New Combi Drill and Impact

[Justadreamer]

I’m looking to buy some new tools after mine were stolen. I’ve just bought a Bosch SDS and I’ve been looking at their 12v range. But has any one used Erbauer?

[craig1912]

Justadreamer said:

I m looking to buy some new tools after mine were stolen. I ve just bought a Bosch SDS and I ve been looking at their 12v range. But has any one used Erbauer?

Yep and a set for five years and no issues. Seem very well made and tough.

[megaphone]

Yes, Erbauer 18v is what we all use on our firm, reliable and cheap compared to the other 'pro' brands. Good range including garden stuff . We got fed up getting our expensive stiff nicked on site and out the vans.

My advice though, stick with one brand and one battery type. 18v is the sweet spot. You can then buy bare bones stuff and share the batteries.

That said, I also have the Bosch 12v stuff which is light and compact and very good for smaller jobs.

Edited by megaphone on Tuesday 24th March 05:49

[mikeiow]

megaphone said:

Yes, Erbauer 18v is what we all use on our firm, reelable and cheap compared to the other 'pro' brands. Good range including garden stuff . We got fed up getting our expensive stiff nicked on site and out the vans.

My advice though, stick with one brand and one battery type. 18v is the sweet spot. You can then buy bare bones stuff and share the batteries.

That said, I also have the Bosch 12v stuff which is light and compact and very good for smaller jobs.

Firmly agree with sticking with one brand. I’m “Team Green” (Ryobi) - they probably have the widest range of kit & a 3-yr warranty (if you register within 30 days), but Erbauer seem event if you don’t need such a wide range.
Beware, it can multiply

[Huzzah]

I recently purchased an Erbauer cordless 18v drill, sale price £50 a bargain now £80.

Dead handy, compact & light.

[POIDH]

I ended up going Bosch, the blue ones which are supposedly better. Often found on a really good deal, particularly 'bare tool' once you have a couple of batteries.

I have a 18v drill, 18v impact and 18v circular saw, all on same battery which is also shared with my 'green' Bosch hedgetrimmer.

I am about 6 years in with them, done a good few bits of renovation on old house, built a garden of heavy duty sleepers and treated wood. The drill was being dunked in mud a couple of weekends ago as I worked in the garden. They Just Work. Batteries are lasting really really well - no noticeable degradation.

So, so much better built than my previous Ryobi stuff, that also suffered from dodgy charger and battery that nearly burst into flames...it feels like cheap Chinese shiite branded in a bright colour and sold via the big sheds to meet a price point. The Bosch feels much better in the hand, better charger and batteries so well worth the difference

[48k]

megaphone said:

My advice though, stick with one brand and one battery type

mikeiow said:

Firmly agree with sticking with one brand.

Given the plethora of battery adapters available these days, you really can just buy your preferred tool / best one for the job now and use an adapter if needs be.

[JimM169]

48k said:

Given the plethora of battery adapters available these days, you really can just buy your preferred tool / best one for the job now and use an adapter if needs be.

My experience with adapters hasn't been great, it's a bodge and feels like it when using the tool. Just about OK for a small one off job but not something I'd want on a tool I used even slightly regularly.
Likewise with knock off batteries, yes they do work but are generally much lower power and run out quicker than genuine ones. I've given up buying them and just stick to the OEM ones now and that's just for DIY use

[mikeiow]

JimM169 said:

48k said:

Given the plethora of battery adapters available these days, you really can just buy your preferred tool / best one for the job now and use an adapter if needs be.

My experience with adapters hasn't been great, it's a bodge and feels like it when using the tool. Just about OK for a small one off job but not something I'd want on a tool I used even slightly regularly.
Likewise with knock off batteries, yes they do work but are generally much lower power and run out quicker than genuine ones. I've given up buying them and just stick to the OEM ones now and that's just for DIY use

I’ve got enough drawers of tech adapters to prefer the simplicity of one (or two) brands without more adapters!

[Lotobear]

I've just purchased the Erbauer EXT twin pack drill and impact driver from Screwfix on special offer - £130 including charger and two 4.0ah batteries.

Brushless units, the drill has a metal chuck.

Both seem very well built and are nicely sized and well balanced - feels like a real bargain to me. I think I paid similar for just my old Hitachi Hikoki brushed cordless drill some years ago which seems very old tech now, though still going strong to be fair expect the chuck is a bit tempramental

[Uncle Meat]

I bought these when they were giving away a 5.0Ah battery as well
https://www.screwfix.com/p/bosch-gsb-18-v-55-18v-2...

Seems good value for £200 for Bosch 'pro' range.

[NDA]

mikeiow said:

Firmly agree with sticking with one brand. I m Team Green (Ryobi) - they probably have the widest range of kit & a 3-yr warranty (if you register within 30 days)

That's quite a collection you have there!

I only recently moved to cordless stuff - I am an infrequent DIY'er. I bought a Ryobi tyre inflator and then expanded with a drill and a sander. Ryobi seems very well made, I'm pleased with the bits I've got.

[Belle427]

NDA said:

mikeiow said:

Firmly agree with sticking with one brand. I m Team Green (Ryobi) - they probably have the widest range of kit & a 3-yr warranty (if you register within 30 days)

That's quite a collection you have there!

I only recently moved to cordless stuff - I am an infrequent DIY'er. I bought a Ryobi tyre inflator and then expanded with a drill and a sander. Ryobi seems very well made, I'm pleased with the bits I've got.

They get looked down on but are fine for the average person, my latest addition to my collection was the HP impact wrench and I'm very pleased with it.

[OutInTheShed]

If you want a compact 12V drill for everyday DIY use, you can probably get one for about £30.

Personally I think impact screwdrivers are vastly over-rated for DIY use.
I prefer to have two drill/drivers at hand for the kind of work I do.

Unless money is no object, it may be better to buy an 'OK' 12V drill and save some for investing in the tools with higher demands?

Unfortunately, a compact 12V drill wouldn't be compact if it took the 18V batteries from the serious tools.

Someone said they had a drill with a chuck that's seen better days?
Chucks are largely interchangeable, I ruined one of mine and switched it for the chuck from an inherited dead NiCd drill.

The offset and right angle malarkey can be very useful though!
I find torx woodscrews a lot easier to use then pozi in some silly situations BTW.

[NDA]

OutInTheShed said:

I find torx woodscrews a lot easier to use then pozi in some silly situations BTW.

Yep, I've just put up some stuff into wood using torx wood screws... so much easier and neater.