I’m looking for a new cordless drill. What do you recommend? Here are are the 2-3 models in each class (18V and 12V) that I recommend most. This isn’t a roundup or full comparison; if you have questions about a particular model, ask away in a comment or email. These recommendations represent what I subjectively feel are the best options from among all the cordless drills and drivers I have recently tested or am otherwise familiar with. Consider it a what I’d buy list.
Update: Also check out our 2014 best cordless drill recommendations!
18V: Milwaukee Fuel
It’s compact, yet powerful. Powerful, yet long-lasting, thanks to the brushless motor and high-performance batteries. Preview Buy Now(via Home Depot)
18V Runner-up: Ridgid X4
I’m a sucker for unique engineering, but the X4 cordless drill/driver has proven itself to be a great performer with great ergonomics. Preview Buy Now(via Home Depot)
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Special Mention: Craftsman C3 XCP 19.2V
Although primarily marketed towards DIYers, don’t let down your guard – the XCP is well-built and with plenty of power. Review Buy Now(via Sears)
12V: Milwaukee Fuel
It’s got power to spare, great balance, a comfortable grip, and longevity. They will be available very soon, and are worth the wait. New 2.0Ah battery packs means more runtime without an increase in size. As mentioned in our M12 Fuel impact driver review, the comfort, ergonomics, balance, and grip of the new handles design are absolutely fantastic! Two things I particularly like about the new M12 drills and drivers, aside from the best-of-class torque and power ratings, are the 1/2″ chucks on the drills and electronic speed control settings on the impacts. Preview Buy Now(via Home Depot)
Steven B
I am surprised Stuart didn’t mention a PorterCable or DeWalt 20V drill.
Depending on your use case….if you can get by with it, the DeWalt 12V is a dream. I actually don’t like the Milwaukee Drills. Go to Home Despot and grip both. The Milwaukee is OK, the DeWalt is heavenly. I feel the same way about the 20V models. Also, the nice thing about the DeWalt is that it’s light, feels great, and can stand upright on the battery. I never like laying a tool on it’s side. It’s just begging for it to get debris or spills inside.
I have an 18V cordless and stopped using it once I got my DeWalt 12V. It has no issues drilling finger sized holes in oak. I rarely drill large holes, so the tool largely goes without use unless I forget to charge my 12V. For heavy duty jobs, which are rare for me, I just use a corded drill…far stronger and cheaper than a high-end heavy drill. I also use my drill press whenever I can for precision drilling.
Stuart
I must admit, Porter Cable’s new 20V model is quite appealing. But I haven’t had enough time with it yet to determine how it places among competing brands.
As for the Dewalt 20V, I just tend to prefer Milwaukee’s brushless models quite a bit more.
Based on my brief time with Milwaukee’s pre-production 12V Fuel drills and drivers, I believe the handle and grip design is definitely much improved over the 1st-gen models.
The Dewalt 12V is a dream to grip, which is why I [previously] gave it runner’s up status, but it’s not as compact as Milwaukee’s models. I don’t care that some drills and drivers are more stable when standing up on a table, since many times I’ll end up knocking them down to the floor.
What did I spend money on for my personal tool box? Bosch 18V and 12V models, but partly because they were priced great during holiday sales. If I had to replace my cordless drills right now, above are the models I would consider most strongly.
joe
the best scenario for me would be when dewalt starts making brushless 12v max (20v max) drills…i would not even considered other drills. i like the ergonomics of my 12v max (and my 20v)…i would have to give that out for brushless milwaukee 12v brand….on another note, egornomics is just one good thing about dewalt..dewalt premium drills have, if i am not mistaken, patent the 3rd speed selection….the other day i was drilling a metal gate with my dcd950 and on 3rd gear it went through it like butter…2000RPM… my corded dewalt is 2500RPM.. very close speeds…cordless drill win over corded drills in most situation. to compare the m18 with the dcd950 on paper only….the m18 max is 1700rpm and 29000BPM while the dcd950 34000BPM…the dcd980 has better ergonomics that the 950 though…and it runs longer with the 3.0ah/4.0ah batteries…dewalt needs to hurry up with it’s brushless line.
