Possible Drill Bargain - Screwfix

The Continental Op

https://www.screwfix.ie/p/dewalt-dcd778p2t-sfgb-18v-2-x-5-0ah-li-ion-xr-brushless-cordless-combi-drill/906kv

A decent drill (I've got 2) a couple of very good batteries, a charger and case for €190. Possibly for the more serious DIYer?

My oldest battery's are now 5 years old and still going strong, with DIY used I'd expect them to last about 7 years or more.

The bargain here is that the two batteries on their own would set you back €165 (although you can get them cheaper you won't get them from Amazon) so effectively the drill is for free and of course you have batteries ready in case you want to buy into the DeWalt brand and get more bare (without batteries) XR tools.

If I hadn't just bought two new batteries in the UK I'd have considered buying this and selling the drill, charger and case on adverts.

The only downside I can think of is that with a 5 Amp battery fitted the drill is quite heavy but you don't need to recharge them very often.

To avail of the 3 year extended DeWalt warranty you need to register the purchase on the DeWalt website. Buying from screwfix is fairly easy but they as this is a special offer they are holding stock in stores (you often have to order tools in advance) and they are good if anything goes wrong within 12 months of purchase normally just exchanging a faulty unit for a new one. I've had tools fail within 12 months and getting a replacement was painless.

10-10-20

Jesus - some discount. Will it fit in a stocking?

I'm good with an €89 Bosch from the same supplier, but thanks for the heads-up.

The Continental Op

I don't take too much notice of the discount, the RRP is a headline figure that virtually no one ever charges. I always add up the price of the individual components that I want to get and think of that as a starting point. In this case along with others that are already bought into the 18V DeWalt XR tools the charger has no value. If I was to buy that I'd have 6 chargers ;-). With some tool sets I'd put a value on the case but for a drill one of the tools I use most the case is irrelevant because it sits ready to use on the bench.

For a new user the value would be batteries (€) 165, drill 75, charger 20, case 20 so around 280 rather than the RRP of 360 but still a good saving.

jack of all

It's a good buy, as an aside I bought a new Bosch combi drill kit (drill, batteries,charger and case) on special from Screwfix during the summer and when I registered it for the extended warranty I was offered a free Bosch tool of my choice. It only arrived today, another bare drill/ driver, not bad for an initial €200 outlay. There's some great deals in cordless tools right now!

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119972141#Comment_119972141

Thats how I got a second one of the DeWalt Drills. I bought a DeWalt strimmer for my wife and there was an offer of a free drill if you registered for it. I only knew of the offer because I'd read about it on a UK forum. Not a peep from screwfix where I bought it or anything to tell me about it in the box.

Cavan_King

I’m not near a Screwfix but I’m on the look out for a decent drill for basic DIY. How does this compare from Woodies?

https://www.woodies.ie/dewalt-18v-combi-kit-2x-2ah-batteries-softbag-1180404

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119973215#Comment_119973215

IMO that compares very well for DIY use (current price of the woodies deal is €130).

However I can spend a couple of hours sometimes putting in 4x50mm screws and one 5 Amp battery would easily last the job out. With a 2 Amp battery on that sort of job I'd need the two and would probably need to recharge one. You also seem to gain a bit more torque with the larger batteries as they can provide more power they also last longer than 2 and a half times you'd think they would over the 2 Amp. Thats because the smaller batteries are under more pressure. That said really good choice for the occasional DIY job. The screwfix deal is I think available for home delivery but the down side of that is they post out from the UK (no extra VAT or anything) and it can take a while for stuff to arrive particularly at this time of year.

The bare 2 Amp batteries are about €50 each and you won't easily get them cheaper in Ireland. So looking at it that way you are getting the drill, case and charger for €30. The biggest downside to buying 2 Amp batteries to start with is that they aren't much good in more power hungry devices so you are a bit limited if later you decide you want get other DeWalt 18V XR battery powered tools.

I think the Woodies deal has a slightly newer modem of drill, if you check them both out you'll notice the light that illuminates the drill bit is just above the battery on the Woodies one which is where DeWalt has started putting those LED's on newer stuff. On the Screwfix deal the LED is just above the trigger.

the_pen_turner

this is a great deal. the 5ah are 100 a peace normally. 75 is the best i have seen them.

they have a similar deal with a makita drill for similar money

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119976721#Comment_119976721

We do get ripped off in Ireland for the batteries. Got these from Amazon when I was in the UK recently. Only a week ago Amazon had them in stock themselves and I paid less that £100 for two (£96.67), so less than €60 each.

Cavan_King

Would both drills come with the drill bits? Somebody told me some new drills wouldn’t come with the drill bits.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119976931#Comment_119976931

You can buy some drills as part of a kit with drill bits, but on the whole no you buy the bits separately.

I'd never put any value on "free" bits with a drill as most of them I'd throw in the bin. Ten euro spent in Aldi or Lidl will get a basic set of bits for metal which I'd also use on wood and a set of masonry bits.

Edit and maybe a bit of a rant ;-)

This is the sort of thing that sometimes gets bundled with a drill, I've seen similar bundled with a Makita drill in B&Q in the past.

https://www.screwfix.ie/p/makita-straight-shank-accessory-set-101-pieces/96659

€33.50 for all that. Maybe a good thing to buy for an occasional DIYer who will probably complain that the one Pozi 2 bit in the kit wears out when a user with more experience will buy Pozi 2 bits 5, 10 or 25 at a time. Why can you buy boxes of 25 Pozi 2 bits like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dewalt-DT7908-POZI-Screwdriver-Bits/dp/B00NEVMZZ0/ ? They wear out thats why. I was at a mates house this week and noticed a similar box of bits laying open in the hallway and all the small wood and metal bits were broken or missing and no sign of a useable Pozi or Phillips bit. Out of that whole box there are maybe 8 items I'd use regularly the rest is just a waste. IMO better to put the money to buying the bits you need so if you are drilling holes for 8mm raw plugs then buy an 8mm drill at the same time probably cost less than €2.50 and at least you know you are going to use it. When it comes to driving screws 95% of the time Pozi 2 is the only thing you need.

Viscount Aggro

Screwfix give the illusion they are a Trade counter.

Its owned by B&Q.

I got a trade card from B&Q, gives 10% discount.

the_pen_turner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119976864#Comment_119976864

definetly. 2ah dewalt 25 gbp . 50 euro on sale

milwaukee bat are nuts price here. guy i was working with prices a 5 ah locally for 150 . he got 3 5ah bateries for 175 in the uk

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119977616#Comment_119977616

Don't talk to me about Milwaukee batteries I was pricing them for a friend as part of a Christmas present. The 5.5 Amp are €142.95 on screwfix. But has to be Milwaukee as they bought into the brand and batteries in a big way last Christmas (a good deal on Milwaukee stuff last year).

colm_mcm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119977059#Comment_119977059

It’s €240 in B&Q though