We’ve seen a number of new cordless drills come out these past few months, and more are on the way. Here’s a short list of some of the new models:
Major brands have been competing over who gets to say they have the most powerful drill.
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Several brands are now boasting about how their most powerful drills deliver well over 1,000 in-lbs of torque, previously impact driver-only territory in tools this size.
With Dewalt having launched next-generation compact brushless drills, it’s probably a matter of time before they upgrade their premium 3-speed drills as well. And if so, will they take the belt?
In regard to runtime, higher capacity 4.0Ah, 5.0Ah, and even 6.0Ah packs have become the norm. For more compact drills, 2.5Ah is the sweet spot right now. Brushless motors, with their higher efficiency, squeeze runtime to its very limits.
What we’ve noticed is that brands have hit a ceiling. How much more torque can a drill/driver possibly deliver before it starts being ridiculous?
Individual battery cells seem to be topping out at 3.0Ah right now, although there’s room for manufacturers to improve upon the maximum continuous current rating. I wouldn’t expect to see same-size battery packs with 7.0Ah or greater capacities anytime soon.
Milwaukee has introduced a larger M18 9.0Ah pack for power-hungry applications, but it’s a 15-cell pack that’s longer, taller, and heavier than their more commonplace M18 XC battery packs.
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The competition has gone beyond power and runtime. Here are some of the more compelling modern-day cordless drill features that you should know about.
Kickback prevention. When you’re dealing with very high drill torque, you’ve got to be extra careful. Bind a large bit in a hole, and the drill will counter-rotate, potentially twisting your wrist.
Some of Bosch’s heavy duty drills offer anti-kickback protection, Milwaukee One-Key drills offer this as an option, and Bosch is working on new Bluetooth-connected tools that will allow for custom kickback protection.
LED Flashlights. Dewalt’s DCD791 and DCD796 compact brushless drill and hammer drill both have a new high power LED worklight that can light up your workspace for up to 20 minutes.
Impulse Mode. Metabo’s brushless drills feature an Impuls mode that is said to be beneficial for precise driving, drilling in hard materials, or working with jammed screws. The motor essentially turns on and off in a cyclic manner, saving your trigger finger the trouble.
Customizable Speeds and Settings. Milwaukee’s One-Key drills can be fully customized, from the clutch settings and speed ranges, to the LED worklight.
Micro Clutch. Ridgid’s Gen5X brushless drill (and the brushed model too) have micro clutches, with over 100 selectable torque settings.
LED Worklight with Vibration Sensor. Yes, seriously. A lot of drills these days have delay-on LED worklights that continue to shine after you release the trigger. Some have worklights that users can toggle on and off. Metabo’s most premium models have motion sensors that will turn on the LED worklight when you pick up the tool.
Modular Drills. Bosch never introduced their FlexiClick modular drill here in the USA, nor did Milwaukee release their M12 4-in-1 drill kit, and even though AEG has one, Ridgid has not yet come out with a modular cordless drill either.
Festool and Metabo (read about their 18V LT Quick Drill/Driver) have interchangeable chucks, and are available here.
Actually, that Metabo is one of my favorite drills these days, despite its 3/8″ chuck (I typically prefer 1/2″ drills), and I think it’s a great bargain at $150.
What’s Next?
When each and every professional power tool brand has caught up in the torque race, and they all offer the same high capacity compact and extended capacity battery packs, we’re bound to see more distinction between their various cordless drill offerings.
What do you think about these modern day drill features?
What do you think will be the next big thing to happen to cordless drills in coming years?
Hilton
The reality is that we buy whatever is available and in stock. I love new features just like the next guy but I’m not going to ditch my current set-up just to have the latest and greatest.
I also think that at some point they need to stop adding gimmicky features as average contractor just wants to pull the trigger and the tool must perform. If he has to refer to the manual all the time just to change the LED brightness or impulse force, then it’s a waste of time.
I love that the manufacturers are pushing the edge though.
Hang Fire
Agree with “we buy whatever is available and in stock”… but, you left out “on special” or “matches our current system”.
Nathan
The modular bit sort of interests me – especially the interchangeable drill chuck to 1/4 hex drive. but I’m going to always need a 1/2 metal chuck – so that limits the interchangeable bit.
maybe more compact – but I think the kick back and lighting is the next bigger thing. ergonomics is pretty much solid across the board today.
Hilton
“ergonomics is pretty much solid across the board today.”
Except for the Festool drills and drivers. They have to be the most dog ugly cordless tools ever made.
Jacob
Maybe a legitimate drill/impact combo tool? Something that can do both just as well as the best from each category.
Nick
+1 You win this topic
AngryDrumGuy
Some brands are heading toward a Craftsman-esque type of gimmick addition to their tools.
Someone above said the contractor just needs the tool to perform when they squeeze the trigger. I agree and believe there is no need for “smart” tools or anything that requires me to learn more about how to get the job done (the only . These features are also one more thing on the tool that can increase cost/malfunction, neither of which will be welcomed by the contractor whose tools need to maximize efficiency in both performance and cost.
Hopefully the next thing we see in drill tech is the use of even lighter components that don’t drive prices through the figurative ceiling.
BikerDad
Some of the “smart” tool drive is about controlling shrinkage, i.e. keeping track of the tools. This is pretty much a non-issue for a DIY guy or handyman, but for a contractor on large jobsites, it can be pretty valuable.
Hang Fire
It seems obvious to me the Picatinny rail should come next.
Nathan
you know it does need a green laser and a red dot or acog?
dead serious though – wouldn’t mind seeing those bubble levels come back.
herp derpson
12V sized 18V systems with 18V performance.
Supercapacitors in parallel or as a replacement for 18650’s. If you could use a supercap to cover high current, you could use batteries optimized for something other than current in some application.s
Nathan
That’s definitely the biggest thing for me: smaller tools with the same performance. For portability, weight and price reasons, I made the decision to standardize on the m12 battery and all my tools are therefore 12V max. So far it hasn’t been too big of a problem but there are definitely times when i wish the bit would get through the wet pressure-treated wood or old hardened wood faster, or the Fuel saw wouldn’t stall out as much on a cut.
BikerDad
The next big thing in drill/drivers is going to be kickback prevention. The time, hopefully within the next few years, will arrive when every 18v drill from a major maker has it. After getting torqued yesterday by my DeWalt 20Max XR Premium Hammer drill, I WILL be upgrading when DeWalt adds it to their lineup.
Note that I don’t consider it to be a “big thing” yet because very few tools actually have it today.
Tjorven
Kick back prevention is now basic in Bosch’s 18V drills here in Europe.
http://www.bosch-professional.com/gb/en/gsr-18-v-ec-39071-ocs-p/
A new heavy duty is due to be released in April.
10,8 Flexi click in automn together with a 6,0AH 10,8V battery.
Rumors say that Bosch will change from 10,8 to 12V in 2017. For marketing purpose only of course. All batteries will be the same physical size as before.
Hector
I think they need to come out with some type of regen for battery im sure they can figure out how to use waisted energy to energy
Joe Hanson
I would like to see these drills made to be able to be mounted into various jigs/systems such as being able to mount your cordless drill into a drill press. That works better for us who rarely need a drill press and dont feel like buying a drill press and/or have the room for one. I’d like to see the same thinking used with belt sanders and circular saws. Yes, some people have dabbled into this but I haven’t seen a well thought out, practical, and economical line by a company like Bosch or Milwaukee that works well and isn’t gimmicky.
Brian
thats… hard… the cost, and size, of a drill press is in the structure. You can get a pretty capable Porter cable drill press from lowes, for $320. not THAT much more than a portable drill to be sure. but if you eliminated the motor in favor of a mount for a cordless drill, the rest of the stand, table, ect would probably cost a good chunk of the $300 anyway. The space consumed would be the same as well.
Plus, I already hate putting my router into the table mount… strapping my hand drill into a press sounds like a real PITA.
