Best Cordless Drill

What is the best cordless drill to buy? As a contractor, DIY warrior as well as a Blogger, this is the frequently asked question we received almost daily from fellow contractors, Do-It-Yourselfer and homeowners searching for the best cordless drill for their needs. These fellow contractors and Do-It-Yourself handymen (or women as well) typically already used or familiar with a cordless drill or perhaps their current cordless drill has eventually died. In both cases, this is not a power tool to buy on a frequent basis, hence making a decision to buy the best cordless drill is a big deal.

Advance Technology on Cordless Drill Battery: Ni-Cad VS Li-Ion Battery

For professionals like contractors and handymen out there, I hope this article become a handy guide to buy the best cordless drill. I realized, as a contractor myself, that my fellow contractors or handymen with past experience using cordless drill in particular brand or type in daily basis, it’s very often saying “Hey I love what I’m used to, but all sudden my trusty tool died, I’ll buy the same cordless drill.”  The advancements in technology means that, after using a particular brand or type for 6 years, or even just over 3 years, you might need to look into shop displays or online shop, or even magazine in your industry, before sticking with the same brand and type again.

This is specially true for the advance development in battery technology. Your old cordless drill may utilize old Ni-Cad battery, that bulky and much less effective compare with the latest Li-Ion battery. The old Ni-Cad battery takes long time to recharge but quickly drained during heavy usage. So I strongly recommend to choose Li-Ion powered cordless drill. The price difference is not that huge.

Cordless Drill Battery Voltage: 12-Volt, 18-Volt or 24-Volt?

Then come to the next factor to consider: battery voltage. One of the very important components in any cordless tools is battery voltage. The higher the volts the faster the motor spins, therefore the drill deliver more power. However, it does have a downside effect, in that generally the more volts you have battery will be bulky and become heavier and therefore the heavier the cordless drill will be. So, unless you need that powerful drilling muscle for your job, you’ll better getting 18V  or even 12V. Think about it whether you will be using your cordless drill for quite long periods. If so, you don’t want anything too heavy for your hand, otherwise you will really be feeling it by the end of the day. Yes, size does matter here.

Based on my experience as Do-It-Yourselfer, 12V cordless drills is adequate and will handle a majority of DIY projects just fine and household jobs as well.

I personally have 12V cordless drill, mainly for my DIY projects and occasionally my wife using it to fix her cupboard or hang her newly bought painting.

And my other experience from various construction projects, either small or medium scale, teach me that the bigger the better to handle on site jobs. And you’ll finish each job faster due to the speed and torque delivered by more powerful cordless drill and also with less frequent recharge. 18V, 24V or even 36V cordless drill is no comparison in terms of torque, speed and effectiveness on your site jobs.

My best cordless drill is Bosch 36618-02 18-Volt (read my Bosch 36618-02 Cordless Drill Review here). I prefer Bosch 36618-02 cordless drill over DeWALT DCD760KL (also read my DeWALT DCD760KL Cordless Drill Review here), which I recommend previously to my best friend, due to Bosch deliver more torque (but DeWALT offer more speed).

For my recent construction project, I need cordless drill with hammer capability. I found Makita BHP452HW (also read my review on Makita BHP452HW Hammer-Drill Review here) is a perfect hammer-drill for my project.

Manual Shifting or Automatic Speed/Torque Adjustment?

Some manufacturers recently introduced an automatic speed/torque feature on their newer model of cordless drill. These are effective way in that it allows the drill to automatically adjust of its toque when you start to encounter resistance during the drilling holes or driving screws. On most cordless drills, you need to adjust this manually, but an automatic process takes away the need to interrupt the drilling or driving jobs to adjust the drill’s speed or torque. These feature also typically have an override which can keep the tool in high speed. I find this type of transmission feature is best for more casual users who may not be familiar with how to correctly adjust the torque and speed based on job’s requirements. For professionals, I’d expect a stronger desire for the simplicity and control of a manual speed/torque.

Keyed and Keyless Chuck

You’ll have an option to choose between keyed chuck and keyless chuck cordless drill. For more powerful cordless drill, you’ll find keyed chuck cordless drill is more common while keyless chuck cordless drill is more convenient when needing to quickly change drill bits.

Cordless Drill Build Quality

Most cordless drills have exceptional rubberized handle for a solid and comfortable grip. So ruggedized is something given these days on most cordless drills. You want to make sure you can put your cordless drill down carelessly on the floor or platform and not have to worry about it getting damaged.

Also rubber bumper put on strategic places to protect the surface without scratching or damaging it, so worry-free when you put this cordless drill on expensive surface.

The biggest differences is not from outside body but comes in the internals elements. High-end models from Bosch, DeWALT and Makita cordless drills have all-metal gears and transmissions which beef up a key components and also minimize point of failure in these cordless drills.

Cordless Drill Weight

Weight and balance are also important factor to consider when choosing the best cordless drill. It’s better to make sure that you choose a cordless drill that feels good in your hand. Choose a cordless drill that is lighter than the competition to avoid fatigue after prolonged use. And it shouldn’t tend to tip forward out of your hand during usage.

Manufacturer’s Warranty

For many of us, a heavy-weight users, a good manufacturer’s warranty is very important, along with technical support if any issues arise. This is especially true if you plan to use your best cordless drill for a long period of time in such aggressive workload.

I found myself having manufacturer’s warranty as follows:

DeWALT cordless drill is backed by a limited three year warranty, 90-day money-back guarantee, one year free service contract, and two-year free service contract on the batteries.

