Cordless Drills: Reviews

Updated August 2009
 

Best cordless drill for homeowners

Makita DF030DW *Est. $150 Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

Tools of the Trade: Tools of the Trade compares nine subcompact Li-ion cordless drill/drivers based on objective tests plus jobsite use, ranking the ...

Journal of Light Construction: The Makita DF030DW shares top ranking with the Hitachi DB10DL in this review of six Li-ion subcompact drill/drivers. The review ...

J.D. Power and Associates: Makita ranks fifth in J.D. Power and Associates' customer-satisfaction survey of 10 cordless drill brands, though it still ranks ...

Amazon.com: The handful of owners reviewing the Makita DF030DW cordless drill at Amazon.com say they're very pleased with its compact size ...

TylerTool.com: This YouTube video is basically an advertisement, but it does demonstrate the features of the Makita DF030DW, and shows that it ...

 

Cordless drill for construction projects

Makita BDF452HW *Est. $200 Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: This review compares the Makita BDF452HW cordless drill with 42 other cordless drills, based on earlier tests published in ...

Tools of the Trade: Tools of the Trade Online compares eight compact Li-ion cordless drill/drivers based on objective tests plus jobsite use, ranking ...

Popular Woodworking: The Makita BDF452HW is the Editor's Choice at Popular Woodworking, based on detailed comparison tests of seven 18-volt, Li-ion ...

Wood Magazine: The Makita BDF452HW is judged the better of the two cordless drills recommended in this brief Wood Magazine review. Tester Doug ...

Tools of the Trade: Tools of the Trade doesn't rank or rate the Li-ion cordless tools reviewed here, but the brief summaries of each model make it ...

J.D. Power and Associates: Makita ranks fifth in this large customer-satisfaction survey of 10 cordless drill brands, though it still ranks above the ...

Amazon.com: The Makita BDF452HW compact lithium-ion drill is one of the top-rated cordless drills at this retail site reviewed by over 160 ...

HomeDepot.com: Nearly two dozen owners review the Makita BDF452HW at HomeDepot.com, making it one of the top-rated cordless drills at this ...

The Power Tool Geek: The Power Tool Geek blog post reports on informal tests of cordless drills by three women. They agreed on the 4.6-pound Makita ...

ToolKing.com: This video, posted at YouTube, is basically an advertisement, but it does give a good indication of the relative size and power ...

 

Budget cordless drill

Hitachi DS12DVF3 *Est. $75 Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: This review compares the Hitachi DS12DVF3 cordless drill with 42 other cordless drills, based on earlier tests published in ...

Wood Magazine: The Hitachi DS12DVF3 is recommended by this tester as the best value in cordless drills, with praise for its excellent runtime ...

J.D. Power and Associates: Hitachi ranks third in this large J.D. Power and Associates customer-satisfaction survey of 10 cordless drill brands, well above ...

Amazon.com: More than two dozen owners review the Hitachi DS12DVF3 drill/driver here, giving it a high average rating and judging it a good ...

HomeDepot.com: More than two dozen owners give this Hitachi drill reasonably high average ratings at HomeDepot.com, especially for value, design ...

YouTube.com: This video review of the Hitachi DS12DVF3 is silent but gives a good demonstration of it in action as it drills through both ...

 

Best cordless screwdriver

Hitachi DB3DL *Est. $65 Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: This review compares the Hitachi DB3DL cordless screwdriver with seven other models, as part of a larger report on cordless ...

PopularMechanics.com: This review at Popular Mechanics of nine cordless screwdrivers gives the Hitachi DB3DL top ranking, based on tests of drilling ...

Wired.com: The Hitachi DB3DL ranks second to the Bosch PS10-2 I-Driver in this Wired review of four cordless screwdrivers, but costs much ...

Tools of the Trade: This Tools of the Trade overview recommends the Hitachi DB3DL cordless screwdriver for light tasks such as installing cabinet ...

