Drill tips

[notmrscookie]

Looking at buying a new drill. Looking at putting up shelf's , pictures basic DIY ? Over whelmed advise pls ?

Theat depends upon what you are drilling into. If it's brick then you really want an SDS, blocks can easily be drilled with a basic rotary or hammer depending upon drill bits selection, though in older places the mortar can be so hard the SDS is required! The draw back to an SDS is that they are heavy and even though tbey have a rotary setting no use for driving screws or joinery etc so really you end up needing a separate cordless/screwdriver. TBH there is no "one drill" to meet all needs. Screwfix do a cheaper range for home Inc SDSs, for a cordless/screwdriver I'd stick to bosch as they are hardwiring but not so much dearer than the cheap makes. If you are fixing into studwork remember to either find the studs /noggins or ensure that you use proper fixings and have a large surface contact. Similar for dot and dab try to fix back to the wall but don't crush the plaster board with the bracket! Hopefully some of that is helpful.

for those little jobs you mention, I reckon an 18v cordless combi, with ability to switch on hammer action, and a clutch for screws, will do you.

Less than 18v will be too weedy, more will be too heavy.

Look for one with a spare battery.

Ownbrand from Wickes or Aldi will be adequate. look for a 2-year guarantee and buy it just before you start getting busy. They have special offers at, and just before, bank holidays.

A corded drill of equivalent power will be cheaper and last longer, but not as versatile. Useful to have both, and if you need a bigger drill, make it a corded one.

If you can get a kit with a hard plastic case and a starter set of HSS and Masonry bits, it will be handy and save you losing them. You will break the smaller sizes of bit, and wear out a few of the common sizes. Get replacements on ebay in quantity in just the sizes you need. Small sets of bits in the shops are expensive.

Sets of screwdriver tips are cheap and wear out quickly.

p.s.

I just had a look at the prices, and the ones with two batteries are quite a lot dearer, so it depends what you want to spend.

this one at Wickes is I think good value (I have one) with one battery and a kit
www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-18V-Li-ion-Cordless-Combi-Drill/p/141123

Aldi are currently out of stock.

Screwfix's cheap brand is "Titan" but don't buy it until you are about to start work, in case you get a bad one and it has to go back.
www.screwfix.com/p/titan-tti699com-18v-1-5ah-li-ion-cordless-combi-drill/4908p

Professionals sneer at cheap tools, but for occasional DIY use, a good guarantee means you will get two years use out of it, and more will be a bonus. The battery will usually fail before the tool wears out. Avoid NiCad batteries which fail early in occasional DIY use.

I went for a corded drill and a cordless screwdriver - have been very pleasantly surprised that most jobs I thought beyond me have been really straightforward with those. (You'll also need a spirit level if you're doing shelves, and ideally the reader's digest book of DIY )

"the reader's digest book of DIY"

An excellent book, often found in charity shops.

It is huge and has a hard red plastic binder.

I can never understand why anyone gets rid of it! Since that book entered my house, my FIL has had a much quieter life (although I still ring him with silly questions occasionally, just so he feels needed...)

Got a really cheap one from aildi at 25pounds it done the job and if it breaks or gets lost in divorce I will not care as such .