Cordless drill any tips when buying? Used or new

toyboy3, Mar 11, 5:39am
Just borrowed a friend’s AEG drill to redo the spouting brackets and other drilling and screwing. Was good for square drive screws not the best with Phillips head although it may be the the cheap Chinese driver bit
Anyway your thoughts on what to buy ?

nzshooter01, Mar 11, 6:29am
18vlt makita impact drill
We use them nonstop every working day

bill-robinson, Mar 11, 6:37am
if it is for commercial use buy the best yopu can afford. if only for DIY then buy a midrange one with a log warranty. i bought my 3rd one yesterday and after looking at most of them i bought from the big red place, cheaper and 2 year warranty,

trade_menow, Mar 11, 10:54am
18v lithium-ion black&decker drill isnt to bad but the chuck size is slightly smaller than a electric drill but dispite that its not bad - & you can use the battery on other tool's so thats another +

https://www.mitre10.co.nz/shop/black-decker-drill-driver-kit-18-volt/p/348328

but if its for trade use id go with something with more grunt

hammer23, Mar 11, 6:37pm
If it is only home use then go for Ozito at Bunnings. The thing is with Ozito if it dies and you only use it at home then they will replace it and no questions asked,besides some of their gear looks real flash.
You say you had trouble with Phillips head screws,well we all do, I hate them, they should be banned,square drive is the only screw to use,screw the rest.

gyrogearloose, Mar 12, 2:04am
Keep a tidy well organised set of bits, my collection is picked up from here and there, but all of the Phillips for example are in one block, so that I can match the screw to a well fitting bit. All the square ones are in another block, all the hex ones. etc

And the magnetic bit holders, if they annoy you, throw it away and buy a good De Walt.

lythande1, Mar 12, 2:57am
AEG is what a lot of tradies use, I've noticed. I bought a used De Walt many many years ago, still working happily. has had a new battery of course since.

macman26, Mar 12, 3:29am
There’s Philips and pozidrive. Similar but different. Need to use correct tip for correct screw. Also if your driver tip wears can cause issues.

budgel, Mar 12, 5:59am
How often will you use it?
The reason I ask is that batteries like to be used,are expensive, and crap out early through lack of use. If your use will be infrequent, buy a corded drill.
I've had a good run with DeWalt.

onl_148, Mar 12, 9:56am
Keep your eye out for some quite nice deals on AEG or DeWalt 18volt from Bunnings. combo sets of a drill and an impact drill plus a couple of batteries. just under the $500 mark.
You will not go wrong with DeWalt, AEG, Makita and Bosch. Just Remember Bosch Green are the DIY / consumer models and Bosch Blue is professional / tradesman models.

joanie32, Mar 12, 10:23am
I’ve had Bosch tools for years, and always had a good run with them

But the Bosch battery drill and screw driver that I bought for DIY around home are absolute rubbish

I wouldn’t recommend them for even very light duty.

toyboy3, Mar 12, 11:28am
I guess I will have a use for the drill for around 6 months as get the just purchased house in order but there’s only small jobs to do
It is nice not having to roll a cord out and have it tangle on things and hook on the ladder

skull, Mar 13, 12:58am
A vote for a Bunnings Ozito cordless drill and square drive for your screws. Ozito is excellent home handyman quality at a very fair price and a proper guarantee if required.

sossie1, Mar 13, 1:32am
ive got the Ozito corded one for around the home, seems ok, no worry about having to recharge, just attach an extension cord

wayned, Mar 13, 3:30am
Are you using a Square Drive bit? The vast majority are the exact same size and use the same bit, so hard to get it wrong. Every now and then I come across a smaller one. Way easier than phillips.

pauldw, Mar 13, 5:36am
The square (Robertson) drive socket and bit both have slight tapers. If the bit is worn or the socket has dirt or paint in it it is easy to round it off. For things like decking screws Torx (star) drive is becoming more popular.

steptoesnr, Mar 13, 7:32am
There are 3 different size Robertson drive bits and matching 3 different size screw heads.The screws can be located by placing on the screwdriver or drill bit .Virtually impossible to round off a screw unless you use the drill on high speed.

supernova2, Mar 13, 7:40am
I noticed no-one has mentioned Ryobi one+. I purchased mine in 2013 and its built a house. I've asked it to do jobs that my corded Hitachi didn't like.
I've added other skins along the way and the batteries are still working like new.
However I agree the Ozito are fine for genuine DIY however the top speed is fairly low.
I look at it this way. If you on top of the ladder and drop the item would you prefer to wreck a $100 tool or a $500 tool?

mrfxit, Mar 13, 10:41am
Strictly home/ light-ish usage & cheap

Haven't been able to get past the latest generation XUI 18V Lithium
Awesome screw driver, bit slow for drilling things but ok.
Std reverse/forward with a chuck locking screw down the shaft
Does me 2 full days stripping gear on a single charge
50/50% balance between head & battery with a skinny hand grip
Been using a pair of them for about 3 years now.

$29 at Bunnings

gpg58, Mar 13, 3:43pm
Perfectly happy with my AEG ones, having owned most main tradesman brands over the years.
Ps - if buying, make sure you go online and register the tool, to get the extended warranty, or its only 1 year i think -
"Extended Trade Warranty
All AEG power tools are eligible for an extended 6 year product warranty on tools and a 3 year warranty on batteries. Products must be registered online within 30 days of purchase for the extended warranty to apply".
Details at www.aegpowertools.co.nz I think it is important to have the exact fit Phillip's/pozidrive type bits, and they need to be good quality ones, as when using a power driver you have very little feel of when its about to let go and strip head. I have also had cheap square drive tips, that were total junk, some were tapered and never fitted in correctly, others just twisted or rounded off corners within first few uses. My favorite screws etc, are the multidrive ones that take either square or Phillip's drivers. Phillip's driver test - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-xOHQTT5tw

gusthe1, Mar 14, 5:02am
My only issue with cheaper drills such as Ozito and XU1 is the 10mm chucks. Onwn one of those to realise how many 12 and 13mm drills you use

toyboy3, Mar 14, 7:11am
I guess that none of the drills will survive the bounce test so your logic makes sense

bryshaw, Aug 11, 6:51am
I have used B&D in the past but one day the reverse drive wouldn't work so I tried AEG. Good extended warranty and feels really solid. A bit more expensive but obviously better built and has more grunt.