You might not be aware of this, but there is a power tool hierarchy. While the petrol-powered chainsaw is undoubtedly the flannel shirt-toting, shorts-in-any-weather king of the wild outdoors, when it comes to the weapon of choice for precision work everywhere else, the electric drill is the King of Kings.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean just any kind of electric drill. No. While wires are handy for ensuring an always-on availability of electricity, nobody really wants to be encumbered by cables and limited to the lengths they can go when it comes to the business of boring. Rather, when something needs a damn good drilling, going cordless – as nature intended – is the only way to tackle any drill-requiring task.
And let’s not forget, ‘drill-requiring tasks’ is not just limited to putting holes of varying size in stuff, you can also drive things such as screws to make the act of putting together flatpack furniture less Sisyphean, you can add in a blender blade to stir paint properly and mix mortar and concrete, you can use it to sand surfaces and, if confident about your mad drill skills, even grind metal.
Let’s just discuss torque quickly.
Torque is the twisting force that makes objects turn. Measured in Newton Metres, after the apple on the head gravity guy, the higher the Newton Metre number, the better when it comes to judging a drill’s power. Basically, anything from 4- to 15Nm is your small electric screwdriver setting,15- to 35Nm is the torque territory of the general drilling all-rounder, and anything upwards of that is POWER! As they might shout on Top Gear. Then there’s also ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ torque, which simply refers to the power in Nm’s you can expect when working with hard or soft materials.
Got all that? Good.
Are cordless drills as powerful as corded ones?
The long and short of it is - yes. It’s true that corded drills pack more of a punch than the cordless type, simply because they are able to offer greater torque. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to scoop up a cordless drill which packs a huge punch.
But you’re not here for a professional-grade, corded monster. You’re here for deft DIY. Most cordless models can provide everything you need and more in both in terms of power and torque. Plus, they’re just a lot easier to handle.
What is a brushless corded drill and are they better?
Brushed motors contain small metal brushes within their structure which work with the inner field magnet to keep the drill spinning. These motors usually result in a bulkier, heavier drill. They also produce sparks and heat, which reduces energy efficiency.
Brushless motors - you guessed it - don’t contain those metal brushes. The result is a drill with fewer moving parts, less of that harmful heat build-up, better efficiency and an all-round sleeker look. Ultimately, we’d go brushless over brushed.
So, assuming I’ve now whipped you up into a veritable spin about the prospect of cordless drill possibilities, now all you have to decide is which model is right now you.
Let’s drill-down into it…
Best cordless drills and drivers at a glance:
- Best for those who like to torque a lot: Stanley Fatmax SFMCF800D1K-GB V20 18V - £132, Homebase
- Best for power and performance at a pocket-pleasing price: Einhell Cordless Drill Driver TC-CD 18-2 - £104.95, Amazon
- Best for hammering home other drill uses: VonHaus D-Series 20V Max Cordless SDS Plus - £69.99, Amazon
- Best for all-round use, all around the home: Black+Decker 18V Cordless SDS Plus Hammer Drill (BCD900D1K-GB) - £152.00, Homebase
- Best for doing the business on a budget: VonHaus E-Series 18V Cordless Drill Driver Bundle - £39.99, Vonhaus
- Best for covering all drill-based eventualities: MYLEK 21V Compakt Cordless 2-Speed Drill Driver 29-Piece Accessory Kit - £44.99, Amazon
- Best for light drilling duties: Bosch EasyDrill 1200 - £64.99, Machine Mart
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Stanley Fatmax SFMCF800D1K-GB V20 18V
Best for: those who like to torque a lot
I don’t know who Max is, nor would I wish to comment on any weight issues he/she may be currently suffering, but one thing I will say is, those looking for a fine marriage of power and flexibility need strain their eyes no further. Rolling in with a max speed of 2800rpm and packing a powerful total torque of 165Nm, the Fatmax V20 18V from Stanley is your match made in weird Drill Heaven.
Happily at home with brick walls, wood, metal, plastic and tiles, the impact drill Fatmax can let you turn your hand from the simple task of hanging a picture frame to, say, rigging up everything you might need to host your own garden-based festival, including decking and outdoor lighting, as it handles screws both long and short with equal aplomb.
