Which power drill for masonry?

Benedict XVI

Hi,
I am looking to buy a drill for around the house jobs, nothing too fancy but one that will be able to drill into brick walls for putting up shelves as well as timber beams and can double up as an electric screwdriver.
What min. voltage\wattage should I be looking for and are there any other important factors to take into consideration. As I said one that is good for masonry is the most important factor.

And also where is the best place to by (Galway area)

Thanks in advance

beldin

Okay you are asking for a lot from one drill
The cheapest model to do all that would be a mains drill , good one for approx €80 in homebase or argos.
Also you could get a cordless drill which will drill masonry but they tend to be more expensive.
Personally I use a mains drill for heavy drilling in masonry and a cordless drill for everything else as they tend to be easier to use with no need for cables etc.
Sticking to good brands like black and decker or bosch means they tend to last longer and give good service for years.

garyh3

Ok would like to add buy decent masonry bits. I have a cheap 14 volt (argos I think) cordless, does all the jobs well upto about a 8-10 drill bit then starts to be a bit slow/pain if you are putting up big stuff that use 10+ bits

Id say if its for general use get a cordless 14v or 18v (duel battery) (hammer action) and buy some decent bits for it the free ones dont last.

Garyh3

FX Meister

If you want a good cordless that will drill through masonry then you will pay big money. I'm away at the moment and am picking up a really good DeWalt drill, the same one is 600 euro at home in Ireland but much cheaper here in Canada. You should check out McQuilans on Capel Street, they do a huge range of drills for all budgets. As mentioned above, do not skimp on your drill bits.

gregos

For occasional light masonry drilling, a smallish mains-powered drill of about 400 Watts will do. For anything more severe, you'll have no comfort with anything below about 900W. Be sure to get a drill with variable speed control. Also, if you can afford it, I'd advise you to get an SDS-type drill. This is not a make of drill, but a design. It takes a specially-shaped drill-bit that just clicks into place without requiring any keys or tightening. These bits are more expensive but also last longer. SDS drills are far more effective at masonry work than the traditional design of drill. On the downside, they tend to be slightly longer, which could possibly be awkward if you have to work in a confined space.

If you want to drive screws, think seriously about getting a cordless drill as well, because you'll find you have better control of it, you can take it anywhere and there's no power cord to always be getting in your way. In addition, a cordless drill/driver will have an adjustable clutch to prevent it applying too much torque to screws and stripping the heads. If you get a cordless, you won't ever want to do another job without it.

The chances are that you'll want to get other cordless tools in the future, so this would be a good time to standardise on the manufacturer. For example, you might choose deWalt for all your tools, and you might settle on 18V as a good compromise between power and weight. Then, when you get the next cordless tool, buy another 18V deWalt and all the batteries will be interchangeable. A significant advantage. (Not just deWalt, by the way: there are many superior makes. It's just that I personally have found them excellent).

If you want to drill masonry with a cordless drill, you'll need a name like deWalt, Milwaukee or similar. They're not cheap, but unlike the budget drills from Homebase and Argos, they have metal gears capable of withstanding abuse. Don't for a moment think that the likes of Black & Decker measure up to this kind of standard, but they might suit you if you intend only to do the occasional pottering around the house. It also depends on your budget, but I would advise you not to let cost be the absolute determining factor. Usually, very cheap tools are a false economy because they don't last, and they don't do the job very well even while they're still in working order. (Which won't be very long).

FX Meister wrote:

You should check out McQuilans on Capel Street

Since you said you want something in the Galway area, Capel Street might not suit you. As I remarked before, two-thirds of the population don't live near Dublin, but that seems to be often overlooked by the one-third who do. Try Caulfields or Tripart, both on the Tuam Road. They might suit you better as they're actually in your town

tapest

Benedict XVI wrote:

Hi,
I am looking to buy a drill for around the house jobs, nothing too fancy but one that will be able to drill into brick walls for putting up shelves as well as timber beams and can double up as an electric screwdriver.
What min. voltage\wattage should I be looking for and are there any other important factors to take into consideration. As I said one that is good for masonry is the most important factor.

And also where is the best place to by (Galway area)

Thanks in advance

##


Hi Benedict
I nearly agree with Gregos.
For all drilling / screw driving get 14v /18v cordless. Mine's a Black and decker with hammer action(€ 160, I think). Hammer action useless. For cordless hammer action you want brands like Hilti ..and a second morgage to pay for them. Twin battery with 1 hour charger is an absolute must. Aldi / Lidl were selling something similar( no hammer) with 2 batteries for a stupidly cheap price....(possibly €30) with a 3 yr guarantee. I have heard(unconfirmed) that the batteries on these are not the best but I bought a couple of them ,they were that cheap, for the extra batteries. I found them OK although they are used only in second division( to stop having to change bits etc). Wish to God had seen the aldi ones first.
As for concrete..Unless its hilti forget it. When consumer's mag was running comparison tests on drills (Power output not wattage input) all battery drills were tested on brick and not concrete. I picked up a "Parkside" pnuematic(900watt, newer one is 1000watt) SDS drill ,again aldi / lidl for all, yes all, each and every masonary drilling job, Again cheap,3yr guarantee. With pnuematic drill you're not pushing leaning against drill with all your weight. Hammer action is caused by sliding piston and not rotating cam.Huge difference. Everytime i use it I chuckle to myself, remembering the old B&D days. It doesn't like drilling into concrete, it prefers to drill through concrete.It comes with normal chuck add on (although this makes it wobble slightly, so is less accurate)and chisels for chipping, without rotation. Recommend unreservedly. Bosch have a similar drill (600watt only), they call it "the concrete killer" and it costs nearly €200. And its DIY(all bosch green tools are diy, blue is their Industrial colour, despite what shops say).Parkside had an agency here which closed, so I rang GB asking what I would do for replacement air seals if ever needed. I said drill was too heavy to post. Their response was write us a letter stating fault and we'll send replacement.