Stuart
I believe that all brands are working on brushless drills and drivers for their 18V (and 20V) lines, but 12V I’m not so sure. Milwaukee’s models were starting to get a bit dated, and the FUEL brushless update brings better ergonomics, balance, runtime, power, and features.
Bosch’s 12V drills and drivers might soon be ready for a refresh, but there’s nothing really lacking from them at the moment.
Dewalt’s 12V drills and drivers are still relatively new, so I don’t think brushless updates are imminent. Plus, according to local sales reps, the 12V line isn’t anywhere as near as popular as with the 20V line. Their demeanor and comments suggested that Dewalt’s 12V tools weren’t selling too strongly at all.
Other brands’ 12V lines might not be popular enough to justify brushless upgrades in the near future, but I do think we’ll see more brushless sub-compact tools once prices drop further.
James
Should probably clarify that to ‘all the industrial brands’ – we won’t see brushless from the likes of black&decker, craftsman, ryobi, skil, or any other consumer/diy brand.
Stuart
You never know. It’s also hard to categorize brands. Yes, B&D, Craftsman, Ryobi, Skil, and other such brands are often considered DIY/consumer brands, but a lot of tradesmen and pro users buy into these brands as well.
Some of these “DIY and consumer” brands have come out with 4.0Ah 18V Li-ion battery packs before higher-shelf brands.
In any case, I do think it’s fair to predict that some of the mentioned brands won’t come out with brushless products for quite some time, or maybe not at all.
Michael Quinlan
Funny timing… while I was in Home Depot today I decided to check for price drops on the current M12 tools I ran into the Milwaukee rep, who seemed to know nothing about the M12 Fuel line, or its existence. I then explained to him that people have been buying the bare tools and reviewing them on the Home Depot web site since early February.
In light of your recent articles, I can understand why he would not want to discuss them much, for fear of sabotaging sales of current products, but I really got the feeling that he didn’t know.
I skipped the original M12 drills/drivers due to ergonomics, and went with DeWalt when they came out (I was all DeWalt back then). But now that I’m rockin’ a Veto Pro Pac and carrying my 12V screwdriver in it, I’m considering the M12 Fuel screwdriver, as it will fit better in the bag (with its torpedo style battery), be more useful as single power tool in my bag (more torque), and at least be comfortable to hold with the redesigned handle.
Caleb Bahler
Right with you. I also use Veto Pro Pac, the Tech Lc, and the Tech XLT. I am planning to get the m12 fuel drill as it will fit the tool pockets almost perfectly. Also you can get the m12 fuel with a 1/2″ Chuck.
Stuart
I don’t have an understanding of how brands train their employees on new products, but Milwaukee’s Fuel line was officially announced a couple of months ago, meaning there shouldn’t be any secrets surrounding it. It could just be that training at the local level is scheduled for a week before the official street launch. Who knows.
I will need to get my hands on production models to be sure the ergonomics are as good as I remember, but I have no reason to believe that they won’t be. One thing I’m especially happy about is the 1/2″ chuck in the 12V Fuel drill. It’s not often I want to go past 3/8″ in a compact 12V drill, but I’m happy that we’ll now have the option to if desired.
Heff
That’s the thing. TTI, the company that owns Milwaukee, doesn’t invest enough in their retail reps to really train them on anything. In their mind’s that’s not what they’re there for. They exist to stock shelves, clean product, set displays and keep customers from buying other brand’s products when they’re in stores.
I’ve talked to Dewalt reps, and especially Makita reps that know way more about tools and what’s going on with them, even Milwaukee’s products. TTI’s turnover is almost 75% a year in retail. They’re space fillers, not knowledgeable salespeople.
