Key Post: Recommendations for tools.

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damson

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I'm a novice DIYer with virtually no tools - used to use my Dad's a bit - but have just bought a house needing lots done & so will be on a steep learning curve! I want to buy an electric drill but don't know what I should be looking for. Any makes to get (or avoid!)? Features? It's the sort of thing I'll probably only ever buy once, so would like it to have anything I might want/need. Would welcome all advice! Thanks.
 
Re: recommendation for drill

Lots and lots of makes out there but again you get what you pay for.
Personally I have bought Black and Decker drills and jigsaws and have never had any problems. Also Bosch are a bit more expensive but you will have it for a long time.
A cordless drill is essential, there are so may jobs you can use it for.
Just remember that some of these come with Hammer options for drilling into masonry which make them quite heavy. Anyone that would have 2 batteries would be great but that only tends to be the more professional ones.

I have a 12 V cordless drill which is reasonably light and small enough to get into awkward presses. I then have a 700 watt mains drill for drilling into walls etc.

Add in a jigsaw and you have most things covered.

Stay away from the very cheap makes. I had a red devil cordless drill which worked okay until I dropped it and some of the gears inside it cracked..
 
Re: recommendation for drill

Definitely go for a good make. I had a cheap B&D there a few years back and it was a real pain. I have a Bosch and a DeWalt cordless now and both are quality products. B&D actually own DeWalt, but there's no comparison in quality. Also, Bosch do two ranges, the green DIY range and the blue trade rated one.

Take a look at Axminster or D&M in the UK to compare specs and prices. I've bought from both in the past and would highly recommend them, postage was always very reasonable as well.

As with all tools, buy the best you can afford. If you plan to do any drilling in masonry, go for at least an 18V, the higher the voltage the more powerful the motor. Get one with a good range of torque settings (the numbers on a rotary selector just before the chuck), this will allow you to drive screws with the appropriate force. Also, check out the 'Ah' rating of the battery, the bigger the number, the longer a charge will last.

Oh, and get at least two batteries if at all possible, there's nothing more annoying than running out of juice half way through a job. On a related note, find out the time it takes to fully charge a battery as well, the faster the better.

Enjoy!
Leo
 
Re: recommendation for drill

I'd be pf the opinion that most home DIY jobs can be managed quite easily with a corded drill which will reduce the initial cost of buying it and also mean that you don't have to remember to charge the battery before starting a job.
Obviously if you are using it every day then charging will become part of your routine, but if it's only occasional use, chances are you'll find that when you go to start the job the battery will be dead.

I'd see variable speed as being a bigger selling point. Would also make sure to get one with an optional hammer action. You might not be planning on drilling into masonary now, but as the years go by you'll find more and more that you want to do.

Have had my B&D one for 5 years now and never had a problem. Make sure you get good quality bits to go with it though.
 
Re: recommendation for drill

I'd agree with Fandango1, I used a mains B&D (their drills are fine but some of their other stuff is crap) for years with no problems for DIY work around the house. The extra horsepower is handy for masonry drilling.Handy features to look out for:- built in spirit level, keyless chuck, built in depth stop, variable speed soft start and reverse.

I only went cordless when we bought a wreck of a place and I'm doing more renovation than DIY. Hitachi 14.4 V with 3 fast 1 hr charge batteries lovely bit of kit, cost about 120 Euro.
 
Re: recommendation for drill

Have to say though that a cordless is much handier than a mains drill. The cordless drills are mainly used as a screwdriver. Cordless is safer as well because you have no mains lead fouling you up when you are climbing ladders or crawling into tight spaces.
A cordless drill and a couple of boxes of screws will make life so much easier and handier.
Just looking around the room now we have curtains , furniture , doors etc put on using a cordless drill.
 
Re: recommendation for drill

I know people have said go for quality avoid B&Q, but my exoerience is the opposite.

I do minimum DIY in my house, I got a mains drill from B&Q for about €30, at that price if I drop it and it breaks then just get another. Same with a battery drill, got one with a spare battery for about 50.

If you are using them all the time go for the good stuff, otherwise the like of DeWalt is very pricey for sitting under a bed or out the shed most of the time.

Don't judge a drill as rubbish just because it broke after being dropped.

For the like of putting up curtains lights and shelves a cheap drill will be more than enough.

Make sure and get one with variable speed, and the chuck that doesn't need a key. much handier.
 
Re: recommendation for drill

Agreed that for the very occasional user, a cheap drill will do the job to a point, but the OP was bough a house "needing lots done", which I think justifies the purchase of something of a higher standard.

I have developed my zeal for buying the best I can afford from having cheaper models break down mid-job, which results in wasted time when buying a replacement. Very annoying.

