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

Plasterboard screw gun buying guide for a first UK room

Updated: 23 October 2026

You have a stack of plasterboard in the hall, a combi drill on the floor, and a search page that mixes setter bits, bare bodies, and collated kits under one plasterboard screw gun heading. The useful split is the tool, then the feed, then what the box actually contains. A dimpler can be enough for a patch. A gun earns its place when that bit tears the paper or a ceiling slows you down. The four kept listings are on the [drywall screwdriver comparison](/hub/hand-tools/drywall-screwdriver). Peter F., DIY & tools editor, used those amazon.co.uk listings on 22 October 2026, not a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a stack of plasterboard in the hall, a combi drill on the floor, and a search page that mixes setter bits, bare bodies, and collated kits under one plasterboard screw gun heading.

Our top picks

DEWALT DEWALT DCF630B tool only

Best overall

DEWALT DEWALT DCF630B tool only
8.8/10about £173.67
View offer
Einhell Einhell TE-DY 18 Li-Solo

Best value

Einhell Einhell TE-DY 18 Li-Solo
8.6/10about £83.99
View offer
ONEMANA ONEMANA collated screw gun BR8504

Alternative

ONEMANA ONEMANA collated screw gun BR8504
3.0/10about £104.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Dimpler, hand-fed gun, or collated gun
  2. 2.Cordless body or a lead
  3. 3.What the listing must say
  4. 4.Depth stop, bit, and a short decision

Dimpler, hand-fed gun, or collated gun

A dimpler is a bit that stops the head. Homebuilding quotes a Saint-Gobain plaster manager who tells a novice to use one, and to keep an impact driver off plasterboard because the knocking damages the core. If you are fixing one sheet, or a patch, start with the drill you already own. A hand-fed screw gun is the next step when the dimpler tears paper or the screw count climbs. British Gypsum’s general centres are 300 mm on partitions and 230 mm on ceilings, and a specified system can differ. Collated screws cost more, and they have to match the gun. One sheet: a dimpler. One room, with a hand spare for each screw: a hand-fed gun. A ceiling you cannot hold and load at once: a collated gun, only if the magazine is in the box. Strips versus loose screws are on collated or hand-fed.

Cordless body or a lead

The Einhell TE-DY 18 Li-Solo is £83.99 and the title says without battery. The DeWalt DCF630B is £173.67 and the title says tool only. Both ONEMANA listings print a charger and leave a battery unsettled, and B0D14FHKGF also prints corded electric in the table. A Power X-Change house should not start on 20V Max, and a seller’s Makita-compatible line is not a free pack. Makita’s FS2500/2 is the 240 V reference outside this set. Cord versus battery is on cordless or corded.
DEWALT DEWALT DCF630B tool only

Testsieger

DEWALT DEWALT DCF630B tool only
8.8/10about £173.67
View offer

What the listing must say

Read included components before the star line. A 2 Ah spec field, or 2 Ah beside machine only, is not a battery in the box. The Einhell page names the screwdriver and the E-Box, with the Power X-Change battery and charger separate. The DeWalt contents line is the screwgun and a belt clip. If the title says cordless and the table says corded electric, as B0D14FHKGF does at £89.99, leave it until the page agrees with itself. A UK charger needs a BS 1363 plug, or a conversion plug with a BS 1362 fuse, under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35. A Germany review about a non-German plug is not proof about a UK delivery. Compatible with Makita packs is the seller’s sentence. B0D145G1RG prints 4,200 RPM and 5,000 RPM. They are not one speed.

Depth stop, bit, and a short decision

Without a stop that sets depth, you are looking at a drill. On the Einhell the stop is an adjustable ring. On the DeWalt it is an adjustable nosecone. You still set it on an offcut. The method is how to set drywall screw depth. Plasterboard screws are usually Phillips PH2. Coarse thread is for timber and fine thread is for light-gauge metal. British Gypsum wants the screw at least 10 mm longer than the board, and the head in a depression with the paper intact. A specified fire or acoustic system overrides that. For a first room, with a Power X-Change battery already in the drawer, the Einhell at £83.99 is the settled hand-fed body. On DeWalt 20V Max packs, the DCF630B at £173.67 is the settled tool-only gun, still with no magazine. Skip both ONEMANA rows while the battery line is open.

Common questions

Do I need a screw gun for one room?
You need one if a dimpler on the combi is already tearing the paper, or the ceiling is slow because you are fighting the clutch. One sheet or a patch does not require a gun. British Gypsum’s general centres put a lot of screws into a full room, which is where a depth-stop gun starts to pay.
Should I buy collated or loose screws?
Loose screws suit a patch, mixed lengths, and the two hand-fed guns in this set, the Einhell and the DeWalt as boxed. Collated strips suit a full run if the magazine is in the box and the screws match it. Kitd says collated screws cost more to run. This page does not put a percentage on that.
How do I tell if the battery is in the box?
Read the included-components line, then the title. The Einhell title says without battery, and the pack and charger are separate. The DeWalt title says tool only, and the contents are the gun and a belt clip. A 2 Ah spec field, or 2 Ah beside machine only, does not settle the box. If those lines disagree, treat the battery as unknown.
Will a seller’s Makita compatible line be enough?
It is the seller’s claim. Both ONEMANA listings say Makita packs fit, and neither lists Makita model numbers. Reviewers in Germany reported fitting Makita 18 V or similar packs to B0D14FHKGF. That is not an approval from Makita, and it is not a reason to buy a pack you cannot return if the shoe does not match.
When is a trade body from another shop the honest buy?
When you need a magazine that is named in the box, a service route, or a full day on a 240 V lead. This set’s settled guns are hand-fed bare bodies. Kitd’s Makita examples and a corded FS2500-class gun answer those other jobs, at shop prices that are not the amazon.co.uk figures on the comparison.

Related pages

Drywall screwdriver

Best drywall screw gun UK for the job you are doing

Collated or hand-fed drywall screw gun for UK ceilings

Cordless or corded drywall screwdriver for a UK ceiling

How to set drywall screw depth without tearing the paper

Sources

Public UK sources and maker pages are listed below. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk listing figures used in this comparison. This page did not lab-test depth, noise, vibration or runtime.

  1. British Gypsum, screw fixing centres for partitions, ceilings and encasements (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. British Gypsum site book, edges and screw length (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. HSE, selecting equipment (PUWER) (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. HSE research report RR1182, battery tools and noise (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. HSE, construction noise (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Makita UK, FS2500/2 corded screwdriver (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Homebuilding, screwing into plasterboard (retrieved 22 October 2026)