A power drill might be the first power tool that one should own. From everyday home improvement tasks like hanging a picture to conveniently joining wood together, a power drill makes jobs so much easier. And admit it, sometimes you just feel like drilling holes. The versatility of a power drill means it is not just for drilling or driving screws with a screwdriver bit. With the right attachment a power drill will stir mortar, sand wood or clean up metal with a wire brush.

Types of power drills

A drill driver is usually what comes to mind when you think of a power drill and is what you see the most of when you walk down the drill aisle at the hardware store. This drill can drill through many different types of materials (with the proper bits) and can drive screws and other fasteners. Modern drills come with tool-free chucks that allow fast changing of bits. Increasingly, compact versions of drill drivers are available, although generally drill drivers can’t fit into the same small spaces that an impact driver can fit into.

An angle drill is what one would use to drill in tight spaces that compact drill drivers can’t fit into. You’ll often times hear an angle drill referred to as a right angle drill since the handle is held 90 degrees to the work surface. The handle of an angle drill is almost immediately behind and perpendicular to the chuck, making it possible to fit it into places that a drill driver cannot.

A hammer drill creates a forward action (hammering) as well as rotation. Think of it as smacking the butt end of the drill very rapidly while it’s turning, increasing the drilling ability. Hammer drills can drill through masonry, rock or metal without burning the drill bit, as well as drive fasteners through these materials (although impact drivers may be a better choice for driving fasteners, depending on the need). The hammer action of a hammer drill tends to be mechanically derived. Contrast this with a rotary hammer (more on this below). Hammer drills need bits made of strong material like tungsten carbide.

While a rotary hammer is like a larger, more powerful hammer drill, we don’t think of it as a drill. It’s more like a mini-jackhammer. It is designed to drill through masonry or concrete. Rotary hammers typically allow operation in drill mode, hammer mode or both, as opposed to hammer drills which may not allow hammer only mode operation due to the hammer action being driven by mechanical gears that operate when the hammer drill is rotating. The hammer action of a rotary hammer tends to be driven by pneumatics.

A spade handle drill has a handle on the top of the drill and provides higher torque which allows the drilling of larger holes than a drill driver. It also provides better leverage when mixing materials like mortar.

Impact drivers and power screwdrivers can be considered types of drills, but we’ll write separate buying guides for those tools.

 

Corded vs. Cordless Power Drills

While cordless power drills have less power and torque than the corded variety (and they are catching up to corded drills in power every year), for most applications cordless drills have sufficient power, and their convenience more than makes up for any slight power deficiency. One must, must, must have extra charged batteries if one is going to be drilling and driving with a cordless drill all day long. It’s a drag waiting for a battery to charge while you try to find other jobs to do, and you may find yourself wandering into the TV room and watching old “Barney Miller” reruns. After your cordless drill battery dies is when a backup corded power drill comes in handy. A corded drill will go as the day is long, is cheaper than a cordless drill, can take more abuse of the motor and can more easily drill with very large drill bits. You will also want a corded drill if you are often drilling into strong material like concrete, or if you are doing continuous drilling. But for most jobs, we recommend buying a cordless drill. Look for one whose battery can be recharged in 30 to 60 minutes instead of 3 to 5 hours.

Nevertheless, don’t think that a little 9V cordless drill’s charge will last very long, or that the drill will provide much torque. If you use the 9V cordless occasionally for hanging pictures but once in a while need to do a drill job that takes longer or requires more power, you can get a powerful corded drill for less than what you’d pay for a cordless drill.

If you only use a drill as often as Melo passes to the open man instead of trying to split multiple defenders (for you non-basketball fans, that’s as often as you make the green light when you’re really in a hurry), then you will likely be better off with a corded drill. Cordless drill batteries will drain if they sit on the shelf. Batteries will go bad if they don’t have regular charge and discharge cycles. This puts you in the worst of all possible situations – the battery is dead when you pick up the cordless drill after months of disuse; you wait several hours for it to charge, use the drill and then put it back on the shelf where it’s battery slowly discharges; and then the battery is probably completely dead in a year.

Power Drill Features

Here are features to consider when purchasing a power drill.

Grip/Handle

A power drill’s handle is usually in one of three configurations, pistol, T or D. The pistol grip handle is behind and under the motor, at the back of the drill, like a gun. Many corded power drills have this configuration, with the cord coming in to the bottom of the grip. The T-handle is underneath the drill, balancing the weight of the drill and making it easier to wield. Many cordless drill drivers use this configuration.