With a soft grip handle designed with your comfort in mind, a low power level indicator built-in to give you advanced warning of an empty tank, plus variable speed control and an integral LED to allow total command over the powerhouse in your palm, the Stanley Fatmax SFMCF800D1K-GB V20 18V is a drill that likes to throw its weight around.
Buy now £132.00, Homebase
Einhell Cordless Drill Driver TC-CD 18-2
Best for: power and performance at a pocket-pleasing price
Okay, let’s cut the nonsense and get straight to what’s important: the stats. What we’re dealing with here is 18 Volts of power, shared across the Holy Trinity functions of screw driving, drilling and impact drilling in masonry, and a drill speed that tops out at a total load speed of 1250rpm. Face it, that’s going to be more than ample ‘grunt’ for most DIY needs, and that’s before we even talk about torque.
The Einhell here features 18+1 torque settings with maximum torque hard 38Nm, making it mighty indeed.
Also offering 2-speed gearing, a 13mm metal quick-change drill chuck, a powerful 1.5Ah lithium-ion battery that also helps keep the whole shebang light and easy to handle, plus a very handy LED lamp should you find yourself drilling in near dark and the Einhell, at just £70, is one impressive package.
Finally, built to be well-balanced in the hand with comfortable palm and finger grips, once you get started, the Einhell soon begins to feel like some smooth, if unusual, extension of your own arm. Just don’t scratch your backside with it.
Buy now £104.95, Amazon
VonHaus D-Series 20V Max Cordless SDS Plus
Best for: hammering home other drill uses
Driving screws and drilling holes is all well and good, but what if you’re faced with a job that requires something more than the standard cordless drill can offer? What, for example, if you find yourself faced with a thick façade of concrete or masonry that you need to work through? Well, welcome to the world of the rotary hammer drill.
Looking suitably angry, thanks to its 360° swivelling support handle, and weighing in with a reassuring heft of 2.1kg, the VonHaus D-Series SDS Plus comes ramped up to 20V. On top of the usual rotation services delivered by other drills, it also offers a hammer drill function that really pounds the likes of notoriously difficult to penetrate materials, such as concrete, into absolute submission.
With a max no load speed of some 5000rpm and a handy, thumb switch for flicking between forward and reverse, the D-Series 20V may be a bit of a beast, but it still possesses a gentle touch too that can be equally applied to the softer stuff such as wood, while a capacious 4.0Ah MAX Lithium-ion battery gives you a good 40-minutes (roughly) of tool time.
Maybe a bit more intimidating to drill-newbies than other options I’ve looked at here, but to paraphrase Billy Ocean, when the going gets tough, the tough get the VonHaus D-Series 20V Max Cordless SDS Plus.
Buy now £69.99, Amazon
Black+Decker 18V Cordless SDS Plus Hammer Drill (BCD900D1K-GB)
Best for: all-round use, all around the home
Another rough and ready cordless drill option that, akin to the VonHaus D-Series, this also packs a hammer-action as mighty as Thor’s Mjölnir but with a brand name perhaps more recognisable to residents of the UK.
The Black+Decker 18V Cordless SDS Plus Hammer Drill may look as rugged as a bulked-up rhinoceros, but it’s as light and precise on wood, plastic and tiles as it is hard and heavy on metal, brick, masonry and concrete, making it easily adaptable to any use.
With a maximum load speed of 1880rpm and three drilling and hammer modes that you can slip between for drilling, chiselling or chipping duties, the Black+Decker’s removable side handle allows adjustment to suit the task at hand, making the 3.98kg bulk and 35.2 x 13.2 x 29.3cm size more manoeuvrable than you might imagine.
Featuring a 2Ah Lithium-ion battery, a forward/reverse switch, speed pre-selection and an LED lamp to guide your way when light is low, the Black+Decker 18V Cordless SDS Plus Hammer Drill might look a bit of a monster but in the right hands it a tool as precise as a sober surgeon’s scalpel.