Javier
Stuart good choices. Seems like all top name brand cordless drills are great. Personal preference and budget seem to be the deciding factors. Nice that you chose brands like ridgid and craftsman as top picks as usually review sites seem to mostly promote top brands. Im still waiting on my m12 fuel tools. Home depot employees are still clueless about the m12 fuel line.
Stuart
Thanks, I’m glad you liked the choices!
Recommending one cordless system over others can be a horribly complex decision, depending on users’ budgets, needs, and preferences. But narrowing down focus to just a drill/driver allows me greater flexibility. Craftsman’s C3 tools are used by a lot of professionals, but some of their options don’t compare well to other brands’ top models. On the other hand, Ridgid’s 18V tools are robust and well designed, but the line lacks the specialty tool breadth of other brands.
I’m not surprised that Home Depot employees are unaware of the M12 Fuel line. Until the products are available in-stores, they don’t really need to know about them.
Johnny B
The Makita LXPH03 is probably the best drill out there right now. Even the Milwaukee Fuel doesn’t have the same power or light weight.
About Home Depot, that is why I buy tools at a tool house or industrial distributor and not a box store. The employees know nothing and the reps of any company seem to be green.
Stuart
Looking back at my Makita LXPH03 preview, I did call it king of the hill in terms of power. Even so, this is a premium heavy-duty model you cannot pair a compact battery with.
I often buy my tools via Amazon, industrial suppliers, or other online vendors, but I don’t hesitate to buy certain things at Lowes or Home Depot. I would agree though, that store associates are not usually well versed with the tools the stores carry. To their credit, most will try to help to the best of their abilities.
There has been an increase in mobile views of ToolGuyd reviews, presumably as shoppers look up specific models while shopping at big box stores.
AndrewC
Once you select your power and size requirements (12V, 18V, etc) you will be left with several good options. The deciding factor for me is usually which brand lineup do I want to be invested in? How are the battery packs for that lineup, and does that brand offer the other cordless tools that I want? Does that brand routinely have promotions and price reductions, or are there only a limited number of sellers for these tools?
With that in mind, I’ve usually gravitated toward Bosch/Dewalt for my cordless tools because the entire lineup is quality, and they are sold everywhere, so it has been easy to find products on sale.
Stuart
That’s a good point, that one typically has to invest in a lineup and product family. But that only applies if one buys a single kit and then bare tool add-ons. Sometimes with the price of kits, there’s little savings or advantage to sticking with just a single brand per tool class.
Michael Quinlan
There at least one advantage I can think of to sticking with a single line of cordless tools, or if not the same line, the same brand: space. If you’re working in a shop or around the house, the shear quantity of items, and the space they occupy, may not seem too important. But if your tools go where you go (i.e. in your truck), fewer battery and charger variations means less space occupied, and possibly fewer trips to/from the truck. Often, chargers can handle various battery voltages, so one charger can charge both your 18V and 12V tools, making it advantageous to stick with the same brand, if not the same line.
Stuart
That is true. Spare batteries can also be a strong consideration.
A pro that buys 3 Brand X tool kits will have anywhere from 3-6 batteries. That way, if they use a particular tool more heavily, they have charged batteries ready to go. 2 kits plus a bare tool add-on will offer better price economy while still providing 2-4 batteries. A pro that buys 1 kit from Brand X, 1 from brand Y, and 1 from Brand Z will have to bring a charger or buy additional batteries for their heavier-use tools.
It would be great if brands got together and started offering battery adapters, but that won’t happen as long as battery packs and tools are designed in parallel to match.
fred
We’ve bought Makita 18V batteries in batches of 10 at a fair discount over single battery purchases – and find that starting the day with 3 fully-charged batteries per tool – plus chargers to keep a few more going works for us. We also use M12 tools quite a bit – but typically in a different part of our business – that has a different demand pattern – so fewer batteries fit our needs there.
omar
Looking to buy a drill combo set with compact drill was looking at dewalt, ridgid, Milwaukee what is the best at the moment for long lasting durability thanks you
Stuart
All three are great brands. My recommendation would change depending on whether you just want a drill + impact combo, or if you want a drill + impact + circular saw + reciprocating saw combo.