J.D. Power and Associates: Hitachi ranks third in this large J.D. Power and Associates customer-satisfaction survey of 10 cordless drill brands, well above ...

Amazon.com: Over 50 owners review the Hitachi DB3DL cordless screwdriver at Amazon.com, giving it a high average rating. Owners say it's ...

Toolbarn.com: Only a couple owner reviews are listed for the Hitachi DB3DL cordless screwdriver at ToolBarn.com, both giving it high ...

 

Best cordless impact driver

Panasonic EY7540LN2L *Est. $315 Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

Taunton's 2009 Tool Guide: A professional designer/builder tests 12 cordless Li-ion impact drivers on the job for several months. This review, originally ...

ConsumerReports.org: ConsumerReports.org compares the Panasonic EY7540LN2L with 17 other cordless impact drivers in this thorough review. All 18 ...

Journal of Light Construction: The Journal of Light Construction tests the Panasonic EY7540 cordless impact driver, driving 3/8-inch lag screws that are 6 ...

Tools of the Trade: This review reports on tests of all the Li-ion impact drivers available at the time of publication. The models aren't rated or ...

Amazon.com: At the time of this writing, only a couple owners review the 14.4-volt Panasonic impact driver at Amazon.com, both praising it ...

 

Cordless Drills Runners Up:

Bosch PS20-2A Pocket Driver *Est. $100

10 picks including: Amazon.com, American Woodworker…

Panasonic EY6432GQKW *Est. $200

7 picks including: Amazon.com, Popular Woodworking…

Bosch PS40-2A *Est. $150

7 picks by top review sites.

Ridgid R86006 *Est. $200

5 picks by top review sites.

Skil iXO3 *Est. $45

5 picks including: Amazon.com, Wood Magazine…

Ryobi P844 Kit *Est. $300

4 picks by top review sites.

Makita BDF451 LXT *Est. $300

3 picks including: Amazon.com, J.D. Power & Associates…

Festool C12 *Est. $375

3 picks by top review sites.

Milwaukee 2401-22 *Est. $100

3 picks by top review sites.

Sears Craftsman 11542 *Est. $100

2 picks including: ToolMonger.com, Sears.com…

Ryobi HJP001K *Est. $80

2 picks including: HomeDepot.com, The Power Tool Geek…

Ryobi P230 *Est. $70 w/o battery

2 picks by top review sites.

     
 
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Bosch PS20-2A 12-Volt Max Lithium-Ion Pocket Driver with 2 Batteries
Buy from Amazon.com
from Amazon.com
New: $89.99   
In Stock.
Average Customer Review:  
 
 
 
 
     
 
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Panasonic EY6432GQKW 15.6-Volt NiMH 1/2-Inch Cordless Drill/Driver Kit
Buy from Amazon.com
from Amazon.com
New: $193.49   
In Stock.
Average Customer Review:  
 
 
 
 
     
 
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Bosch PS40-2A 12-Volt Max Lithium-Ion Impact Driver
Buy from Amazon.com
from Amazon.com
New: $127.99   
In Stock.
Average Customer Review:  
 
 
 
 
     
   
 
 
 
     
 
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Skil iXO3 2346-05 3.6-Volt Li-Ion Cordless Driver
Buy from Amazon.com
from Amazon.com
New: $47.23   
In Stock.
Average Customer Review:  
 
 
 
 
     
 
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Makita BDF451 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless 1/2-Inch Driver-Drill Kit
Buy from Amazon.com
from Amazon.com
New: $288.88   
In Stock.
Average Customer Review:  
 
 
 
 
     
 
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Milwaukee 2401-22 12V 12-Volt Li-ion Sub-Compact Driver Kit
Buy from Amazon.com
from Amazon.com
New: $99.00   
In Stock.
Average Customer Review:  
 
 
 
 
     
 
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New Ryobi One+ P230 1/4" Impact Driver (Bare Tool, No Battery)
Buy from Amazon.com
from Amazon.com
New: $55.80   
In Stock.
Average Customer Review:  
 
 
 
 

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