Hammer Drill

[velociraptor]

Hi, bro & sis, which is better? Bosch or Black & Decker for a hammer drill? What should I look for? 450W or 650W? I will need to hang some poster, built a few shelves for books and souvenirs.

Any good DIY book you will recommend? Just browse through the Reader Digest DIY book (RM149) at MPH, not sure is this book the best in the market?

Any help?

[CCY]

Hi, bro & sis, which is better? Bosch or Black & Decker for a hammer drill? What should I look for? 450W or 650W? I will need to hang some poster, built a few shelves for books and souvenirs.

Any good DIY book you will recommend? Just browse through the Reader Digest DIY book (RM149) at MPH, not sure is this book the best in the market?

Any help?

If it's just infrequent use get one from carrefour ...the cheapest you can find . You can buy 5 of those for the price of a black or bosch . If one fails after 1 yrs you still have another 4 .

[Icehart]

Hi, bro & sis, which is better? Bosch or Black & Decker for a hammer drill? What should I look for? 450W or 650W? I will need to hang some poster, built a few shelves for books and souvenirs.

Any good DIY book you will recommend? Just browse through the Reader Digest DIY book (RM149) at MPH, not sure is this book the best in the market?

Any help?

I suggest you to try Bosch..

[Alexius Lim]

Any good DIY book you will recommend? Just browse through the Reader Digest DIY book (RM149) at MPH, not sure is this book the best in the market?

Any help?

Yup I think you saw the same book... I got it as a christmas present ! TITLE: NEW FIX-IT-YOURSELF MANUAL from READER'S DIGEST. ISBN Reference is 0-89577-871-8
Covers practically every aspect of DIY'ing work @ home (Now don't you go getting ur self fried with the electrical works.... )

Cheers

[patrick]

Between Bosch and B&D, I would go for Bosch. Go for higher voltage. But if specification is available, check for the one with the higher torque. Useful for heavier work.

As for the book, as in all books, there are good pointers. But caution you. Alot of projects are very much related to 'western' houses which are not so practical. At the end, question is the value based on your perception and ability to pay. But for DIY, my personal advice is there is nothing like experience and learn from the local 'sifu'. Watch them when they work and you can pick up lots of DIY tips. In fact that was how I learnt. I only bought books later on for the finer points.

Rgds.

[bslee]

Hi, bro & sis, which is better? Bosch or Black & Decker for a hammer drill? What should I look for? 450W or 650W? I will need to hang some poster, built a few shelves for books and souvenirs.

Any good DIY book you will recommend? Just browse through the Reader Digest DIY book (RM149) at MPH, not sure is this book the best in the market?

Any help?

Any hammerdrill available at your nearest hardware store would do just fine. Today's home walls ain't that solid nor very hard. The ceiling may be tougher due to reinforced concrete used.
Certainly a more powerful one would do for heavier duty but you must be comfortable handling it too!.Get a feel of it when buying it!

[joker2107]

ccy n bslee r right. buy only wat u need. if its just d couple of holes u mentioned that need 2 b made n yr next use is when u can't find d power cord 4 d drill go to carrefour or giant. some more got foc parking.

unless ... if d walls u r gonna drill r like mine, solid concrete n not brickwork, then u might need my kinda piston driven puncher which i'd only trust bosch.

also when u buy drill, know the mount. maybe u only know those which require u 2 lock d drill bit by turning that thingy that its shaft into. bosch is famous 4 a dif system. they r incompatible. and bosch is famous 4 1 more thing - stiff prices.

actually if u got spare rm 2 let fly, b&d has some low price editions. at least then u can keep it till somebody borrows it (permanently)

if u ain't steady enuf with a pwr drill and fear u might put a nole in d power cord instead of d wall, then bosch is d one and only. d cheapos and even b&d will not even let u c stars - there'll just b 1 more place at d table and one place less in heaven (tq alw 4 this line). i've put my bosch straight in2 live wires n also short circuited (drill bit touched both live and -ve simultaneously) some installations. my only damage hv been me poor eardrums (short circuiting can really go bang) and d holes in me pockets (wireman blunder wireman pay )

happy hunting n drilling just don't let d hole go thru 2 d bathroom next door.