Also, a quality tool will be better built, and so will survive the occasional fall. Overall I think cheap tools are a false economy.
Leo
 
Re: recommendation for drill

I have Dewalt, Makita and Bosch myself- all of which are excellent for semi-pro/ trade use. If I were buying for DIY/ home use I would look at Argos who are doing a Ryobi 18V cordless drill/ driver (with the essential TWO batteries) for around €140. It might be a bit steep bit ultimately worth it when you consider you might have it for ten years if you look after it. Alternatively buy a good corded drill (Bosch do a nice range of DIY drills for about €70- 100) with hammer action and buy a cheap cordless drill driver for light drilling in timber and screwdriving. You can get a cheap cordless in Argos or Lidl/ Aldi. But try and stretch your budget to one with two batteries. BTW it's important with batteries to allow them to discharge fully before recharging, follow the detailed instructions with the batteries and you'll get a lot more life from it. As Leo has stated good tools are worth their price, nothing frustrates more than trying to do any job without the right tools or using substandard tools. Are you looking for any recommendations on hand tools?
 
Re: recommendation for drill

Thanks guys.
Yes - the house does need loads done, to the extent that like Fingalian, it's more renovation than DIY. So I'd prefer to get a good one that will last me rather than going cheap and cheerful. Thanks for the list - I've not done enough yet to know what I'll want, but I don't want to buy something and then be forever going, "If only I'd thought to get such and such," so your experiences are great.
Are you looking for any recommendations on hand tools?
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Any advice would be great. I've just been buying stuff as I've needed it, which means I've a few screwdrivers, wire strippers, vice-grip, pliers, spanner & that's about it.
 
Re: recommendation for drill

damson said:
I've a few screwdrivers, wire strippers, vice-grip, pliers, spanner & that's about it.
Click to expand...

They say that the Vice Grips is the wrong tool for every job! That said I've a few of them myself.. Personally if I were building up a small kit of essential tools it would have to include the following:

Estwing Claw hammer, not cheap but lasts a lifetime (up to €55).
Lump hammer (about €8), when "gentle persuasion" is required!
Selection of cold chisels, nail punches and bolsters (Spear and Jackson, Draper, Stanley or CK)
Throwaway panel saw, go for Stanley, Bahco or Spear and Jackson and pay about €14.
"quickgrip" or "wolfcraft" speed clamp, like an extra hand (from €8- 20 depending on size.
Adjustable spanner, you can get a cheap one in Goughs off Capel Street for about €12- essential for plumbing. Over time invest in a decent socket
set and set of ring spanners.
Set of 4 Stanley chisels, pay about €40 for Dynagrip set- will stand up to tough use.
Oilstone for above and box (or make your own)
Set of screwdrivers, Draper boxed set of slot, Pozi and Philips for about €20, pay no more (McQuillans)
Record/ Stanley No. 4 smoothing plane, about €60.
Stanley/ Record Block Plane (adjustable mouth) about €50
Trowels, floats etc. you can get fairly decent ones by "Riga" and "Emir" for reasonable money.
Spirit Level - pay about €30 for a Stanley Artisan 1m level.
Johnson speed square- about €30 or combination square.
Pincers- CK or Stanley for about €18
Coping Saw , about €10
Hacksaw, about €25 for a full size one
Tape measure

The only power tools I would deem absolutely essential are:
Corded hammer drill
Cordless drill/ driver
A cheap DIY router (€80) and set of bits (€35) will give you scope for joinery.

Down the road I'd buy an electric planer (saves a lot of effort)
Chop saw
and Jig Saw
and maybe a circular saw.......



I could go on! That's enough for your Christmas wish list!
 
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Re: recommendation for drill

I started out with a 650W Skil corded hammer drill. At the time (a few years ago), Skil fell between Bosch and B&D for price but seemed to be considered closer to the quality of Bosch (i.e. a bit better). I think Bosch made/make Skil. It has lasted well. These days I used it primarily for masonry. The best features of it are variable speed and a keyless chuck (keyless chuck is a big advantage).

Along the way I acquired a 12V Makita cordless drill and a 9.6V DeWalt cordless drill. Having both kept me from pulling all of my hair out when flooring our attic (used the 12V for drilling pilot holes and the 9.6V for driving screws - after the first 100 screws you really start to treasure the speed and ease of having both drills and you never look at a screwdriver in the same way again!). I have found the quality of both to be excellent. The Makita was pricey though, and if I ever had to replace it I'd look at some of the quality alternatives which are often cheaper (in this country anyway). Panasonic have a 15.4V drill that has come out tops in at least two reviews that I have read (probably similar in price to the Makita, but seems to perform better).

