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[tigers_gonads]

Looking for battery drill / driver for work
More torque the better because I will be drilling out joists, walls ect with it.
Also must be well balanced because i've got to use the bugger while hanging off a ladder so non of these things that need a shoulder strap please 
Got about 150 quid to play with.

I also tend to abuse them by dropping them off ladders ect so it needs to be pretty robust 

Any ideas or recomendations / experiences welcome 

[Martian]

The Bosch GBH range works for me Steve (as featured on Diy SOS  )

[tigers_gonads]

The Bosch GBH range works for me Steve (as featured on Diy SOS  )

What sort of prices are we talking mark ?

[Martian]

All depends on what you're after really Steve.

The combi range can be found at http://www.bosch-professional.com/gb/en/ocs/tools/101307/combis/

I have a five year old GSB 14.4 VE-2 Professional that still works fine after being dropped, kicked around, and generally taking all the abuse they get on site, and all the other Bosch (Pro range) tools I have also just continue to work regardless of how they get treated.

[doz]

Ryobi stuff is pretty good and doesn't cost the earth

[Seth]

Got me: http://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-8391dwpetk-18v-combi-drill-101-piece-accessory-kit/83834

Mine didn't have the accessories, but had three batteries - for £99.99!
Very pleased with it!

[cleggy]

Got me: http://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-8391dwpetk-18v-combi-drill-101-piece-accessory-kit/83834

Mine didn't have the accessories, but had three batteries - for £99.99!
Very pleased with it!

I went for this one :-
http://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dc100ka-gb-18v-1-3ah-ni-cd-cordless-combi-drill/73596;jsessionid=GY1FQDvXHqWQYHT8pR32Q207GJGV8lxmbZL1pTK2DWxg2ghFYhLQ!1180069570

Very pleased with it 

Forgot to add I find it very well balanced

[Bionic]

  Moved over to DeWalt years ago and never had a problem. Had Bosch and Hitachi before that. Problem is DeWalt tend to be costly unless you get a bargain. Don't bother with 12v. The 18 are so much more powerful. The XRP difference is that they are even more powerful and the batteries more heavy duty style. I have an early DeWalt 18v combi drill and all it has ever had was a set of brushes recently. I have now bought a new 18v combi XRP type so can let the old one go if you fancy cos its headed for tyhe next car booty. Its got a case, new charger but the battery is getting on a bit and needs regular charging. I do it before I use it.
PM me if you fancy.

[tigers_gonads]

Are these Li-on batterys all that they are cracked up to be ?
Wondering if I should go for a kit containing 2 1.3 ah Ni-cad's or 1 large Li-on 3ah 

What are they like for charging from cold compared to Ni-cad's ?
The reason is all my tools are locked away in the man cave which has no heating so the temp gets well bellow freezing in the winter.

My B&Q 18 volt ni-cad special while its done sterling service and been well and truely abused, is on its last legs, you can't get the batterys anymore and they won't even charge in winter unless you have had them sat on the radiator for half a hour 

[Kevin Wood]

Are these Li-on batterys all that they are cracked up to be ?
Wondering if I should go for a kit containing 2 1.3 ah Ni-cad's or 1 large Li-on 3ah 

Power tools really do take a toll on their batteries, whatever type they are.

Despite being obsolete for pretty much any other application, good old NiCds stand up to this pretty well, but need to be cycled fully and used regularly, otherwise they die prematurely. Their life also depends on how good the charger that comes with the device is, as they don't like abuse if being charged quickly.

Li-Ion has taken over from pretty much all other technologies in most electronic kit. They tend to be limited pretty much only by the number of cycles they go through, and can be abused much more than ni-cds, so topping-up half-charged batteries, leaving them unused for months, etc. will not harm them as much. If using them professionally, and cycling them every day or so, I'd say they probably won't outlast ni-cds but for occasional use they might be better.

Which I'd go for would depend on the relative price, I reckon.

Bear in mind that the Bosch batteries come apart really easy so you can re-cell them with tagged ni-cd cells. Finding quality ones that don't cost the earth can be a lottery, though.

[omega3000]

Moved over to DeWalt years ago and never had a problem. Had Bosch and Hitachi before that. Problem is DeWalt tend to be costly unless you get a bargain. Don't bother with 12v. The 18 are so much more powerful. The XRP difference is that they are even more powerful and the batteries more heavy duty style. I have an early DeWalt 18v combi drill and all it has ever had was a set of brushes recently. I have now bought a new 18v combi XRP type so can let the old one go if you fancy cos its headed for tyhe next car booty. Its got a case, new charger but the battery is getting on a bit and needs regular charging. I do it before I use it.
PM me if you fancy.

 

Cant remember how many of those 12v ones ive thrown at the wall , useless for drilling into brick stone ect and once they have been charged a few times they loose power faster and faster 
Need a new one for xmas ..

[Bionic]

As Kevin says......Li-On are the better battery inasmuch as they do not have the failings of a voltage 'memory'. NiCad really need to be fully discharged prior to re-charging to stop this happening which results in a shorter working time for the battery. LiOn batteries do not have this problem as they are memoryless. They are more powerful too as a bit of a bonus.....but are more expensive.
Hope that helps.....

As for the 12v ones they are primarily aimed at the casual diyer and not meant for regular or heavy use because they do have the capacity. Same goes for any make too.

[Martian]

Are these Li-on batterys all that they are cracked up to be ?

Very much so.

Wondering if I should go for a kit containing 2 1.3 ah Ni-cad's or 1 large Li-on 3ah 

The single Li-ion will easily outperform the two Ni-Cd cells

What are they like for charging from cold compared to Ni-cad's ?

My GBH 36 VF-Li (3 Ah Li-ion) takes 15 mins to reach 75% capacity, and a further 30 mins to reach full capacity (from flat).
My GBH 24 Vre (2.6Ah Ni-MH) reaches full capacity in 30 minutes from flat.

The reason is all my tools are locked away in the man cave which has no heating so the temp gets well bellow freezing in the winter.

That won't help any battery regardless of it's construction, but if you are going to leave a Li-ion battery unused for any length of time then you want to store it at approx 50% of it's charge.

My B&Q 18 volt ni-cad special while its done sterling service and been well and truely abused, is on its last legs, you can't get the batterys anymore and they won't even charge in winter unless you have had them sat on the radiator for half a hour 

Ni-Cd is dead & buried Steve.

[the alarming man]

wicks are at the moment doing a special on makita...which i did'nt find too bad...dropped off top of a triple a couple of times and i just couldn't kill it...untill some scrote nicked it from a collegues car!!!!

[zirk]

Ive had the same Bosch GBH 24V SDS for over 15 years and still going strong, would highly recomend them, the older ones were Nicad but I still using the originals.

Tend to go on the Bay for arround 100.00 mark.

Pic and a Bay one here - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bosch-GBH-24-Volt-Cordless-Hammer-Drill-SDS-Plus-2x-Reconditioned-24v-Batteries-/251162731429?pt=UK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item3a7a7723a5