What battery drill should I buy? The choice is bewildering.

[markharro]

I'm (finishing) a house build too and I have now got a pretty decent collection of Makita 18V tools. Started with drill/driver then hopped to impact driver and of course lots of other things too. For heavy drilling into concrete I use a corded Screwfix Titan SDS drill which cost less than £100 I think and is night and day compared to the battery tools.

[saveasteading]

1 hour ago, SimonD said:

going to gasp in horror,

Not at all. That bucket one looks really handy for moving around or hung on the wall. Decent price too and finding it brought up other makes that the Google search had decided to ignore.

Re sundry tools and fixings for a project where I'm moving around,  I use a b and q orange bucket or a wickes yellow trug because it is findable and not picked up by someone else as a handy bucket.

[SimonD]

4 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

I use a b and q orange bucket or a wickes yellow trug because it is findable and not picked up by someone else as a handy bucket.

That's what I used to do too, but what is it about people picking up and using buckets? Our gardener did this the other day. I had 2 buckets outside the front door for plastering and then found one of them later in the day filled with crap from the gardening exercise. He used it even though it was stacked together with another bucket that had the plastering tools in it! 

[Mike]

2 hours ago, saveasteading said:

I'm coming to realise that tools need to come in  a customised box.

You may eventually also realise that it's useful if those boxes can stack together too. Most of the 'pro' brands must now have stackable boxes available with customisable foam inserts for non-standard tools; certainly Dewalt do in the Tstak range (a.k.a. Stanley Pro-Stack). Though at more than £5 each.

[saveasteading]

1 hour ago, Mike said:

boxes can stack together

To some extent. But my hedge cutter and leaf blower won't stack on the drill or jigsaw.

If I was a working trade then there's a big advantage in stacks on wheels. But at home it goes on shelves, and excessive size isn't any help.

Btw tippex on the box is an easy marker of the contents.

[saveasteading]

2 hours ago, SimonD said:

what is it about people picking up and using buckets? 

I want a bucket.

There is a bucket.

I have a bucket.

 

 

(The orange ones are not strong, hence the price.)

 

 

[jimseng]

I feel like this thread has got away from me. Also. Now I want a bucket.

Edited Sunday at 17:09 by jimseng

[saveasteading]

2 minutes ago, jimseng said:

this thread has got away from me

Join the club. It happens with interesting subjects.

 

We've all been engaged and you have had good advice.

 

Now, re buckets: get a couple of the better ones from a BM, as they usually have a choice of cheap or good: then hide them. Plus an orange one.

[Bancroft]

On 09/05/2026 at 16:13, jimseng said:

I appreciate the point about getting a drill and impact driver.

One hidden benefit of having both is the ability to do things like drill pilot holes then screw into them - without the need to keep swapping a drill bit for a screwdriver bit.  Even with a quick change system it can become a real pain.

[saveasteading]

Just had an email ad: Dewalt discounts at Toolstation.

[BotusBuild]

[jimseng]

Thanks for all the advice. In defiance of @dpmiller I bought the Bosch pair for £110 which I think is a pretty good price. I might get some bigger batteries but I quite like the light weight 2ah ones given that I am no spring chicken these days.

[saveasteading]

13 hours ago, jimseng said:

might get some bigger batteries but I quite like the light weight 2ah ones

They should be fine. Drills don't use a huge amount of power.

I've got 2A, 4A and 6A batteries.

2A fine for drills and jigsaw, and multitool. and lasts for hours. 6A for the SDS drill/breaker , bench saw, vacuum, leaf blower. ( the latter two still need changing after 20 minutes)

4A generally not my first choice as they are a compromise,  so are backup.

[ToughButterCup]

Late to this party ....

 

What to buy? Any buy into any 'system' that your children don't use. 

I don't need to go into the reason for that now do I?

14 hours ago, jimseng said:

... I bought the Bosch pair for £110 which I think is a pretty good price...

 

Exactly what I bought ten years ago now.... doing well ... all sorts of abuse including being left out in the rain... concrete splashes ... 

[Temp]

Saw a YouTube vid yesterday that said Morrisons had a brushless motor drill for under £25. No idea if any good. Had a metal chuck.

Edited 4 hours ago by Temp

[sgt_woulds]

Don't buy a supermarket special unless it is from Lidl.  Their powertools and batteries are actually pretty good and easily available.

 

I know a couple of sparkies that are swapping out their tools for Parkside equivalents for everyday stuff. 

 

They have kept their DeWalts for SDS however...

 

 

[JohnMo]

I bought a Aldi impact driver, figured I would only use intermittently, was a billy bargain price, with 2x battery and charger. Has performed very well and got used way more than I expected.  Is quite capable of driving 10mm x 140mm coach screws, without any complaints.

[saveasteading]

23 minutes ago, sgt_woulds said:

for everyday stuff. 

Agreed it can be perfectly good. A few items have been only mediocre but OK in short term. So great for diy, but may not last.

But as a groundworker said to me, if a Titan tool (screwfix) fails in 11 months you get a replacement one. They won't say you have used it too much.

 

My latest thoughts are on robustness and storage. The little battery jigsaw I've bought is good, but the snap-on plastic guide bits aren't going to last. 

Otoh thd expensive dewalt one I borrowed seemed to be lacking some bits too. And I will buy some plastic boxes.