Which is the best cordless drill?

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.	Requires special bits. Is heaviest of the cordless drills.	Bosch 17614-01, Milwaukee 2602-22, DeWalt DCD970KL, Bosch 17618-01, Makita BHP454, Hitachi DV18DL, DeWalt DCD930KX, Hitachi DV14DL, and Milwaukee 2411-22
	Impact Driver	Is essentially the same as a drill driver but will automatically increase torque when sensing resistance.	Has less chance of stripping screws. Has less chance of ruining bits. Eliminates the need for a pilot hole.	Is not as effective as a drill driver at drilling holes, but good for driving a large number of screws.	Bosch 26614-01, Makita BTD144, Bosch 26618-01, DeWalt DC827KL, Makita BTD130FW, Hitachi WH18DL, DeWalt DC835KA, Hitachi WH14DL, Milwaukee 2650-21, and Milwaukee 2450-22
	Drill Driver	Has a clutch that slips when rotation encounters resistance, allowing drill drivers to be used to drive screws in addition to drill holes.	Has an adjustable clutch and chuck to maximize power for both drill bits and screwdriver bits. Good for drilling holes in wood and light metals as well as removing screws.	Cannot effectively drill into brick and concrete. May slip when encounters irregular resistance when driving screw.	Panasonic EY7450LR2S, Hitachi DS18DL, Milwaukee 2610-24, DeWalt DCD960KL, Bosch 37618-01, Makita BDF451, Bosch 37614-01, Hitachi DS14DL, DeWalt DCD920KX, DeWalt DCD910KX, Milwaukee 2410-22, and Makita FD02W

Weight

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.

	Value	Alternatives
Weight	5 lbs and higher	Milwaukee 2610-24, DeWalt DCD960KL, Bosch 17614-01, Bosch 37618-01, DeWalt DCD970KL, Bosch 17618-01, Makita BHP454, Bosch 37614-01, DeWalt DCD930KX, DeWalt DCD920KX, and DeWalt DCD910KX
	4 to 4.9 lbs	Panasonic EY7450LR2S, Bosch 26614-01, Hitachi DS18DL, Bosch 26618-01, Milwaukee 2602-22, Makita BDF451, Hitachi DV18DL, Hitachi DV14DL, and Hitachi DS14DL
	3 to 3.9 lbs	Makita BTD144, DeWalt DC827KL, Makita BTD130FW, Hitachi WH18DL, DeWalt DC835KA, Hitachi WH14DL, and Milwaukee 2650-21
	2.9 lbs and lower	Milwaukee 2411-22, Milwaukee 2450-22, Milwaukee 2410-22, and Makita FD02W

Cost

	Value	Alternatives
Cost	$300 and higher	Panasonic EY7450LR2S, Bosch 26614-01, Makita BTD144, Hitachi DS18DL, Milwaukee 2610-24, and DeWalt DCD960KL
	$200 to $299	Bosch 26618-01, Bosch 17614-01, Milwaukee 2602-22, Bosch 37618-01, Makita BDF451, DeWalt DCD970KL, Bosch 17618-01, DeWalt DC827KL, Makita BTD130FW, Makita BHP454, Hitachi WH18DL, Hitachi DV18DL, Bosch 37614-01, DeWalt DCD930KX, DeWalt DC835KA, and Hitachi WH14DL
	$199 and lower	Hitachi DV14DL, Hitachi DS14DL, Milwaukee 2650-21, DeWalt DCD920KX, DeWalt DCD910KX, Milwaukee 2411-22, Milwaukee 2450-22, Milwaukee 2410-22, and Makita FD02W

Battery Type

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). Recharge need comes on suddenly, without warning.	Panasonic EY7450LR2S, Bosch 26614-01, Makita BTD144, Hitachi DS18DL, Milwaukee 2610-24, Bosch 26618-01, Bosch 17614-01, Milwaukee 2602-22, Bosch 37618-01, Makita BDF451, Bosch 17618-01, Makita BTD130FW, Makita BHP454, Hitachi WH18DL, Hitachi DV18DL, Bosch 37614-01, DeWalt DCD930KX, DeWalt DC835KA, Hitachi DV14DL, Hitachi WH14DL, Hitachi DS14DL, Milwaukee 2650-21, DeWalt DCD920KX, Milwaukee 2411-22, Milwaukee 2450-22, Milwaukee 2410-22, and Makita FD02W
Battery Type	NiCd	Less expensive. More difficult to damage. Strong current flow. Recharge need comes on gradually, giving warning.	Heavy. Memory effect: Charge lasts less long if not fully discharged before recharging. Most must be allowed to cool before being charged. Cadmium is environmentally unfriendly and must be recycled properly.	DeWalt DCD960KL, DeWalt DCD970KL, DeWalt DC827KL, DeWalt DCD930KX, DeWalt DC835KA, DeWalt DCD920KX, and DeWalt DCD910KX

Battery Voltage

Voltage (v) and current in Amp-hours (A·h) are measures of the power and an indication of the operating time of the drill.

	Value	Alternatives
Battery Voltage	18 v	Panasonic EY7450LR2S, Makita BTD144, Hitachi DS18DL, Milwaukee 2610-24, DeWalt DCD960KL, Bosch 26618-01, Milwaukee 2602-22, Bosch 37618-01, Makita BDF451, DeWalt DCD970KL, Bosch 17618-01, DeWalt DC827KL, Makita BHP454, Hitachi WH18DL, Hitachi DV18DL, and Milwaukee 2650-21
	14.4 v	Bosch 26614-01, Bosch 17614-01, Makita BTD130FW, Bosch 37614-01, DeWalt DCD930KX, DeWalt DC835KA, Hitachi DV14DL, Hitachi WH14DL, Hitachi DS14DL, and DeWalt DCD920KX
	12 v	DeWalt DCD910KX, Milwaukee 2411-22, Milwaukee 2450-22, Milwaukee 2410-22, and Makita FD02W

Battery Current

Voltage (v) and current in Amp-hours (A·h) are measures of the power and an indication of the operating time of the drill.

	Value	Alternatives
Battery Current	3.3 A·h	Panasonic EY7450LR2S
	3.0 A·h	Makita BTD144, Hitachi DS18DL, Milwaukee 2610-24, Milwaukee 2602-22, Makita BDF451, Makita BTD130FW, Makita BHP454, Hitachi WH18DL, Hitachi DV18DL, Hitachi DV14DL, Hitachi WH14DL, Hitachi DS14DL, and Makita FD02W
	2.6 A·h	Bosch 26614-01, Bosch 26618-01, Bosch 17614-01, Bosch 37618-01, Bosch 17618-01, and Bosch 37614-01
	2.4 A·h	DeWalt DCD960KL, DeWalt DCD970KL, DeWalt DC827KL, DeWalt DCD930KX, DeWalt DC835KA, DeWalt DCD920KX, and DeWalt DCD910KX
	1.5 A·h	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.

	Value	Alternatives
Drive	1/2 inch	Panasonic EY7450LR2S, Hitachi DS18DL, Milwaukee 2610-24, DeWalt DCD960KL, Bosch 17614-01, Milwaukee 2602-22, Bosch 37618-01, Makita BDF451, DeWalt DCD970KL, Bosch 17618-01, Makita BHP454, Hitachi DV18DL, Bosch 37614-01, DeWalt DCD930KX, Hitachi DV14DL, Hitachi DS14DL, DeWalt DCD920KX, and DeWalt DCD910KX
	3/8 inch	Milwaukee 2411-22, Milwaukee 2410-22, and Makita FD02W
	1/4 inch	Bosch 26614-01, Makita BTD144, Bosch 26618-01, DeWalt DC827KL, Makita BTD130FW, Hitachi WH18DL, DeWalt DC835KA, Hitachi WH14DL, Milwaukee 2650-21, and Milwaukee 2450-22

Hex Drive

A hex drive requires a hex shaft drill bit. Impact drills typically have hex drives for better torque transfer through the bit.

	Value	Pros	Cons	Alternatives
Hex Drive	Yes	Better torque transfer through drill bit.	Only works with hex shank drill bits.	Bosch 26614-01, Makita BTD144, Bosch 26618-01, DeWalt DC827KL, Makita BTD130FW, Hitachi WH18DL, DeWalt DC835KA, Hitachi WH14DL, Milwaukee 2650-21, and Milwaukee 2450-22
Hex Drive	No	Can use with other drill bit shanks.	Drill bit rotation may slip.	Panasonic EY7450LR2S, Hitachi DS18DL, Milwaukee 2610-24, DeWalt DCD960KL, Bosch 17614-01, Milwaukee 2602-22, Bosch 37618-01, Makita BDF451, DeWalt DCD970KL, Bosch 17618-01, Makita BHP454, Hitachi DV18DL, Bosch 37614-01, DeWalt DCD930KX, Hitachi DV14DL, Hitachi DS14DL, DeWalt DCD920KX, DeWalt DCD910KX, Milwaukee 2411-22, Milwaukee 2410-22, and Makita FD02W

Speed Ranges

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
	3 speed	Makita BTD144, DeWalt DCD960KL, DeWalt DCD970KL, DeWalt DCD930KX, DeWalt DCD920KX, and DeWalt DCD910KX
	2 speed	Panasonic EY7450LR2S, Bosch 26614-01, Milwaukee 2610-24, Bosch 26618-01, Bosch 17614-01, Milwaukee 2602-22, Bosch 37618-01, Makita BDF451, Bosch 17618-01, Makita BHP454, Hitachi WH18DL, Bosch 37614-01, Hitachi WH14DL, Milwaukee 2411-22, Milwaukee 2410-22, and Makita FD02W
	1 speed	DeWalt DC827KL, Makita BTD130FW, DeWalt DC835KA, Milwaukee 2650-21, and Milwaukee 2450-22

Max Speed

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
	22 settings	DeWalt DCD960KL, DeWalt DCD970KL, DeWalt DCD930KX, DeWalt DCD920KX, and DeWalt DCD910KX
	18 settings	Panasonic EY7450LR2S, Milwaukee 2411-22, and Makita FD02W
	17 settings	Makita BDF451
	16 settings	Makita BHP454
	15 settings	Milwaukee 2410-22
	not applicable	Bosch 26614-01, Makita BTD144, Bosch 26618-01, DeWalt DC827KL, Makita BTD130FW, Hitachi WH18DL, DeWalt DC835KA, Hitachi WH14DL, Milwaukee 2650-21, and Milwaukee 2450-22

Impact

This factor is measured in Impacts Per Minute (IPM). Impact drills deliver 2 – 3 times more torque than a drill driver.

	Value	Alternatives
Impact	3400 IPM	Makita BTD144
	3200 IPM	Bosch 26614-01, Bosch 26618-01, Makita BTD130FW, Hitachi WH18DL, Hitachi WH14DL, and Milwaukee 2650-21
	3000 IPM	Milwaukee 2450-22
	2700 IPM	DeWalt DC827KL and DeWalt DC835KA
	not applicable	Panasonic EY7450LR2S, Hitachi DS18DL, Milwaukee 2610-24, DeWalt DCD960KL, Bosch 17614-01, Milwaukee 2602-22, Bosch 37618-01, Makita BDF451, DeWalt DCD970KL, Bosch 17618-01, Makita BHP454, Hitachi DV18DL, Bosch 37614-01, DeWalt DCD930KX, Hitachi DV14DL, Hitachi DS14DL, DeWalt DCD920KX, DeWalt DCD910KX, Milwaukee 2411-22, Milwaukee 2410-22, and Makita FD02W

Max Torque

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
	850 in·lbs	Milwaukee 2450-22
	650 in·lbs	Milwaukee 2610-24 and Bosch 37618-01
	600 in·lbs	Bosch 37614-01
	570 in·lbs	Hitachi DS18DL
	478 in·lbs	Panasonic EY7450LR2S
	460 in·lbs	Hitachi DS14DL
	450 in·lbs	Makita BDF451
	250 in·lbs	Milwaukee 2410-22
	200 in·lbs	Makita FD02W
	not applicable	Bosch 17614-01, Milwaukee 2602-22, DeWalt DCD970KL, Bosch 17618-01, Makita BHP454, Hitachi DV18DL, DeWalt DCD930KX, Hitachi DV14DL, and Milwaukee 2411-22

Max Hammer Action

The measure of the hammer action is Blows Per Minute (BPM). Usually the hammer action can be turned off and used as a drill driver.

