't in an ideal
position - at least for my size of hand.

--
*Microsoft broke Volkswagen's record: They only made 21.4 million bugs.

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

In message , The Medway
Handyman writes
If you are looking for primarily a driver, then the Makita TD020DSE 7.2V LXT
Lithium-Ion Impact Driver is simply outstanding.

https://tools4trade.com/shop_product...spx?pid=143011

Several people on this group have one (including me) - they may well be
along in a while to rave about it as well.

Incredible bit of kit.

I bought one on the strength of this thread and it arrived today. First
impressions are very good. I will now treat myself to a couple of
decent Wera bits.

--
Robert

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
The Medway Handyman wrote:
If you are looking for primarily a driver, then the Makita TD020DSE 7.2V
LXT Lithium-Ion Impact Driver is simply outstanding.

https://tools4trade.com/shop_product...spx?pid=143011

Several people on this group have one (including me) - they may well be
along in a while to rave about it as well.

Incredible bit of kit.

It performs well but I'm not over keen on the ergonomics. The handle
should lock in position for a start and the switch isn't in an ideal
position - at least for my size of hand.

I understand what you mean but:

If the handle locked, it might take both hands to change the angle. Not
ideal in some circumstances. So that doesn't worry me.

The switch is almost perfect for my hand! But the lamp switch is poorly
placed. I actually think I would prefer it if the lamp always came on
when the driver is used - and switched itself off after a few minutes.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

In article ,
Rod wrote:
It performs well but I'm not over keen on the ergonomics. The handle
should lock in position for a start and the switch isn't in an ideal
position - at least for my size of hand.

I understand what you mean but:

If the handle locked, it might take both hands to change the angle. Not
ideal in some circumstances. So that doesn't worry me.

I can't really think of any circumstances where you'd change position on
the fly. I tend to use one or the other - the most used being the pistol
type. And it's in that one I'm not so convinced over the switch position.

The switch is almost perfect for my hand! But the lamp switch is poorly
placed. I actually think I would prefer it if the lamp always came on
when the driver is used - and switched itself off after a few minutes.

Really only a gimmick to me.

If I had a choice in the design I'd have it permanently 'pistol shaped'
with a conventional trigger like a drill and separate reverse switch. The
inline formation is fine for light work but I already have another make
for that.
But even with those reservations it's a fantastic little tool that gets
heavy use.

--
*Too many clicks spoil the browse *

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

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Rod wrote:
It performs well but I'm not over keen on the ergonomics. The handle
should lock in position for a start and the switch isn't in an ideal
position - at least for my size of hand.

I understand what you mean but:

If the handle locked, it might take both hands to change the angle.
Not ideal in some circumstances. So that doesn't worry me.

I can't really think of any circumstances where you'd change position
on the fly. I tend to use one or the other - the most used being the
pistol type. And it's in that one I'm not so convinced over the
switch position.


One mans meat I suppose. I like the fact that it isn't locked. I tend to
carry mine in the right leg 'ruler' pocket of my overalls in the inline
position. I can pull it out & flick it into pistol position without
looking.

The switch is almost perfect for my hand! But the lamp switch is
poorly placed. I actually think I would prefer it if the lamp always
came on when the driver is used - and switched itself off after a
few minutes.

I'd agree with that. Love the switch, lamp bit is fiddly.


Really only a gimmick to me.

Very handy sometimes I've found.


If I had a choice in the design I'd have it permanently 'pistol
shaped' with a conventional trigger like a drill and separate reverse
switch.

I like the fact that it isn't like a normal driver - saves me constantly
forgetting if its set in forward or reverse!

The inline formation is fine for light work but I already
have another make for that.

I only have the Makita & I find it useful to use the inline mode - kitchen
units for example.

But even with those reservations it's a fantastic little tool that
gets heavy use.

On that we agree. Only comment is the noise level, suppose that is
unavoidable with it being an impact driver.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

robert wrote:
In message , The Medway
Handyman writes
If you are looking for primarily a driver, then the Makita TD020DSE 7.2V LXT
Lithium-Ion Impact Driver is simply outstanding.

https://tools4trade.com/shop_product...spx?pid=143011

Several people on this group have one (including me) - they may well be
along in a while to rave about it as well.

Incredible bit of kit.

I bought one on the strength of this thread and it arrived today. First
impressions are very good. I will now treat myself to a couple of
decent Wera bits.

I (the OP) have bought one too though it hasn't arrived yet. I also
bought one of these:-

http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/sn/METBST96

on the strength of my existing 12v Metabo which is excellent. I think
it's cheap because it's "end of line", Metabo seem not to make any
9.6v drills now.

