Recommended starter DIY drill and drill bits?

[TJP]

Hi folks,

Not sure if this is the right forum for this post, apologies if not, but as the title states I'm looking for a reasonable priced but efficient drill with drill bits for starting out. Are there drill bit kits that have everything you would generally need or is it kind of collect as you go? The ones I am looking at are as follows:

https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-home-12v-cordless-drill-driver-kit_p0018378?referrer=RetailApp&utm... 

https://www.bunnings.com.au/craftright-99-piece-titanium-coated-drill-bit-set_p0019576?referrer=Reta... 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated,

T.

[TJP]

Perfect, thank you for confirming @JacobZ.

Regards,

T.

[AlanM52]

Hi @TJP,

Some things to consider-

A cordless drill is actually quite limited when it comes to performing one of its basic functions - driving common crosspoint wood screws into timber.

The most popular DIY timber is pine and wood screws longer than even 30mm will likely require a pilot hole.

Don't expect good results using a cordless drill in hammer mode to drive in wood screws.

Google AI returns this:

Yes, a hammer drill can be used to drive timber screws, but it's generally better to use a regular drill or an impact driver for this purpose. While hammer drills are designed for drilling into masonry with a hammering action, they can also be used for drilling and driving screws in wood. However, the hammering action is not ideal for driving screws, as it can damage the screw head or the wood, especially with smaller screws or softer wood.

And here is a Workshop post - Re: Unable to drive a screw into timber pole using Hammer Drill.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/t5/Outdoor/How-to-drive-a-screw-into-timber-pole-using-hammer-d...

I suspect @EricL didn't respond because he was not actually tagged.

As I said if you get bitten by the DIY bug (instead of now) you can purchase the impact driver later on.

Cheers

[EricL]

Hello @TJP 

My apologies for the late reply. You've received excellent advice from our members in regards to a starter D.I.Y. drill. I just wanted to confirm what @AlanM52 has stated about hammer drills being used to drive timber screws. You can clearly see it on the Ozito 710W Hammer Drill. I've placed an image below to give you a better idea of its function. The corded drill has more power which you'll need when drilling into brick, masonry or steel.  

Choosing your drill bit depends on what you are using it for. The multi drill bit set in a box or packet that is midrange is great for standard woodworking. For heavy duty work such as when you drill into hardwood or drilling into steel will require drill bits that have a higher quality. These are often sold individually and will often say cobalt, titanium coated or hardened tip. The Kango or Diablo sets are some of the most commonly used bits for harder materials. 

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

   

[TJP]

@EricL @AlanM52 

Thanks fellas' all this insight I've received into drills over the past 24 hours has been fantastic! It has cleared things up in regards of what to buy and what not to buy.

Regards,

T.

[R4addZ]

Hi @TJP 

Yes, you can get better in each but does your use case justify the increase in expense?

I, as a tradesperson, swear by Bosch tools (I may be in a minority but in years gone by I actually sold power tools for a living). I have a seperate driver and hammer drill but it is a true hammer drill. The drills we are discussing here are not full blown hammer drills, they more produce a vibration rather than actually hammer the bit. Mine is more like this....

https://www.bunnings.com.au/bosch-18v-professional-rotary-hammer-drill-0611909000-skin-only_p8910280

(I can't find my model on the site) and uses SDS bits. These type of drills actually use an electro pneumatic action that drives an actual hammer piston back and forth and are so powerful you can't use a normal chuck as it could vibrate it to bits. With these types of drills you have the opposite problem in that trying to drill normal brick you have to be careful not to drill too quickly or risk damaging the brick and if drilling through a wall to the other side , I have to turn the hammer off about 20 - 25 mm before reaching the other side or it will blow a sizeable hole on the other side.

Any drill you buy for drilling masonry will benefit from a sharp drill bit and on occasion I have actually used just the driver with a masonry bit in it to drill smaller holes in brick (such as for a red plastic plug) with a new bit.

All this aside the drills we have discussed all claim to be suitable for drilling brick so it is up to you what you decide to buy.

[DIYGnome]

Hello @TJP welcome to the Workshop Community 👋

There are a good range of drill DIY driver/impact driver kit offerings, I was given the Ozito PXC18V pack one Christmas (still going strong) to which I added other tools from that range, the XU1 starter pack is more budget focused whilst the Ryobi range have excellent battery backwards compatibility (had I not received Ozito I would have gone Ryobi for this reason alone), whatever you decide the hammer drill suggested is a worthy contender and will never require battery modules and/or charging.👍

I've had the most success with Sutton HSS titanium tipped drills which have performed the best and lasted the longest of all others I've tried to date and thus would recommend those.

[TJP]

Hi @R4addZ @DIYGnome ,

Much appreciated for you both going to such lengths to make this decision much more straight forward.

All the best,

T.

[R4addZ]

Hi @TJP 

Always a pleasure to be of assistance. Please let us know what you decide on and your experience with that decision as it may help others in your position in the future.

[Noyade]

Last night in my Bunnings store - on clearance, were boxed UX1 drill and driver sets with two 1.5Ah batteries and charger = $18.50.

😁

[Noyade]

Apologies  - I was mistaken.

$19.50