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Which cordless drill kit fits the jobs you do?
Updated
Answer four questions. The checker tells you the tool type, the voltage class and the least battery to accept in the box, then lists the picks on this site that fit. Below it is a converter for the torque units listings use.
Drill kit checker
Torque unit converter
Rules of thumb, not engineering advice. Watt-hours use nominal volts: 18 V for 20V MAX and 18 V packs, 10.8 V for 12V MAX packs.
The rules behind the checker
These are our rules of thumb. They are a starting point, not a test result.
- Tool type. Brick, block or concrete calls for a hammer drill. Lots of long screws call for an impact driver next to your drill. Everything else is drill/driver work, so the checker lists only the plain drill/driver kits for it. A hammer drill or combo kit can do those jobs too.
- Voltage class. The 12 V class is fine for wood, thin metal and screws up to about 3 inches. Masonry, lots of long screws or bits with a 1/2 inch shank push you to the 18 V / 20V MAX class. Those two labels are the same class: DEWALT states that its 20V MAX packs are 18 volts nominal and its 12V MAX packs are 10.8.
- Battery in the box. For a few minutes at a time we ask for 25 Wh or more. For an hour or more we ask for 40 Wh or more, and two batteries are better than one so you can swap.
Worked examples
| Your jobs | Picks that fit |
|---|---|
| Flat-pack furniture and cabinet hardware, a few minutes at a time | DEWALT DCD771C2, Makita XFD131, BOSCH PS31-2A, DEWALT DCD777D1 and BLACK+DECKER LD120VA |
| A wall of shelves into studs, working for an hour or more | DEWALT DCD771C2, Makita XFD131 and BOSCH PS31-2A |
| Deck boards with long screws, an hour or more | DEWALT DCK240C2 |
| A few anchors in a brick wall | CRAFTSMAN CMCD711C2 |
| A hole saw with a 1/2 inch shank for a door lock | DEWALT DCD771C2, Makita XFD131 and DEWALT DCD777D1 |
About the converter
One inch-pound is 0.1129848 newton meters. That factor comes from the NIST Guide to the SI. So the 53.1 N m on the DEWALT DCD777D1 listing is about 470 in-lb, and the 440 in-lb on the Makita XFD131 listing is about 49.7 N m. UWO does not convert. DEWALT describes it as the point where the drill's speed and torque output together are highest, so it is a power figure, not a torque figure.
Match a kit to your jobs with the drill kit checker, or compare all seven picks on the roundup page.