Recommend a cordless hammer drill

Samson

Members of my family have been hassling me lately, asking what I want for Christmas.
So after thinking about it for 2 seconds, something I really do need is a new cordless hammer drill.

I have two at present; one is a very weak 9.6volt Bosch which is only of use as a screwdriver.
The other is a cheapey 18volt that has served me suprisingly well, considering it only cost me £50.00 in old money, brand is nutool. However, it is getting worn out, the batteries (came with two) are not holding much charge any more and it has trouble drilling/driving straight since I dropped it from my Mother's attic when I was installing a shower for her.

My requirements are a good quality, reliable, well powered, rugged unit with hammer action (obviously!) and variable torque with keyless chuck. SDS is not a requirement.
I want this one to last a long time (within reason) and a spare battery is an absolute must-have.
It will see quite a lot of action; not quite up to professional usage, but not too far off it. I do a lot of (unpaid) jobs for family members, be they electrical, plumbing, carpentry etc; Basically the family general factotum!
I also maintain a few properties that I own.
And of course, there are the DIY jobs in my own home (have to do some built-in wardrobes in the year).

Ideally I would like a Dewalt or a Makita, but I'm not going to ask someone to spend that kind of money on me.
Budget is €150.00 to €200.00 (max).

Also, I would appreciate a recommendation on where to purchase; I have a serious aversion to the likes of B&Q, Homebase et al.
RS prices are obscene.
I was thinking McQuillans or Buckleys might be worth a look, any opinions, or other suggestions?
Should I consider an online purchase?

Thanks in advance!

FrankGrimes

Just as an FYI - the search feature is back up and running.

See this thread for recommendations.

I will re-iterate what I said in that thread: Ryobi do excellent tools at good prices and I'd say its exactly what you're looking for.

I have a range of B&Q power tools that are being put through a serious amount of work and all have proved excellent purchases so far - the rest of their stuff may be rip-off but the Pro Power Tools are seriously good value (I got a plane there last week for €86 and its easily the best I've ever used). Their Pro cordless drill just HAS to be a re-badged Ryobi, but as its a present why not go for the real Ryobi?

Oh, and as with others in that thread I'd seriously recommend against using a cordless for hammer action - you'd be better off buying a really cheap hammer drill for those times you need hammer action as it will definitely prolong the life of your cordless. Swear I've no connection to B&Q but I got an SDS drill from them for €70 and it tears into any task I ask of it.

Samson

Thanks for that. Didn't realise search function was fixed.
I do own a corded hammer drill, which I do use for masonry drilling most of the time.
However, sometimes cordless is the only option, so it's relatively important to have decent hammer action for me.

Bodykits

Makati BHR200WAE Cordless Drill

specifications: * Max in Steel: 13mm. * Max in Wood: 27mm. * Max in Concrete: 20mm. * Joules: 2.1 Js * No Load Speed: 0-1100rpm * Blows per minute: 0-4700bpm * Net Weight: 4.1kg * Battery: 2 NiMH * Charging Time: 1 hour Standard Equipment: Makstar charger, battery cartridge, depth gauge, side handle

Bodykits

Other options to fit your budget, try looking in Buy and Sell or ebay.

FrankGrimes

Eh, Makita is most definitely not in the €150-200 price range mentioned by the OP.

Just got a mail with special offers from tooled-up.com and they have some phenonmenal offers on Ryobi power tools, including this 18v cordless with hammer action and two 1.7ah batteries for £60 - now theres a deal if ever there was one (and their Ryobi angle grinder and planer are great prices aswell - on that site its a standard shipping charge no matter what weight you buy).

Samson

I would like something like that, but I'm not going to ask someone to spend €680.00 on a drill for me.

samo

FrankGrimes wrote:

Eh, Makita is most definitely not in the €150-200 price range mentioned by the OP.

Just got a mail with special offers from tooled-up.com and they have some phenonmenal offers on Ryobi power tools, including this 18v cordless with hammer action and two 1.7ah batteries for £60 - now theres a deal if ever there was one (and their Ryobi angle grinder and planer are great prices aswell - on that site its a standard shipping charge no matter what weight you buy).

Shame about that Ryobi one mentioned above...looked at it earlier and it was indeed £60 and I didnt buy it...went back and re-checked now (now I have my credit card details!) and gone up to £115

yop

What do ye think of these lads?

http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=127523

http://www.tooled-up.com/ManProduct.asp?PID=121922

http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=105620

FrankGrimes

samo wrote:

Shame about that Ryobi one mentioned above...looked at it earlier and it was indeed £60 and I didnt buy it...went back and re-checked now (now I have my credit card details!) and gone up to £115

Hey Samo - I just checked it now and it was £59.95 - £117 is the list price, so you can see how much you are saving, but it's definitely on offer at this price.

http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=121922&Referrer=Newsletter

Hey Yop - I'm not a fan of Bosch, they feel too flimsy for me. That's a great price for a DeWalt but its only 12v so you would really just be buying it for the brand name. That Ryobi is 18v and the batteries are a reasonable 1.7aH - I'd go for that....actually I'm trying to think of someone I can buy it as a present for cos its such a good deal!

samo

FrankGrimes wrote:

Hey Samo - I just checked it now and it was £59.95 - £117 is the list price, so you can see how much you are saving, but it's definitely on offer at this price.

http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=121922&Referrer=Newsletter

Hey Yop - I'm not a fan of Bosch, they feel too flimsy for me. That's a great price for a DeWalt but its only 12v so you would really just be buying it for the brand name. That Ryobi is 18v and the batteries are a reasonable 1.7aH - I'd go for that....actually I'm trying to think of someone I can buy it as a present for cos its such a good deal!

Hehe, nice one Frank...strange that it seemed to have gone up to £117 before but not taking any chances this time and ordered at the £60 price!!

thanks, Good deal for that drill!