With taht said, there are drill attachments to try and make them operate like a drill press… or atleast drill vertical holes with depth control. But they fall WAY short of the real deal.
Nathan
not that I like the idea but even the Harbor Freight Drill presses are something like 180. but that’s floor standing – table standing is like 50.
Joe
I was thinking of a small bench-top set up but I have a rare use for a drill press and not much space, think apartment but something stow able. That’s a lot of criteria to fulfill but I think it could be done and if a company was able to create an effective system, I think it could do pretty well for the DIY apartment dweller or homeowner. As it stands I can’t justify a dedicated drill press for myself, not even factoring in costs.
P
I can’t imaging there’s a large enough market for one of the big companies to sink resources into it. Would be an interesting product for sure, but they couldn’t charge enough to break even.
John
I think Milwaukee has already started the next “great thing” with programmable settings to the drills. I would like to see them combine the impact with drill into one tool with the ability to turn off impacting and use electronic clutch features of a drill. I get the impact driver advantages but they still haven’t solved the overtorque issues and low torque at the end issues. I would like to see it, programmable if necessary, to turn on thr impacting only at the beginning and setting to have it stop impacting at the final drive and set at a programmed electronic torque setting. Even the Black & Decker smart drive seems like it’s towards addressing this issue and ramps way down at the final set.
fred
I agree with a lot of what has been said. If the drill has a bit of a learning curve – that OK as long as it is intuitive. I used to having some small tools and work processes requiring training. PAT’s come to mind. But if you need to send the crews out for training or they need to really study the manual – then I think you’ve crossed a line for a drill. What is now a special feature – but may be coming as required – as others have said – is kickback prevention. I think that dust control – may also start as an optional add-on (already a feature on some rotohammers) – especially for hammers drills.
mizzourob
I would love to Say Made in America is the next thing but that is probably not realistic.
Ok for a real answer, bringing lawn Garden Tools ont the same battery Platform. DeWalt used 40v for their top end yard tools, there is Ego at 56v, Kobalt at 80v, Makita at 36v/18vX2. I would love to ses a full line of tools and yard tools on the same platform… chain saw, string trimmer, hedge trimmer, mower, blower, power/pressure washer, to go with heat gun, paint sprayer, roofing nailer and heated jacket. I also want to ses This in a premium brand that will keep the platform alive for a long time, e.g. DeWalt, Milwaukee etc.
mizzourob
Just an odd follow up, Craftaman and MTD have 24 volt Garden Tools coming and Kobalt has 24volt power Tools coming to further make a mess of things
Stuart
I don’t know how I feel about 24V Max tools yet.
What a lot of folks might not realize is that 24V Max is just one more battery than 18V or 20V Max tools.
The jump from 12V Max to 18V or 20V Max is substantial.
But the jump from 18V to 21.6V, or 24V Max, doesn’t seem like it’s going to be a big deal.
Nathan
I’d like to see Dewalt make their cordless SDS rotary hammers or vacs ?? use the same 40V battery setup from the garden tools. Just to use a similar platform. As opposed to running a dual 20V max battery.
Milwaukee tool Steve
That’s very Interesting.
Wayne Ruffner
It’s not a big deal unless you cross the streams, so avoid that.
Rami
So are these new 24V Kobalt tools actually 21,6V? It is even bigger rounding up than DeWalt’s 18V→20V max. Why do not they call it 22V max? 24V is quite misleading.
Michael Quinlan
The “Max” voltage claim is a nominal voltage with no load. There’s no rounding involved.
Stuart
18V-sized power tool battery packs typically use 18650 sized Li-ion battery cells, which are rated at 3.6V nominally (in use).
When fresh off the charger, such batteries will measure at 4,0V. But as soon as the batteries are put under any use, the real voltage is going to be ~3.6V.
Brands went to 12V Max because it sounds a lot better than 10.8V, and to stay competitive with Milwaukee, who started using M12.
Dewalt was the first to go to 20V Max, and some other brands followed their example, with 16V Max, 20V Max, 40V Max, and now 24V Max.
