Brushless power drills

[HawkEye244]

I noticed these are a relatively new thing in the trade and I've never owned or used one, so perhaps someone can shed some light on them for me? And especially whether they are worth the additional cost?

I currently have a drill and a seperate sds hammer, but for small and quick jobs like drilling a hole for a rawl plug, it is annoyingly cumbersome to have to get the big drill out for such a small job. Likewise my normal drill is beginning to give up the ghost, both batteries no longer hold much charge.

My other question is that of the combi drills on the market, how good is the hammer function, and what sort of thing do I need to watch out for to avoid buying a drill without a powerful enough hammer?

OH, and thirdly what do you do with your old power tools? Trade them in? Give them away?

Welcome any feedback.

 

[Ihavenojob]

The benefit of brushless is, well, they are brushless so there are no brushes to wear out. Not that I've ever had brushes wear out, the batteries will die long before that. Screwfix have some cheapie erbauer cordless drills which for the money aren't too bad, plus screwfix guarantee is very good. The thing you need to check is what batteries come with it. By now most are li-ion, dont get ni-cad & stay away from Ryobi. Another place is buyaparcel.com, sometimes they have some bargains, but do check if its "bare" (no batteries) if it's really cheap.

 

[Astra99]

The best £85 I ever spent was a JCB 20V (probably actually 18V) Li-ion combi drill from a well known retailer with an orange logo. I've had it for probably five years, and in that time it has drilled brick, block and concrete as well as steel and wood. If that cordless can't handle it, then it's reach for the SDS! I do keep the batteries well charged, though.

 

[HawkEye244]

this looks like the most popular combi on screwfix: https://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-d...i-ion-xr-brushless-cordless-combi-drill/94484

and it's brushless. Lot's of good reviews and few negative and about the price I'm willing to pay. Thoughts?

Then there are drills at the higher end at £300, 400, 500...

Thanks for the 18v mention astra, that's the same as this, so I take it these drills can handle drilling a hole for a rawl plug at reasonable depth ?

ihate, they sell the 'bare' stuff on screwy as well now you mention it, and not necessarily cheap either

 

[Brigadier]

Iirc, brushless has less friction, so the batteries last longer.

I've had my Bosch (blue, from screwfix) 18v for years now, and it hasn't missed a beat.

For the really hard bricks in my house, again it's a Bosch corded sds. Again, plenty enough for DIY work.

 

[Ihavenojob]

and it's brushless. Lot's of good reviews and few negative and about the price I'm willing to pay. Thoughts?

Dewalt are a good make, the price is about par with other shops, the clincher is Screwfix gaurantee . There's branches everywhere, keep receipt, any problems, take it back & they will sort it.

 

[Diver Fred]

& stay away from Ryobi.

Why...???

Do agree that Screwfix tools aren't bad value (especially when the tools are on offer)