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Green Building Bible, Fourth Edition
Green Building Bible, fourth edition (both books)
These two books are the perfect starting place to help you get to grips with one of the most vitally important aspects of our society - our homes and living environment.

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Products: Which Battery Drill?

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    • CommentAuthordickster
    • CommentTimeMar 31st 2014
     
    Plumped for expensive De Walt. It's coped with some ferocious work, came with two batteries and I like it.
    • CommentAuthorSteveZ
    • CommentTimeMar 31st 2014
     
    I decided to go for the DeWalt 18v combi with two 1.5Ah Li-ion batteries from Screwfix. At the time they were reduced to £150. Since then, reduced further or £150 with 3 x 1.5Ah batteries.

    So far, I am impressed by the power and control of such a small handy drill. I used a 25mm auger on 2" softwood and was scared by the torque - make sure you have firm grip! I have drilled a couple of largish holes in concrete, but really the corded hammer drill is best for the bigger jobs, maybe over 10mm.

    The only thing I am disappointed with is the 13mm chuck. It is big enough and I love the one-handed operation to lock and unlock it, but the release is becoming more difficult. It seems to jam and needs a fair bit of effort to undo the chuck. The drill comes with a 3 year warranty, so I might be returning it if the chuck gets much worse. Overall, very impressed but with only a few months use to go on, the jury is still out.

    My only previous Lithium battery experience with my Eckman battery hedge trimmer was bad - only one year from the LI-ion and no apology or refund/replacement forthcoming, so I will see how the more sophisticated DeWalt charger manages the batteries.
    • CommentAuthorPingy
    • CommentTimeMar 31st 2014 edited
     
    I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Hitachi. I went through a similar exercise when I started my self build in 2009. I bought a Hitachi DS 18DL cordless drill after reading loads of reviews. It's definitely been my best purchase with regard to tools. The tradesmen that have done jobs for me have all said how good it is compared to their Makitas and Dewalts. I bought a Hitachi circular saw as well to make use of the same batteries. The drill/driver always amazes me how long the batteries last. Recharging takes 40 mins and you'll never flatten the other battery in that time. The chuck is brilliant too, very robust and easy to change drills single handedly.

    What I would say is if you do buy one then make sure it's that model. A workman who used it went away and bought what he thought was the same drill from Screwfix. It wasn't, the battery was 1/2 the size of mine (still 18v though) and the chuck was rubbish - plastic outer instead of metal and you couldn't change drills single handedly. Maybe they don't make mine anymore? Haven't checked.
    • CommentAuthorMackers
    • CommentTimeMar 31st 2014
     
    Haven`t read the rest of the thread but Milwaukee drills are very good. Also can`t fault Hilti and I had a Hitachi for years and its still going strong
    • CommentAuthorborpin
    • CommentTimeApr 1st 2014
     
    I bought a Makita 18V one with a 3.0Ah Li-Ion battery and fast charger. Never looked back. Had a couple of cheaper ones before that and I can honestly say this knocks spots off the cheap ones in terms of sheer power and pleasure to use. One battery is fine; 25min charge - get a cuppa while waiting or there is always something else to do. I will be surprised if I don't still have it in 15 years.

    On battery price, I do not think they are over priced. Look at Laptop batteries; similar price. It is what they cost. The thing with Makita is they have used the same form factor for their batteries for years - Hitachi seem to keep changing theirs - and they are all interchangeable I believe.

    I think it was ST said a while back, either get the cheapest or the best.
    • CommentAuthorTriassic
    • CommentTimeApr 1st 2014
     
    Well I took the advice and looked at battery drills on the Makita website thinking there would be a few to choose from ....... wow there are dozens! I didn't even bother to look at drivers.
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteamyTea
    • CommentTimeApr 2nd 2014
     
    Posted By: borpinI think it was ST said a while back, either get the cheapest or the best.
    It was, and I still stick to it. Though with battery powered products there are two components which complicates it all. I think if I was building a house I would want long running times and a chuck that works.
    I did go out to Homebase and buy a 15 quid, 500W drill the other day, it is pretty good and the flex is quite, well flexible. Though for site work you need to go the 110V route and not sure of they make small stuff.
    • CommentAuthorTriassic
    • CommentTimeApr 2nd 2014 edited
     
    bot de paille 2 days ago

    Yup, the battery recharge time depends entirely on the Ah rating.


    So the Ah rating is all about the recharge rate --------- low Ah = slow recharge , high Ah = fast recharge ?
  9.  
    Posted By: TriassicSo the Ah rating is all about the recharge rate --------- low Ah = slow recharge , high Ah = fast recharge ?
    The Ah rating (together with the battery voltage) tells you how much energy the battery can store. For a given size motor (or load) this tells you how long the battery will last between charges.

    How long it takes to charge will depend upon the battery technology & the charger. Some chargers are "fast chargers" & others are "trickle chargers". However, a higher Ah rating battery will typically take longer to charge because it stores more energy.

    David
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteamyTea
    • CommentTimeApr 2nd 2014
     
    Batteries have at least two parameters, the total amount of energy they can store, the energy density or written as the Ah (though should really be joules in the SI system) and the power density or how fast they can deliver that energy, the W/m^3, but can be thought of as the delivery rate, so that would be W/J, which would give you the time to discharge. I would think that battery power density is related to the recharge time as it is a reversing process (charge to fast and they get hot and can rapidly disassemble).
  11.  
    Ah = Amp Hours

    The sophistication of the charger makes a difference.

    Going back about 15 years, we started with Metabo because it was the only battery charger that could do a useful 5 minute 'boost' charge if you ran out just before lunch without damaging the battery. That and the excellent slow-start high-torque character that was excellent at gently removing rusted old screws without snapping them off.

    Lithium batteries and a wider market range have caught up, however.

    Ferdinand
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteamyTea
    • CommentTimeApr 2nd 2014 edited
     
    Posted By: ferdinand2000Ah = Amp Hours
    One ampere is approximately equivalent to 6.2415093×10^18 elementary charges moving past a boundary in one second (I copied that from Wikipedia).:wink:
    • CommentAuthorBeau
    • CommentTimeApr 2nd 2014 edited
     
    Posted By: Triassic
    bot de paille 2 days ago

    Yup, the battery recharge time depends entirely on the Ah rating.


    So the Ah rating is all about the recharge rate --------- low Ah = slow recharge , high Ah = fast recharge ?


    Not in my experience.

    Every drill I have owned in the last 20 years has had a 1 hour charger. Started off with 1.2 Ah 12V Bosch and now have have 3 and 4 Ah 18V Dewalt and all have had 1 hour chargers. I know some are quicker but with 2 or 3 batteries have never needed a faster charge.

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