Fast cordless drill

[opps]

Bar my (recently purchased) Metabo12v cordless drill and 12v impact driver, none of my cordless drills are lithium battery based. They are a combination of NiCad and NiMH (Dewalt and one Festool).

After my recent purchase of the Souber DBB, I soon realised that my old, corded, Metabo drill is too heavy to work with the DBB and that each of my cordless drills is too slow.

I did consider buying a cheap corded drill that weighs substantially less, but then thought "when else would I use it?".

Souber recommend a drill that spins at 2000-3000 RPM.

I have found a 18v Metabo cordless drill that has three speeds, toping out at 4,000 RPM. A review that I had read elsewhere said that the purchaser occasionally uses his with die grinder bits (because of the high RPM). That might be useful when removing rotten timber from exterior windows- It will save me have to buy a die grinder- I currently use an oscillating saw and chisels to remove rotten timber.

I like the fact that that the drill will work with the interchangeable Metabo heads that I already have (right angle etc).

The unit is "bare" but I already have a Metabo charger (obviously, I will need 18v batteries). I would rather not pay more for the proprietary box, but I can't find anyone selling it without the £30-40 box.

Metabo SB18LTX-3 BLQI 18V BL 3 Speed Hammer Drill X Bare Unit

The Metabo 603185840 SB18LTX-3 BLQI 18V BL 3 Speed Hammer Drill metaBOX Bare Unit is an ideal tool for mechanics, masons and fabricators. Boasting an impressive maximum torque of 130Nm, this drill will be able to drive long bolts and screws into the hardest materials.

ffx.co.uk

Given that I am not wedded to any cordless brand, battery wise, is there any compelling reason why I shouldn't consider paying £215 for the bare drill? The vast majority of my work is domestic, I have access to mains, 230/240v, most of the time so I have no compelling reason to buy in to a battery ecosystem. As an aside, I like the fact that Metabo are part of the One Battery Alliance.

My current 12v Metabo doesn't have an impact setting. In soft bricks the bosch combi drill bits are fine. I need a cordless drill with "hammer" action for harder bricks though.

I don't plan to buy the drill for anther "couple" of weeks so there is no rush for replies but feedback would be appreciated.

 

[big-all]

general comments
4000 rpm is good but suspect only useful for very light loads or the drill will get bogged down as the load is greater than power available similar to starting in the wrong gear in a car
the new dewalt 999 is 1200w with a flexvolt battery which is quite amazing for 18v

 

[Wayners]

Can't answer your question but you can buy battery adaptors for your older drills to run on new lithium batteries

 

[opps]

general comments
4000 rpm is good but suspect only useful for very light loads or the drill will get bogged down as the load is greater than power available similar to starting in the wrong gear in a car
the new dewalt 999 is 1200w with a flexvolt battery which is quite amazing for 18v

Thanks for the recommendation. At the moment it
, the Dewalt, is selling for about £371 inc VAT.

Dewalt DCD999T1 18V XR Brushless Combi Drill with FLEXVOLT Advantage, 1x 6Ah Battery, Charger & Case

Dewalt DCD999T1 18V XR FLEXVOLT Brushless Combi Drill with 1x 2.0Ah 54V Battery, Charger & Case Available from ITS.co.uk with fast delivery and 5 star service

its.co.uk

 

[Deleted member 174758]

After my recent purchase of the Souber DBB, I soon realised that my old, corded, Metabo drill is too heavy to work with the DBB and that each of my cordless drills is too slow.

Souber recommend a drill that spins at 2000-3000 RPM.

Given that I am not wedded to any cordless brand, battery wise, is there any compelling reason why I shouldn't consider paying £215 for the bare drill?

Apart from £215 being a hefty chunk of change for a cordless combi drill, the extra £75 or so for a battery might put me off the purchase a little, given that an equivalent (trade quality) corded drill would be somewhat cheaper, and would certainly put out much higher torque (and the Souber DBB requires both torque and speed). I get by with a 2100rpm Makita DHP481, but only because I already had one. TBH I think it could do with a wee bit more speed when used on the Souber. BTW, ask B-A how heavy and bulky that drill is with a 54 volt battery. All the Flexvolt batteries I've seen are big lumps

As to harder masonry, the best answer has to be to get an SDS drill. You can also buy SDS masonry chisels, SDS wood chisels, SDS auger bits and SDS tile removers in addition to standard masonry bits. Combi drills can't do everything. For many trades that one is really a no brainer. The only downside is that there's no such thing as a high speed, cordless SDS, AFAIK

In general I have no complaints about Metabo tools - the quality is up there with all the other mainstream trade manufacturers, but I'd take the hype over the CAS battery alliance being just that - hype. In reality it is a group of small manufacturers, none of whom make a full line of tools, banding together to offer a full line. The big guys haven't needed to do this as much because they offer far bigger range, although some smaller independent power tool manufacturers have already adopted battery systems from larger manufacturers (e.g. MAC automotive tools use deWalt batteries, several plumbing tool firms having settled on Milwaukee whilst Bosch have recently announced cooperative battery sharing with a number of smaller specialist manufacturers)