Looking at just the drills, the Milwaukee mentioned above would still be my top recommendation.
Kerry
I have been doing some research on 18v drill and Consumer Reports has rated the Hitachi top 18v for the money. I was wondering why it isn’t listed. I don’t believe in buying a product just for a name and when u look at the Dewalt and Makita names, seems like the feature are similar but the name is what jacks up the price after all the testing is done.
Stuart
I am a Hitachi fan, but in the cordless drill/driver category, their DS18DSAL doesn’t quite measure up to the Milwaukee Fuel model in terms of power or runtime. It’s considerably less expensive, and although it is joined by many other top performers in its price range, the Hitachi would probably be my “best bang for the buck” pick as well.
When you buy more premium cordless tools, you’re not just paying for the name, you’re often paying for more features, better performance, and greater durability. With cordless tools, you often pay more for premium lithium ion battery cells as well.
In the next best cordless drill roundup, there will be an additional under-$150 category.
Craig
The Bosch DDS181 that you gave editors pick in the “best drills for 2014” article has dropped in price to be comparable to the Hitachi that CR rates so high. Which would you choose between the two at the same price?
Stuart
At the same price, I would go with Bosch over Hitachi, but that’s based on my brand preference and not features, specs, or testing results.
Brian
Hey guys, both my cordless Craftsman drill (15 years) and piece-if-crap Mitsubishi cordless saw (15 days) bit the dust this year. I’ve been reading all of your great reviews and have enjoyed the incredible amount of insight they have provided. I am also trying to glean from them the top one or two brands favored although it seems they may vary depending on the specific uses and needs. It would appear that everyone is excotedabou the new Milwaukee Fuel line but that the Dewalt line and to a certain extent Makita has very strong supporters. I have seen Rigid touted elsewhere but the Bosch brand intrigues me as well. If I’m looking primarily for a budget-priced lithium cordless drill-driver now and a jigsaw and maybe a small circular saw later both cordless preferred but not required, what brand would be best and where would Bosch rank? Thanks for your help.
Stuart
My personal 18V drill/driver is a Bosch one that I purchased as part of a drill and impact driver combo two years ago, but I picked them during an incredibly good sale.
If you can wait a few weeks, there will be plenty of drill/driver deals starting around Black Friday. Many brands will offer 1-battery Li-ion kits for $99. You don’t get the latest and greatest models, but at that price it’s hard to complain.
For jigsaws, I prefer Bosch, but haven’t tried their cordless models yet. There circular saw seems to be decent, and isn’t excessively pricey.
Hitachi and Ridgid are both decent affordable options.
In terms of “best,” Bosch, Milwaukee, Makita, and Dewalt are the typical top picks. But “best” and “budget-priced” are often mutually exclusive.
Brian
Hey Stuart,
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights as you have told me pretty much exactly what I wanted to know. I do understand that the “best” most likey won’t ever be “budget-priced” so I’m looking for the best budget-priced.
In actuality, something price-wise like a B&D or Skil may well be sufficient for my immediate needs but not having much success with those brands in the past, I want to step-up and try to buy a premium brand for a discount price. Amazon is offering a 12V Bosch for less than $100 so that is what caused me to initiate a search to find out what the professionals prefer. In my limited arena, I had never heard of Festool until I began this research. From what I have read, this is widely considered the best of the best but I obviously neither require or am willing to pay for such.
Also, I was really trying to understand why the Bosch brand seemed to only garner praise in passing rather than being grouped into the conversation with Dewalt, Milwaukee and Makita.