“Max” voltages are born from a marketing need to make numbers prettier and/or more impressive sounding.
What sounds better, 21.6V, or 24V Max?
I made an assumption that the nominal voltage for a 24V Max pack is 3.6V. But I can’t imagine that Kobalt or their OEM would use anything other than 3.6V 18650 cells in their battery packs.
Diplomatic Immunity
Wireless or internal gps theft prevention. Maybe when a tool goes outside of a designated area set up by the owner of a radius of so many feet; the tool sends a signal to a device the owner is wearing which emits a loud audible beep or something.
From my time spent on here the one thing I’ve noticed is that a lot of people end up getting their tools stolen. Seems like there could be something easily implemented to prevent that or that it should be on the mind of tool manufacturers more than it is. Unless they see it as a user having to replace all his/her tools as a good thing for the manufacturer, which I guess is the case.
Austin
Milwaukee ONE-KEY has this feature, believe it or not… the ONE-KEY app is being updated soon to locate tools as they have a lo-jack style tracing/tracking system… Even WITHOUT the battery attached.
JasonM
I’m more in favor of making the current tools more rugged. Drill Casing And batteries build to survive the inevitable fall off of the top of the ladder or roof. That’s why my tools get replaced – physically broken before worn out components.
How about “otter box” type of rubber hard outer shells accessory ?
How about Water proof capability? How many drills would work after falling in the toilet or left out in rain?
Michael Quinlan
I was talking with the Milwaukee rep at Home Depot this morning and he was yelling me about One-Key, and all its features. I told him that as a small contractor not normally doing repetitive tasks, the only feature that appealed to me was the kickback control. Given the fact that I just bought a Gen 2 Fuel kit 4 months ago, and the pricing of the One-Key tools, I have no plans to dive into One-Key any time soon. If necessary, I’ll use the mechanical clutch to limit kickback.
Wayne Ruffner
“he was yelling me” – Not exactly a Freudian-slip, but I like it.
Michael Quinlan
I saw the typo immediately after posting, but couldn’t edit it. He’s actually a nice guy – no yelling involved. The store (Neptune, NJ) is what Milwaukee calls a “Heavy Duty” store – lots of Milwaukee stuff, and a full-time Milwaukee rep.
Jason
One Key is interesting, but not really useful for a lot of people. It’s good for specialty fasteners and large inventory management.
Austin
The ONE-KEY tools were also designed to be found when stolen… kind of a secret until they were released. They are releasing the feature in the next few days… They can be found even without the battery on the tools.
Todd H.
Smart tools and all this new downloadable stuff for tools is just garbage!
msergiob
I agree. More stuff you get, more things that can fail.
Austin
Milwaukee’s ONE-KEY tools can be recovered when stolen… They have a signal emitting device (lo-jack style) and the app alerts you, tells you where they are… And yes, even when they are out of bluetooth range… they can emit a signal for 3 years without a battery pack on.
Matt
Id like to see some kind of universal battery charger, possibly wireless.
In a perfect world.
Ryan
It’s obvious, isn’t it? A drill/impact combo. Flip a switch to select either function.
Matt
Makita BTP140. Or isnt this what you guys looking for a drill/impact are talking about?
Jim Felt
And, good news, almost anything WiFi or Bluetooth can be hacked fairly easily.
However a smart fingerprint “switch” is certainly feasible now and with 200M+ units in iPhones and Androids the price “should” be palatable within a year or two.
And they will be coming to other battery/line voltage uses soon. Very soon.
Great read you guys!
Jim Felt
This isn’t the place for a firearms debate but I’m thinking these finger/thumb print readers will be mass marketed for gun trigger use very soon and that will break the cell phone hegemony on the technology.
10-4
James C
Adding impact to drills has been a long time coming. Mode selection: drill, driver (with clutch), impact, hammer. 1/4″ hex quick-release, but include a 1/2″ keyless chuck adapter. I know a pulse-mode sounds like it would do something similar to an impact, but it really doesn’t. Whoever perfects a compact mechanism or assembly to bring impact technology to the drill world, will have invented the next big thing in drills.