It arrived yesterday and my reactions are that it's bigger than I
expected, the basic body moulding is identical with my existing 12v
one, though the chuck is smaller and the battery pack is smaller so
it is significantly lighter. The charger is interchangeable with my
existing charger for the 12v drill (both chargers actually say 4.5v to
18v) which is nice.

Maximum torque is 30nM which is pretty good for a 9.6v drill. I have
yet to use it in earnest.

--
Chris Green

wrote:
robert wrote:
In message , The Medway
Handyman writes
If you are looking for primarily a driver, then the Makita TD020DSE 7.2V LXT
Lithium-Ion Impact Driver is simply outstanding.

https://tools4trade.com/shop_product...spx?pid=143011

Several people on this group have one (including me) - they may well be
along in a while to rave about it as well.

Incredible bit of kit.

I bought one on the strength of this thread and it arrived today. First
impressions are very good. I will now treat myself to a couple of
decent Wera bits.

I (the OP) have bought one too though it hasn't arrived yet. I also

.... but it has now, looks excellent, thank you for the recommendation.

--
Chris Green

wrote:
I'm looking for a small cordless drill/driver to replace the crap
green Bosch 9.6v one I have at the moment.

I already have a wonderful 12v Metabo that does all the heavy work
(why does anyone need more than 12v cordless drills) and I was almost
thinking of getting a second one the same but I then realised that
something a bit lighter would actually do the job of a 'second drill'
very well and be lighter and handier than the Metabo.

So, what natty little lightweight cordless drills do people
recommend? I think I'd prefer 9.6 volt simply because of the smaller
size of the battery pack. Price not the sole criterion but I'd like
to keep it under £100.

If you are looking for primarily a driver, then the Makita TD020DSE
7.2V LXT Lithium-Ion Impact Driver is simply outstanding.

https://tools4trade.com/shop_product...spx?pid=143011

Several people on this group have one (including me) - they may well
be along in a while to rave about it as well.

Incredible bit of kit.


Not to hijack the thread, here are a few of my thoughts on the Makita
TD020DSE.

Great compact unit, really useful for those small places. I've not used
an Impact driver before but I do find it noisey, I'm also not that keen
on the intial speed before the impact kicks in - difficult to get that
screw with no pilot going. The buttons could be better on the top as its
a pain to turn on tight against something.

Do I use it loads, course I do ;-)

I was taking to the guys at tools4trade (the shop is near me) they
boughts 800 from Makita for a good price - only about 50 left or so he
said!

Now I've tried an impact driver I don't think I'll buy another, a
'real' driver with sufficient torque is *way* better than impact mode.

Full size impact drivers have way more torque and can out-perform any
drill/driver they'd have to really, or they'd never sell any).

I regular use mine to put 6*100mm spax into softwood.

wrote:

Now I've tried an impact driver I don't think I'll buy another, a
'real' driver with sufficient torque is *way* better than impact mode.

Full size impact drivers have way more torque and can out-perform any
drill/driver they'd have to really, or they'd never sell any).

I regular use mine to put 6*100mm spax into softwood.

That's exactly what I use my non-impact 12 volt Metabo cordless for,
it drives them without much effort. I also use it for 8*100 and 8*120
coach screws which it also manages without problems.

I did specifically choose it for its high torque, 52Nm, which is good
for a 12 volt cordless.

--
Chris Green

wrote:
wrote:

Now I've tried an impact driver I don't think I'll buy another, a
'real' driver with sufficient torque is *way* better than impact
mode.


You are not judging the Makita properly. Its a small compact impact
screwdriver that is meant to compete with the small battery screwdrivers
like the Bosch GSR, DeWalt DW920K, Ryobi CSD 4030G etc. It outperforms
all of those as far as I know.

Full size impact drivers have way more torque and can out-perform any
drill/driver they'd have to really, or they'd never sell any).

I regular use mine to put 6*100mm spax into softwood.

That's exactly what I use my non-impact 12 volt Metabo cordless for,
it drives them without much effort. I also use it for 8*100 and 8*120
coach screws which it also manages without problems.

I did specifically choose it for its high torque, 52Nm, which is good
for a 12 volt cordless.

52Nm is outstanding for a 12v driver, but a 12v impact driver will have 130
Nm +. When I build large decks I get a labourer in & use a 12v impact
driver & a 14:4v drill driver (both Makita) to put in 6 x 90 coach screws.
The 12v impact driver is the best part of twice as fast.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk