Portable and Powerful Drills!
A cordless drill for the home is a necessity, be it for assembling furniture, hanging fixtures or the myriad odd tasks that inevitably pop up around the house. But how to decide among all the options out there, with 12V Max, 18V and 20V Max systems, extra batteries, drill-drivers and more? Four Best’s research has found that many products on the market are overbuilt for typical home applications and that many extra features are simply not necessary.
How We Chose
Robust, Powerful and the Right Price
At Four Best we are practical people. We recognize that in some situations it is necessary to go for robust, commercial grade products. However, if we believe our viewers can meet their goals with less, we won’t hesitate to let you know. A cordless drill for your home can be exactly one of those situations where less is more—more money in your pocket that is!
Searching around the web, we found that 18V and 20V Max systems are frequently recommended for home use. Many expert blogs also state that having two lithium-ion batteries is a necessity. However, our research has found that in some cases—such as those requiring access to tight spaces or overhead tasks—a 12V Max system can be preferable to a higher voltage system due to the weight and space savings. Moreover, an extra battery may only be worth the expense if you work on large DIY projects—a single battery is plenty of juice for most tasks around the home performed by non-professionals.
With all that in mind, we selected the Bosch as our top pick because we feel this unit hits the sweet spot between affordability and the ability to tackle larger DIY tasks. Specifically, the Bosch is the second least expensive unit at the time of our comparison yet comes with two 18V batteries for larger tasks. It is also powerful, with a top speed of 1,300 RPM and 350 inch pounds of torque. Lastly, it is lightweight, at only 3 lbs., making it suitable for overhead applications.
Our "budget" runner up, the Black + Decker, is the most affordable unit at the time of this comparison. This drill is a 20V Max system and comes with a single battery as well as a set of 30 accessories (e.g. drill bits, screwdriving bits, nut drivers). Although this drill only spins at a maximum of 750 rpm, it still has 300 inch pounds of torque—plenty for most home tasks. If you don't ever see yourself going beyond furniture assembly and similar simple tasks, this the drill for you.
Our "tight locations" runner up is the Makita. This is a very high quality unit and the only option with a brushless motor in our comparison. It also comes with a hard carrying case and an extra 12V Max battery, which the drill uses to deliver 280 inch pounds of torque and up to 1,500 rpm. All this in the lightest (2.3 lbs) and smallest package in our comparison, making it perfect for tight spaces and extended overhead tasks. The trade off for these features is cost—the Makita is the priciest unit at the time of our comparison.
The DeWalt didn't make our top spots due to consumer reports about the batteries quickly losing their ability to hold a charge. Although we have not experienced this issue ourselves (our testing has been issue free), the presence of these complaints makes it difficult for us to recommend this unit.
More Four Best Reviews
An Important Note On Batteries
12V Max, 18V and 20V Max: What's the Difference?
In General – When choosing between a 12V Max, 18V and 20V Max cordless drill, it is important to keep in mind that while the higher voltage models can almost always do the job of a 12V Max model, the reverse is rarely true. Specifically, cordless drills with 18V and 20V Max batteries generally have more power and will hold their charge for longer than those with 12V Max batteries.
Importantly, we feel the Makita is something of an exception to this general rule. Specifically, while its torque is not as powerful as the other drills in this comparison,* its maximum of 1,500 rpm is tied with the DeWalt. This likely due to the Makita's brushless motor, which will run cooler and longer (i.e. using less power) than a comparable bushed counterpart.
*We must guesstimate the torque figure for the DeWalt as the manufacturer does not provide figures in inch pounds but instead in unit watts out or UWO. This is a whole "nother" topic of conversation, although it is likely safe to say the DeWalt's torque measured in inch pounds is somewhere between that of the Black + Decker and Bosch (i.e. between 300 and 350 inch pounds).*
What About the "Max" Designation? – Our extensive research shows that 18V and 20V Max batteries have the same power output. The “Max” is simply a marketing gimmick that means the battery’s output can go as high as 20V (i.e. "Max") for a brief period of time, something that is also true with 18V batteries.
If this confusing, it might help to think of the difference as boiling down to what is being referenced—both 18V and 20V Max batteries have a nominal voltage of 18V and a maximum voltage of 20V. In short, some manufactures reference the nominal voltage for their batteries while others reference the maximum voltage. The same is true with a 12V Max system, which is really just a 10.8V system when measured using nominal voltage.
Some Useful Information...
Extras and Accessories
Extra Batteries – As indicated above, one major consideration when selecting your drill is the number of batteries you want to come with it. For light home use, one battery should be more than enough. For larger tasks or if you are interested in expanding your home tools arsenal to include impact drivers, saws and more, you will want more than one battery—this will give you the ability to work on a project while charging the other battery or even to use the extra battery for other devices in your expanding tool arsenal. Keep in mind that any additional tools you decide to purchase will need to be compatible with the same battery system!
Drill Bits and Accessories – You will need a set of drill bits and accessories (such as a screwdriver bit for driving screws) to get to work with your new drill. Among the options in today's comparison, only the Black + Decker comes with a set of bits and other accessories (the Bosch does come with a screwdriver bit, but this is an almost comical inclusion in an otherwise great package). Our favorite aftermarket set is actually two small sets: this one for drilling by DeWalt and this one for driving also by DeWalt.
Carrying Case – Having discussed extra batteries, drill bits and accessories, don't forget a place to put everything. While all of the options in today's comparison (with the exception of the Black + Decker) come with a carrying case sufficient to store the items included with your purchase, only the DeWalt comes with a case that is big enough to store a (small) set of bits and accessories. If you want a place to store all of your gear in one place we recommend models by Workpro.
Be Realistic!
At Four Best we try to be practical people (although we don't necessarily always listen to our own advice—we're only human after all). A mentioned above, a cordless drill for tasks around the house is likely one of those situations where less is more. Specifically, most home users overestimate the range of tasks they will use a drill for—that is, despite our grand DIY ambitions, we typically only use drills for simple tasks like assembling furniture and hanging fixtures. Four Best recommends being realistic about what you will use your drill for—this will enable you to tailor your purchase decision and maximize your hard earned cash.
And PSST, if you have a really big job sometimes it really is better to hire a professional. If you don't believe us, try to hang a door on your own . . . we did and it's IMPOSSIBLE!
Why Four Best?
Seriously...
We started Four Best on the premise that a great deal of the information required to properly evaluate a given product is already right in front of your (and our) eyes. In fact there is too much information! A crucial skill necessary to picking the best products is instead the ability to cull through the available information, focusing on what should really drive a purchase decision.
To make those crucial determinations as to what matters and what doesn’t, we begin by thinking through what really matters to us when we use a particular product. We then use the that type of product to further refine the features we care about and that we think you will care about too. Next we search the web, looking to manufacturer’s websites, product specifications, consumer reports, expert blogs, research reports and the like to obtain crucial insights and the facts.
Finally, we distill the results of our research and combine it with our own experiences as consumers, professionals, techies, mothers, fathers, hobbyists, designers, software engineers, attorneys (sorry) and more. Ultimately, this process results in the reviews we present to you. We hope you enjoy!
Credits:
- Photo of woman with drill from iStock.
- Photo battery cell from iStock.
- Photo of drill accessories in case from iStock.
- Photo of man installing door from iStock.
- Photo of group jumping in office from iStock.
*Images have been cropped and/or resized.
More Interesting Reviews:
