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Decide
on the Best Cordless Drill
Using 0 of 16 factors.Clear all:
Type
There are basically three types of cordless drills: drill drivers, impact drivers,
and hammer drills. The overview below and the Drill Types Quick Decide Guide™ will help you decide on which type is best for your type of tasks.
Value
Description
Pros
Cons
Alternatives
Type
Hammer Drill
Adds a hammering action to the usual bit rotation in order to penetrate harder materials
such as brick.
Is best at drilling through hard surfaces like brick and concrete.
Is the most powerful of the cordless drills with voltages between 18 and 36 volts.
The weight can become important if you use the drill for long periods or hold it at
or above head height. In addition, consider the balance and grip for comfort. These
can only be tested in person, but weight is a good surrogate if you can not. Keep
in mind that the more powerful the drill the heavier it will tend to be.
Drill batteries are a very important consideration when purchasing a cordless drill.
Charge time and battery life are important to completing a job in a timely and efficient
manner. The battery weight will affect the how tiring the task will be.
There are three types of batteries for drills: NiCd, NiMH and Li-Ion.
Some of the new battery chargers have features that can both protect the battery and
shorten the charging time for the batteries. These “smart” chargers can recharge
in an hour or less, extend battery life by adjusting the charge and switch to maintenance
mode as the battery approaches full charge.
It is recommended to have two batteries when using cordless drills to save time and
be more efficient in the completion of the task. Most manufacturers offer two batteries
and charger as well as a carrying case in their “kit” offerings.
Value
Pros
Cons
Alternatives
Battery Type
Li-Ion
Light weight.
Has no memory effect.
Has longer charge/recharge life cycle.
Is less sensitive to recharging and storage methods.
Is environmentally friendly.
Expensive.
Can be damaged by overheating (but most chargers/batteries have safety features).
Milwaukee 2650-21, Milwaukee 2411-22, Milwaukee 2450-22, and Milwaukee 2410-22
Drive
The drive/chuck size determines the size of the drill bits that you can use. A 3/8”
chuck can be used for most home projects and the 1/2'’ chuck is more suitable for
heavier workloads.
Modern drills have variable speed triggers, turning the bit faster the more trigger
is pulled. For finer control over the relationship between trigger position and drill
speed, choose a drill with multiple speed ranges.
Value
Alternatives
Speed Ranges
4 speed
Hitachi DS18DL, Hitachi DV18DL, Hitachi DV14DL, and Hitachi DS14DL
The drill speed together with a multi-position clutch takes care of drilling and driving
into all kinds of materials.
Value
Alternatives
Max Speed
1800 RPM
Milwaukee 2610-24, Bosch 37618-01, DeWalt DCD920KX, and DeWalt DCD910KX
1750 RPM
Hitachi DS14DL
1700 RPM
Bosch 37614-01
1650 RPM
Panasonic EY7450LR2S
1600 RPM
Hitachi DS18DL
1500 RPM
Makita BDF451 and Milwaukee 2410-22
1300 RPM
Makita FD02W
Clutch Settings
The clutch allows drilling in different materials without stripping the screw and
will allow the drill to stop rotating if it gets stuck. This protects the motor when
a lot of resistance is met.
Value
Alternatives
Clutch Settings
25 settings
Bosch 17614-01, Bosch 37618-01, Bosch 17618-01, and Bosch 37614-01
24 settings
Milwaukee 2610-24 and Milwaukee 2602-22
23 settings
Hitachi DS18DL, Hitachi DV18DL, Hitachi DV14DL, and Hitachi DS14DL
The higher the torque number the more turning power the drill will have and the tougher
the material that you will be able to work with. Note that DeWalt stopped publishing
torque ratings on most of their drills,
claiming that Unit Watts Out (UWO) is a better measure of power delivered at the chuck. There does not appear to be any straightforward way to convert between UWO and
torque, so values for DeWalt drills without torque ratings are omitted in this factor.
Value
Alternatives
Max Torque
1500 in·lbs
Bosch 26618-01
1420 in·lbs
Makita BTD144
1400 in·lbs
Bosch 26614-01 and Milwaukee 2650-21
1330 in·lbs
DeWalt DC827KL and Hitachi WH18DL
1240 in·lbs
Makita BTD130FW, DeWalt DC835KA, and Hitachi WH14DL