I Put Several Cordless Drills to the Test in My Workshop—These 10 Were the Best

No workshop is complete without a good cordless drill. This essential power tool is your workhorse, responsible for drilling holes and driving in fasteners—tasks that almost every home repair or woodworking project requires.

Today's cordless drills are more powerful than ever, with premium models producing torque surpassing 2,000 inch-pounds and speeds of more than 2,000 rpm. That’s enough to bore large holes through wood, metal, and even concrete.

Along with power, there are other factors to consider when shopping for a cordless drill, including size, weight, and features. In an effort to identify the top drills for a range of applications, I put eight models from some of the most reputable tool brands out there, including Milwaukee and DeWalt, to the test by drilling through lumber and masonry.

Below are my reviews of each model, including my pick for the best cordless drill worth investing in.

• Best Overall: Milwaukee M18 2904 Hammer Drill​
• Best Value: Skil PWRCORE Drill Driver Kit​
• Best for Power: FLEX 24V Brushless Cordless Hammer Drill​
• Best for Speed: Ryobi 18V One+ Compact Cordless Hammer Drill​
• Best Controls: DeWalt 20V MAX XR Hammer Drill​

I started my initial research by searching for drills I thought would suit all types of users. After selecting six tools, I ran each through a series of tests. For my first test, I bored ten holes through a 2x4—five one-inch holes with a spade bit and five 1/2-inch holes with a twist bit. I considered the speed at which the drills completed these holes, as well as how smoothly the drill operated and how cleanly it was able to drill the hole.

Next, I tested the drills with fasteners by using each model to drive three-inch wood screws into stacked 2x4s. Finally, I took the hammer drills in the group outdoors and proceeded to drill holes into a slab of concrete. Along with performance, I also assessed each drill’s weight and size to determine ease of use.

For this story’s latest update, I added two new models—the Bosch 12-Volt pocket driver, which is one of the lightest and most compact drill/drivers we’ve tested, and the versatile Skil PWRCORE flip drill, which has a unique two-collet design that makes it ideal for jobs that require drilling pilot holes.

Milwaukee packs tremendous performance into a surprisingly compact tool with this 1/2-inch hammer drill. It pumps out a whopping 1,400 inch-pounds of torque and can reach a lightning-quick top speed of 2,100 rpm. Though not quite the fastest on our list, the drill blazed through my 1/2-inch drill bit and 1-inch spade bit tests. It posted similarly impressive performance, drilling 1/4-inch holes into concrete. Milwaukee’s hammer drill also has three speed settings (most only have two), which allowed me to dial back all that speed and power to drive screws.

What’s so impressive about this drill is that it packs all that power into such a small package. It’s just under 7 inches from tip to tail and weighs a relatively light 3.3 pounds. Plus, it comes equipped with an auto-stop feature that shuts off the motor to prevent over-rotation should the drill bit become bound up.

This Milwaukee drill may not be the fastest or most powerful tool on the list, but when you factor in its weight, size, and features, it’s the best all-around.

Full Milwaukee M18 2904 Hammer Drill Review

The Skil PWRCore drill produces a surprising amount of power for its size and at a fraction of the price of the premium cordless drills on our list. It took an impressive 3 seconds to drill a 1/2-inch hole into a 2x4. Its ability to drill holes with a 1-inch spade bit was mixed, however. During testing, the bit became hopelessly bound in the wood every couple of holes. When used as a driver, it had no problems driving in three-inch screws.

This drill weighs just 2.23 pounds, not including the battery. Couple that with a narrow profile, and the Skil was one of the easiest 20-volt drills to use. While it doesn’t offer the bells and whistles you’ll find on premium drills, it does give you two speed settings and an LED worklight. And while a premium cordless drill kit costs $300 or more, the Skil 20-volt drill kit is just $80. That low price, coupled with its solid performance, makes it a great budget pick.

Full Skil PWRCore Drill/Driver Review

FLEX’s cordless tools are known for their impressive power output and this cordless drill is no exception. With its 1,400 inch-pounds of torque and max 2,500 rpm speed, it blazed through our tests, drilling five holes with a 1/2-inch twist bit and five 1-inch holes with a spade bit each in under 3 seconds smoothly and with no hesitation. Interested to see just how much it could handle, I took it to a block of cement and set about drilling holes with a 3/8-inch bit. Where most cordless drills would fail at this point, the FLEX just kept on chugging, burrowing through cement with no hesitation.

With its 24-volt motor and battery, the FLEX isn’t light, weighing just under 4 pounds bare and nearly 6 pounds with the included 5.0Ah battery. Its head, meanwhile, is a relatively short 7.1 inches.

The FLEX is loaded with features. Along with a turbo button that allows you to boost torque to reach its max output, there’s also a rotation protection that stops the drill if it over-rotates to protect your wrist and arm. The FLEX cordless drill is a serious power tool that costs more than most other options on our list. But if you’re serious about power, look no further.

Full FLEX 24V Hammer Drill Full Review

Ryobi keeps upping the ante with its cordless drill/driver. The latest iteration boasts a max speed of 2,150 rpm and max torque of 850 inch-pounds, which are both notably more than the brand’s previous hammer drill.

