Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

How to use an Einhell combi drill

Updated: 2026-10-23

The drill is out of the case, the first screw is a hinge on a kitchen cabinet, and the collar has numbers, a drill symbol and a hammer symbol that all look equally likely. On one kit in this set the charger may not even be a UK plug. This is how to use an Einhell combi drill for that first screw and the first hole, using the modes these 18 V Power X-Change tools share. The [Einhell combi drill comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/einhell-combi-drill) is where the nine listings differ. Products Compared has not filmed your model, and a qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. If you are still choosing the carton, the [buying guide](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/einhell-combi-drill/sub/einhell-combi-drill-buying-guide) comes before this page.

The drill is out of the case, the first screw is a hinge on a kitchen cabinet, and the collar has numbers, a drill symbol and a hammer symbol that all look equally likely.

Our top picks

Einhell TE-CD 18/40 Li-i +64

Best overall

Einhell TE-CD 18/40 Li-i +64
9.0/10about £110
View offer
Einhell TE-CD 18/50 Li-i BL Solo

Alternative

Einhell TE-CD 18/50 Li-i BL Solo
8.9/10about £53.95
View offer
Einhell TE-CD 18/50 Li-i BL, 2 x 2.0 Ah

Rank 3

Einhell TE-CD 18/50 Li-i BL, 2 x 2.0 Ah
9.2/10about £75
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Before the trigger
  2. 2.Screws and the clutch
  3. 3.Holes, then hammer
  4. 4.When the bit spins in the chuck

Before the trigger

Fit a Power X-Change pack until it clicks, and centre the direction slider before you touch the chuck. A jammed TP-CD 18/80 was told to centre that switch after the chuck seized. Seat the bit fully, then tighten. Take the pack off before you look inside a slipping chuck. Then look at the charger pins. The exception is the £110 kit, ASIN B0987W5VK6. UK reviews say the charger arrived with a European two-pin plug and no adaptor. Do not run it from a shaver socket. Regulation 35 of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 expects a BS 1363 plug. A two-pin lead is a 30-day rejection under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22.

Screws and the clutch

The numbers on the collar are the clutch, not a power gauge. A low number slips sooner. A higher number drives harder. The drill symbol is for holes and the hammer symbol is for masonry. Start a hinge on a low number, in the slower gear. The rattle is the clutch hitting the preset. On the 50 Nm Solo, ASIN B084K15LGY, a UK review calls that click very loud. If the screw is proud, step up one number. If the head is stripping, step down. One review mentions about half a second before the motor starts. Wait for it. The hammer symbol chews a wood screw.
Einhell TE-CD 18/40 Li-i +64

Testsieger

Einhell TE-CD 18/40 Li-i +64
9.0/10about £110
View offer

Holes, then hammer

For timber or thin metal, use the drill symbol so the clutch cannot slip, with a wood bit or a metal bit. Do not treat a 40 mm metal cell or a 10 cm wood cell as a target. A printed 13 mm chuck is the shank limit. Hammer comes last, and only with a masonry bit. It is a ratchet, not an SDS piston. A 6 mm plug wants a 6 mm hole. If the wall is engineering brick or a concrete lintel, read Einhell combi drill for brick. On soft brick, keep the drill square and clear dust. If nothing happens, the wall is harder than the mechanism.

When the bit spins in the chuck

A spinning bit is usually dirt, a shank that is not seated, or jaws that were never tight. Stop, centre the direction slider, take the pack off, and reseat the bit. On the £75 kit, ASIN B084JZY2HX, UK reviews say the lock ring is too small and too close to the body, so bits slip. That is a complaint on that ASIN. Do not keep drilling while the bit freewheels. If the chuck will not release, do not hit it. Centre the direction switch and try the sleeve with the pack removed. A chuck that stays jammed, or a pack that is dead on arrival, is a stop. Section 22 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is the route in the first 30 days.

Common questions

What do the numbers on the collar do?
They set how soon the clutch slips while you drive a screw. A low number suits small screws in soft timber and plasterboard. A higher number suits a longer screw that still needs to stop before it splits the wood. The drill symbol and the hammer symbol are not higher numbers. They change the job. Learn your collar by seating one screw and listening for the click.
Is a rattling clutch broken?
Usually it is the clutch doing what you asked. The click means the preset torque has been reached and the jaws inside the clutch are skipping. On the 50 Nm Solo, reviewers call that sound very loud, which is unpleasant and still not a stripped gear. If the click happens before the screw has bitten, raise the number one step. If it clicks on every setting with no screw in the chuck, treat that as a fault.
How do I stop a bit slipping?
Centre the direction switch, remove the battery, clear dust from the jaws and push the bit fully home before you tighten. A greasy round shank will spin even in a good chuck. On the £75 kit the lock ring is small and close to the body. If a clean, seated bit still spins every time on that model, the chuck is the limit of the tool.
What if the charger is a two-pin plug?
Stop. Do not charge it from a shaver socket. In this set the two-pin reports sit on the £110, 40 Nm kit, not on every Einhell charger. A UK supply wants a BS 1363 plug. The 30-day right to reject under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is the route while the drill is new.
When do I stop and use another tool?
Stop when the hole is in concrete, when you are chasing a channel, when you cannot tell what is behind the plaster, or when the chuck stays jammed. Hammer mode on these combis is for a short plug hole in ordinary masonry with a masonry bit. An SDS rotary hammer is the other tool. None of these listings prints its own vibration figure.

Related pages

Einhell combi drill bare or kit

Einhell combi drill

Best Einhell combi drill: £75 top pick or £44 value

Einhell combi drill buying guide: carton and chuck

Einhell combi drill brick: when hammer mode is enough

Sources

Public UK sources and amazon.co.uk listings used for this comparison. Prices and review counts were captured on 19 October 2026.

  1. Einhell UK batteries and chargers (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  2. Einhell UK product warranty (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  3. Einhell UK brushless motor warranty (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  4. Einhell English catalogue 2025 (idle speed and blow rate) (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  5. HSE advice to employers on hand-arm vibration (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  6. HSE vibration magnitudes for impact drills (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  7. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 19.10.2026)