Drills needed please help

[JohnW2]

Of all the drills I've owned over the years I have no problem saying my corded Bosches (I have 3) have been by far the best, they are now 30 years old and I got the first and third in a Homebase end of line sale and the second in their summer sale. The pair of 18V cordles Bosches also from their end of line sale were the longest lasting and my favourites. I still have several B&D's (I think none with variable speed), wolf, corded drills from the 1980's and Makita from 00ies but none of them have maintained their good performance or reliability in the same way as the Bosches.

I really have experienced very few 'failures' over the decades - the biggest problem, particularly in the past, being that getting replacement batteries for the cheapest 'cordless' ones was often impossible, so one could only carry on using them if one improvised some way of providing them with power (which I did in several cases).

As for the corded ones, most, including the cheapest, seem to have gone on 'for ever'. I still have a number of B&D drills from 60s and 70s still working fine and a fair few Homebase power tools still going fine at 30+years. .... and similar for most of my 'workshop' tools, most of which were very cheap and remain in satisfactory service after 30+ years (saw tables, mitre saw, band saw, planer/thicknesser, morticer, router table, pillar drill, band/drum sander, grinder etc.).

Hand tools are, at least in my experience, a different kettle of fish, with very cheap ones tending to be pretty useless (and usually short-lived0!

 

[SUNRAY]

I really have experienced very few 'failures' over the decades - the biggest problem, particularly in the past, being that getting replacement batteries for the cheapest 'cordless' ones was often impossible, so one could only carry on using them if one improvised some way of providing them with power (which I did in several cases).

As for the corded ones, most, including the cheapest, seem to have gone on 'for ever'. I still have a number of B&D drills from 60s and 70s still working fine and a fair few Homebase power tools still going fine at 30+years. .... and similar for most of my 'workshop' tools, most of which were very cheap and remain in satisfactory service after 30+ years (saw tables, mitre saw, band saw, planer/thicknesser, morticer, router table, pillar drill, band/drum sander, grinder etc.).

Hand tools are, at least in my experience, a different kettle of fish, with very cheap ones tending to be pretty useless (and usually short-lived0!

Agreed.
Off the top of my head I think I recall 11 previous battery drills of which the B&Q was rubbish (sloppy bearings and plastic gears stripping) and the Homebase which I ran on a Gelcel (switch failed) all the rest simply required batteries and are probably all still lurking in working order apart from the early Makita which someone eagerly purchased as he used the beltpacks holding 'D' type NiCad batteries for work.

The biggest problem I've had with corded drills (other than cables failing where they enter the tool) had been: variable speed switches/triggers failing and early B&D commutators burning/overheating. I'll not forget to mention the B&Q corded I won in a raffle that seemed to be the same quality at their cordless! We used to have a B&D service centre very local and I had several reconditioned when the sparks started flying but quite honestly I think I can use the expression 'I moved on from B&D drills', I assume I still have a couple in the powertool drawer.
Other than circular & jig saws, angle grinder, orbital sanders (of which I've also moved on from B&D) and Cheap pillar drill (underpowered Machine Mart) I've not have the range you list.

 

[ericmark]

I was issued with battery drills, and they were well known makes, and seemed to last, the problem was, and still is, having a charged battery, I would organise the work around the drills, start the day drilling holes, put batteries on charge, and do other work, then once charged return to drilling holes.

The charger could not keep up with drill use. When I got the Lidi gardening tools, I got 4 batteries, and a twin battery fast charger, the tool uses 2 batteries, 40 volts, so around 20 minutes use, swap batteries and another 20 minutes, then have to wait for batteries to charge, but with drills, 4 batteries will normally last the day, but if I want to use them next day, I need to swap batteries in the charger in the evening, to have 4 to start with next day.

So the main cost is chargers and batteries, and what ever make you go for, you're tied to that make. So I want an angle grinder, and locked into Parkside and Lidi, so need to wait until there are grinders in the centre aisle before I can get one. It's not how good, it's how easy to get/replace. The Parkside do green and black, seems green is brushed and black brushless, and brushless it seems is better, they do 12 volts and 20 volts plus the double battery, so my chain saw is 40 volts, the old 18 volts it seems discontinued, so when my 18 volts battery fails it's in the bin with it.

