Combi, impact or SDS drill

[Sid71]

Hi

I'm looking for a new drill for my DIY projects. It's a replacement for my beloved Bosch SDS (worn out) and old Black and Becker wood drill (crap).

I want a machine that's going to be able to tackle my granite-like housebricks (as well as general wood, steel and plastic drilling). Basically an all rounder that'll last for 10 years.

The drills I'm looking at are the Bosch GBH 2-26DFR SDS which has an integrated quick change chuck for standard bit (pricey £179)

Or a Ni-CAD DeWalt cordless combi (£99'ish)

Or possibly an Impact drill like the Bosch GSB13RE which is only £69 and can drill 13mm holes into concrete.

The main thing is I need to be confident that it can handle masonry. I know the GBH 26DFR could do it but I've never used spare chuck and I'm worried about it being a faff. If someone can tell me that the combi or impact drill is up to it and will last for a decade I'll consider them.

Cheers

Sid

 

[danr86]

I bought the GBH 2-26DFR and it's worked a treat. Taken off 50m2 of old sand and cement plaster and used it for a fair bit of drilling and it's working perfectly.
To change the chuck takes less than second - you pull back the plastic below the chuck and it pops out and you just insert the other chuck!

 

[RF Lighting]

Definately get an SDS drill.

You could look for a cheaper one without the interchangeable chuck and get a chuck adaptor seperately. They are only about 20-30 quid.

 

[r896neo]

A combi or impact may well struggle on hard masonary or concrete and will need really high quality bits to make any progress, an sds however will get through most things about 5 times as quickly.

But then an sds is much less useful for anything other than masonary. The DFR is a good idea and will last well but it is very long and I find more often than not when doing joinery you need a shorter easier to wield drill.

 

[streetlighter]

I would go for an SDS drill probably a Bosch just for drilling masonry/concrete could prob pick up a decent one for just under £100 if you don't want the rotary stop function then the GBH 2-18RE can be had for about £70 on eBay. Then I would get an 18 volt cordless combi for drilling other materials.

 

[r896neo]

I whole heartedly agree

 

[Sid71]

Thanks guys - that pretty much confirmed my thinking. I'll go for another Bosch SDS. Probably the 2-26DFR.

 

[Homervanderjazz]

Hi folks, I am in the same boat as I wasnt sure what drill to buy, I notice some of you have said use an sds for masonary and buy another drill for other materials, however if you can buy the chuck which lets you use normal drill bits does this not allow you to use it on other materials?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I notice some of you have said use an sds for masonary and buy another drill for other materials, however if you can buy the chuck which lets you use normal drill bits does this not allow you to use it on other materials?

The problem with using an SDS for other things is that it is both large and relatively heavy. It is also too slow for some types of drilling. For years I've used an SDS drill with auger bits for heavy wood boring (e.g lock mortising). It works well enough, but the combination of SDS and auger bit is a tad long for easy use in confined spaces. It is also too heavy for continued and accurate use at shoulder height or above. For smaller drill bits they aren't much use, either - the maximum non-hammer speed on many is around 1100 rpm or and this is just too slow for smaller diameter drill bits which can often require 2500 to 3000 rpm. And the weight/size means that it is very easy to make a wrong move and snap small drill bits unintentionally. hence an SDS for masonry, light chiselling, even occassional light core drilling (with care) and large diameter/deep boring timber and a cordless for smaller diameter drilling, light metal drilling, driving screws, etc. Works for many, many tradesmen

 

[Homervanderjazz]

Thanks for the reply, the issue I am having is that the walls I am drilling into are brick, my mate lent me a 18v Makita cordless and I tried to use it to put in a fire alarm however it really struggled. So I started looking into the SDS drills, the problem with this from what I can see is that the drill bits for such drills are rather on the large side. So if needing to make a small whole in a brick wall this would not work.

Is there any solution to this issue? Are there any smaller drill bits specifically for SDS drills or should I buy a corded non sds hammer drill? Thanks for any advice

 

[r896neo]

i have sds bits down to 4mm anything less than it would be to heavy and awkward and you'd snap bits, besides a combi could handle a 3mm hole no matter how hard the material was.

I use an 18v combi for a lot of masonary drilling such as plugs etc but there are some walls as you have found that need a bit more guts which is when i get the sds out.

Also it is invaluable when drilling repeated holes such as for battens because it will drill a 6mm hole 4/5 times as fast as a combi or impact drill. It is also obviously much better for large holes and can take long large bits when going through cavities etc.

I can't stress enough how annoying it will be trying to do joinery or if you need to drill a joist etc trying to use the DFR its far to big.

If they are 170ish Buy a bosch blue sds for 100 and then a decent 18V combi with the rest.

 

[catlad]

I'm not sure if they are still doing it but screw fix had a deal were you get a de-walt SDS and a cordless for £149.