	Value	Alternatives
Max Hammer Action	34000 BPM	DeWalt DCD970KL
	30750 BPM	Bosch 17618-01
	30600 BPM	DeWalt DCD930KX
	29000 BPM	Milwaukee 2602-22
	25500 BPM	Makita BHP454
	25000 BPM	Bosch 17614-01
	22500 BPM	Milwaukee 2411-22
	21000 BPM	Hitachi DV18DL and Hitachi DV14DL
	not applicable	Panasonic EY7450LR2S, Bosch 26614-01, Makita BTD144, Hitachi DS18DL, Milwaukee 2610-24, DeWalt DCD960KL, Bosch 26618-01, Bosch 37618-01, Makita BDF451, DeWalt DC827KL, Makita BTD130FW, Hitachi WH18DL, Bosch 37614-01, DeWalt DC835KA, Hitachi WH14DL, Hitachi DS14DL, Milwaukee 2650-21, DeWalt DCD920KX, DeWalt DCD910KX, Milwaukee 2450-22, Milwaukee 2410-22, and Makita FD02W

Exact Weight

	Value	Alternatives
Exact Weight	5.8 lbs	Bosch 17618-01
	5.75 lbs	DeWalt DCD930KX and DeWalt DCD920KX
	5.6 lbs	Bosch 17614-01
	5.5 lbs	Bosch 37618-01
	5.3 lbs	Milwaukee 2610-24, Makita BHP454, and Bosch 37614-01
	5.25 lbs	DeWalt DCD960KL, DeWalt DCD970KL, and DeWalt DCD910KX
	4.9 lbs	Milwaukee 2602-22 and Hitachi DV18DL
	4.7 lbs	Panasonic EY7450LR2S
	4.6 lbs	Hitachi DS18DL and Hitachi DV14DL
	4.4 lbs	Hitachi DS14DL
	4.2 lbs	Bosch 26618-01
	4.0 lbs	Bosch 26614-01 and Makita BDF451
	3.9 lbs	DeWalt DC835KA
	3.7 lbs	DeWalt DC827KL
	3.5 lbs	Hitachi WH18DL
	3.3 lbs	Makita BTD144 and Hitachi WH14DL
	3.2 lbs	Milwaukee 2650-21
	3.1 lbs	Makita BTD130FW
	2.8 lbs	Milwaukee 2411-22
	2.5 lbs	Milwaukee 2410-22
	2.3 lbs	Milwaukee 2450-22
	2.2 lbs	Makita FD02W

Manufacturer

	Value	Alternatives
Manufacturer	Bosch	Bosch 26614-01, Bosch 26618-01, Bosch 17614-01, Bosch 37618-01, Bosch 17618-01, and Bosch 37614-01
	DeWalt	DeWalt DCD960KL, DeWalt DCD970KL, DeWalt DC827KL, DeWalt DCD930KX, DeWalt DC835KA, DeWalt DCD920KX, and DeWalt DCD910KX
	Hitachi	Hitachi DS18DL, Hitachi WH18DL, Hitachi DV18DL, Hitachi DV14DL, Hitachi WH14DL, and Hitachi DS14DL
	Makita	Makita BTD144, Makita BDF451, Makita BTD130FW, Makita BHP454, and Makita FD02W
	Milwaukee	Milwaukee 2610-24, Milwaukee 2602-22, Milwaukee 2650-21, Milwaukee 2411-22, Milwaukee 2450-22, and Milwaukee 2410-22
	Panasonic	Panasonic EY7450LR2S