Thanks too for mentioning the Black Friday aspect as I was thinking the same as I wondered if the Bosch would be discounted further or if I might miss out on a temporarily discounted price. I guess it’s just like my dad once told me when talking about cars, “Don’t worry about missing out on what seems to be a great deal today because there will almost certainly be a better deal tomorrow.”
Thanks again!
Brian
CORRECTION: In my original post, I referred to a Mitsubishi cordless saw when, in fact, it was a Kawasaki cordless saw. I want to make sure to give credit where credit is due. Mitsubishi probably doesn’t make power tools.
Stuart
I’m glad you found my recommendations to be helpful!
Bosch’s 12V drill/driver is a great model, especially at the $100 price point.
If that’s the model you are strongly considering, there are a few things to factor in here.
First, discounts might not apply to the 12V drill and driver kits. In the past, holiday discounts did not apply to these kits, probably because they were already priced quite lot.
Second, you might want to look at the L-Boxx package deal. For $115, or $16 more than the drill kit-only price, you get two L-Boxx tool boxes.
Third, the aforementioned L-Boxx package might be on sale again this year. Last year it was on sale Black Friday weekend, a few times throughout the following holiday season, and again around Father’s Day for ~$95.
Fourth, a new Bosch 12V L-Boxx combo kit came out. It’s $199, which is double the price of the drill-only kit, but *might* be on sale Black Friday instead of the aforementioned drill/driver L-Boxx package deal.
Lastly, new Bosch brushless drills and drivers are coming out in Europe, and I expect for a USA announcement at some point later this year. These tools will likely be priced higher than the current crop of 12V drills and drivers, and will likely be offered alongside. I don’t anticipate the current 12V drills and drivers to drop any further in price, but there’s a chance they might be promoted extra hard this holiday season.
If you need it now, buy now. But if you could wait, there might be some nice options out there. If the 2x L-Boxx package is offered for under $100 again, you’d get some nice extras for the same money.
If you buy now and then change your mind once Black Friday rolls around, Amazon has a generous return policy. You might take a $5-10 hit on not being refunded the return shipping. Or you can also visit local retailers, which typically have 30 to 90 day return windows if you change your mind.
Brian
Stuart,
Thanks for the follow-up and again you hit on a couple of my thoughts. I had already looked at the L-Boxx based on the various reviews I read on Amazon and decided that it was probably worth the extra $16 although I wasn’t sure what I would utilize the additional storage compartments for unless there are add-ons for the kit.
I was also thinking that I might go ahead and order it because the price probably wouldn’t get lower and there was the fear that it might actually jump or the item sell out.
I did however find a nice Makita combo drill-driver and mini circular saw for $154 that peaked my interest as an alternative but the Bosch really sounds perfect for my general needs and it’s smaller dimensions and weight have all but closed the deal.
I also had read the conversations about the brushless motors. Everyone seems hot on them but it sounds like I would be sacrificing some power (torque?) with them plus I’m sure they will be more expensive and I was looking to stay under $100, at least until I decided on the L-Boxx upgrade.
I did have one other question that I wasn’t going to bother you with but since you followed-up I guess that gives me another shot at you…LOL.
I found both 9.6V and 18V Dewalt kits for under $100. I get the impression that Dewalt is regarded as being slightly more premium than Bosch. The 9.6V is heavier and less powerful than the Bosch and the 18V is obviously more power but more than twice as heavy as the Bosch. Based thereon, the 9.6V isn’t a consideration but I can’t help but wonder if I would be better served with the DW 18V at the same price as the Bosch 12V. The Bosch seeems to be a better size for someone like me. Am I incorrect in thinking the Dewalt would be preferred over the Bosch?
Lastly, I was bragging to my wife about this website at lunch. I told her I was moving it to my all-time top-5 with CNet, Edmunds, Amazon and Bleacher Report. Thanks again for your help.
Stuart
Brian, thanks for the kind words!