Bosch has ProVantage plan. Under this plan, your Bosch cordless drill will be protected for two-years of free battery replacements, tool replacement for one year, and a free tool repair package for the second and third years.

Makita Lithium-Ion cordless drill is backed by three-year warranty that covers repair due to defects in materials or workmanship. Their Lithium-Ion batteries and its chargers have a limited one year warranty.

Best Cordless Drill Conclusion

Taking into account all of those factors, we hope you’ll have a better decision to get the best cordless drill for you. I personally prefer 12-Volt cordless drill for all-round jobs at home and backyard and go to 18-Volt cordless drill for my contractor’s jobs and medium scale home improvement projects.

I’m in market for Hammer-Drill that suitable for my upcoming project in medium-scale home renovation. I need a hammer-drill for drilling on masonry, among other materials. My current Bosch 36618-02 is a perfect drill for me but doesn’t have hammer capability. So, here I am searching for next best cordless drill. After much searching and reading many specification documents and chat with friend in construction job, finally I settled with Makita BHP452HW that perfectly fit for my construction project.

Makita BHP452HW is truly a great Cordless Drill simply because not only is it a Drill/Driver but also a Hammer-drill. If you find yourself a person that frequently uses both types of drills on your jobs, then you certainly might want to kill two birds with one stone and simply invest in this Makita BHP452HW. I’m assure you you won’t regret. This particular model from Makita is great for drilling into masonry and concrete, fastening anchors, woodworking, carpentry, and any other thing that you need a durable, powerful drill for.

Makita BHP452HW loaded with a 4-pole electric motor and 2 independent speed settings, this cordless drill delivers enough power when needed. Running at 450 inch pounds of max torque, there isn’t much that this drill cannot handle. You can then turn it down to the slower speed setting when you’re working on an easier project that doesn’t demand as much torque and power. Due to Makita BHP452HW weighing only 3.6 pounds and coming in at a length of 8-3/4 inches, this drill is also excellent for squeezing into tighter areas that many other drills can’t reach. If you find yourself working in small spots regularly, this Makita is ideal for you. As with my Bosch 36618-02, Makita BHP452HW won’t putting excessive strain on wrists and hands.

Life of the battery as well as charge time is crucial when selecting a cordless tool such as cordless drill and Makita BHP452HW is exceptional in this field. The 18-Volt Lithium-Ion batteries which it comes with last for a long time, and even when they run out of juice, they recharge in a matter of 15 minutes. I know not many other brands of cordless drills that charge that quickly. Another advantage is you get hold of two batteries instead of just one so you can always have the extra one ready.

A few other features I must say I really like in regards to this Makita cordless drill are its ergonomic grip construction and also the built-in LED light. The unique grip construction makes sure that your hand remains comfy while you’re drilling into tough material. Trigger forward LED light illuminates the work area, ideal for doing work in dark spaces.

The tool must be fit for the job, or so the old wisdom goes. For Makita BHP452HW, it also goes to your hand tightly like a glove. So if you’re in the market for a new drill and you need both hammer and driver-drill, I do believe you’re going to really enjoy Makita BHP452HW for years to come.

As a satisfied customer of Amazon, I bought them (yes I bought some for my project) from Amazon as I did with most of my project needs.

Getting durable dependable tools for your project is top priority especially when you got no time and money to spend on broken tools. When you on the market for Cordless Drill in Pro level, there are several options to choose from a well-known makers like DeWALT, Makita, Panasonic, Bosch. The drill you choose depend on the kind of project requirement you’re working on, like functionality, quality, durability, technical support/service/warranty and budget constraint. One of many makers of cordless drill is Bosch, which model 36618-02 18-Volt Cordless Drill is my best choice to use on my projects.

Bosch 18-Volt Cordless Drill is created for robust drilling even though it looks small in design. The material for casing is made of Durashield, is constructed with ABS/Nylon composite, which makes the housing flexible and impenetrable. Durashield housing make it resistant to damage and it’s the kind of thing I admire most. You may store it unprotected from water and dust unknowingly, but no worries since it can withstand virtually and able to function as usual.

18-Volt Lithium-Ion Battery – Amazingly Light and Powerful

Another characteristics of Bosch 36618-02 18-Volt Cordless Drill is their latest integration of the Lithium-Ion battery. Cordless Drills in earlier years have been using the Ni-Cad battery and like what others complain about it, it just can’t figure out why it easily dies off-it works well for a couple of weeks or months then it eventually worn out. Lithium-Ion Battery in Bosch Cordless Drill has the capacity of drilling, boring holes and driving in longer working hours compared to old Ni-Cad battery. Lithium-Ion Battery included in the package is 2 (two) 18-Volt Slim Packs and you could buy additional Fat Packs for longer runtime later on.

Smooth On Drilling Job

Bosch 36618-02 works at speeds up to 1,600 RPM and produce 500 in./lbs. of torque. This capability has helped me a lot especially on hard wood or cement and it’s impressive! The torque is high in its level and even boring hard-core wood is simple and fast.

Built-in LED Light is a Nice Addition

You can leave your flashlight behind and just carry your Bosch 36618-02 18-Volt Cordless Drill while drilling in dark areas and closed or tight places. The built-in LED light is bright enough for you to see everything.

ProVantage ™ Protection – The Best Guarantee Ever For Customer

Every purchase of Bosch 36618-02 involves a 1 year guarantee on tools and 2 years replacement guarantee for the batteries. Overall, the ProVantage™ Protection makes the purchase risk-free.

Bosch 36618-02 18-Volt 1/2-Inch Litheon Cordless Drill is my choice to be used for tough and professional drilling jobs on very demanding projects.