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Best cordless SDS drill UK

Updated: 22 October 2026

A combi drill that stalls in brick is a stop on a UK job. The next search is for the best cordless SDS drill UK buyers can order today, and the amazon.co.uk rows answer with volts, watts, and a price that may not include a battery. You match the hole to an impact-energy band, stay on an SDS plus shank for ordinary fixings, and price the battery you already own before you compare brands. The [cordless rotary hammer comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/cordless-rotary-hammer) holds the listing table, where a qualifying amazon.co.uk purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. The figures below are shelf prices from that table on 19 October 2026.

A combi drill that stalls in brick is a stop on a UK job.

Our top picks

Ryobi Ryobi R18SDS-0 body

Best overall

Ryobi Ryobi R18SDS-0 body
9.0/10about £90.29
View offer
Dong Cheng Dong Cheng 2.8 J kit

Alternative

Dong Cheng Dong Cheng 2.8 J kit
8.3/10about £99.99
View offer
Dong Cheng Dong Cheng 2.1 J kit

Best value

Dong Cheng Dong Cheng 2.1 J kit
8.5/10about £79.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Joules before volts
  2. 2.SDS plus is the default shank
  3. 3.The battery family is the real price
  4. 4.What not to sort by

Joules before volts

Impact energy, in joules, describes the hammer blow. Voltage only names the battery platform, so an 18 V Ryobi and an 18 V Bosch can sit in different bands. SDS Drill UK's rule of thumb puts about 1.2–2 J on plug holes up to 16 mm, about 2.5–3.5 J on larger anchors and regular chiselling, and about 5 J and above on SDS max, outside this category. A different UK source puts a homeowner band nearer 2.4–3.0 J. Ryobi UK states 1.3 J for the R18SDS-0, with masonry specified to 16 mm. Bosch Professional UK states 2 J for the GBH 18V-22 X, order number 0 611 924 100, optimum 6–12 mm in concrete. A run of 12 mm anchors is where 2 J looks short beside a 2.5–3.5 J tool, while the shank can still be SDS plus.

SDS plus is the default shank

SDS plus is the chuck this category is built around. The bit locks in, the hammer strikes it, and you use that action for brick, block, and concrete. SDS max is the heavier shank, and SDS Drill UK places it at about 5 J and above. If the hole is a fixing, stay on SDS plus. Hammer drilling is for masonry, rotary only is for wood and metal, and hammer-only is for light chiselling. The GBH 18V-22 X manual bars hammer mode for cylindrical and hex bits, even in a ONECHUCK. A round-shank bit from the drawer is a common way to damage the chuck. If your combi's hammer setting is what stalled, read the SDS plus versus combi drill page.
Ryobi Ryobi R18SDS-0 body

Testsieger

Ryobi Ryobi R18SDS-0 body
9.0/10about £90.29
View offer

The battery family is the real price

A body-only price is the price of the tool, not of a drill you can switch on. Buy the bare tool only if you already own the pack and the charger. On 19 October 2026 the cheapest row here was £34.67 for a third-party body sold as a fit for a Makita 18 V pack, with no battery and no review line. The dearest was £319.20 for a GBH 18V-22 X with two 5.0 Ah packs, a charger, and an L-BOXX. Blue Bosch Professional 18 V, green Bosch Home and Garden 18 V, Ryobi ONE+ 18 V, and Dong Cheng 20 V each need their own pack. A green PBA pack runs green tools. A blue GBH needs a Professional pack, though both are marked 18 V. A Dong Cheng 2.1 J kit at £79.99 includes a 4.0 Ah pack, while a Ryobi R18SDS-0 body at £90.29 still needs a ONE+ battery you may already own. The body-only or kit page takes each family in turn.

What not to sort by

Watts on these cordless rows are a poor sort key. Catalogue watts on a battery tool often fail to match the maker. Torque is the same trap: one Ryobi row shows 1,765 Nm, and a ConBlom row shows 0.01 Nm. A length in metres is a shipping dimension, not the depth the hammer will drill. Use a joule figure you can trace, or leave the cell as n/a. Bosch states 2 J for order 0 611 924 100 where the Amazon row is blank. Ryobi's own page states 1.3 J, so drop a third-party claim of 1.7 J. A corded SDS still works all day beside a socket. That limit is not a rank inside this table.

Common questions

How many joules do I need for plug holes in brick?
For plug holes up to about 16 mm, SDS Drill UK's rule of thumb is about 1.2–2 J. Ryobi's 1.3 J R18SDS-0 is specified to 16 mm in masonry, and Bosch's 2 J GBH is optimum at 6–12 mm in concrete. Regular chiselling is where that source moves toward about 2.5–3.5 J. Keep the 2.4–3.0 J homeowner band as a separate view.
Is 18 V the same as impact energy?
Voltage names the battery platform. Joules name the blow. A 1.3 J Ryobi and a 2 J Bosch Professional are both 18 V tools, and a Dong Cheng model can be 20 V with its own joules. Choose the band for the hole first. Voltage matters once you know which packs you can already charge.
When do I step up to SDS max?
SDS max sits at about 5 J and above, for heavy anchors and breaking. The bits and the weight change, and those tools sit outside this cordless SDS plus set. For fixings in brick, a 2 J SDS plus tool and the right bit is the closer match. Cores, a slab, or a full chase belong with a specialist.
Is a body-only price the price I will pay?
You pay a body-only price when the pack and the charger are already on your shelf. The £34.67 body here has no battery. The £319.20 GBH kit includes two 5.0 Ah packs and a charger, so most of that gap is the box. The bare tool costs less if you own the family, and more if the first pack is still to buy.
Do green Bosch batteries fit a blue GBH?
Green Home and Garden packs and blue Professional packs are different families, even when both say 18 V. A PBA pack runs a green tool, and a GBH needs a Professional pack. Price a green tool when your batteries are green. A bare GBH makes sense when you already own blue packs.
Is a cordless SDS enough beside a socket?
A cordless SDS is what you carry to a few plug holes, including a wall with no nearby socket. A full day beside a mains socket still suits a corded SDS, with no pack changes. That limit sits on the battery tool. A 2 J cordless hammer is a poor stand-in for a breaker.

Related pages

Best cordless rotary hammer

Cordless rotary hammer

SDS drill body only: when the bare price is honest

How to drill into concrete with a cordless SDS plus

SDS drill vs combi drill when the brick hole stalls

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file.

  1. HSE, Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. HSE, vibration risk groupings (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. HSE, CN3 drilling with hand-held rotary tools (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. HSE, noise duties (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK, Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. SDS Drill UK, advice when buying an SDS drill (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Bosch Professional UK, GBH 18V-22 X (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Ryobi UK, R18SDS-0 (retrieved 19 October 2026)