Combo drill set for home use

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  Euphemistic on 05/03/2016 - 22:26

  I see you've had trouble with ryobi, but mine are going strong. I bought a ryobi one+ drill and two batteries about 4years ago and have used it a lot since then. It has the lithium batteries, so much better than the old nicads.

  I've built a patio cover, including screwing all the roofing on with it. I reckon the drill is fine for driving screws into studs, having put up brackets, shelving etc plenty of times. I've only used an impact driver for flooring screws, or 75mm bugle head screws otherwise the drill is fine. I don't think you'll need an impact driver for what you are describing.

  Currently doing some more serious renovations and becuase I have the ryobi batteries have picked up a bunch of other second a hand gear. I've given the batteries a really good workout for a few years now and they still seem strong. Used saws, impact driver, planer, drills, grinder, hedger, whipper snipper, blower. Pretty much you name it. Yes, I've spent too much on it, and probably should have gone for a better brand but it hasn't let me down yet.

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  paulq00 on 05/03/2016 - 22:53

  +1

  Buy the best you can afford.
  A drill AND a driver with a battery each will be worthwhile if you've got a lot of work in front of you.
  Personally, I've had blue Bosch & now Milwaukee(not available Bunnings)
  No problems with either, although consider Milwaukee better- my opinion!

  • 

    mskeggs on 06/03/2016 - 00:39

    +1

    NEVER!
    I don't disagree that you will likely get a lifetime of use from these very costly tools, well, at least the wall powered ones. But they are so astronomically more than you need it is equivalent to somebody asking for a recommendation for a car to collect the kids and being sold a maclaren f1 to make sure they can accelerate to the speed limit swiftly.
    A $30 Ozito or similar no name drill and an extension cord will do all you need, you say you already have a decent corded drill, so use it!
    I personally have a cheap and cheerful battery drill too, as I use it every week or so, and the convenience is worth it. I have used a top tier battery drill, and they are wonderful, but they cost a bomb, for performance on a par with a corded drill.
    And the batteries die. Not an issue for a tradesman using it every day, but if you use it once a month you will balk at paying $100 for a battery you will only use 50 times.
    I have bought mid-range and cheap battery drills, and the batteries all seem to have about a 5 or 6 year life before you are charging them mid job. My tradie mates tell me the top tier gear is no different (they flog it and don't let the batteries get as low as I will put up with, so they say more like 2 years).

    • 

      mskeggs on 06/03/2016 - 00:45

      I should follow up by saying my mid range battery drill was great until I needed the third battery and they had changed the moulding and new batteries didn't fit. They still sold the old batteries for a time, at a higher price. And I also tried repacking a battery via eBay, with OK but not great results.
      So it wasn't even the cost of replacement batteries that was the issue, just their actual availability.
      I can live with no availability of a new battery for a $60 drill, but if I spent $500 I would be livid!

      • 

        Euphemistic on 06/03/2016 - 07:23

        I'm with him. What you have described doesn't seem to be terribly hard work for a drill, unless your house frame is hardwood. Even then, pre drilling the screw holes will make it pretty light work.

  • 

    mskeggs on 06/03/2016 - 00:40

    This is good advice.

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  oscargamer on 06/03/2016 - 08:47

  +1

  if it's for light duty only, get small batteries

  WHAT? you say?

  yes…..the difference in weight between a 1.5Ah and a 5Ah (for example) is huge. not just talking numbers (ie one is xxx grams heavier than the other) but physical size also. if you are picking a tool up, using it in a tight space and putting it down again, it's a significant and noticeable PITA to have a big battery. plus smaller batteries are cheaper to replace.

  the ozito or green bosch are perfectly fine for what you want - i picked up the green bosch combo for $189 from bunnings

  the combos aren't usually on their website for some reason. go in and have a look

  let us know how you go

• 

  RobMel on 06/03/2016 - 09:03

  Get an Ozito with two batteries, think they have a range where batteries can be swapped between different devices.
  Make sure is 18V.
  I have a DeWalt because I do a lot of stuff
  Before had a basic one (cant recall brand) before with light to moderate usage and 2 batteries for 10 years.
  One battery died after 5 years, the other worked until the brushes caught fire.
  Got great use out if it.
  One thing the cheap ones dont do well is hammer drill (stone/concrete).
  For that I suggest a basic corded one if you need to use that function.

• 

  trongy on 06/03/2016 - 09:18

  +1

  If you are going to drive hundreds of screws - e.g. building a decking - an impact driver would be what you want.

  For your scenario, an impact driver is overkill. You can use the drill driver to drive screws into studs - just drill a pilot hole first with a narrow drill. If your studs are pine, you can probably do it without a pilot hole.

  Ikea doesn't require an electric driver at all, because the holes are pre-drilled, but it can be faster with one. I know because I put together a kitchen of Ikea cabinets. Make sure to put the drills torque setting very low because it's easy to damage Ikea chipboard by driving too hard.

  The tools you point to are all tradesman quality and very expensive. They are worth it for a tradesman who uses them every day to earn money and will probably wear them out anyway in a few years. For occasional home use they are more than you need. If you are thinking to buy a "good" set of tools that will last for many years, you are still taking a gamble because as others have noted, the batteries are the first things to go and replacements probably won't be available in five years time because the battery systems are always changing. That won't bother the tradies, because they will have bought a new set of tools before then.

  My advice is just to buy a less expensive drill driver that come with two batteries.

  • 

    Davo1111 on 06/03/2016 - 11:44

    +1

    Just read your comment after writing mine and we pretty much wrote the exact same thing :)

• 

  Davo1111 on 06/03/2016 - 11:24

  I already have a decent corded hammer drill.

