The Erbauer 24V & 18V SDS drills – any good?

There’s up to £100 off these cordless Erbauer SDS Drills – so what’s our verdict?

Currently Screwfix are offering £50 off the Lithium-Ion powered Erbauer 18V cordless SDS drill for £199 and the Erbauer 24V SDS drill for £149. Unsurprisingly they’ve been attracting a lot of attention, but we’ve also had plenty of questions about the quality of these drills.

Let’s start with the 18V Erbauer cordless SDS drill

The good things about the 18V Erbauer are that it’s a 3 mode SDS, so it’s ok for a bit of light chiselling; it’s got an impressive level of power at 2 joules of impact energy and best of all it runs off Lithium-Ion batteries (you get 2 x2.6Ah of these in the package). Compared to the 18V DeWalt, Makita and Bosch SDS drills it’s at least £100 cheaper and matches all of them for specification (only the 18V Makita outstrips it with its amazing 22 minute recharging time). See our 18 Volt SDS drill reviews to find out more. The big unknown about the 18 Volt Erbauer SDS drill is its track record being a relatively new brand (see our thoughts on this below). You can buy the 18V cordless Erbauer SDS  drill at Screwfix on offer now.

…and the 24V Erbauer cordless SDS drill?

Like most of the 24 Volt cordless SDS drills out there, the 24V Erbauer runs off NiCad batteries which are generally heavier than Li-Ion and have a shorter lifespan. Like the 18V Erbauer its a 3 mode SDS drill (rotary hammer, hammer drilling, roto stop for chiselling) but it’s marginally less powerful at 1.7 Joules of impact energy. It comes will some decent features, replaceable carbon brushes, 1 hour charger and 2×2.0Ah batteries. On balance, the 18V Erbauer is a better package but if you’re set on a 24 volt SDS drill you might want to consider the Bosch 24V cordless. You can buy the 24V cordless Erbauer SDS drill at Screwfix now.

So, are Erbauer SDS drills any good?

As you may know, Erbauer is a brand name marketed by Screwfix, essentially an ‘own brand’ product. Price-wise, Erbauer SDS drills are at least £50 cheaper than an eqivalent Makita, Bosch or DeWalt drill. But of course, with power tools, the rule of thumb is generally, ‘you get what you pay for’, so what’s our position?

The first thing to say is that, overall, we’ve heard good things about Erbauer tools. 80% positive, based on a range of tradesmen’s opinions. However, the people we’ve had feedback from are realistic about their purchase. Most recognise that a cheaper tool with a 2 year warranty may not have the same longevity as one that costs twice as much.

To give you the most balanced view here’s what we see as the pluses and negatives of buying an Erbauer SDS drill.

The good points…

1. Erbauer SDS drills have been around for 5 years+ now, enough to establish a track record

2. Screwfix are generally very good in exchanging faulty drills n

3. You’ll get an automatic 2 year warranty – just pop to Screwfix to get a replacement, no need to send it off

4. It’s a 3 mode drill, allowing you do perform light chiselling

5. If it gets nicked or falls off some scaffolding, you’re only down £150.

Worth thinking about…

1. You can’t guarantee that the Erbauer SDS drill are supported in the same way as, say a Bosch, with spares available if you need them

2. If you’ve already got batteries compatible with another brand, they’re no good with an Erbauer

3. The Bosch, Makita and DeWalt 24V SDS Drills have a proven heritage and still sell well despite the arrival of Li-ion drills

So, that’s our view on the Erbauer 24V cordless SDS drill. You can check it out at Screwfix now.

Alternative corldless SDS drills?

If you’re in two minds about the Erbauer, we’d suggest you check out our guide to the best 18V SDS Drills or our 24V SDS drill buyer’s guide