Whether you are just learning the basics of simple maintenance or are taking on a second addition to the house, a good drill is essential.

Are Cordless Drills Worth It?

If it’s a cordless model, you can drill holes and drive screws with the same tool—and not have to worry about finding an outlet near the work to power the drill. The good news: There are hundreds of these drills on the market. The bad news: It’s not always clear which drills you should be considering.

What Drill To Buy

Match the Tool to the Job

With all the different models of drill/drivers on the market, it’s easy to buy more tool than you really need. The solution is to buy a drill based on how you will use it. It doesn’t make sense to pay $200 for a tool you’ll use only to hang pictures. Nor is it a good idea to pay $50 for a drill only to have the motor burn out after a few days of heavy work.

You don’t have to drive yourself crazy trying to think up all the possible jobs you’ll have for your new tool. Look at the three scenarios that follow below and see where you fit in. The best drill for home use is likely one for light maintenance and repair. If you ever need more tool than you have, you can step up in power and options. Or rent a more powerful drill for those projects that require one.

What to Look For in a Cordless Drill

1. Chuck jaws: Maximum capacity on most drills is 3/8 inches. Some 14.4 and 18V drills can handle 1/2-inch-diameter bits.
2. Clutch: More settings give you greater control of the depth screws are driven.
3. Speed-range switch: High is for drilling; low is for driving screws. Look for the widest range between them.
4. Forward/reverse switch: Should be easy to operate with your thumb and trigger finger.
5. Hand grip: Texture and contour should aid your grip; try out the grip before you buy.
6. Voltage: More voltage means more power but also added weight.
7. Battery: Two are better than one. New NiMH batteries offer some advantages.
8. Trigger: Make sure your index finger fits around it comfortably when gripping drill. Variable speed offers the greatest control.
9. Keyless chuck: Hand-turn it to open and close the chuck jaws.

Process for Buying a Cordless Drill

1. Check out drills in home centers, noting their weight and balance.
2. Try out vertical and horizontal drilling positions to see how comfortable you feel.
3. Contoured grips and rubber cushioning on some models make them very comfortable, even when you’re applying direct palm pressure.
4. While you’re at it, see how easy it is to change clutch settings and operate the keyless chuck. Home centers often discount hand tools, so be on the lookout for promotions.

Cordless Drill Features

Power

For cordless drills, power is measured in battery voltage. Higher voltage means more torque-spinning strength to overcome resistance. Over the last decade, top-end voltage has increased from 9.6 to 18V, but the range of models include 6, 7.2, 9.6, 12, 14.4 and 18V. Today’s higher-voltage drills have enough power to bore big holes in framing lumber and flooring. That’s impressive muscle. But the trade-off for power is weight. A typical 9.6V drill weighs 3 1/2 lbs., while an 18V model weighs up to 10 lbs.

Handles

Courtesy of Sears Craftsman

Before cordless drill/drivers arrived, most drills had pistol grips, where the handle is behind the motor like the handle of a gun. But most of today’s cordless models are equipped with a T-handle.

The handle base flares to prevent hand slippage and accommodate a battery. Because the battery is centered under the weight and bulk of the motor, a T-handle provides better overall balance, particularly in heavier drills.

Also, T-handle drills can often get into tighter spaces because your hand is out of the way in the center of the drill. But for heavy-duty drilling and driving large screws, a pistol grip does let you apply pressure higher up — almost directly behind the bit — allowing you to put more force on the work.

Clutch

An adjustable clutch is what separates electric drills from cordless drill/drivers. Located just behind the chuck, the clutch disengages the drive shaft of the drill, making a clicking sound, when a preset level of resistance is reached.

The result is that the motor is still turning, but the screwdriver bit isn’t. Why does a drill need a clutch? It gives you control so you don’t strip a screw or overdrive it once it’s snug. It also helps protect the motor when a lot of resistance is met in driving a screw or tightening a bolt.

The number of separate clutch settings varies depending on the drill; better drills have at least 24 settings. With that many clutch settings, you can really fine-tune the power a drill delivers. Settings with the lowest numbers are for small screws, higher numbers are for larger screws. Most clutches also have a drill setting, which allows the motor to drive the bit at full power.

Speed

The least expensive drills run at a single speed, but most have two fixed speeds: 300 rpm and 800 rpm. A slide switch or trigger lets you select high or low speed. These drills are ideal for most light-duty operations. The low speed is for driving screws, the high speed for drilling holes.

For more refined carpentry and repair tasks, choose a drill that has the same two-speed switch and a trigger with variable speed control that lets you vary the speed from 0 rpm to the top of each range. And if you do more hole drilling than screwdriving, look for more speed — 1,000 rpm or higher — at the top end.

Batteries and Chargers

Nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) batteries represent the latest breakthrough in batteries. They’re smaller and run longer than standard nickel-cadmium (Nicad) batteries. NiMH batteries also pose less of a hazard when it comes to disposal than Nicads because they don’t contain any cadmium, which is highly toxic.

Makita, Bosch, Hitachi and DeWalt offer NiMH batteries, and other manufacturers will soon produce these power cells too. All cordless drills come with a battery charger, with recharge times ranging from 15 minutes to three hours. But faster isn’t necessarily better.

A contractor might depend on fast recharges, but slower recharging isn’t usually a concern at home, especially if you have two batteries. What’s more, there are drawbacks to fast charging. A quick recharge can damage a battery by generating excessive heat, unless it’s a specially designed unit.

If you want a speedy recharge, go with a tool from Makita, Hitachi or Panasonic, whose “smart” chargers are equipped with temperature sensors and feedback circuitry that protect batteries. These units provide a charge in as little as nine minutes without battery damage.

Where to Find It

Black & Decker U.S. Powertools

701 E. Joppa Road

Towson, MD 21286

www.blackanddecker.com

800-762.6672

Craftsman Tools

www.sears.com/craftsman (See your local Sears store)

800-390-8792

Hitachi Power Tools USA

3950 Steve Reynolds Blvd.

Norcross, GA 30093

www.hitachi.com

800-829-4752

Makita U.S.A.

14930 Northam St.

La Mirada, CA 90638-5753

800-462-5482

Panasonic Power Tool Division

1 Panasonic Way #4A-3

Secaucus, NJ 07094

800-338-0552

Porter-Cable Corp.

4825 Hwy. 45 N, Box 2468

Jackson, TN 38302

800-487-8665

Ryobi America Corp.

1424 Pearman Dairy Rd.

Anderson, SC 29625

www.ryobi.com

800-525-2570

S-B Power Tool

4300 W. Peterson Ave.

Chicago, IL 60646

www.skiltools.com

877-754-5999

Acme Tools

https://www.acmetools.com/

Woodworker’s Supply

5604 Alameda Pl. NE

Albuquerque, NM 87113

800-645-9292

https://woodworker.com/