If I had paid 3 to 4 times what the Parkside cost me, I could get the Dewalt, Bosch etc. And if one fails, buy a replacement off the shelf, and it's the ability to get a replacement fast which is important when using them for the job.

But as said, even where I volunteer, officially I should not use my own tools, yes I do when no one is looking, but I should not really use them, when on bonus I would buy tools to speed up my work, but if not on bonus, should not need to buy your own tools, yes I have my own RCD tester as well, but if I use my own, no traceable record of calibration, even a hammer can have a damaged shaft, so most companies want control over the tools in use, be it torque setting, or crimps matching crimp tool, taking your own tools into work is normally not allowed.

Working for GEC large steam turbines, even the crimp pliers were calibrated.

 

[crystal ball]

Working for GEC large steam turbines, even the crimp pliers were calibrated.

Same as MOD work

 

[jcaan]

Thanks for the replies gents... just so you know when I was doing mu level2 I was shadowing a couple of sparkies told then I had my own drillset. Pulled out my black and decker they p1ssed themselves laughing at it. They told me never to take that on a site if I ever was to work on a site. Lol

Anyway I rather just invest in a more known reliable brand than not to start off with. So I don't go through that again or having to replace them again and again.

I'm either looking for dewalt, makita, milwaukee or bosch as I heard these are trade standard.

Any actually suggestions for this guys ?

 

[JohnW2]

If I had paid 3 to 4 times what the Parkside cost me, I could get the Dewalt, Bosch etc. And if one fails, buy a replacement off the shelf, and it's the ability to get a replacement fast which is important when using them for the job.

No matter what it is that has failed, it's always going to be possible to get a (perhaps very) cheap replacement of some sort 'fast' to enable a job (and probably countless subsequent jobs) to be completed.

 

[mikehammer69]

If concerned about failure you'd have a replacement on standby

Alternate their use

 

[JohnW2]

If concerned about failure you'd have a replacement on standby ... Alternate their use

Indeed - and having two (or more!) drills in service simultaneously can often save a fair bit of time/hassle in having to repeatedly change the 'bits'/whatever.

 

[morqthana]

Hex shank bits and quick release adapters...

 

[morqthana]

Any actually suggestions for this guys ?

Whatever comes up as a good bargain on eBay.

 

[jcaan]

Whatever comes up as a good bargain on eBay.

I read somewhere stay away from 2nd hands as there's lost of fakes about . Is this bullsh1t?

 

[SUNRAY]

Working for GEC large steam turbines, even the crimp pliers were calibrated.

I should hope so and personally I'd say they should all be calibrated, all of mine were up until ~2018 when I basically stopped working (Ha Ha whatever that means)

 

[securespark]

I went self employed in the 90s and there wasn't a lot of cordless stuff around and what there was was dear, the quality stuff anyway.

So I bought trade Bosch corded stuff. Still got my Bosch 230V SDS drill.

Doing well.

 

[SUNRAY]

Indeed - and having two (or more!) drills in service simultaneously can often save a fair bit of time/hassle in having to repeatedly change the 'bits'/whatever.

Two? Ha. This weekend my grandson has had to make models for engineering A level course work. We had 2.5, 4, 6, 9 mm drills, 12mm flatbit, countersink & PZ2 driver plus pillar drill on the go.

 

[SUNRAY]

I went self employed in the 90s and there wasn't a lot of cordless stuff around and what there was was dear, the quality stuff anyway.

So I bought trade Bosch corded stuff. Still got my Bosch 230V SDS drill.

Doing well.

early 90's was really only the Makita, the 7.2V where the battery pack slid inside the chunky handle IIRC it was the very first cordless power tool made - C mid/late 70's and I think they effectively stopped others for a while by patent) I only knew of B&D bringing one out at half the price (late 80's ?). I remember the advert of a guy repairing a handrail atop a dam wall with the B&D. By then the Makita had 9.6V version

I started with the B&D, then working with others with a Makita added one to my kit.

As I mentioned before, Bosch have certainly been my best long serving tools.