Just seeing if anyone knows about any good cordless drill deals, Probably looking at 14 or 18v up to around $200
http://www.bunnings.com.au/ryobi-one-18v-2-x-nicd-cordless-d…
http://www.bunnings.com.au/makita-14-4v-ni-cd-cordless-drill…
Just for some jobs around the house, won't be used very often at all, so wondering how much shelf life the batteries have
What are the NI-CD battery's like, compared to say a Li-ion one?
I had considered the Ozito's but i've hear they are really low quality…. I like that with the Makita's or Ryobi's you can also get grinders and other things that use the same batteries….
What's the hammer function like, can you turn it off?
The main advantage of having tools using the same batteries is so that you can have more batteries to swap around. However with Ozito already offering 2 batteries, it is enough to power you through a fair project.
Review here seems good (3.6 out of 5)
http://www.productreview.com.au/p/ozito-18v-lithium-ion-dril….
Hammer function can be turned on and off. It is useful for drilling into brick walls.
They had a great set at Bunnings before christmas. Had stacks of them, so some might still be in stock if you are lucky. It was the bosch 18v drill + bosch 18v impact driver + 2 batteries + charger + bag or something for $200. I have the same drill and driver (bought in slightly different combo earlier for same price) and they have been great.
I would recommend to get a decent set as the batteries can be used in different units/skins. The batteries are a large part of the cost for powertools, so buying new skins is quite affordable afterwards. I wouldn't recommend ozito (although I'm sure they are not all bad). Also, do yourself a favour and get 18v with li-ion batteries.
EDIT: the set is still on their website. Please buy something like this instead, great value at $200 and will last, unlike the ozitos of the world which are likely to become landfill. My first drill, which was an ozito, surely ended up there.
http://www.bunnings.com.au/bosch-18v-cordless-drill-combo_p6…
EDIT: I bought it for the drill and batteries, but I've surprisingly gotten quite fond of the impact driver. It's pretty awesome actually.
I bought this Bosch combo today from Masters. It was $199 but had the $20 off voucher. Great combo for $179
I have had both a Ryobi cordless 18v lithium ion drill, and an Ozito cordless 18v lithium ion drill, for about 3 years. Neither are hammer-drills, I have a corded drill for that. I would recommend either, for the money they cost. Both have been used quite extensively, and neither have failed.
I would definitely go for some sort of deal whereby you also get the tool that drives in the screws/bolts (sorry I can't remember what the industry calls it; but I think it's an 'impact driver'). They're really noisy, but seriously, assuming you don't own/use one already, you will wonder how you ever did without it. Also, any 'package' that includes both tools will include 2 batteries; which is another necessity if you're going to go down the 18v cordless route. It essentially means you can have one charging while using the other; thus you're seldom without any charge at all. If you just have one battery, it's a royal pain in the ass when it runs out of charge half way through the job. I also have both the Ryobi and Ozito versions of these 'turn the screw/bolt' drivers, and again I would recommend either, for what they cost.
Ryobi vs. Ozito re these tools
1. Both the drills are chuckless; another great advance in power-drill technology!
2. The Ryobi is heavier than the Ozito, and requires about 2 cm more 'working length'. For the occasional job, the Ozito has managed to fit into a tight spot to drill a hole, where the Ryobi has been too big.
3. The Ryobi 'seems' more solidly built/sturdy than the Ozito, and the battery clips into the Ryobi at two points, vs. a single point on the Ozito. In my experience so far though these differences are 'conceptual/academic', because neither drill 'rattles', or feels unsafe, or has failed.
4. The Ozito will be cheaper, but I believe more other tools are available for the Ryobi batteries. This might have changed by now though.
If there's anything else you want to know, please do ask (in this thread or PM).
One last thing I'll say, from left-field… If you have a lawn that you mow regularly, check out the cordless electric mowers that are available these days, which run off a battery. They're freakin' awesome (light, quiet, versatile, cheap/easy to run, safer, ETC.) and I'll be getting one in the fullness of time. You may wish to consider getting one of these mowers in the not-too-distant future, and if you do, you may wish to factor that in to your decision on which drill to buy (i.e. by a drill that takes the same battery as the mower you think is the best one to get). All the battery mowers can be bought with or without the battery/charger, should you already own a couple of batteries and a charger.
Regarding mowers, I couldn't recommend an electric one personally, unless you have a reason for it (sound sensitive, pensioner, extremely small lawn etc). But each to their own. I'm also pretty sure that any decent mower wouldn't use 18v batteries anyway.
But I agree that impact drivers (such as in the set I linked above) are awesome :)
"Regarding mowers, I couldn't recommend an electric one personally…"
Have you actually ever tried one 'personally', or even SEEN one in action? I bought a corded electric mower in 2004 for <100 clams as a stop-gap measure expecting it to last a few weeks, cause I was planning to thrash the crap out of it. I did just that, but to my absolute amazement it hung in there for over 6 years. I was completely stunned, believe me. Don't take my word for it though fruxo, consult anyone you know who has actually bought/used an electric mower, in the last few years. They are well and truly the way of the domestic-house-block mowing future.
A very good and informative review! Any reason why you still rely on a corded hammer drill? I have a B&D corded hammer drill but I have been contemplating getting a cordless one.
"… why you still rely on a corded hammer drill?"
The reasons are that the one I have always had is still going strong, I seldom need to use a hammer-drill (maybe once or twice a year, to drill a few holes in concrete), and when I do it's to drill holes in the concrete walls of my house; so a power-point is always very close at hand in such situations. This is all in contrast to 'normal' drilling, which often needs to be done around an outside fence-line/ far from a power-point, in a paddock/ off-site etc.