Buy now £152.00, Homebase
VonHaus E-Series 18V Cordless Drill Driver Bundle
Best for: doing the business on a budget
What can you get for £35 these days? One night in a grim Airbnb in Exeter? Very little petrol? Two medium-sized popcorns at the local multiplex? Well, forget all that cynicism, because £35 today will get you a VonHaus E-Series 18V cordless drill driver complete with bundled battery and charger! Does this mean that the drill is available to buy without a battery and charger? Yes, it does, for £2 less, but unless you already own a VonHaus E-Series battery and charger, the only way you’ll be getting screws driven into anything is by knocking them in with the heel of the drill.
So, with the bundle bought and the 1.5Ah battery charged and inserted, what the E-Series V18 delivers is from 400- to 1500rpm depending on which of the 19 settings you have it set, an efficient 30Nm of torque to cover general household drilling and driving, plus a variable 2-speed trigger and an LED lamp to keep you on-target.
Light at just 123kg (drill + battery) and solidly built to withstand just being chucked in a toolbox when the job is done, even in our troubled 2022, £35 can still bag you a bargain.
Buy now £39.99, Vonhaus
MYLEK 21V Compakt Cordless 2-Speed Drill Driver 29-Piece Accessory Kit
Best for: covering all drill-based eventualities
So, you need to buy a cordless power drill, but you’re absolutely not the kind of person who is a) into power tools in any discernible way, and b) has any intention of ever going through this process again so want to get everything you need the first time. Well, you’re in luck because, another option very much from the bargain end of the hole-boring spectrum, the MYLEK 21V, complete with 29-Piece Accessory Kit, is exactly the hard-wearing, long-lasting, multi-faceted, one-stop online shop you’re looking for.
First up: power. The Compakt’s 21V Li-ion battery gives you up to 30Nm torque and 1400rpm, which makes it more than adept at drilling soft and most hard materials around the domestic scene alike. And that 15Ah battery will give you about 60-minutes continuous power before the built-in power indicator tells you its time to take a break and let the battery recharge for 90-minutes.
A 2-speed gearbox and a variable speed precision trigger allow for complete control no matter what the job, while that 29-piece accessory kit brings together more drill bits, bit sockets, screwdriver bits and other assorted odds and sods than you’ll probably ever need, all self-contained in a tough-as-old-boots carry case.
Bottom-line, before I run wildly over word-count: if you only ever intend to ever buy one cordless drill, buy this one.
Buy now £44.99, Amazon
Bosch EasyDrill 1200
Best for: light drilling duties
Let’s face it, not everyone is some kind of Bond villain determined to drill a bore hole from their inactive volcano lair through to the core of the planet for reasons purely nefarious, but rather just something to help deal with everyday home DIY. Also, not everyone has the physical strength required to lift and, indeed, hold safe and steady some of the larger, more powerful drills I’ve recommended here. So, for those who just desire uncomplicated cordless driving and drilling, there’s the EasyDrill 1200 from Bosch.
All in the name, as marketing people might say, the EasyDrill 1200 is a sub-1kg lightweight means to an end, with just 12V of power behind it and a more than adequate maximum 30Nm torque.
Comfortable to use, 20 pre-selectable torque settings, a drill setting and a 2-speed gearbox are available to help deliver optimum power and speed for smaller wood and metal drilling jobs as well as, obviously, screwdriving.
Relatively basic then, but well-built – as you’d expect of a Bosch – and featuring a built-in LED work-light, if you don’t need loads of drill drama in your life, just keep it simple.
Buy now £64.99, Machine Mart
Verdict
As it should be with your own children, it’s hard to pick a favourite when it comes to – let’s face it – awesome cordless power tools. In the end, it all comes down to what your individual requirements are going to be both now and in the future (I’m talking about the drills, not your kids now, by the way), plus what kind of a budget you have to work with. But, for me, a simple man who likes the power and control I don’t possess in my own life to be present in my choice of tools, the Stanley Fatmax would be my favoured drill. Like some compelling circus contortionist, it has an absolute winning combination of pure potency and full-on flexibility ticking all my boring boxes.