  In that case i'd just buy a cheap drill/driver combo. (i.e. 1 drill).

  If you're putting in a few screws, a drill driver is fine. If it doesnt go in because the wood is too hard, then drill a pilot hole.

  this is what i bought. Has two batteries did great. If I was a tradie, i'd want something better, but i'm usually within arms reach of a power point anyway, so i can charge easily (while using the other).

  when you're putting in screws into the ikea furniture, play with the clutch settings so that they go in fine, but you dont tear through the wood.

• 

  derek324 on 06/03/2016 - 11:31

  +1

  Compare Bosch blue (professional) series prices - in Australia they are priced very competitively. Bosch motors and batteries are electronically protected against overload, overheating and total discharge. Batteries last much longer then some brands some previous posters recommended, have much higher capacity and longer life, and are not likely to be discontinued for many, many years. Green (domestic) series is also pretty good, but the price difference is small.

  You probably do not need brushless tools (more powerful but also more expensive), and most likely 18V would also be overkill. As an example: at the moment you can get from many places 10.8V (known is US as 12V, which is no load full charge peak voltage) combo which includes drill, driver, charger and two batteries for $199 (RRP of this set is around $340). This is bargain price for excellent tools which in your scenario would last forever, are strongly build and yet small and pleasure to work with.

  Another thing to look at is how many tools are offered by a brand which take the same batteries. You may like to buy an additional, different tool in future, and getting another brand with another battery would be unnecessary complication. BTW for IKEA work you would be best served by a simpler, small electric screwdriver, there are many brands and models around $50-$70.

  PS: just got newsletter from Sydney Tools, they offer similar drill, driver, charger, two batteries from Milwaukee for $199 (Milwaukee changed hands some time ago and is now fully own and operated Chinese company):
  https://sydneytools.com.au/milwaukee-m12bpp2m-152b-12v-1-5ah…

  • 

    All Blacks NZ on 06/03/2016 - 19:09

    Thanks for the link mate. This looks much better. I would have spent $400-$500 but based on everyone's comments, it would be an overkill for me. I think I will get the Milwaukee for now and buy something bigger later if need be. I still like the sound of brushless but don't know of extra $200 for that is worth it.

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  All Blacks NZ on 06/03/2016 - 11:57

  Hi guys,

  Thanks for all the replies. I have read a bit more and looked at reviews etc. I dont think i will need a hammer drill or am impact drill for this particular job.

  I do want to buy a decent drill driver as I have had ozito and Ryobi and the batteries don't last too long. I changed the sheets on my pargola in the old house and Ryobi did well but the batteries won't hold charge now. I only paid about $70 for it too.

  http://www.bunnings.com.au/bosch-psr-18v-brushless-cordless-…

  I am thinking about this. It is bit expensive but should last me a few years??

  Thanks

  • 

    Euphemistic on 06/03/2016 - 19:31

    Have you had anything with lithium batteries before? They make a massive difference. as I said before, I've been really happy with my ryobi lithium one+ batteries. I have 2x 1.4ah batteries that do just about everything, except the circ saw or blower well, and last plenty long enough in the drill. I've also got 2x 4.0ah batteries that seem to last forever for drilling and run the saw with a bit more grunt.

    • 

      All Blacks NZ on 06/03/2016 - 19:51

      Yeah my previous Ryobi was with lithium. It's only 2 years old but batteries are not charging anymore. They will only charge a little bit and die after 10 mins.

      I think I am gonna go with this.

      https://sydneytools.com.au/milwaukee-m12bpp2m-152b-12v-1-5ah…

      • 

        Euphemistic on 07/03/2016 - 09:46

        Fair enough, maybe you got some dud ones, or I just got some extra good ones.

      • 

        Euphemistic on 07/03/2016 - 21:06

        I'm also a fan of keeping batteries being used. Makes it easier when you've got several diffent tools. I don't think I've let my batteries go more than a few weeks without using them. Now I've collected more and more tools there is less chance of a battery sitting idle for long periods of time. Bit different if you only use a drill for a short while every month or so, less chance of 'cycling' the batteries down and back up again.

• 

  RobMel on 06/03/2016 - 13:06

  Might want to consider:
  http://www.bunnings.com.au/dewalt-18v-2-x-1-3ah-xr-li-ion-co…

  comes with 2 batteries.

  Cheers

• 

  OzBestDeal on 07/03/2016 - 11:21

  I'm on the same boat as OP. Need to do some basic DIY like installing curtain rails, assembling flat packs, etc.
  Would this be good?
  https://www.masters.com.au/product/101535830/triton-xt-18v-i…

  Not sure if I should spend extra $100 to get decent drill, or just stick with $100 range drills.
  Also the drill I mention above says its an impact drill, but the description says it's a hammer drill.

  • 

    All Blacks NZ on 07/03/2016 - 13:18

    Hi mate,

    You shouldn't need a hammer drill or impact drill to install curtains or assembling flat packs. Hence I am not spending heaps to get a brushless hammer/impact combo.

    Thanks to derek326, I am going with this, https://sydneytools.com.au/milwaukee-m12bpp2m-152b-12v-1-5ah…

    For $200, its got a drill driver which I will use most and an impact driver incase I decide to do bit more heavy work. I am hoping it's decent quality and it has 5 year warranty. It also comes with some drill bits.

    Thanks

    • 

      OzBestDeal on 07/03/2016 - 23:37

      Seems lots of complaints here:
      http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/milwaukee_electric…

      Not specifically the product you want to purchase, but the overall quality and warranty handling.