These home and garden experts then thoroughly research, vet, and recommend products that support homeowners, renters, DIYers, and professionals in their to-do lists. While refurbished, reconditioned, or renewed tools are often excellent, there’s always dewalt reciprocating saw a chance it could be a dud. Check the drill as soon as it arrives so you can get your money back if there’s a problem. Depending on how you intend to use the power tool, one or more of the following extras may be worth looking for in a kit.
With a fully charged battery, we started our tests with the pistol grip and a small paddle bit with a hex shank. It doesn’t accept round-shank bits, which is a bit of a downside. Since the Makita is a 7.2V drill/driver, we didn’t expect it to have as much power as other models we tested. Sure enough, it didn’t, but it’s not designed to rival a professional 20V drill. It’s made to drill holes mostly in wood or drywall, and it does that quite well.
It’s intended for basic around-the-house drilling and driving, and it does that exceptionally well. We tried a variety of bits, and the Black+Decker handled all but the largest auger bit. The battery went out around the 25-minute mark, so we paused to recharge. The compact Makita comes with a 20-setting clutch, so we tested the various torque settings to the screws we were using. This little Makita has slightly less power and torque than the 18V and 20V models we tested, yet it was surprisingly powerful for a 12V cordless drill. Nearly all cordless power tools, including drills, run on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.
We know how important it is for professional landscapers and home gardeners alike to have access to high-quality tools that are made right here in the USA. When you buy from Power Planter, you can trust that you are supporting American workers and investing in durable, reliable drill augers that will help you keep doing what you love. Next, we evaluated and scored the DCD771C2 driving power when setting screws; this is also responsible for 35% of its final score. The DCD771C2 earned a fantastic score, based on its performance at driving in both a countersunk #9 wood screw and a 5″ long, ½” diameter lag screw. The DCD771C2 finished out with a solid performance when drilling through the steel sheets. Again, this drill never really struggled or stalled, but it did take a bit longer, though not much.
In our tests, this 12-volt Bosch couldn’t drill as many 1-inch holes on a single charge as our top pick, but it still has more than enough power for general home tasks. In our own measurements, we found it to be about 5 ounces lighter than the DeWalt 12-volt, but it feels heavier because the balance isn’t as good. The Bosch battery slides up into the handle, making the grip fatter and not as contoured as the DeWalt’s. While many general-purpose cordless drills are quite large, others can be pretty compact without sacrificing power. That’s good to know when it comes to drilling and driving screws in confined spaces. However, there is some natural confusion about 18 and 20V cordless drills.
For the purposes of this article, unless we’re speaking about the specific name of a drill, we’re using the term “18-volt,” which has long been the standard term for the class. I spent 10 years in construction as a carpenter, foreman, and site supervisor, working on multimillion-dollar residential renovations in the Boston area. In that time, I’ve probably used at least 50 different drills, and I’ve been testing them for Wirecutter since 2015. I also live in a 1773 saltbox house that requires a very hands-on, tool-heavy approach. So between all of the framing repairs, loose floorboards, shed adjustments, beehive building, coop fixes, stall creation, and fence alterations, I have a drill in my hand nearly every single day. Prior to owning the saltbox, I gutted and rebuilt a circa-1900s farmhouse.
Those who want to maximize performance and runtime, particularly professional users, often choose a brushless cordless drill. The drill comes with 15 clutch settings that were easy to adjust and allowed us to insert a variety of screws into materials of varying density without stripping out any screw heads. The DeWalt also has an optional belt clip that can be attached to the tool’s right or left side. The M18 comes with a ½-inch chuck, so most standard drill and screw bits will fit, and the Milwaukee features a handy belt clip on the bottom side. In the end, we analyzed each drill’s cumulative score, and those that performed the best within their voltage range earned a spot on our best cordless drill lineup. We’re confident that these drills are among the best cordless drills on the market today—for several different types of users.
How you plan to use a drill will determine how much voltage is needed. Often 12V models make great general-purpose household tools for occasional use. This cordless drill comes with an 18-position clutch that made it easy to adjust the torque power to keep from stripping out screw heads when we tested its driver function. However, we noticed that the clutch ring was pretty tight and took some effort to adjust. It also has a bright LED guide light on the front of the handle just above the grip, and it did an excellent job illuminating the work area when we used it in a dim setting. Like the hammer drill, the battery power of the driver lasted longer than we did.
Larger 18- and 20-volt models are used by pros and avid DIYers who engage in more advanced carpentry projects, such as building a bookcase. This cordless drill is rugged and powerful enough to be worthy of a pro job site while remaining affordable enough for a DIYers budget. Powered by a 20-volt battery, DeWalt’s cordless drill can reach speeds of up to 1,500 rpm, making it fast enough to handle jobs that require a lot of fasteners. A slower speed option with a max of 450 rpm adds versatility and maximizes the drill’s torque output.