Hammer drill?

[OldSpeclkledHen]

Hello
Can anyone please recommend me a hammer drill?

Cordless and simple to use! And not mega bucks, it's just for drilling to put up shelves, curtain poles, that kind of thing!

Thank You 😊

I dont think theres much in it really unless you are a professional who will be using the drill daily. As usual dont go for the cheapest but no need to go for the fancy ones as in most cases the features wont be needed.

We recently bought a Black and Decker hammer drill for around £60 which does the jobs we need - drilling into wood, plaster, masonry etc.

Speaking to the man in the hardware shop he recommended getting as high a voltage battery as possible (18volt rather than 12 or 14) as that will give more power.

He also recommended getting one with two batteries so that we can have one battery on charge whilst doing the drilling. He also said not to worry too much about all the drill bits that come packaged with some drills. Its far better to buy the drill bits you need and will actually use rather than go for the package with the 50 bits.

we have makita but use it a lot...maybe you dont need the hammer option..will be cheaper.

Hi there,

Had the named and none named drills over the years then this year bought a DewaltDrill with hammer and impact love them both, battery lasts ages and ages, there is always deals about and see the 18W hammer drill on Amazon at the mo at 60 odd quid.

Better to get one that will last than having to by twice

Depends on your budget. Go for blue bosch, dewalt, milwaukee or makita. With batteries and charger. Or einhell, black & Decker if money an issue.
18v is more powerful, 12v smaller and easier to handle

I went to a drilling course and they let us try out different cordless drills (in the lower end range for DIY market). If you need to drill into solid wall then DeWalt is more powerful, though it's a bit heavy. For hollow walls any popular brand will do (DeWalt, Bosch, Makita, etc). This is a link (courtesy of the Goodlife Centre where I had my course): docs.google.com/document/d/1Ttfule6ZpEhjr90O0clnlxYRafuH9a-pOscYY2w-aJM/mobilebasic

I ended up with a corded DeWalt as for the same price it's so much more powerful. My friend used it to drill into concrete 😂

For small DIY work, an 18v Combi drill will be suitable. Not a drill-driver. A plastic kit-case is useful and they may throw in a set of drills and bits (most of which you will never use)

Usually the battery will fail before the tool and often a replacement battery is unobtainable or costs more than the tool.

For an inexpensive one, the own-brands from Aldi, Lidl, Screwfix and Wickes are good value. Never their cheapest one. Get one with two batteries, you can charge one while using the other. A single big battery will be less convenient and much heavier. With cheap tools, look for a 2-year guarantee and a local shop you can walk into for a refund. Aldi and Lidl are very good for that, no quibble. Get a refund, not an exchange. Then you can buy a new one and get another 2 year guarantee. Mail order guarantees are nowhere near as good.

A mains drill can be more powerful and last longer, but is much less convenient to use.

@PigletJohn thank you so much! Could I please ask for more advice? Sorry ...

So the guy in B&Q sold me a black & decker 18v combi drill, I've just tried using it but it's not going into the brick (it does a bit - then stops)

Am happy to take it back, (my Dad hated black & decker 🤣🤣) but do I need something more powerful? What's the next step up?

I live in old turn of century cottage, so the walls are quite tough ... my friend (carpenter) said I need an SDS drill ?! The guy in the shop said that's completely unnecessary?!

I just want to be more independent and do little bits of diy myself 😳

Thanks again x

Have you switched it to hammer action?

Yes! It was on hammer action 😉

Please post a photo of the tip of the drill you are using.

What colour is the brick you are going into (if not visible, look at the dust)

Is it above a door or window?

How deep did it go before it stopped?

One thing you could try, if you haven’t already, is to start with a small diameter drill and work up to the size you need.

I must admit that I bought a green Bosch cordless combi drill when I lived on my own but it was rubbish for drilling into walls. I had to use a corded drill.

I use my husband’s 18v Makita now and it’s better than my old corded drill.

This is the drill bit, tbh I started with the 4mil and worked up to the 7mil

Was trying to drill about 6-8 inches to the side of a window, and the brick dust is Orange

It went in about an inch (but the screws I took out from the original fitting were 2inch screws (I'm trying to replace loo roll holder - thought can't do much damage with that!)

Just watched a YT video , think I might just need to apply some pressure 😳😳 (never used a drill before if you can't tell 😂😂)

Sorry for being stupid, and thank you

Does it make a big difference near a window or door? I want to replace the curtain poles also 🙂

It's all a learning curve!

That looks like a masonry drill, which is correct. Old orange bricks are not very hard (but difficult to drill if damp)

Above doors and windows are usually lintel, which may be concrete, stone or steel (sometimes rotten wood)

The first inch or so is usually plaster, which is weak and easy to drill but has no strength. In your case it may be cream or greyish white lime. Later houses usually gypsum, may be pink, brown, sometimes grey. You will get to recognise the smell of materials. Breeze blocks are seldom seen but blackish and smell flinty.

@PigletJohn thank you!

Guess I'll try the spare room next time, maybe I just need to practice and not be so wimpy 🙈😂

If you have a shed or garden wall you can practice.

Concrete is much harder.