The increased speed and torque showed during testing, as I was able to bore five 1-inch holes with a spade bit in just under 4 seconds per hole, a full second faster than when I tested the older version. I also recorded markedly faster times with larger fasteners and had an easier time drilling into concrete. This model’s performance puts the Ryobi in the ballpark of the best drills I tested. There is one caveat: Our testing was done with Ryobi’s high-performance 18-volt battery, which delivers better performance than its standard, 2Ah battery.

In terms of size, the Ryobi hammer drill is bulkier than others I tested with a bare weight of 3.1 pounds and a head length of 7.5 inches. That said, its outstanding performance makes it a great option for anyone looking for serious power out of an affordable drill/driver.

The flagship drill of DeWalt’s line of cordless drills is impressive in its raw power and versatility. We bore a 1/2-inch hole through a 2x4 with a standard bit in about half a second and a 1-inch hole with a paddle bit in 3 seconds flat. Both times were the fastest I recorded for all of the drills I tested. I was also impressed by all the options for controlling that power. With three speed options, I was able to dial its speed way back. That, coupled with the ability to drop the torque, allowed me to drive in screws without stripping the screw head.

Among other features I appreciated about the DeWalt XR drill included an anti-rotation safety feature that shuts off the motor if it senses too much rotational motion, saving your wrist, and a built-in worklight you can aim.

The XR isn’t particularly light at 4.1 pounds (not including a battery), but it is relatively short with a head length of 7.6 inches, which means it can fit into tighter spots than many other cordless drills.

Makita’s flagship hammer drill packs quite a punch in a compact size, producing 1,250 inch-pounds of torque with a maximum speed of 2,100 rpm. Not surprisingly, it had no problem handling both of my drill bit tests. It easily drove a 1-inch spade bit and 1/2-inch drill bit through a 2x4. I also found success using its hammer drill function to bore 5/8-inch holes into concrete.

The Makita hammer drill also serves as a very capable driver. Once I dialed back the speed and torque to prevent it from stripping screw heads, I was able to consistently drive 3-inch wood screws into our stacked 2x4s. With all that power, the XPH14 still manages to stay compact with a head length of 7 inches, though it’s one of the heaviest drills I tested with a bare tool weight of 5.5 pounds.

Bosch is known for the ergonomics of its drill/drivers, which are frequently more compact and lighter than those made by other brands. Its 18V brushless hammer drill/driver has a bare tool weight of just 2.5 pounds and a narrow profile with a short head that makes it easier to handle and fit into tighter spots.

Its 575 inch-pounds of torque won’t match the others we tested on paper. But in practice? It handled the tasks I threw at it without trouble. I drove longer, 3-inch screws into wood with relative ease and had no problem drilling 1-inch holes into wood with a paddle bit. Switched to hammer mode, I was even able to drill 1/2-inch holes into concrete.

It also has some nice user features, including an auto shutoff that prevents over-rotation and a rapid mode selector that lets you quickly cycle through its drilling, driving, and hammer mode with the push of a button.

I love the drill/driver that comes in this kit so much that I’m willing to overlook the fact that it’s not available by itself. You’ll need to purchase the full kit, which includes an impact driver, to get it. That will understandably be a deal breaker for those who don't need an impact driver, but the Ridgid drill/driver's product specs speak for themselves.

With 1,250 inch-pounds of torque and a max speed of 2,000 rpm, this tool is up there with the top of the line brands when it comes to power and speed. It also comes with features you expect to see on pro level drills, including kickback control to protect your wrist.

The Ridgid’s impressive specs played out in our testing as it performed similarly to our top pick when it came to drilling holes with larger paddle bits and boring into denser materials like concrete. The Ridgid hammer drill/driver is a little on the bulky side, but it’s a drill worthy of your arsenal.

Very little has changed with the Bosch 12V PS21-2A Pocket Driver since it debuted years ago, and that’s just fine. With its light weight, compact size, and pistol grip, it’s one of the most comfortable drill/drivers I’ve picked up. It has 265 inch-pounds of torque and operates at a maximum speed of 1,300 RPM. While that won’t match the power and speed of 18V models, it’s on the high end for a 12V drill.

During testing, I had no trouble driving in several dozen 3-inch screws into two stacked 2x4s. With its nimble size, it excelled in tight spaces. It was compact enough to work screws in the engine bay of my truck, and I had no problem accessing screws inside cabinetry in my kitchen.

It does have its limitations—it barely finished driving in 3-inch lag bolts and refused to remove them. But, such a job is really meant for an 18V tool.

The versatile Skil Flip Drill has two 1/4-inch collets on a chuck that rotates at the push of a button, allowing you to quickly switch from drilling pilot holes with a drill bit to driving in screws in seconds. This eliminates the need to change bits or carry two separate drill/drivers, and while it might sound gimmicky, it really works.

I was able to drill pilot holes and then in quick succession drive in a fastener far faster than by changing out bits, though it’s worth noting that the drill doesn’t improve your ability to drill pilot holes accurately. It’s simply an efficiency improvement, but that’s fine.

There’s also a magnet that conveniently holds the screw on deck as you drill the pilot hole. It produces 1,700 RPMs and 350 inch-pounds of torque and has a digital clutch with nine torque settings and two speed options. It performed well with drill bits up to 1/2 inch and fasteners up to 3 inches long, making it a handy drill for light-duty projects around the house.