Ryobi still have the most skin only tools which I like, In terms of brands then Ryobi is probably my number 1 choice, they have heaps of skins… Makita you still have the angle grinder and couple of other things
Ozito you only really have couple of drills, don't even have cordless grinder…
I'll head into bunnings sometime and look at deals or specials
http://www.bunnings.com.au/ryobi-one-18v-2-x-nicd-cordless-d…
http://www.bunnings.com.au/ryobi-one-18v-cordless-compact-dr…
Are there any differences between those two? The drills look different, and the $99 one has smaller batteries… Is the $199 version justified?
I would really urge you to look at the $199 set I linked instead. It has everything your $199 version has + this impact driver:
http://www.bunnings.com.au/bosch-18v-2-x-1-5ah-li-ion-cordle…
It's also a better brand and has lots and lots of skins. These promotional combo packs are usually only around once in a while (while stocks last), so grab one before they run out.
As for the ones you listed, the cheaper one has nicd batteries. From experience, I would definitely get a decent set with li-ion batteries. It's worth it in the long run.
"I would definitely get a decent set with li-ion batteries…"
I fully concur, Lithium-ion is the only way to go.
I'll have another look… The bosch would definately be better value, but it only has a 10mm chuck…. And I am doing a small job, just installing a heli-coil which I need a 13mm chuck for, and it'd be nice to have the right tool for the right job rather than find someone elses to borrow
You're also looking at $140 for the cordless bosch grinder, As opposed to $100 Ryobi one, I also am interested in the Ryobi torch and hand vacuum which Bosch don't have anything similar
which I need a 13mm chuck for
That is a good point. I once had to use a hole saw pilot drill which didn't fit, but besides that one time, I've had no issues and I've been extremely satisfied. I do have an older corded drill which the larger chuck fitted in to anyway, so it was a bit of a non-event in my case, but a valid point.
i got the ozito 18v li-on drill/driver and impact driver combo for $98. Comes with 2 batteries. The deal comes around quite often. Both have a handy LED work light. When the drill/driver isn't powerful enough the impact driver finishes the job easily and it's very convenient to have one with the drill bit and the other with the driver tip. Comes with 3 year warranty and has been good enough so far.
Good deal!!
edit : I found something close :-
http://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-18v-li-ion-cordless-impact-…
does it include the charger?
yes that's the deal i got but they have a different skin, it's this colour http://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-18v-li-ion-cordless-drill-d… and of course it comes with a charger albeit a super slow one that takes 5.5 hours per battery. It's not really a problem because you get two.
it holds charge quite well and always lasts longer than i need it to. I charge it when it's at the bottom battery indicator. I'd never used an impact driver before i got it in the combo and it's amazing, there's no stress on the wrist when driving screws in and it's twice as fast as my dads corded bosch drill. When i bought it at bunnings it was placed near the little counter they have in the tools section. The guy said they don't have any but it was right behind him…he's also the guy who's there all the time so it's not like he was new, but i don't blame him because they have so many combo's available. As Knuckles said below, my plan was to use it and replace with warranty if it died as i bought it when moving into a new house. I knew i would use it to assemble all the furniture, put holes in the wall for cords with the hole saw i got from ebay and that i would rarely use it anymore after that so all the stress would be within the warranty period. Everyone i know who bought ozito hasn't had to return them. My bosch chainsaw on the other hand seized up after a year.
Basically with the extra money in your budget, invest in some quality drill bits and screwdriver bits as the ones that come with the kit are rubbish.
"i got the ozito 18v li-on drill/driver and impact driver combo for $98. Comes with 2 batteries."
"Comes with 3 year warranty and has been good enough so far."
If you can find this deal MWilks, I'd be all over it LIKE A RASH. Mainly because of the 3-year warranty. If you find it/buy it, use both tools as required, and if anything fails within 3 years package up THE LOT, and return it ALL for either replacement, or a full refund. For $98 you cannot lose, and I'm tipping you might actually be surprised; I reckon the stuff will suit your needs (as stated above, I've had these things for 3 years).
Just to share on a write up that I found useful:-
http://www.ebay.com.au/gds/Impact-Driver-Vs-Hammer-Drills-/1…
I bought a ryobi one+ drill, two battery and charger pack for $199, only available at bunnings and I think are still the same price. The li-ion batteries are great. Hold charge and keep going properly until flat. I reckon ryobi one system is great.and have got a hedger, whipper sniper, blower as well. I even bought the torch, cut the base off it and modded my old crappy gmc battery to take the new ryobi batteries so I have an 18v reciprocating saw, jigsaw and second drill. Overall I've now got 3 batteries and plenty of tools. I'd probably test the new 2x18v battery mower, but it's quite expensive and I'm not convinced it will do my yard on one charge after doing the hedging and edging.
i tried Masters, they have a similar Bosch combo @ 259, but they didnt price beat with Bunnings $199 because the codes are different. :(
Li-ion gives full performance up to the last drop of charge whereas in a Ni-CD, you will notice its performance dropping as the charge gets depleted.
I don't have a cordless drill kit but why don't consider Ozito? Ozito offers $99 for a Li-Ion model with 2 batteries. I own an Ozito cordless screw driver which works well enough that I would consider Ozito as it gives a good bang for its price!
http://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-18v-li-ion-cordless-drill-d…
http://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-18v-lithium-ion-cordless-ha…
edit : do also consider getting hammer function