This week Conor Popetests cordless drills
Black Decker Cordless Drill, €99
Highs: This drill has "smart select technology" which enables it to adjust automatically to the optimum power and speed. It has a 14.4-volt motor and made light work of drilling deeply into several materials we tested it on. The grip is excellent and the Philips and flathead screwdriver bits are stored securely and neatly in the handle. The screwdriver is excellent, as is the hammer action. It certainly delivers on its promise of "high-speed drilling and effortless screwdriving".
Lows: We suspect we might be paying more because of the brand. And we found that it was just a little too easy to switch the direction of the drill inadvertently, with potentially ruinous consequences. It comes with no accessories apart from the screwdriver bits, which seemed a bit mean.
Verdict: Good quality, high price
Star rating: ****
Bosch PSR12 Drill, €79.99
Highs:This is another well-established brand, which scores extra points because it comes with a 33-piece drill-bit set in a separate box. The bits click audibly into place so we have to worry a little less that one will come flying out and take the top of our head off. It is compact and lightweight and did all that was asked of it without fuss. It also has a cool feature that we didn't even know we wanted until we saw it: a light in the handle, which illuminates the drilling area (particularly handy if you're drilling or screwdriving in the dark or somewhere difficult to reach). It cost 20 per cent less than its principal rival, and is almost as good.
Lows: It has a 12-volt motor, so it might lack a little of the power of the Black Decker, although we couldn't really tell the difference.
Verdict:Very good
Star rating: ****
Tesco Value Drill, €29.99
Highs:Is there anything that Tesco doesn't sell in its value range? Food, clothes, food processors and, now, a range of power tools, including this cheapy drill. When it comes to price, this shares top spot with the drill from Argos, and when it comes to fairly lightweight drilling and occasional screwdriving, it is absolutely fine.
Lows:By our reckoning, however, it wasn't really up to speed when it came to the more punishing tasks. It struggled to make much of an impression on a breeze block we needed to make holey. It was nowhere near as good as some of the other brands tested and we were a bit concerned that the money we saved in buying this would prove costly in stress and poorly executed DIY tasks. It doesn't come with a spare battery or a case.
Verdict: Cheap, but lightweight
Star rating: **
ROK Cordless Hammer Action Drill, €49.99
Highs: This is a tough guy's drill - its name, its heavy weight and its souped-up motor give the impression it's a hard-as-nails power tool. It has a 24-volt motor, which makes some of the competition seem puny. It has two gears and an easily attachable slider-handle to give drilling extra oomph. It is hard to argue with the price, and while it might not be a brand name you recognise, it will certainly do a job for you. Included in the (ridiculously outsized) plastic case are six drill bits and six screwdriver heads.
Lows: We weren't sure if the drill bits included were for masonry, metal or wood and could find nothing in the instructions to illuminate us. It is the heaviest of the drills we tested and the absence of a spare battery was another minus.
Verdict:Hard to argue with the price
Star rating: *****
Challenge Cordless Drill, €29.99
Highs: While this is cheap, it is not the cheapest Challenge drill we saw in the Argos catalogue, (unfortunately, the one that cost under €20 was out of stock when we went looking). It has 19 power settings and a voltage which is comparable to some of the far more recognisable (and, it has to be said, expensive) brands.
It has a natty little spirit level in the handle which has been designed, the manufacture assures us, to ensure we don't go astray when drilling horizontally. It is pretty powerful and did all that was required of it in a fairly neat fashion.
Lows:Apart from the spirit level, the bells and whistles are fairly thin on the ground and this was the only drill we tried that didn't give us so much as a screwdriver bit.
Verdict: Pretty good value
Star rating: ***
