6 Best Cordless Drills You Can Buy, According to Engineers
6 Best Cordless Drills You Can Buy, According to Engineers
We updated this guide in March 2022 to replace any sold-out products. These picks still reflect the top picks from our most recent test by the Good Housekeeping Institute's Chief Technologist and Executive Technical Director, Rachel Rothman.
Today’s cordless drills pack power into compact and lightweight housing, making work easier and faster and resulting in nicer-looking results. Cordless drills are a nice-to-have for just about everyone, and a necessity for those that do a lot of DIYing or home improvement. They’re great for a range of everyday woodworking and construction tasks, like assembling furniture and mounting shelves.
If you’re looking to buy the best cordless drill for your needs, you’ll want to consider the power output, ergonomics and battery life. For most household jobs, a 12-volt drill will suffice and will be more compact and weightless. If you’re doing projects regularly, or plan on doing something more robust, you’ll want to get a 18- or 20-volt drill. In terms of comfort, you’ll want to consider more than just the contouring and weight — it’s important that a drill be well-balanced. A drill with a brushless motor is usually quieter and its battery is longer-lasting than one with a brushed motor.
Who makes the best cordless drills for home use?
The engineers at the Good Housekeeping Institute have thoroughly reviewed dozens of cordless drills over the last few years. We run systematic tests for battery life evaluations, and screw and drill things a lot! Together with our consumer panel, we assess metrics like comfort, weight, weight distribution, power, battery life, ease of switching settings and changing bits, ease of charging and changing out the battery and more. Based upon our testing, category expertise, and a review of new and innovative drills on the market, these are the best cordless drills you can buy.
Our top picks:
- Best Overall 12V Cordless Drill: Bosch PS31-2A 12-Volt Max
- Best Overall 20V Cordless Drill: DeWalt DCD791D2 20-Volt
- Best Value 20V Cordless Drill: Black & Decker LD120VA 20-Volt Max
- Best Compact Cordless Drill: Makita XFD131 18-Volt LXT
- Best Best Cordless Drill and Impact Driver Combo: WORX WX960L 20 Volt Max
- Best Cordless Drill for Large Projects: Craftsman CMCD701C2 V20 20-Volt Max
For DIY home improvements, these power screw drivers are the best cordless drills to buy, by brands like DeWalt, Bosch, Craftsman, Black+Decker and Makita.
