Recommend me a drill please, I'm clueless!

[NeedSleepNow]

I'm recently divorced, my ex used to do all the DIY and home maintenance so I'm completely clueless. I've just bought my first home on my own and need to put up shelves, curtain rails, blinds, pictures etc. I can't afford to pay someone to do it so I need to learn to do it myself (I'm hoping youtube will be my friend here and teach me what to do!) but first I need to buy a drill but feel a bit overwhelmed by all the different types.

I would love it if someone could give me some recommendations on what type I need please. I don't have a huge budget but would be willing to spend a bit more if it means I get one that will last me years.

Thanks 😃

Someone in B and Q will help you. Then you can see all the different ones

Ryobi drill driver.

the rybobi systems good because it’s cordless and you can swap the batteries to different tools, and they have a huge range.
if you’re going into brick a corded hammer drill might be better so check first but impact driver will do most things you suggest

For most light DIY work, a cordless combination drill of 18v or 20v.

Get two batteries so you can charge one while you are using the other. A big battery is heavier than a small one.

It will have switchable hammer action so it can drill into blockwork walls for curtain rails and shelves.

If you want to drill into concrete more than once in a blue moon, a mains-powered hammer drill will be more powerful and better value, but get the cordless combi first. There is often a reinforced concrete lintel above windows to hold the wall up. If you want to make large holes in reinforced concrete you will need an SDS+ drill which will be very expensive and/or very heavy. Don't buy one.

A drill/driver is less powerful and more limited.

Aldi and Lidl sell a range of moderate quality tools with a good guarantee, and separate batteries and chargers. The major DIY sheds such as Wickes snd Screwfix have similar own-brands. If you are very rich you can spend much more if you want.

You can buy sets of bits (what an engineers calls "drills") at low price in Lidl and Aldi. Out of the set of 200, you will mostly end up using about 3, so don't carried away with kits.

For the rest of your life, you will just buy spares of the sizes you actually use.

I would 2nd Ryobi. Big DIY enthusiasts here! We have 2 drills, jigsaw, multi tool, torch, strimmer and hedge cutters that all work off the same batteries. Even my husband who is on the trades likes them (although he does have his good quality ones for bigger jobs). They are light weight enough for a female to use (I can't hold his Milwaukee drill for long enough to use it) and surprisingly powerful. The drill is small enough to fit in the female hand where as others can be cumbersome to hold and work the buttons.

Places like Screwfix and Toolstation do bit sets. We have a eurbauer set that has drill bits, screwdriver bits and spade bits in that's useful to grab as you know anything you need is there. We replace them as they get worn out.

Some examples. For £59 you can buy one that will do pretty much all you want. A 2 year guarantee but it will probably last more than five years.

A plastic carry case is nice, but not worth more than £10 on the price.

https://www.wickes.co.uk/search?text=Combi+drill

There are no bargains in big names, you pay for what you get.

If I was buying budget, I'd probably go to Aldi.

Ryobi as pp's have already said, just make sure any future purchases are the same power as the battery in your initial purchase or they won't work.

For budget I'd go for something in the Parkside range at Lidl as the batteries are interchangeable with other tools in the range.

Depends what you are drilling into.

I would probably buy a mains powered drill if you are not going to use it much. Only if you are intending to use it a lot is it worth splashing out on extra stuff like batteries.

Ultimately the drill bit is more important than the drill. Good bits make drilling easy. Crap bits (I'm talking about 400 for £7.99) make it hard.

The worlds crappest drill and worst bits will go through plasterboard because it is like cheese and takes no effort.

Concrete is another issue.

DeWalt from Screwfix. My partner was an engineer and a DIY fanatic. Get two batteries and a set of drill bits including an impact driver thing so you can do up and undo screws. YouTube and ChatGPT will be invaluable in your new life as DIY godess.

I'm in agreement with Ryobi but you only really need 1 battery for light work. If you run out of energy then have a sit down. I build polytunnels and wooden greenhouses and do loads of DIY with just the one.

Buy the right sized drill bit for the job you need and take your time.

Yes I bought a Dewalt 18v and 2 batteries for £99 a few months back and it’s been brilliant; used it on hammer action drilling into brickwork no problem, I was expecting to have to get my corded out for that but it coped easily.

Oh and spend the extra money you save on buying the rolls royce drill on a good detector.

As drilling through electric cables or pipes never has a good outcome.

I'm going to disagree- to a degree.

When I had a bit of money I treated myself to a cordless Makita drill / driver with a case of all the gubbins, and it's been one of the best DIY decisions I've made. I constantly use 4 or 5 drill bits, but also the countersink and all the driver heads. The other drill bits, spade bits, sockets and hex keys have also seen quite a bit of use over the years. Admittedly, there are a couple of strange attachments I puzzle over to this day, but having everything at hand has proved a godsend so many times and saved me many many hours ferreting through the contents of the shed.

You don't need an expensive brand like Makita, but 5 years on I'm still happy I got mine.

Thanks all, I will pop down to B&Q to have a look at the various ones you've all recommended. Is there anything else I need other than drill, drill bits and a detector for checking for wires/pipework etc?

Depends what you’re planning on drilling into. Plasterboard, brick etc.

you'll need rawplugs - depends on the type of wall. and a hammer.

id also practice before letting loose.

may also need safety glasses and a mask. You don’t want dust or debris in your lungs or eyes.

Spirit level is essential

The walls all seem to be solid so I think I'll mainly be drilling into brick and putting up curtain rails into wood as there are wooden strips above the windows in each room.

I'll add that to my shopping list too! Thanks

Go to b and q and look at their Macalister range, if you are drilling solid walls you need a hammer drill, they're £25. They also do a drill driver for £68 I've got two of them, absolutely fabulous for drilling wood plasterboard, putting in screws and assembling flat pack furniture. Finally they do a drill and bit set £10, best one I've ever had .

Little tip if you’re drilling into brick…

Get an envelope. Use a piece of masking tape to tape it from the flap right underneath where you’re drilling and slightly open out the envelope. It catches all the dust and saves the hassle of dust sheets. Got that tip from my MiL

Or just a folded piece of paper. It was the one thing I remember picking up from Handy Andy on that old DIY TV programme... 😀