I’m looking for a new cordless screwdriver. Does anyone have any recommendations> I want something with a bit of power but not bulky.I’ve had a look around ansd there ate a number of tools that look ok but it’s difficult to know just from product descriptions.
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Don’t know a lot, just can say I own a DeWalt for 13 years. Pricey, but never failed, and it did a full house rebuild and more. Very reliable and powerful.
Just had to change batteries after some years of abuse.
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I’ve used an 18V Black and Decker for the last 5 years. Not too expensive, pretty powerful and it came with two batteries. It hasn’t failed me yet.
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I was looking at a De Walt. I’ve got an SDS drill and it’s a solid piece of kit. Not cheap, as you say, but it it lasts and is reliable I don’t mind.
Which one do you have? They seems to have about a dozen or more. It’s quite confusing.
They’re not made in germany now though. Sticking with dewalt, there’s not much need to go 18v nowadays. A 14.4v will have ample power in a lighter, cheaper package. Saying that an 18v bare impact driver by dewalt can be had for 50 quid if you keep an eye out. Screwfix do a deal on them now and again. The batteries about the same depending on size. But if your just screwing, and not drilling, deffently go for an impact driver!
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I’d been wondering about the benefit of an impact driver. I’ll add that as a required feature as I try to work out which one to buy.
Screwfix have this one on offer at the moment. I’t’s almost half price and looks like it may do the job.
Just looking again and it’s bare, so needs a battery. I’ll also have to buy the bits. Possibly…
Batteries come in various sizes. I don’t need this to work all day, just for maybe an hour at a time, so would a 2Ah battery suffice or would a 3Ah be better? No idea how long they last.
if I had to buy one now, I would go for an impact driver too
DeWalt is my go-to for power tools as well. Good quality stuff 
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Apart if you use it intensively all day long, bigger battery is not necessary.
And even if you have an intensive use, one battery on the machine, another charging.
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2ah would do, even if it does need a charge, they charge very quickly. Impact driver gives you a bit more control, especially if it has a speed control. A drill, even though it has a clutch for screwing, is much more likely to slip out of the screw head. Its just the way the torque is applied. You can still drill with an impact driver (which is my preference too) but you will need drill bits with a hex shank or a set of countersink bits. You’ll not go wrong with that dewalt, they are a very common sight in every workshop in the country.
By the way, when I talk about drilling, I’m talking about wood. An actual drill is better for drilling metal, if you ever intend to use it that way. Or masonry, you’ll want the hammer action on a drill. Everything else, impact driver is better.
Yes, I got it. 
I have a DeWalt SDS drill for masonry. You can’t get through the bricks in my house with anything else.
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Well I’ve dumped my old dewalt ( which was good enough although worn ) but gone through a few batteries over the years and currently use Aldis Ferrex system. I praise by it, thought I’d try cheap and it’s paid off this time 2019 is when I bought a bare drill driver and it’s still going strong. I also bought the rest of the matching tools with it.
Let me put it in the picture, I work on the tools for my living and this (although runs a little slower than my dewalt) gets used EVERY DAY and is my ‘go-to’ super tool. I chose to use the 20/40v system as it gives me 5ah @20v and is less charging per month = a longer battery life. Best thing is it’s not ‘steal-able’ to thick shit scumbags!!
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Impact driver all the way. I use a DeWalt Brushless job and it’s been dropped in concrete, left in the rain, used as a hammer (not by me) and still keeps on trucking. There’s nothing like it for pulling old screws out of wood too. As long as you put a decent quality bit on it, it never fails unless the screw shank snaps…
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That’s what I went for. Used it over the weekend and it’s a beast! 
I bought the DeWALT bits to go with it. Even so it’s quite easy to round them off if too much exuberance or not enough care is used.
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