Those cheap 240v SDS drills....

[MG Man]

You know, that cost around 30 quid and come with a set of bits, spare brushes, and a little pot of grease. Makro, and a lot of independents sell them.

Are they any good? (Will they last more than an afternoon?) Or should I forget it and save up for that Makita in Screwfix?

 

[david and julie]

I can remember my next door neighbour trying to break out an old fencing post with one last year. I believe he got that from Makro, Nu-tool I think.

I got that fed up with the noise, after a couple of hours I lent him my Hilti and the job was done in 15 minutes.

I'd say horses for courses, if you want to do the odd job at home, and don't overload them they are OK and good value. For anything more serious look for a second hand hilti, kango or similar, older 240v ones are useless on sites now and therefore really cheap.

 

[oilman]

I bought one from Screwfix, it doesn't get used a lot, but good value for me.

 

[TexMex]

My mate bought one of the B&Q Pro ones around about February. I think it's about 1250W. After about a week of use (doing nothing more arduous than chipping ceramic tiles off the wall), it stopped hammering. He could turn it onto rotary and use it as a plain vanilla drill, but he could no longer use it as a percussion or rotary hammer.

His first job with the FOC replacement was ripping up about 12sq m of 4" thick concrete. It performed surprisingly well. He's used it regularly since and is pleased as punch with it. I've had a go of it, chasing concrete blocks for cabling. I must admit, I was quietly impressed. I think he paid a bit more than 30 quid, but got a free cordless drill thrown in.

 

[ChrisR]

Met a pair of window fitters using two of them. They reckon they last nearly a full year, which on frequent use at less than £50 is unanswerable, especially when the odd one gets stolen. It doesn't hurt like £350, and they're hardly worth stealing!

 

[swageblock]

Bought 650watt one from argos bout 2 1/2 years ago.Been putting 14 mm thro bolts into granite {i live in Cornwall},put stud wall up ,again granite &concrete, and used it on maintenance at work.Best £35 worth.But you need some decent bits.Hey,if it dies,it was cheaper than hiring on a wet weekend.