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Gwylan

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I'm fed up with the rubbish performance of the 'bargain' drill I bought in B&Q. Not their fault, I thought it was a bargain and should have known better.

Anyway, the pack was a hammer drill and screwdriver with rechargeable batteries and charger. The problem is that the batteries do not hold their charge.
So I go to do a job and find in the time since I last used them and left them charged, both batteries are flat.

The management has agreed that we should buy a decent one this time.

So suggestions and wisdom on the best brand and the best battery type to put on Santa's list.
 
Most snall battery types NiMH or Lithium will self discharge. I would think it is always the batteries that cause dissapointment or failure with any battery power drill. You do need to remember that they actuall work miracles with little batteries and mains powered rills etc will always give more reliable power.
So be patient try recharging the batteries before use then if the batteries are cream crackered then look for replacement batteries. A cheap fix usually. good luck olewill
 
Lithium-ion batteries hold their charge much better than NiMH ones ITYWF.

Cant comment on makes of tool though. Mine is a Bosch. Had it for ages. Drill is fine but old NiCad battery does not hold its charge now.
 
Makita brand are generally reckoned to be very good. B&Q are currently offering a Makita 18v Lithium-ion drill in soft carry case with 2 batteries for £99.99 or £89.99 if bought on a Wednesday if you have access to an over 60s Diamond Club card.
 
davewarburton said:
Makita brand are generally reckoned to be very good. B&Q are currently offering a Makita 18v Lithium-ion drill in soft carry case with 2 batteries for £99.99 or £89.99 if bought on a Wednesday if you have access to an over 60s Diamond Club card.
Click to expand...

I agree - although other brands are available.

It might be worthwhile making sure that the Makita one in B&Q is a proper professional Makita one and not one that they have specially made for the budget end of the market.

I am on my second Dewalt and have been reasonably happy with its performance. If I was in the market again I would look at Hitachi as well as Makita. Bosch do a 'professional range' as well as the DIY stuff, but the tradesmen I have talked to have always seemed to stick to Makita or Hitachi.
 
Gwylan said:
I'm fed up with the rubbish performance of the 'bargain' drill I bought in B&Q. Not their fault, I thought it was a bargain and should have known better.

Anyway, the pack was a hammer drill and screwdriver with rechargeable batteries and charger. The problem is that the batteries do not hold their charge.
So I go to do a job and find in the time since I last used them and left them charged, both batteries are flat.

The management has agreed that we should buy a decent one this time.

So suggestions and wisdom on the best brand and the best battery type to put on Santa's list.
Click to expand...
Makita for quality / price
 
After the same problem, cheap 18v drill fine, batteries dying, new batteries almost as much as new cheap drill, bought Hitachi 14.4 volt cordless with 2 Lithium ion batteries from Screwfix for £99. Hitachi 14.4v drill more powerful than old 18v one, runs far longer on one battery charge, then instead of slowing down just stops dead, meaning switch battery.

So far the Li-ions have lasted longer than any other drill battery, so far so good.
 
De Walt 12v was the most expensive and the first to pack up, only one to pack up completely. B&Q own brand, probably made by Ryobi, next, but only the batteries getting tired and shedloads of work done. It came with a cordless circular saw as a set on offer for £60 and the saw is brilliant, but only three batteries for two tools, which is useless, so I bought the cheap jigsaw to get two more batteries, the jigsaw is hopeless. Makita good, as expected, Hitachi clinging on. I am told that if your NiCad battery pack has acquired a memory from too much early recharging it can be reset by putting in the freezer for 24 hours, then allowing to thaw before recharging. If you dismantle the battery pack you will find a set of small batteries that can be replaced, quality of your choice.
I bought my wife a cordless in a certain local discount store for £6.99. After six years of intermittent light use it's still fine.
 
You get what you pay for with power tools. The sub £150 models from the good brands are made to a price for the multiple retailers. Saying that, unless you are using it for trade use why pay the premium. At work, in the production department we went for Makita cordless, tried out all other brands and they were the best. Cost an arm and a leg though.

I now have small Dewalt on board - batteries always flat when I come to use it. At home, corded Hitatchi - loads of grunt and a few years ago I bought a Silverline cordless in a sale for around £150. This is amazing value, Silverline is a brand name owned by independent retailers and the one I got was supposed to be trade quality. Fantastic thing.

I suggest that Christmas is not the ideal time to buy. The stores do have aggressive price sensitive offers but in my opinion I would find an independent retailer and get one from them in the January sales.
 
Another vote for dewalt 18v. Batteries are excellent and they fit the angle grinder too meaning no need for bolt croppers when the rig comes down. Had mine 6yrs. Like the previous poster says you get what you pay for.
 
I have found, in the mid-price range, Ryobi One Plus very good - full professional models would be OTT for my usage. Deals on combination packs are sometimes available.
 
We used to take the old Makita 'Long handle' 9.6v cordless drills and hook 'em directly to the ships 12v when the NiCads died..And I know someone who used a 7.2V one in the same "loadsa torque" way..
 
Blueboatman said:
We used to take the old Makita 'Long handle' 9.6v cordless drills and hook 'em directly to the ships 12v when the NiCads died..And I know someone who used a 7.2V one in the same "loadsa torque" way..
Click to expand...

I've still got one of those, it must be 18 years old, a couple of years ago I bought 2 new batteries, clearly old stock judging by the packaging when they arrived. Holds its charge for weeks and weeks between use.
 
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