The D-handle is behind and in line with the drill motor, allowing one to bear down on the surface being drilled. Even through you should let the drill do most the work, for tougher materials the D-handle is good for letting you muscle the drill in more effectively than a T or pistol grip. Power drills sometimes have an auxiliary handle you can attach so you can hold the drill with two hands to help with grip and position and to counteract the twisting force.

Chuck

The chuck holds the drill or driver bit in the drill. Chucks are keyed or keyless. Keyless chucks are great for fast bit changing. They are simple to operate by just twisting and turning the chuck open or closed. You can change a bit in a few seconds with a keyless chuck. But keyless chucks don’t let you tighten the bit in the chuck as much as a keyed chuck does. We’ve had situations where we crank down a keyless chuck only to still have the bit slip when drilling through some tough material. With a keyed chuck you can really tighten the bit in the chuck. A keyed chuck looks like bevel gears fitting together. Twisting the key transfers the rotational force to the chuck to loosen or tighten it. The pains about using a keyed chuck are that it takes longer to change a bit and you can lose the key, in which case you’re up the creek.

Some keyless chucks can be adjusted with one hand because the shaft locks (a shaft lock or a spindle lock) when the trigger is depressed. We don’t know how much of an advantage this is because you still have to hold the drill with your other hand.

Standard chuck sizes are 1/4″, 3/8″ and 1/2″. 3/8″ is common. Avoid 1/4″ unless you’re doing extremely light work. 1/2″ chucks are for heavy duty jobs.

Clutch

The clutch regulates the drill’s torque, preventing you from drilling or driving too deep. Once the stop on an adjustable clutch has been reached it disengages the drive shaft. While the motor is still spinning, it is not turning the bit, and you hear a clicking instead. Drills can have any number of clutch stops, but a good drill will have between 18 and 24. Lower numbered clutch stops are for shallow and smaller drill holes or screws, while higher numbered stops are for larger drill holes and screws. Some drills will also have a single setting for drilling with the highest torque at full power and then it’s up to you not to drill too deep by eyeballing the depth or using a stop on the drill bit.

Power

Corded drills are rated in amps and cordless drills are rated in volts. All else being equal, drills rated with higher amps or volts will be more powerful and also heavier and more expensive. Match the jobs that you’ll be doing most often with how much power you’ll need. Cordless drill voltages will range from 6V(olts) to 36V. We’ve seen that 12V cordless drills are the most popular, but we recommend the 18V cordless drills for the additional power that comes in handy when drilling though harder wood. Unless you need to drill with huge drill bits you probably don’t need a 24V model. 12V cordless drills weigh about 3.5 or 4 pounds and 18V cordless drills weigh about 5 or 5.5 pounds.

Cordless drills in the 6 to 7.2V range are only suited for light jobs, like drilling holes for a curtain rod, replacing door hinges or assembling children’s toys. The battery will not last long if you try to drill through hardwood with them, and they probably won’t even have the power to drive screws into tough wood.

9.6V and up cordless drills have the power to drive into plywood. If you go with a 9.6V cordless drill, definitely get a second battery as you’ll find them running out of juice with heavy use. 9.6V cordless drills are noticeably lighter than 12V and up cordless drills, so if you really need a light drill with decent power you can consider these.

As we said earlier, we recommend 18V cordless drills. They will handle most drilling or driving jobs and are not outrageously heavy.

Speed Settings

A good drill will have at least two speed settings. A higher maximum speed of between 1,200 and 1,500 RPM is for drilling holes and a lower maximum speed of between 300 and 400 RPM is for driving screws or drilling larger holes that require more torque. A variable speed trigger allows you to vary the revolution speed from 0 up to the maximum speed.

Battery, Charger and Recharge Time

Lithium ion batteries are superior to nickel cadmium and nickel metal hydride . A smart charger will recharge the battery in as little as 15 minutes, and typically in under an hour. It will adjust the current as necessary for optimal charge time and battery life. You will want a battery with a meter that indicates remaining charge. This is important for lithium ion batteries as you should not fully run them down. Lithium ion batteries with 3+ amp hour ratings are the most desirable, and will take the longest to charge.

Reverse Switch

Nearly all modern power drills have a reverse switch. The reverse switch should be easily reachable from the handle/grip and ideally be able to be switched with one thumb or finger (or knuckle or arch).

Built-in LED Work Light

Having a built-in work light is handier than you think. Even if you think you’ll always be working in bright light, there will be times when you’re in low light and you’ll appreciate the built-in light illuminating what you’re targeting.