Looking for a drill

[sxturbo]

That's easy to say, but an SDS is so much quicker and more certain than a combi hammer drill for making holes in walls, that if that is all they can do, that's great. The OP can simply use a screwdriver for screws. I rarely bother with using a drill/driver anyway. For £25-ish, plus the cost of a battery and charger - the OP could buy a Lidl SDS plus battery drill kit, complete with a range of SDS bits. £5 more will buy a set of longer bits - I bought a set of three ten years ago and still working fine where a deep hole is needed.

I see what your saying, but SDS drills aren't very accurate, they are great at smashing through things, and holes where accuracy isn't really required

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I see what your saying, but SDS drills aren't very accurate, they are great at smashing through things, and holes where accuracy isn't really required

I find them accurate enough, as accurately as any hole can be drilled in masonary - I always use mine for red plug fixing, maybe helped by being variable speed and 'hammer off'.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I see what your saying, but SDS drills aren't very accurate, they are great at smashing through things, and holes where accuracy isn't really required

Oh I don't know. How accurate is any drill going into masonry? Within 1 to 2mm of where you want it to be? (rebar excepted) If it's more than a couple of millimetres out i'd be surprised

I'd go so far as to say that an SDS drill is probably more accurate than a combi drill simply because it has greater percussive power which makes it more able to overcome hard masonry, aggregates etc

 

[blup]

I see what your saying, but SDS drills aren't very accurate, they are great at smashing through things, and holes where accuracy isn't really required

I thought that before my first sds drill, in fact for holes in brick or hard block it was very accurate, turn off the hammer if there is plaster to go through first.

Blup

 

[sxturbo]

I thought that before my first sds drill, in fact for holes in brick or hard block it was very accurate, turn off the hammer if there is plaster to go through first.

Blup

I've not found that with my Makita SDS.

With the hammer off it starts ok, but as soon as hammer is on it turns into an animal and often follows the route of soft parts of the brick/block.

Not saying the SDS isn't useful, I had to use it to screw battens on a retaining wall in the garden as my old combi wasn't upto the task.

But now I've got a new much more powerful cordless combi (130nm torque) I've not had the SDS out since, other than to break up a bit of old concrete.

I'm not stating that an SDS is no good, just mentioning that with the op's needs in mind a decent combi will likely serve him better in the long term.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I've not found that with my Makita SDS.

With the hammer off it starts ok, but as soon as hammer is on it turns into an animal and often follows the route of soft parts of the brick/block.

If it's a variable speed, try reducing the speed until you are on target. I find combi's tend to go off course if they hit a hard pebbles - SDS just keeps going through no matter what.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

With a few exceptions (like oversize rebar) I agree

 

[opps]

Oh I don't know. How accurate is any drill going into masonry? Within 1 to 2mm of where you want it to be? (rebar excepted) If it's more than a couple of millimetres out i'd be surprised

The last time I hit a reinforcing bar in a concrete lintel, it just sheared the head off my regular Bosch SDS bit. I ordered some of the four flute Makita Nemesis SDS drill bits, and they went through the bar with ease.

I am so glad I purchased the Nemesis bits, not having an offset head means that I find that I no longer need to punch a guide hole in the plaster with a screw/hammer before drilling.

For anyone interested

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Leaving aside the issue of hitting reebar - whether drilling with SDS, or hammer combi, I always pencil a cross through the point where I need a hole and larger than the intended hole diameter. Once drilling starts, a single point will be lost - so always a clear cross. If the hole does happen to drift off, it is easy to just alter the angle of the drill to the wall, skidding it across, to get the hole back in line with the cross, providing you have not gone in too deep.

 

[jeck837]

Good evening

I need a drill for three tasks :

1. Hooking up a shower curtain rail in the bath onto tiles.
https://www.wickes.co.uk/Croydex-Modular-Shower-Rail---4-Ways-To-Fit/p/231380#

2. I have bought a CCTV set from Amazon a year ago and the electrician guy from my ex workplace is always too busy to come round and fit this for me( I did say I will pay him ). Luckily the cameras are WIFI but I still need to secure them to the outside wall and also need to somehow power them by feeding a power cable from each to inside my house and then hook it up to something somewhere .. maybe bridge it to the cable supplying power to the external lamp hanging above my door.

3. I need to affix a sensor LED external light ( at my sibling's house ) and also cable it for power purposes.


Please recommend me a decent drill and bits to buy. I have a 15 years old Challenger drill at home which I bought from Argos but it feels unsatisfactory.

I recently fixed some this types of work and I have used my friends drill, It was Bosch PS31-2A, after using I have checked all reviews about it and it's outstanding. This one used for drilling on drywall, wood and metal.