Few power tools are as versatile as a handheld drill. It makes holes in wood, steel, non-ferrous metals, concrete, drywall, plastics and goodness knows what else. It makes threaded holes to accept a machine screw. It drives any number of threaded fasteners from wood screws, to drywall screws to concrete screws. It not only drills specialized holes for pocket screws, it drives the screws themselves, and you’re one step closer to being a furniture maker. Use a nut driver bit or a socket to zoom through assembly work, tightening a bolt head or a nut. Specialized drills have a chisel setting that allows the tool to work in a percussion mode without rotary action at all.
Here’s what you need to know to select the right drill.
Cordless Drills
What it is: Often called a drill/driver. It’s a battery-powered hole maker and a fastener driver for screws, nuts and small bolts. It’s equipped with a clutch that disengages the drill’s drivetrain when the tool reaches a specified amount of torque (turning force). By disengaging the drivetrain at that point, it prevents stripping the fastener head, snapping the fastener off or driving the fastener right through a piece of wood.
Where to use it: Use these anywhere you need to make a hole or drive a screw, set a nut or tighten a small bolt.
Mechanical insight: Four things determine the work that these tools do.
Battery voltage: It ranges from 8 volts all the way up to 60 volts with 12-volt and 18-volt the most common voltages. The larger the battery/motor voltage, the heavier work these tools can do. Increase the voltage and you can drill larger diameter or deeper holes, drive larger screws or tighten a bigger nut.
Battery size: This is measured in amp hours. The larger the battery’s amp hours, the longer you can operate a cordless drill.
Functions: Cordless drills are always equipped with a clutch that allows the tool to drill or drive, but it may also be equipped with a hammer function that allows the tool to drill a hole in concrete or stone using a carbide-tip masonry bit.
Chuck size: Cordless drills are equipped with two different size chucks, 3/8 inch or ½ inch. Choose a product with a larger chuck diameter if you expect to routinely drill larger diameter holes.
Purchasing power: There’s no shortage of great deals on cordless drill/drivers, hammer drills and specialty tools.
DeWalt Flexvolt 20-Volt Max
DeWalt’s Flex Volt system allows you to use the company’s 20-volt max tools and a 60-volt battery. This enables cross compatibility between the company’s 20V Max and 60V tools. Also some of DeWalt's 60-volt tools accept a 120-volt adapter that lets you run off a generator or wall outlet.
Ryobi P208 One+ 18-Volt
One of the best buys in the power tool kingdom is Ryobi’s little 18-volt drill (this one comes with no battery or charger). Why own it? For this money, you can have two drill/drivers set up and ready to go. Drill with one, drive with the other. This is the one we keep in the PM shop.
Bosch 18-Volt Compact Drill
Another tool that we keep in the shop is this slim, little Bosch 18-volt kit. I’ve sent PM’s drill home with countless staffers for fix up jobs at their homes or apartments. It’s hard to beat, especially because it comes with two batteries at such an affordable price.
This combo kit is an incredible value and really is contractor duty. The drill has a ½-inch chuck and both it and the impact driver will do several hours of hard work before you see any sign of battery fade. But if you need more capacity, this one from Milwaukee Tools is also a great pick.
Pro Tip: Consider buying a factory-reconditioned tool at a steep discount. Sometimes these are essentially brand new tools that have no more than a few minutes or a few hours of run time. They have to be cycled through the factory reconditioning process because they are no longer considered a new product.
Impact Drivers
Professionals and homeowners alike find themselves using impact drivers instead of cordless drills, especially with the advent of bit sets with hex-shank accessories that are specifically designed to withstand the stresses that these drivers impose on a bit.
Impact drivers are high-torque tools primarily used for driving screws and tightening nuts (an operation known as nut setting). Their chuck accepts only bits with a ¼-inch hex shank. You either pull up on the chuck sleeve to insert a bit or you just slip the bit into the chuck.
These tools are lighter and smaller than drill drivers, and although they are not as versatile, they will perform many of the same functions. Since their torque output is higher than a typical drill driver, they get through work more quickly.
Purchasing power: Like cordless drills, great deals are to be had on some of our favorite impact drivers if you know where to look.
American-made impact drivers are a rarity, but we’re glad to see them when they do pop up. This DeWalt is one.
Milwaukee’s 12-volt impact driver might be small, but it’s feisty. This helps explain its popularity with electricians and HVAC contractors. I know several that use it.
Milwaukee MLW2553 M12 Fuel
If extreme compactness is important to you, then this stubby version might be the answer to your drilling and driving problems.
Bosch IDH182 18-Volt Impact Driver
Bosch calls this hybrid tool "The Freak." The 18-volt drill is a combination impact wrench and impact driver, owing to a unique chuck that accepts bits or sockets.
Corded Drills
What it is: A drill powered by a 120-volt motor and a conventional 3-jaw chuck. These drills are traditional products and are often used for heavy-duty applications in drilling holes in wood, concrete, and steel. Since they are not equipped with a clutch, they are not designed to tighten or drive fasteners. They excel at hole drilling.
Where to use it: Use these anywhere you need to make a hole, and especially in places where the drill’s size will not limit its usefulness. Where the drill’s size might pose a problem, see the specialist sidebar for right-angle drills.
Mechanical insight: Four things determine the work that these tools do.
Amperage: Amperage is the flow of electrical current. Corded drills come in a range of motor capacities from 6 to 13 amps. The more amperage they draw, the heavier the work you can expect to do with them.
Chuck size: Corded drills will have a 3/8, ½-inch, 5/8-inch or ¾ inch chuck. Choose a chuck with a larger capacity diameter if you expect to routinely drill large holes.
Functions: Corded drills may or may not be equipped with a hammer function for drilling concrete and stone.
Most corded drills are variable speed to help you better drill a combination of materials. But a few are single speed.
Purchasing power: There’s no shortage of great deals on corded drills, hammer drills, and specialty tools. You're going to want to buy a little more drill than you think you might need, but don’t go too crazy, either.
Bosch 1006VSR Keyless Chuck Drill
A good example of a high-quality, light-duty drill is this Bosch with a 3/8-inch chuck and a 6.3-amp motor.
This DeWalt is a bit heavier and a little bulkier than the Bosch, but that’s a tradeoff you might want to make for heavier-duty drilling.
Moving up in capacity, you have this brute of a Makita drill with an 8.2-amp motor, variable speed and hammer function. It’s an extremely well built power tool.
Milwaukee Super Hawg Joist and Stud Drill
For tight-spot drilling between joists and studs, Milwaukee’s Super Hawg drills are legend. These monsters will drive just about any drill bit and can rotate for improved hole drilling position.
Roy Berendsohn has worked for more than 25 years at Popular Mechanics, where he has written on carpentry, masonry, painting, plumbing, electrical, woodworking, blacksmithing, welding, lawn care, chainsaw use, and outdoor power equipment. When he’s not working on his own house, he volunteers with Sovereign Grace Church doing home repair for families in rural, suburban and urban locations throughout central and southern New Jersey.
