These Are The 7 Best Cordless Drills, Based On Weeks Of Testing

The best cordless drills offer more speed and power than a screwdriver, plus the capability to drill holes in drywall, wood and other materials for quick home repairs or making your DIY dreams come true. After testing 12 cordless drills with varying amounts of power and features, the DeWalt 20V Max Brushless Cordless ½-Inch Hammer Drill Kit is my top pick because it has enough power to complete a wide range of tasks, but it’s easy to adjust the settings and comfortable to hold. On the other hand, if you need only a light-duty drill for tasks like hanging shelves and assembling furniture, then the Milwaukee M12 Fuel Installation Drill/Driver Kit is a more compact tool with four attachments for increased versatility.

Here are all the winners from my testing process:

To understand the differences between drills, I spoke with with Brandon Walker, construction manager with ASAP Restoration, who identified four factors that affect the power delivered by a cordless drill: voltage, battery, torque and speed. Most notably, cordless drills are divided based on voltage into light-duty (12V) models and heavy-duty (18V or 20V) models. Within these categories, you’ll find drills with varying amounts of torque and speed. A rechargeable battery is often part of the bundle and is usually interchangeable with other compatible batteries from within the brand. So if you already own one or more cordless power tools from a specific brand, it may be most advantageous to look for a cordless drill from that lineup to maximize the opportunity to use the same batteries for all of your tools.

With these factors in mind, I tested a range of cordless drills, along with a couple of impact drivers, to find the models best suited for tasks large and small. Here are the best cordless drills to help you knock out your to-do list.

The DeWalt 20V Max Brushless Cordless ½-Inch Hammer Drill Kit is a great pick whether you’re starting out with DIY projects or expecting to take on more advanced maintenance or repair tasks. This do-it-all drill has a 20V brushless motor that, when compared to a brushed motor, reduces internal friction that can otherwise negatively impact battery life, cause the drill to overheat more quickly and require more maintenance. It proved itself more than capable for every task during testing, and it combines a compact form with a trio of LED lights for better access and visibility in tight, dark spaces compared to every other cordless drill I tested. While it isn’t the lightest cordless drill that I tried (that title belongs to the 1.4-pound Bosch 12V Max Two-Speed ¼-Inch Hex Pocket Driver), its 2.5-pound weight feels balanced in the hand, with a good grip.

Several features make this cordless drill especially well-suited for light-duty tasks like driving screws or drilling holes, as well as heavy-duty jobs like driving a lag bolt. The drill has two speed settings and 15 clutch settings, which are clearly marked and can be easily adjusted to optimize the power and torque for the job at hand. For example, when drilling holes into a beefy piece of lumber 6 inches thick, this DeWalt drill operated smoothly without any hesitancy or overheating, and it had enough power to avoid being bogged down by wood shavings, which was an obstacle for some other cordless drills I tested. At the same time, it wasn’t too cumbersome to use for basic tasks like drilling pilot holes into a 2-inch-thick board. During testing, it was one of the most versatile drills that I used, and it didn’t seem too complex for simple jobs or underpowered for tougher work.

Although my testing didn’t include masonry applications on materials like concrete, brick or stone, this option is equipped with a hammer drill function to make penetrating these dense materials easier. Elaborating on this capability, Nick Cappolloni of DeWalt says, “This function delivers enhanced percussive force in addition to the drill’s rotational force.” It’s most useful when the task at hand involves driving fasteners into concrete or drilling holes into brick.

Out of the box, this DeWalt drill includes a 2 Ah (amp-hour) battery, charger, belt hook and soft-sided storage bag. It doesn’t include a side handle for extra stability, but I didn’t have any trouble controlling the drill’s power during testing.

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For more intensive jobs, the Milwaukee M18 Fuel ½-Inch Drill/Driver Kit is the best heavy-duty cordless drill that I tested. It has a metal chuck (the adjustable mechanism at the end of the drill head that holds a drill bit or driver) rather than plastic for better grip and bit retention, along with 18 volts of power, and it offers a faster max speed than any other cordless drill I tested (except for the Makita 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Impact Driver Kit). During testing, the 2,100 rpm drill speed meant this tool was capable of driving a 5-inch lag bolt all the way into a 6-inch wooden post in a way that felt very powerful, like the tool had something to prove. To control the power, Milwaukee also includes a side handle for this drill that gives you more control and stability and minimizes the chance of experiencing kickback, which happens when the drill bit ‘binds,’ or gets stuck in the material you’re drilling into. This sends the force from the motor through the tool and causes the drill to ‘kick’ or counter-rotate in your hand, which can cause injuries like sprains.

This drill’s impressive max speed of 2,100 rpm also meant that it made quick work of drilling holes into a 6-inch post, in a way that felt smoother and faster than other cordless drills I tested. It didn’t struggle to drive screws into a pair of stacked 2-inch-thick boards, so it’s versatile enough to use for light-duty tasks, too, although you’re likely to notice its increased weight (4.8 pounds) and noise. When compared to other drills, the high-power motor, metal chuck and large battery make this model feel large and heavy in the hand. But it also feels very durable, like it would easily withstand being dropped. Regarding durability, Walker says, “If the drill is for a worksite where people wear hard hats, then getting a good higher-end model that can survive a fall or a cinder block being dropped on it will be a better option.” This Milwaukee model fits that description and is the only option I tested that comes in a hard-sided case for easier transport and safekeeping, rather than a soft-sided bag.

If small home projects are the only tasks on your to-do list, there are better options for a cordless drill that will be smaller and quieter for use around the house. But on the job site or for major home renovations, the Milwaukee M18 Fuel ½-Inch Drill/Driver Kit has more than enough power and is one of just a few drills I tested that also include a pair of batteries (in this case, long-lasting 5 Ah batteries) and a charger.

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The Milwaukee M12 Fuel Installation Drill/Driver Kit impressed me with its smooth performance, easy-to-hold design and multiple attachments—making it the 12V cordless drill I would put in my toolbox. It has a brushless motor with two speed settings and up to 1,600 rpm. That was enough power to easily drill holes into stacked 2-inch-thick boards or seat a dozen screws, yet this drill was limited in its ability to drive a lag bolt or drill deep holes in a 6-inch post. Those limitations are understandable for a 12V drill, which prioritizes a smaller form over major power and torque.

Regarding form, this 12V cordless drill stood out from the other options I tested based on its in-line grip coupled with a front support that is magnetic and can hold various drill bits, saving me a return trip to the toolbox when I was in the middle of a task. The handle coupled with the bit holder means that the drill easily stands on its own in between tasks without risk of it toppling over, while most of the other 12V drills I tested have to be placed flat on the work surface. Four attachments add to the versatility of the drill, including a right-angle elbow and offset attachment for better access in confined spaces while using the ⅜-inch all-metal chuck or ¼-inch hex attachments. The attachments are likely to come in handy when working in a cabinet or around fixtures, but I wish that the LED offered better illumination. It’s a bit dim when compared to the work light provided by other cordless drills.

The most unique aspect of the Milwaukee M12 Fuel Installation Drill/Driver Kit is its push-button control pad on the top of the drill, which has two buttons to change the direction of the drill (forward and reverse) and a lock button. I thought that this feature would be more intuitive than it actually is; during tasks like drilling holes using a drill bit, it became cumbersome to stop and push the button every time I wanted to use the drill in reverse. All the other drills I tested are equipped with a mechanical button on either side of the hand grip, making it faster and easier to change the direction of the drill. Still, I think that the push-button controls are at least innovative in theory, if not overly intuitive in use.

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