5 Best Cordless Drills According To Professionals

People are taking advantage of the early 2024 lockdown period to work on some home improvement, upgrade their furniture, or simply to brush up on their craftsmanship. 

Whether it's fixing a leaky faucet, putting together a new wardrobe system, or a 1-day DIY project, you need a good cordless drill to get the job done. 

Compact, lightweight, and highly mobilizable, cordless drills are valuable additions to every home tool kit. And they are becoming more and more popular. 

Over the last few months, we received hundreds of emails from our readers asking, "What is the best cordless drill?". It's a hard question indeed, and given the wide variety of power drills on the market today, a singular 'best' doesn't seem to suffice.

So we looked at thousands of the best cordless drill reviews to understand what makes a top rated cordless drill. 

We also consulted our team of professionals for some insights and cordless drill comparisons.

In this review, we'll drill down to the main specs to determine the pros and cons of FIVE of top rated cordless drills and decide whether it's a worthwhile investment.

Excited? Let's jump right in.

Overall Pick: Bosch's PS31-2A 12-Volt Max

Bosch has been the leading power tool manufacturer. Nothing beats the robust German engineering reputation, as demonstrated in Bosch's PS31-2A 12-Volt Max.

The Bosch' Max is the best cordless drill, according to the team of professionals we consulted. The 12-volt driving force delivers up to 1300 RPM in two-speed settings and more than 20 precise torque settings. 

We found these specifications quite impressive, considering the small size and also the price of this cordless drill. 

Weighing under 2 pounds, the Bosch is the lightest drill on the market. We didn't have any trouble using it in awkward positions and tight spaces, proving a lighter weight greatly contributes to the overall ergonomics design and mobility.

We put the Bosch drill to a wide variety of tasks under different working conditions such as a dark and oddly shaped corner, overhead drilling, dusty environment. 

The Bosch passed our gruesome tests, proving itself as the best rated cordless drill on the market. Like us, you can put this powerhouse to any tasks and expect quick and stellar results.

One of the highlights of this cordless drill is how highly customizable it is. The single-sleeve, 3/8" (3.17 mm) three-jaw chuck securely holds a wide variety of bits and a significant head length to house accessories such as dust catchers.

Have we mentioned this drill features a brushless motor? A brushless motor is more energy-efficient than its brushed counterpart due to the lack of friction during operation. 

This also makes the motor last longer, generates less noise and unwanted vibration. We think the Bosch Max deserves a spot in your home tool kit for the best performance-to-size ratio.

The only downside we notice at the Bosch drill is that 1-hour charging time. Though it's not a dealbreaker, we were not impressed considering the Makita (also in this review) only needs half the time to fully charge. 

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Runner Up: Craftsman CMCD701C2 V20 20-Volt Max

Craftsman is a name not to be missed from this review because it's the most powerful cordless drill of the price range. 

At 100 bucks, we're looking at two-speed settings, providing up to 1800 RPM and 320 watts output. This high performance is due to its brushed motor. 

Yes, the Craftsman is the only brushed motor, and it's the runner-up drill of this review. We love a good brushless motor, but the traditional brushed motor is reliable and more cost-effective. 

We found it easy to change out the drilling bits since the chuck is keyless. This drill also has an integrated LED system to help you work your way in the dark. 

The Craftsman weighs 2.85 pounds (1.29kg). It's a pound more than the Bosch and not the most comfortable weight to work with for an extended period. 

We have the same charging time as the Bosch but considering it's a 20-volt drill, we think it's justifiable. 

However, compared to DeWalt's 20-volt 45-minute charging time, we believe Craftsman has room to improve. 

Professional's Upgrade: DeWalt's DCD791D2 20-Volt Max XR

DeWalt's XR is the professional's dream upgrade. Praised by many cordless drills reviews, DeWalt's XR operates at 20 volts without making much noise thanks to its brushless motor.

This motor technology also provides high-speed transmission with two setting speeds without completely draining the Li-ion battery. 

You can expect up to 2200 RPM, which allows for wide applications from light- to heavy-duty tasks. 

What makes the DeWalt XR one of the best professional cordless drills are the built-in LED and the incredible battery life. 

Our experts reviewed DeWalt's integrated lighting system favorably, especially the multimodal light setting and 20-minute focus light. You can expect different luminosity for both in- and out-door jobs.

The battery life is decent for a 20-volt cordless drill, but more impressive is the 45 minute charging time. It's the fastest charging drill of the same voltage rating, so you don't have to stop midway if you have a charger around.

But the price tag is an issue. We only recommend this $200 cordless drill to experts, professionals, and seasoned crafty folks.

Budget's Pick: DeWalt's DCD710S2 12-Volt

If you're a DeWalt's fan on a budget, check out the 710S2 12-Volt model, a lower-powered cousin to the 791D2 20-Volt Max XR. 

DeWalt's 710S2 is the best value cordless drill. For less than $50, you can enjoy up to 1500 RPM of quiet brushless motor speed and, more importantly, DeWalt's collection of compatible drilling bits.

This DeWalt's budget cordless drill has most of the highlighted features of its more pricey cousin, such as two-speed setting, onboard lighting, and secure ergonomic grip, making it suitable as a beginner drill or a spare tool. 

One of our handymen suggested having a 12-Volt drill on standby while working with your main cordless drill and swap the lighter-weighing drill when you need more control or higher reach. GENIUS! 

We think DeWalt did a great job of engineering such a decent quality into a compact footprint.

Best Design: Makita’s XFD131 18-volt LXT 

The Makita's LXT appears in every cordless drill review we see, and for a good reason. 

This 18-volt Makita cordless drill is the best middle ground for power and function. Plus, it's the most compact drill in the market right now, measuring at 6-5/8" (<17cm).

The Makita offers the most versatility out of the bunch due to the mid-range driving power, not seen in any other drill. This means the Makita brushless motor can provide many torque levels and up to 1900 RPM.

We don't want to ramble too much about how much we love their brushless motors. But they make Makita one of, if not, the best cordless drill brand in the market.

Their brushless motors perform 50% more efficiently than the industry's standard, lasts longer, and uses less battery life. 

The price of this compact drill is on the higher end, only second to our Professional Upgrade. But it's reasonable, considering its minimum 30-minute charging time is the best in class.

Find More Info: The 10 Best Cordless Drills For Home Improvement and Professional Projects

Final words

So, what is the best drill in your opinion? Let us know by commenting down below.

If you decided to try out one of the best cordless tools using our links, write to us about your experience.