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The Best Cordless Drill For You

With the number of different cordless drills and drill/driver combinations on the market today, it can be difficult to know which one to choose. You should match your choice of cordless drill according to what you plan on using it for. There's no point spending a relatively high amount of money on a 24v drill for general home DIY use - a 14.4v to 18v model is normally perfectly sufficient. Weight is another important consideration here - high voltage models have bigger motors and correspondingly bigger batteries; this can add up to quite a heavy load to lug around. So unless you're in the construction business, stick to a midrange model.

Many people choose a cordless drill/screwdriver combination. Cordless drill/drivers have an added clutch behind the chuck used to disengage the motor at a specified toque setting which you can adjust. This is to prevent you from over-tightening screws. For normal drilling, the clutch is disabled and all the motor's torque is transmitted to the chuck.

Lithium-ion power

A fairly recent trend in cordless drills is the widespread use of lithium-ion batteries as opposed to the usual nickel metal hydride (NiMH) or nickel cadmium (NiCad) types. They have some great advantages: a fast charge time (as low as 15 minutes), reduced weight and less susceptibility to battery charge leakage (the battery holds its charge longer during periods of storage than older battery types). They don't tend to run for as long on a single charge as NiMH batteries, but the quick recharge time offsets this limitation. Makita's BDF452HW compact 18v model is a good example of this type of cordless drill. It is highly rated in many online reviews and is a good option for serious DIYers, though it could be considered overkill for many people. A cheaper option is the Makita DF030DW 10.8v ultra compact unit (supplied with 2 batteries). Weighing just 1.9 pounds and with 18 clutch settings, it's a deceptively powerful drill/driver.

Another, more costly option is the Makita 18v BHP454. Popular Mechanics testers thought it was one of the best power tools they had ever used - it came top out of 10 lithium-ion drills tested. Although quite large and heavy, it is very well balanced and comfortable to use.