What to Look for in a Cordless Drill

Having a cordless drill in your tool collection means you're prepared for just about any home improvement project. Cordless drills are portable and powerful power tools that enable you to install just about any fixture and take apart nearly anything put together with screws. There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a cordless drill that can make them easier to use and more durable. Here are some tips on what to look for.

Choosing a Cordless Drill:

1. Power: A couple of volts can make the difference between being able to screw together a bicycle and drilling a hole in a brick wall. When it comes to cordless power tools like drills, power translates into torque. A 12-volt cordless drill can apply between 150 and 300 inch-pounds of torque. You can find power drills with power ratings up to 18 volts, but the added power usually means a heavier drill. Check the maximum torque rating. If you want to drill through tougher materials, like concrete, your torque rating should be on the high end and you'll need harder drill bits, made from high-grade steel or titanium.

2. Battery life: Battery life is listed in amp hours (Ah). It can be hard to verify claims of battery-life length for a cordless drill, as it depends on how fast and how often you drill. But you'll get more time between charges with a cordless drill that has a higher Ah rating.

3. Weight: Bigger batteries and motors give you more power and battery life, but they make your cordless drill heavier. A cordless drill can weigh as much as 5 pounds or more. That may not seem like much until you're lifting the drill over your head for the hundredth time. Balance weight considerations with other features, like power and durability.

4. Durability: How durable your cordless drill is depends largely on the type of work you're doing and the frequency of use. Light drilling, through drywall and untreated wood, is fine with a lower power drill. But large-scale projects and drilling through tougher materials, like brick or concrete, will wear out a lighter drill quickly. For those big projects, you may want a drill with more power, multiple speeds and a bit more heft to it.

5. Speed: Cordless drills will list their speed in RPMs. Speed is also related to the power rating in volts. The faster the drill, the cleaner your holes will be. Most cordless drills can achieve 1200 RPMs at high speed, but low-end speeds of 500 RPMs are fine for most drilling.