18v cordless drill batteries

[kjacko]

Hi all,

not quite a "spec me a 18v drill", but i'm in the market for a new one, not necessarily professional standards but want a decent one to replace my Erbauer 18v which has a 2.6mah battery, i've had it 3 years and its flippin brilliant. Helped me through building my extension, cost me £109..
However Screwfix are doing quite a few ni-cad and li-ion models quite cheap but the batteries are between 1.3-1.5mah. Surely that's too small for a 18v drill?
I get that 18v is the power (ooompph) and that the mah is how long the battery will last before needing to be recharged.
I'm thinking the battery wouldn't last long when hammer drilling. Is this why they are cheap do you think?
http://www.screwfix.com/c/tools/cordless-combi-drills/cat830832?cm_sp=Homepage-_-Mainslide-_-4Combis

I want to buy a new drill as my step-son keeps borrowing the erbauer for work and he doesn't tend to look after things.
If i buy a new decent one for myself he can use that one permanently.

Any advice on the battery size then please?

 

[^woody^]

Unless you are drilling all day every day, I can't see why a battery of 1.5 Ah along with a spare would not be OK

But a drill with a good motor will get more out of a low capacity battery, than a less refined motor will out of a high capacity battery

So its not that simple other than, get as high a capacity battery as you can at whatever price you want to pay

 

[kjacko]

Thanks Woody, in that case, can i get your opinion on the following please?

http://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/...combi drill impact driver twin pack 2 x li-on

or

http://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dck235-c2-14-4v-xr-combi-drill-impact-driver-twin-pack/35109

It would 'seem' that for only £60 more the 18v set would be the better buy, but after what you've said, i'm not sure now.
So, would welcome your opinion please.
Thanks

 

[big-all]

ffx good company good price
old style batteries but thats a good thing as tools without batteries will be progressively cheaper as end off line

 

[kjacko]

Spoke to FFX and compared that multippack to this one:
http://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/...eed combi impact driver 18v 2 x 3.0 ah li ion

They guy was pretty unbiased tbh and we both agreed that the newer technology and 3.0ah batteries over the 2.0ah batteries of the older multipack was worth the extra £41. So i reckon i'll go for the DCK285L2 instead.
Hoping not to buy another 18v drill and impact driver again, so lets hope paying the extra will count towards that hope.

 

[^woody^]

I think either of those kits will be OK, it just depends on what you want from them

Apart from the obvious spec differences, I'd just add that the lower voltage kit may well be a lot lighter too, so this may be important for prolonged or even just casual use.

I have mostly Ryobi stuff mainly for the other tools, but I still use a light 12v dewalt for most of my drilling and if necessary masonry drilling. I find the the 18v and bigger battery drills are just too heavy for most jobs and not needed.

 

[big-all]

yep another ryobi fan here
congratulations on 10000 posts "woody"

 

[^woody^]

Oh yes. Thanks

Do I get a free drill/impact driver kit from DIYnot?

 

[kjacko]

Right, i'm the proud new owner of this:
http://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/...eed combi impact driver 18v 2 x 3.0 ah li ion

I gotta say the box is amazing on its own. it has little box compartments for bits'n'bobs and a couple of noggin thingies to hold work so it can act as a saw bench. Both drill and impat driver are lightweight and feel really comfortable.
FFX were the cheapest for this set and i really feel like i'm getting my moneys worth.

Of course, i've not tested them yet, but am confident they will not let me down.