Makita’s 12V tools are decent, but personally I prefer the Bosch. Bosch recently came out with 2.0Ah and 4.0Ah battery packs, so you can squeeze longer runtime out of them.
The upcoming Bosch brushless will undoubtedly be pricier. They look more compact, but the verdict’s still out as to whether they’re less powerful. One German-made video shows comparable power levels. For casual use, you probably won’t benefit from going to brushless. You’ll be better off saving the extra money for saws.
That Dewalt 9.6V is an old NiCd design. It’s not a very competitive option and only remains on the market because some users really prefer NiCd over Li-ion since older Li-ion batteries suffered from worse cold weather performance.
That Dewalt 18V drill/driver is a consumer-focused model that is priced at $89 to $99 every year during the major holiday gift-giving seasons. It’s large, heavy, and uses NiCd technology.
Last year I purchased one of those Bosch 12V drill/driver L-Boxx sets. I kept the L-Boxxes and gave the drill/driver to my brother in-law. He and my sister just moved into a new house and I wanted them to have something I knew would be capable of anything he could throw at it.
That Dewalt 18V drill (I assume you’re talking about the DC970K or similar $99 kit), has a 1/2″ chuck, the Bosch drill has a 3/8″ chuck. Not a big deal unless you want to use larger bits or accessories, in which case neither drill would be ideal. The Dewalt will out-power the Bosch, but will weigh more, be larger, and won’t retain battery charge for anywhere near as long. Li-ion has far slower self-discharge rates than NiCd. In either case, you will probably want to consider other platforms when you want to look for the cordless saws you mentioned.
Brian
It’s the Bosch for me!! and for once I will feel live I’ve made the best and most researched decision. Thanks again so much and I hope ypu have a great day.
Brian
Just an update – received my 2014 Buyers Guide from Consumer Reports and no mention of my Bosch 🙁
Tool
That made me laugh out loud. Not much help, but funny as heck.
Duncan Millar
Had most of the drills mentioned above and most are great but I just bought hitachi 18v 4.0ah impact and drill set for £369.99 and it’s the best buy I’ve ever had
Michael
I was looking at reviews on Consumer Reports and they have the Hitachi 18V drill as the top rated choice. Why isn’t this listed on here?
Stuart
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/best-cordless-drills-032013/#comment-163810%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Kevin
Can’t wait for the 2014 update. I’m currently shopping around for my first personal DIY cordless set. There are a ton of choices out there from a $18 drill master to a $400 festool.
Stuart
Right now, the recommendation is the same – Milwaukee’s Fuel is King of the Hill, but my budget and ergonomics recommendations might be changing.
For a DIY cordless drill set, there should be a bunch of good sales in the next 1-5 weeks for Fathers Day.
Peter H
I’m DIYer who likes buying better quality tools. I was pretty sure I was going to go with a 12V combo drill and impact driver. A friend convinced me to look at the 18V or 20V models. Both the Bosch and the Milwaukee 12V units have bulkier handles because the battery sits in the handle, rather than under the handle as on the DeWalt. From how they feel in the big box store, the 20V Bosch feels better in the hand than the 12V model. But it’s the DeWalt that feels the most balanced, in either the 12V or 20V models.
At the $200 price point, I’d look at the 12V DeWalt combo, but I’d lean to the 18V Bosch combo. However, for an extra $80, I can step up to the DeWalt 20V brushless combo. That’s probably what I’m going to get.
Doesn’t hurt that Home Depot sent me a 1 year, zero-percent interest coupon.
Bryndin Phillips
Wow just looked at the best drill for 2013 and 2014 and your drunk if u think its a milwaukee and ridgid. Or you can’t be in the trades. One the ridgid your lucky if u can get the battery on after only using it for a month then getting it off. And the dewalt is by far the best and most comfortable drill going . Their 20v max line with their grips makes everything a dream to handle.