[Alexius Lim]

Any hammerdrill available at your nearest hardware store would do just fine. Today's home walls ain't that solid nor very hard......

well...on the contrary, if you are staying in one of those pre-fab "condos" that are built FORD TOUGH real fast with concrete wall casts... get ready for a smoking time with your normal drill... almost cooked my drill (drill bit.!!! another story!!) on the wall at sister in law's condo in Cita Damansara...

[bslee]

I don't think SJ or USJ homes are that "solid" or tough!. Gone are the times where houses are built to proper specifications or guidelines. I sometimes get the shivers as to whether its really safe, not to mention we're getting earthquake jitters as of late. Like the indifferent saying in Canto " Hai kum ke ler!" or for the benefit of others understanding the term " Its just like that lah!"..

[kwchang]

One thing to be aware of - heavy duty tiles! I chose the wrong tiles for my wash area's walls. They were heavy duty tiles meant for drive-ways. I broke 2 drill bits and chipped another trying to drill into the wall tiles. It was a helluva racket when I turned on the hammer. So even if the walls are soft, the tiles can be a real headache. And of course, concrete can be very tough too.

So go buy a good strong drill and that's not all - get good drill bits. Furthermore, to be really safe, get safety goggles to protect your eyes. Finally, call Alan when you turn your house into Swiss Cheese

[Firefly]

There are a few types of Hammer Drill.



This is more of a general purpose hammer drill

and



The second type is more for walls and concrete works.

[squah]

I have both B&D and Bosch. If you have to drill a hole on brick wall both sets are fine. I notived that I have a tougher time making a hole on a concrete beam with B&D. Both 450W.

Steve

[PJS]

If u plan to DIY for a number of projects and keep doing it for some time, invest in a good solid hammer drill, with highest wattage, that u can afford, and then stretch you budget a little bit more.

I have a Bosch drill, drilling thru bricks walls is not problemo, but when drilling into the concrete beams & pillars, it is pretty hard sometimes, depending on the point of contact. If your drill bit just happens to go in where the steel bars is, then good luck. Those contractors with the BIG drills can drill anywhere without a problem. My brother's B&D drill seems to be able to drill slightly better in these circumstances.

If u want to fix shelves to room corners, u will most likely drill into concrete beams. So get the best one u can afford. If it still can't drill thru the beams, then just patch it back up and drill somewhere else, or go borrow an industrial strength drill somewhere. If you try to persist with an underpowered drill, u risk making a big, messy, shallow hole(coz it can't punch through), hahaha!

For tiles, get a special tile bit, don't use the concrete drill bits(light coloured steel) or the wood/iron drill bits(dark colour steel). The tile drill bit has an spear shape head that can cut into the toughest tiles. Sometime I also use this bit to drill a neat hole on bricks, then switch to concrete bits for punching thru.

As to which drills to choose, can't help u there, I've only bought one drill in my life and not interested to research anymore. The common RM200-300 drill in the store are general purpose drills and more suited to wood & bricks and that sort of light duties. Contractors use those big ones with a side handle and those are proper hammer drills. You should ask for advise from an experience shop or more b4 u buy.

[PJS]

Ah yes, think of your safety! Follow kwchang's advise, wear a safety goggle, as well as ear protection when u drill. I do!

When you at drilling at close ranger, your ears are inches away from the drill, and can u imagine how many decibels those drills put out? Louder than discos, and more than enuff to damage your hearing. And if your hand is not stable or drilled at the wrong angle, drill bits can break and shoot into your eyes! Don't pray pray!

[CS Chua]

Bosch is definitely better than B&D. I used to think like some of you, buy a simple hammerdrill to do some simple housework. After 10 years, I regret it now as I cannot use it for heavier work. The chuck size is fixed and the power is insufficient. Wish I had bought a more powerful one with a larger keyed chuck. BTW, make sure it has variable speeds. Helps a lot.