Decent drill

[Bugahug]

Looking to start doing some DIY myself. Looking for a decent drill for basic stuff like putting up curtain polls/shelves etc

Any recommendations welcome.

Ta x

Different materials require different drills.

A stud/plasterboard wall does not need a drill.
Breeze/thermolite requires just a lightweight drill.
Some bricks you can use a hammer drill.
Hard bricks and/or concrete (thinking concrete lintels here) will require an SDS.

Drilling into hard bricks or concrete with a hammer drill is hard work & noisy whereas an SDS will drill the same hole like a knife through butter.

Battery drills are great but TBH, my OH has a couple which he uses for lighter jobs and for everything else they are all mains powered (he has several!).
A smaller battery drill however usually makes a very handy electric screwdriver.

Just checked and my OH recommends something like the Bosch GBH 2-21 corded SDS drill as something that will do practically everything you could ever require while keeping it relatively lightweight & compact.
A chuck adaptor is available so you can use it to drill softer materials with non-SDS bits.

Goes without saying, always check what is in the wall before you start drilling (cables, pipes etc).

I love my Makita. It is so reliable and never seems to run out of battery and I've had it for around 15 years and counting. It was expensive but I knew it was going to be a worthwhile investment.

Makita drills are very good. My husband is a builder and they’re his favourite brand.

Another vote for a Makita. They do a pack with a rechargable drill and an impact driver. They are a bit pricey but really good quality and you will never need another one. If it is literally just for putting shelves up and will only be used once a year then a corded one might be better as will be as powerful but much cheaper.

I'm short, strong but have weak fingers so some of the drills and their massive batteries are too heavy for me. I have a Bosch Professional GSB-120 cordless drill which I love! Also have a huge selection of drill bits and screwdriver attachments for it. I do all the DIY here so chose something which suits me but is powerful enough for everything I do.

For a new build house, with thin walls a fairly basic drill should suffice.

However for an older more solid property a SDS drill is a must. I have a 1930s ex council house, that is rediculously solid. Anything other than a SDS drill really struggles.

I have a Bosch drill driver - absolutely adore it. It goes through everything (I used to live in 1920s house, so it's used to solid walls), and is also really light and controllable. Came with 2 batteries, which is convenient, but the battery life is amazing anyway. It might be this one - looks the same but I'm too far from the garage to check serial numbers now! https://www.diy.com/departments/bosch-power-for-all-18v-li-ion-cordless-drill-driver-1-x-2ah-easydrill-18v-40/4053423232578_BQ.prd?storeId=1216&&&&&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20923369584&gbraid=0AAAAADt-XHl5zepLr4OBK961oA3KnMeba&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8vvABhCcARIsAOCfwwpsif3DofchxSbOyeeePXJtI27zqRSd7-YfnNnY9wgL9C9LKFUlOSwaAhHBEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Thanks for all your recommendations it's certainly helped 😊. So looks like bosch and mikita drills seem to be winners overall.

Are you anywhere near a Library of Things? They lend out really good quality DIY stuff for a small fee, can save you money if you only need something for a project or two, and you don’t have to find room to store it afterwards.