What Drill Should I Buy my Husband/Dad/Son for Christmas? Finding the Perfect Drill for a DIY Enthusiast

You’d be amazed how often that we get this question, here at DIY Doctor. People ring, email and submit questions which all ultimately boil down to the same thing – “What Drill should I get as a gift this Christmas?” It is invariable for someone’s husband but wives, parents and children have been the luck future recipients too.

We go in to this in much more detail in our webinar on choosing the right drill (if you missed it you can watch the recording here).

If you don’t want to watch or simply want to get the answer quickly, this is how the conversation usually goes:

• How often will the drill be used? – Typically people say that the drill would get fairly frequent use, but only on a DIY basis; somewhere between a couple of times per week and a couple of times per month. The real question behind this is what sort of skill level is the person who is going to be using this drill. Tradesman who used a drill everyday will expect a lot more from their drill, and consequently will pay a lot more.
• What will this drill be used for? – Generally the answer is that it would be used for putting up cupboards and for doing a range of other jobs. It is hard to be specific, as mostly people have no real idea what they are going to be using it for further out than the first couple of jobs – it all depends what breaks or what needs to be put up!
• How much do you want to spend? – Often we don’t bother to ask this question because by the time that people get to asking us this question they have looked at drills from £30 to £300 and are totally at a loss about what to expect! Obviously it’s really important, but as you will see the range soon narrows right down.

On the basis of the answers above, we believe that, in most cases, the best choice is a Combi Drill, which incorporates the features of an electric screwdriver and a drill (often including a hammer function). The drill driver is needed for drilling holes and driving in screws, and the hammer drill is needed for drilling into masonry, when putting up cupboards.

Combi Drills are a little more expensive, but worth the extra cost for the versatility. It is cheaper to buy one combi drill than it is to get a drill driver and a hammer drill.

As drills get more and more feature rich, the boundaries between these different types of drill are becoming more and more blurred. The key is to get something which is not too heavy so is easy to use and includes all of the features that may be needed.

The good news is that the value for what you are paying for is improving all the time. This is partly a result of the huge competition in this market; there are so many people making drills that are really great quality. This makes it very hard to choose!

Anyway, without any further ado, here are the DIY Doctor recommendations:

Black & Decker EGBL88K Cordless Combi Hammer Drill

It a great ‘all-rounder’ from a well known make. It comes with a good battery and is 18 volts so is suitable powerful enough for anything your husband/Partner/Dad will normally encounter. It also comes in a handy and rugged kit box which is ideal for storage and transporting.

Einhell BT-CD181L Cordless Hammer Drill 18 Volt

At £67.85, this is a slightly less rugged and heavier model but perfect for infrequent use, as you suggest it will get. It is made by an excellent German manufacturer, even if they are less well known than Black & Decker.

Black & Decker BDCHD18K 2 Speed Combi Drill

At £67.16, this is the B&D model at the same level as the Einhell. Both come with a box, and are very similar, being great value. It real comes down to the model that you like the look of best, although the Einhell offer a 2 year warranty.

We haven’t gone in to the technical’s here, because unless you’re really into that sort of thing they are, frankly, boring! These are 3 really great drills which will make the person receiving them happy (assuming they fit the profile we described above!), and from great manufacturers.

You might consider a few topical stocking fillers to go with the drill too:

Black & Decker A7186 New Family Accessory Set of 16

Cosing just £10.07 it’s a great mixed bit set for wood, masonry and metal. It contains the most commonly used sizes.

Ryobi RAK-40SD Screwdriving Set (40-Piece)

At only £16.03, this is a set of all the types of screw driver bits that you will need for most jobs, all in a handy case so that they won’t get lost in the tool bag.

Faithfull Hard Base Tool Bag 40cm (16in)

Costing only £13.43, it’s always handy to have a tool bag and this is a pretty good bag from Faithfull – it folds down when not it use and is very strong. Great value for money.

EasiPlaster Self Adhesive Plaster Tape

Accidents do happen, and this is the best stuff we have found to deal with nicks and cuts. Easy to use and allows you to get straight back on with the job without getting blood on everything. A must in every tool bag and only &popund;5.28 per box!

Master Basic DIY Book

Our very own Master Basic DIY Book £5.99 – There’s always room for a plug of our book! If you haven’t already got it then this is the perfect gift for any DIY enthusiast. (Of course we’d say that!). It covers all aspects of how your house works and is ideal size for a tool bag too.

We are always happy to help and suggest some good gift ideas should you need help finding something for the DIY-er in your life. Get in touch or browse our suggestions for gits ideas on our store. We even have gift vouchers if you’re really, really stuck, or you can always search Amazon or Ebay!