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[Tonka.]

Since my old drill whirred its last a while ago I have missed it and have now got sick of getting the cables out for the most minimal job.
SWMBO wants to buy me a new cordless drill for Christmas to stop me moaning 

I have been drawn to this one from B & Q

http://www.diy.com/nav/fix/power-tools/drilling-screwdriving/drilling/-brand-Ryobi/Ryobi-One-Plus-Combi-Hammer-Drill-with-2xBatteries-12408577?view-all=brand

It won't be used all day every day but just for light DIY. What do you chaps think? Any alternatives you might recommend? 

[cleggy]

We had a discussion about drills not long ago, I think the prefered choice was either DeWalt or Makita 18v with two batteries around the £100 mark. Personal choice really and the amount of use it will get.

[pauls]

I would not buy a Ryobi, I think you would be better off with one of these,
http://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-bhp453rftk-18v-li-ion-combi-drill-with-101-piece-accessory-kit/20547


http://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-dc100ka-gb-18v-1-3ah-ni-cd-cordless-combi-drill/73596

[cleggy]

http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=108482.0

This was the previous thread

P.S Mines the DeWalt and perfectly happy with it for general DIY

[Johnny English]

I also got one some yrs ago didn't use every day and the battery went flat soon  after going to validate the warranty I got the next answer : "Ahh...battery needs more times using per week to keep it in good condition then your warranty doesn't work in this case!" So mate, be certain of whether warranty lives with or without battery and keep the rules of battery handling. Good luck ! 

[tigers_gonads]

It was my drill thread   

In the end, I got my hands on the Makita 18 volt with the 3Ah Li-On battery.

Believe this or not, I have used it for day to day business use / drilling holes in everything you can think off for the last 4 weeks.
I have had a wire wheel on the end and ground out all the rust and crap out of my wheel arches and doors on the car.  I have even cut a hole with a 4 inch core bit threw a wall with a core bit for a fan AND I HAVE ONLY CHARGED IT TWICE 
I have only used Ni-cad's in the past and tbh, when they are newish, they do the job but this drill and battery is INCREDIBLE 
It just won't die 

If you can't push the boat out to 150 quid that this makita cost (with a bloody good drill bit set included) I believe they are doing the same drill with 2 x 1.2 Ah batterys for about 120 quid.

If you do get either of these, you won't be disapointed believe me 

[Keith ABS]

  What ever you buy, make sure it is a Li-on battery model as you can charge it up when its not flat, unlike a Ni-cad. ni-cads "code" the battery so it will never take a full charge if re-caharged when part used. The Makita does seem to be the drill of choice on just about every building site nowdays. yes, there are other makes in use, but the makita has been so popular, the price has been brought down to DIY model levels. Plus, you can but naked units and use the battery(s) in them as well. Naked units work out very cheap as there is no batterys or chargers being supplied with them.
Keith B

[Entwood]

I bought the makita after the last discussion, and am very pleased with it 

[Marks DTM Calib]

As mentioned before (and ignored by some sadly), the Nicad is a perfect solution IF the charger is any good (and many are not). The charger alone will determine how many years the battery lasts at max capacity. The sad fact is that many of the charging solutions are second rate (even on the premium brand products) with one of the only exceptions being the makita where the charger is excellent.

Nicads can be charged from half empty without any issues if charged properly.

However, Screwfix have a deal on at the moment:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-bhp453sh-18v-1-3ah-li-ion-cordless-combi-drill/58614?_requestid=477047

[Marks DTM Calib]

What ever you buy, make sure it is a Li-on battery model as you can charge it up when its not flat, unlike a Ni-cad. ni-cads "code" the battery so it will never take a full charge if re-caharged when part used. The Makita does seem to be the drill of choice on just about every building site nowdays. yes, there are other makes in use, but the makita has been so popular, the price has been brought down to DIY model levels. Plus, you can but naked units and use the battery(s) in them as well. Naked units work out very cheap as there is no batterys or chargers being supplied with them.
Keith B

Very much a myth in reality......

[Entwood]

I bought this one ..

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

but while it was on special offer .. paid just over 1/2 that price !!! 

Thanks to MTDM ...  for the timely advice

[Seth]

I bought this one ..

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

but while it was on special offer .. paid just over 1/2 that price !!! 

Thanks to MTDM ...  for the timely advice

Me too .... and mine came with three batteries for 99 quid all in!

[Marks DTM Calib]

The Makita Nicad units are very good and with two batteries, excellent.

I have had mine since the store in Nottingham opened which is 4 or 5 years+ and it gets HEAVY use....batteries are still good and it works great.

On the 'memory effect' myth, the so called memory effect is something that is observed due to over charging, on cheap units this is obvious but, the pricier units use a microcontroller to detect a voltage slope change and this can also over charge!. The better circuits monitor temperature, current and voltage to detect a fully charged state which stops this 'effect'.

[Marks DTM Calib]

The Nicad one:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-8391dwpe-18v-combi-drill/84044

[r1]

go to aldi they have a li-on one for 40 pounds with a 3 year warranty.
paying 100 pounds is great if you going to use it regular but something thats going to sit in the garage for 90% of the time 100 is a waste to me still it depends on how deep your pockets are.