 

[big-all]

for reference
996 =900w and 1.5k so assume the more powerfull 999 will be perhaps 10-20% more
normal 5ah 620g but no good for getting 1200 from the 999 but will give you 900 from both the 996vand 999
6ah flexvolt 1 050g the smallest to give 1200w from the 999
9ah flexvolt 1480g
yes as jxk says with 6ah will be [between 1.65/1.8]so perhaps 2.8- 3kg

 

[opps]

Can't answer your question but you can buy battery adaptors for your older drills to run on new lithium batteries

Cheers Wayners. I have previously considered using those retro kits but I have been concerned about the lack of circuitry in the old drills. With lithium battery drills, is the safety circuitry exclusively in the battery or is it in the drill and battery?

 

[big-all]

i have 2 genuine dewalt that come with full instructions and a blister pack
they where around £50 each 5 years ago
they must have the ears to stop you using them on flexvolt batteries as they are not compatable
they will be described as 18v-20v adapters

 

[opps]

Apart from £215 being a hefty chunk of change for a cordless combi drill, the extra £75 or so for a battery might put me off the purchase a little, given that an equivalent (trade quality) corded drill would be somewhat cheaper, and would certainly put out much higher torque (and the Souber DBB requires both torque and speed). I get by with a 2100rpm Makita DHP481, but only because I already had one. TBH I think it could do with a wee bit more speed when used on the Souber. BTW, ask B-A how heavy and bulky that drill is with a 54 volt battery. All the Flexvolt batteries I've seen are big lumps

As to harder masonry, the best answer has to be to get an SDS drill. You can also buy SDS masonry chisels, SDS wood chisels, SDS auger bits and SDS tile removers in addition to standard masonry bits. Combi drills can't do everything. For many trades that one is really a no brainer. The only downside is that there's no such thing as a high speed, cordless SDS, AFAIK

In general I have no complaints about Metabo tools - the quality is up there with all the other mainstream trade manufacturers, but I'd take the hype over the CAS battery alliance being just that - hype. In reality it is a group of small manufacturers, none of whom make a full line of tools, banding together to offer a full line. The big guys haven't needed to do this as much because they offer far bigger range, although some smaller independent power tool manufacturers have already adopted battery systems from larger manufacturers (e.g. MAC automotive tools use deWalt batteries, several plumbing tool firms having settled on Milwaukee whilst Bosch have recently announced cooperative battery sharing with a number of smaller specialist manufacturers)

Thanks for the advice.

I do have two SDS drills, one of which is a Metabo. Neither is cordless but both have roto-stop.

I never learned how to drive. Carrying an SDS on the tube is a faff unless absolutely needed. In the vast majority of houses that I work in, the hammer action on a cordless is sufficient and the cordless drill will fit in my rucksack. My light weight 12v Metabo doesn't have hammer action

Part of the reason that I like the Metabo is the quick release chuck and option to fit a right angle or offset chuck.

I did consider a corded drill. My current corded drill is a very old 705w Metabo, but its weight distribution makes it difficult to work with the Souber. The corded drill however, would only ever be used with the Souber. A cordless drill, whilst more expensive, would be used more frequently.

You make a good point about the CAS battery alliance. I am however "considering" purchasing a cordless Steinell heat gun in the next few years. The number of firms joining seems to have increased quite a bit over the last couple of years. I don't recall either Lamello, Rudi or Mafele being part 2 years ago.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

You make a good point about the CAS battery alliance. I am however "considering" purchasing a cordless Steinell heat gun in the next few years. The number of firms joining seems to have increased quite a bit over the last couple of years. I don't recall either Lamello, Rudi or Mafele being part 2 years ago.

I was sort of playing devil's advocate, and I do understand that not everyone plays the same hand - in point of fact I, too, travel to work on public transport most of the time (to the extent that for about a decade I have mostly turned down work which I cannot readily get to by public transport - which sometimes leads to jibes of me being some sort of tree hugger ), so size, weight and functionality all matter to me.

Mafell have been buying in cordless batteries etc from Metabo for something like 2 decades, so them joining CAS was presumably a no brainer. In a similar way Steiner Lamello have purchased Metabo motors and gearboxes for more than 40 years for their biscuit jointers - so when they decided to make a cordless version if their main product (biscuit jointers), Metabo would be a very logical choice. Another firm in the CAS group is Starmix (vacuum cleaners), who manufacture all of Metabo's and Mafell's vacuum cleaners for them (they also used to make Bosch industrial vacuums, but that has all but ended in the last few years). Very typical German-Swiss tool industry with almost everyone in someone else's pocket somewhere along the line