What Cordless Drill Should I Buy – FAQs Answered
Posted by Toolstop on 12th Mar 2018
A question commonly asked is “what cordless drill should I buy?” In this guide we’ll answer that question for you.
Cordless drills fall into 3 categories:
– drill drivers
– combi-drills, sometimes called impact drills
– impact drivers
All 3 will do pretty much the same thing, drill holes and drive screws. But each has specific key benefits, and understanding this will help you decide which to buy.
Cordless Drill Driver – Do I Need One?
Drill drivers usually have two speeds. Low speeds for driving screws. High speeds for drilling holes. Coupled with this will be a range of torque settings to allow you to drive screws without damaging them. A drill driver is a great catch-all tool for simple screw driving tasks and drilling holes into wood.
Watch our video guide on Toolstop TV.
SHARE this guide with your friends on Facebook and Twitter
Cordless Combi-Drill – Do I Need One?
A combi-drill, or impact drill, does all the same things, has all the same features, but has the addition of a hammer mode to allow you to drill holes into brick or masonry.
Cordless Impact Driver – Do I Need One?
An impact driver doesn’t have the standard chuck found on combi and drill drivers. Instead, it has a 1/4” hex bit holder. Small screwdriver bits are fitted into this and the tool has high torque coupled with impacts.
This means impact drivers are ideal for driving long, wide screws into tough materials and they’re ideal to buy if the main job you’ll be doing is driving lots of screws, such as when building a deck or installing plywood flooring, for example.
Watch our short video guide to impact drivers here.
Buying a Cordless Drill – Which Battery and Motor?
Two things to consider when choosing a new cordless drill are the battery platform and the motor.
A body-only cordless drill will save you cash if you already own the batteries required to power it. The higher the ampere-hour rating, the more charge the battery stores.
As for the motor, brushless cordless tools have a more efficient motor that will run for longer and require less maintenance.
To learn more about the different types of drills, and to see our pick of the best, visit the Toolstop blog to read our Cordless Drill Buying Guide.
What’s your pick of best cordless drill for the jobs you do?
Let us know in the comments section, and SHARE this guide with your friends.