Randy
I would like a ‘wobble drive’. I could chuck a straight shank bit, say a 1/4″, the drill chuck would know and I could dial in a hole to drill in less than 1/2″ material up to twice its diameter, or 1/2″. The chuck would ‘wobble’ making a larger hole with the smaller bit. It may have to work thru a sequence of drilling the thru hole first, but nevertheless, end up with a bigger hole.
It is not like the average tradesman hasn’t elongated a hole with a smaller bit!!!
Pete
Meh i dont care, i just want it to work when i pull the trigger. Give me one small battery for 75-90% of mobile work and one large battery for heavy use and id be happy.
Nathan
I know it’s probably not going to be a thing for a very long time (if ever), but i would like to see a line of M24 tools that use 2x M12 batteries for increased power, similar to how some tools use 2x 18V max batteries.
Obviously that’s usually the point where someone just buys an M18 tool, but hopefully as tools get better and better, there will be enough power in the M12 line that Milwaukee sees a market for M24 tools for those who don’t want to buy into M18 but want a more powerful tool.
Steven
Interesting idea… But it also kinda goes against the size and weight benefit of m12 vs m18…
Other guys do the multi pack system…..
I would assume that milwaukee has toyed with that option and likely ditched it and ran with brushless tech to extend performance rather than fatten up a tool.
I think that the future of tools will be linked directly to the battery/charging system, more capacity in relatively small size…..ex: m12 5amp pack
Nathan
Re: Size and weight benefit of m12.
Right. This isn’t likely to happen until (if) the 12V max becomes the new de facto norm. Whether things will go that way due to the improving power efficiency (it is, after all, smaller, lighter, and cheaper) or not is not certain.
If we’re to take the US automobile industry as an example, the opposite will be true…
However, a 2x m12 system is still lighter than a 2x m18 system and more powerful than an m18 system (and, one might argue, will be equally capable of replacing 2x m18 systems if m12 can replace m18 systems in the future in terms of “sufficient power”), so it’s not a lose-lose form factor.
P
I foresee problems with miss-matched battery levels. Or if you use a year old pack alongside a brand new pack. Not sure how they deal with this in the 2x 18V tools, but I think your experience would suffer compared to a regular 18V tool.
RX9
1. Universal Battery Standard
2. Programmable torque control
3. Quicker Recharge times
John
My old cheap as crap 12V drill died after 2 years of moderate use…now I am looking for a new cordless it’s a bit more complicated! But the basic function of ‘Drill a Hole” is well covered by everyone!
Vitaliy
I thinked about it a lot. Then I bought my Protool DRC 12 cordless drill (Protool actually was the other name for Festool) it was much better than competitors with its brushless motor, 4-speed, electronic torque control, flashlights and interchangeable chucks. Now, just maybe 5 years later, almost all top brands (Bosch, DeWalt, Milwaukee, Metabo and so on) have same features.
Chip
As a tradesman… I want more torque, in a smaller package.
I only use a drill for steel, and mixing…. everything else… I use an impact.
Re :one key and the like,,, it’s hard to fix stupid… It’s a just spreading it around.
Short rant, bought 2 steel cutting blades for a cir saw, and 1 helper ruined both in 10 min $80 gone that quick.
Listening to music and not paying attention to what your doing is not productive.
When you perform a task, concentrate on the that task, untill completed.
If that involves using the variable speed trigger, then squeeze it.
Be a man, buy the tool, learn to use the tool, and use it.
Jason P
Smaller more compact drills with more power than current.
Im hoping that IP ratings greatly approve. Waterproofing, dustproofing, more impact resistant. Ie longer lasting more durable tools.
john
More rugged, lighter, smaller, simpler to operate.
Wish manufacturers would concentrate on improving the basics rather than trying to be ever so clever with Smart-tools.
I would far rather a cordless could fall another 5 ft without smashing, be 100g lighter and 25mm shorter than having the capability of it talking to a microwave.