Cordless drills are more powerful than they’ve ever been. Yet they’ve also gotten so compact and lightweight that you can probably handle one even if you’ve never picked up a drill in your life.
Manufacturers like to market them to pros, but don’t be put off: For all of those slightly-more-involved home tasks—from hanging a baby gate to mounting shelving—a drill will make the work faster, easier, and more enjoyable. And you’ll be more likely to achieve solid, professional-looking results than if you used hand tools alone.
After drilling over 1,000 holes and sinking at least 60 pounds of screws in drill tests dating back to 2013, we’ve found the DeWalt DCD701F2 Xtreme 12V Max Brushless 3/8 in. Drill/Driver Kit to be the best one yet.
Top pick
The DeWalt DCD701F2 Xtreme 12V Max Brushless 3/8 in. Drill/Driver Kit combines power, comfort, and convenience in a way that none of the other tested drills do. In our tests, it bored 30 1-inch holes through a 2-by-10 on a single battery charge, showing it can handle just about anything within the four walls of a home (and even the occasional foray into more aggressive work, like a small decking repair). Other drills we tested had similar power, but the DeWalt DCD701F2 really excels in ergonomics and convenience features. The molded handle seems to account for every curve and bulge of the hand, the battery is designed so that the drill can stand upright when not in use (other drills, like the runner-up Bosch PS31-2A 12V, need to be placed on their side), and the LED is positioned so that it illuminates the drill front better than most. In all our years of testing, we haven’t found a drill that’s as much a pleasure to use as this one.
Runner-up
The Bosch PS31-2A 12V has power similar to that of the DeWalt DCD701F2, but it’s clunkier to hold. And the little touches, such as the LED, aren’t as nice.
If the DeWalt DCD701F2 is overpriced or unavailable, we also like the Bosch PS31-2A 12V Max 3/8 in. Drill/Driver Kit. In our tests, this 12-volt Bosch couldn’t drill as many 1-inch holes on a single charge as our top pick, but it still has more than enough power for general home tasks. In our own measurements, we found it to be about 5 ounces lighter than the DeWalt DCD701F2, but it feels heavier because the balance isn’t as nice. The Bosch battery slides up into the handle, making the grip fatter and not as contoured as the DeWalt’s. Also, the LED doesn’t illuminate as well. Even with these drawbacks, we’ve been using (and recommending) this drill for years, and we’ve seen firsthand a long track record of reliability.
Also great
This Milwaukee isn’t as comfortable to hold as our top pick, but it has all-day power, especially when used with the high-capacity battery.
If you’re looking for a real workhorse of a drill, or if you have other tools in the Milwaukee 12-volt ecosystem, we like the Milwaukee 3403-22 M12 Fuel 1/2 in. Drill/Driver. It’s pricey for a 12-volt tool, but when we tested it with the included 4.0 Ah high-capacity battery, it put up numbers that rivaled or exceeded many of those of the 18-volt drills we looked at. Its considerable power is emphasized by the fact that it comes with a 0.5-inch chuck (the nose of the drill, where the bits fit in), which is larger than what is found on a standard 12-volt drill. This allows the Milwaukee to accept larger drill bits. The downsides are that, like the Bosch PS31-2A 12V, the handle isn’t as comfortable as the DeWalt DCD701F2’s, and when using the lower-capacity battery, the tool can be placed only on its side when set down. We think most will be just fine with the capabilities and comfort of our top-pick DeWalt, but this Milwaukee can definitely get a lot of work done.
Upgrade pick
The 18-volt Milwaukee 3601-22CT handles demanding work faster and easier than the smaller, 12-volt drills, yet it manages to retain the great ergonomics and other features of our top-pick DeWalt drill.
If you take on projects that have you drilling lots of holes and sinking long screws, we recommend stepping up to the Milwaukee 3601-22CT M18 Compact Brushless 1/2 in. Drill/Driver Kit. This 18-volt drill shares the most important characteristics of our less powerful top pick: It’s extremely comfortable to hold and use, and the little convenience features, such as the belt hook and LED, are spot-on. It’s also extremely short—shorter than even any of the 12-volt tools we tested—so it fits into tighter spots. Compared with our 12-volt Milwaukee pick, this larger drill completes tougher jobs much faster, doing the same work in less than half the time with a battery that lasts a lot longer. We tested drills during a kitchen remodel and a few smaller house renovations, and this is the drill we reached for over all the others.
Also great
This DeWalt is similar to the 18-volt Milwaukee, but it offers a little more battery life and an LED that can be used independent of the drill. It also has a higher price tag.
If the Milwaukee 18-volt drill is not available, or if you have other 20-volt DeWalt tools and batteries, we also like the 20-volt DeWalt DCD800E2 20V Max XR Brushless Cordless 1/2 in. Drill/Driver Kit. It’s very similar to the 18-volt Milwaukee in power, ergonomics, and overall design. The DeWalt lasted a little longer in our battery test, and it has an LED that can also be switched on independently of the drill and slightly rotated, a unique feature that turns it into a rudimentary flashlight (which could come in handy in nearly any crawl space). The light is neat but not necessary, so we prefer the typically less expensive 18-volt Milwaukee, which is a little shorter and delivers roughly the same power and battery life.
Also great
The budget-friendly Ridgid R87012 performed great in our tests, but it had a harder time with relentless drilling than our other 18- and 20-volt recommendations.
If you’re looking for more power and battery life than what the 12-volt models provide, but you’re hesitant about the cost of the 18-volt Milwaukee and 20-volt DeWalt drills, we recommend the Ridgid R87012 18V Brushless SubCompact Cordless Drill/Driver Kit. It doesn’t have the same strength as the other two, but it has enough power for most midsize DIY projects, such as light framing. We see it as a good drill for someone starting out on the DIY road who might want a decent drill at a lower cost.