As already mentioned, for a cordless drill you'll need at least 2 batteries, and preferably three. Also, go for NiMH batteries as, amongst other things, they don't suffer from the memory defect that requires you to completely discharge them before charging them again (i.e. you can recharge them whenever you like, whether they are fully discharged or not - if you do that with older NiCD batteries they start to effectively "lose" power over time). I bought a new 2.6Ah battery for my Makita recently and it outperforms the original batteries (2.2Ah) noticably - so basically, look for the highest rated batteries (again, I think the Panasonic does well here).

When it comes to buying hand tools, have a look at the following sites before you buy in Ireland as some of the prices are far better:

www.fine-tools.com
- this is a German site, so any deliveries are not subject to VAT or import duty. I have used them several times and received goods within 5 or 6 working days. The website gives delivery costs, but from memory I think it is 12euro for up to 5kg. I highly recommend them. They tend to do good quality tools though, so unless you are happy to spend the kind of money that you need to spend for quality tools, you might find their prices off-putting (but still compare before you buy locally as you might get a better product from this site for the same money that you pay for crud over here!).

www.leevalley.com
- based in Canada. They have some excellent prices (e.g. they have an Estwing claw hammer, probably the same one that Carpenter mentions above, for $23.50 as compared to about 60euro in McQuillans). However, being outside the EU, orders are subject to VAT (21%) and import duty. Whether you get charged for these or not is very much hit and miss, but you need to budget for it. I have bought quite a lot of stuff from them, and even when I have been charged VAT and import duty, they have still proved good value for money. Deliveries tend to arrive within 2 weeks or less usually. Again, I recommend them as I have found them great to deal with.
 
Re: recommendation for drill

I'm going to check out some of those sites askew07 names. I've purchasedfrom this German site www.dick.biz in the past (pre euro days). Not a whole lot cheaper when you factor in VAT (if you're not VAT registered) but they stock some quality planes, chisels and specialist tools you won't get in this country. Their catalogue is a good read though, full of obscure information!
 
Re: recommendation for drill

Regarding cordless drills, I was advised by a carpenter several years ago not to buy a cordless drill with hammer action. He reckoned that the hammer action on cordless drills ruined the drills pretty quickly so it was a wasted extra expense. It made sense to me so I followed his suggestion. Has anyone else found the same thing with 12V and 18V cordless hammer drills?

Not so long ago, I saw a plumber drill through masonry as if it was butter, with a cordless hammer drill. However, that was a big brute of a 24V Bosch drill which appeared far more robust than my corded drill. He swore by it - it was pricey, but he said he'd happily pay the same again to replace it if the need arose. So, my question above relates to the likes of 12V and 18V drills only, as the really beefy 24V ones seem to be capable of handling anything you throw at them.
 
Re: recommendation for drill

askew70 said:
Regarding cordless drills, I was advised by a carpenter several years ago not to buy a cordless drill with hammer action. He reckoned that the hammer action on cordless drills ruined the drills pretty quickly so it was a wasted extra expense. It made sense to me so I followed his suggestion. Has anyone else found the same thing with 12V and 18V cordless hammer drills?

Not so long ago, I saw a plumber drill through masonry as if it was butter, with a cordless hammer drill. However, that was a big brute of a 24V Bosch drill which appeared far more robust than my corded drill. He swore by it - it was pricey, but he said he'd happily pay the same again to replace it if the need arose. So, my question above relates to the likes of 12V and 18V drills only, as the really beefy 24V ones seem to be capable of handling anything you throw at them.
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I'd agree with the above, my first drill was a Dewalt 12volt cordless which was top of the range at the time, about 7 years ago. I never used the cordless hammer action on it as I reckoned the drill was too light for this type of work. I would use it on lightweight blockwork (Quinlite) alright but definitely not on regular concrete. Any of the guys I see using cordless drills on site for drilling concrete are using 24 volt Bosch or Hilti for the more demanding jobs. By keeping my 12v for basic drilling in wood, metal and screw driving only I reckon I've prolonged its life by a few years, probably.
 
Re: recommendation for drill

Yep - I'm actually 'FrankGrimes' on that boards thread.

I have a Ryobi 14volt cordless drill and it is excellent - as mentioned in that thread a carpenter I know was most impressed with it.

I'll say it again about B&Q tools though - the total renovations work I'm doing in my house is way, way more demanding than the average DIYer does (I worked in construction for 2 years) and all of their tools have been more than up to the job so far (though the nailer does not have enough power but that's to be expected when it doesnt have gas like the €500+ paslode guns).

B&Q's Pro range is excellent value for money and if I was you I'd go with their cordless drill in the Pro range that I'd bet any money is a re-badged Ryobi (look for Ryobi pics on the web and go up and you'll see my point). I agree with comments that their kitchen and sanitary ware is not of good standard, but the power tools are.
 
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