I know you'll hear "You get what you pay for" and this maxim is right ,but for some one on a small budget or wouldn't have the work / usage for the big names.... And at this cost if you get 3 years use out of one buy another...cheaper than repair / rewinding. BTW Dewatt is made by B&D

Hopes this helps
t

garyh3

Hi again

Like I said argos does a cheap and cheeful drill of which I have used nearly every day and for the most had done everything asked. Shelves, plugs, lights etc (with proper drill bits)

The only time I had to use a SDS drill was putting up the brackets for the TV (required 16mm drill bit) and it was mad as hell ... made hell of a mess of the plasterboad (yes I learnt my lesson use a pilot hole first) but it was like I was drilling into thin air. I could have made swiss cheese out of the house with that drill... (it was my brother in laws) never used it since

If you want the rolls royce of drills then Dwalt and Milwaukee would be the ones... be sitting down when you see the price though...

If your doing a lot of drilling into the walls then I would go for an 18v. I have a 14v and sometimes it takes a little bit more time to get though the masonry but it does go though.

like gregos says depend on your budget.

Garyh3

FX Meister

gregos wrote:

Since you said you want something in the Galway area, Capel Street might not suit you. As I remarked before, two-thirds of the population don't live near Dublin, but that seems to be often overlooked by the one-third who do. Try Caulfields or Tripart, both on the Tuam Road. They might suit you better as they're actually in your town

Sorry, but it's the only place I know as I do not live near Galway. Thought it might be handy to give it as a reference point in case he was near Dublin some time.

deckie27

Argos have an offer atm.
€80 for JCB 18v battery drilll and you get a free electric drill normal price 150 or 160.

The battery drill is great the electric is OK
I know a carpenter that has used the battery drill for 2 years every day with no problems

Dec

Benedict XVI

Thanks for all the info, I think I'll get something cordless in the 18v range and get a set of good bits while I am at it.
And next time I am in Dublin I'll have a look at the shop in Caple St..

Thanks again.

Rubens

tapest wrote:

Dewalt is made by B&D

I've heard this claim once before and I thought it was an urban myth. :cool: If this is the case are people suggesting that Dewalt are only the same DIY quality as Black and Decker?

RJ

Alun

From the Black and Decker corporate website ...

Business Segments

Power Tools and Accessories

The Power Tools and Accessories segment manufactures and markets consumer power tools, accessories, electric lawn and garden tools, and electric cleaning and lighting products under the Black & Decker® brand, and high-performance power tools, accessories, industrial equipment, laser products and air compressors under the DEWALT®, Porter-Cable® and Delta® brands. This segment also provides product service and operates factory outlet stores. Headquartered in Towson, Maryland, this segment accounted for sales in 2004 of more than $3.6 billion.

gregos

B&D make deWalt the same way Toyota make Lexus. It's the spec that matters, not the factory that makes it. The B&D product doesn't begin to compare with deWalt for quality, or with Porter-Cable for that matter. B&D are built to a diy standard and will provide performance and longevity to match. DeWalt is for the professional market and built to meet those demands. There's just no comparison.

Alun

gregos wrote:

B&D make deWalt the same way Toyota make Lexus. It's the spec that matters, not the factory that makes it. The B&D product doesn't begin to compare with deWalt for quality, or with Porter-Cable for that matter. B&D are built to a diy standard and will provide performance and longevity to match. DeWalt is for the professional market and built to meet those demands. There's just no comparison.

I wasn't trying to respond to the quality concerns, merely pointing out the trivial amount of effort required to verify or refute this so-called "urban myth".

Anyway, the comparison with Toyota and Lexus is a bit unfair. Toyota created the Lexus brand from within mainly as a marketing trick to give extra cachet to a product that was, in the end, a very expensive Toyota. In the case of DeWalt, they were an existing company with a solid reputation that was taken over by another, presumably also partly as an exercise in pushing up the perceived quality of their own products. You can draw your own conclusions as to what impact that may, or may not have had on the quality of DeWalts products, although in general if a large company like B&D buys out a small firm like DeWalt some cost-cutting excercises are inevitable with a possible decline in product quality.

Rubens

Alun wrote:

... merely pointing out the trivial amount of effort required to verify or refute this so-called "urban myth".

Don't be so aloof. If you want to help people post answers but don't riducule anybody who asks a question. It's easy to start an anonymous war behind the security of your PC - It's called keyboard terrorism.

Good Day.

tapest

Hi Benedict16

Check out Aldi Thursday 28th
http://www.aldi.ie/

€ 30...18 Volt...2 batteries...3 yr guarantee

Listen guys I didn't intend starting ww3 re drill quality / price. If I offended anyone apologies offered.

gregos

Hi Alun. Thanks for your reply to my comments. I didn't find your reply in the least bit aloof. If I had done I would have said so for myself. I don't need anybody to speak on my behalf.

Alun

gregos wrote:

Hi Alun. Thanks for your reply to my comments. I didn't find your reply in the least bit aloof. If I had done I would have said so for myself. I don't need anybody to speak on my behalf.

No problem. I wasn't trying to be 'aloof'. I just don't see the point of taking the time to type something like "I've heard this claim once before and I thought it was an urban myth" when in the same time, with literally 4 or 5 mouse clicks, you can discover whether it's true or not for yourself. I mean, that's just how urban myths get perpetuated, right?

gregos

I suppose it could be a rural myth as well. What do you reckon?