Cordless Drills: Reviews

Popular Woodworking: The Milwaukee 2410-22 earns the Editor's Choice award, based on thorough objective tests of six 12-volt drill/drivers that use regular chucks.

PopularMechanics.com: Comparison tests of seven 12-volt drill/drivers name as "best overall" the Milwaukee 2410-20 -- which is the bare-tool version (sans battery) of the Milwaukee 2410-22 drill.

J.D. Power and Associates: Milwaukee cordless drills, as a brand, earn top ranking in the third annual survey of nearly 5,000 cordless drill users, comparing 12 cordless drill brands on six factors.

BuilderOnline.org: Milwaukee earns top ranking as a power tool brand, compared with 14 others that make cordless drills, in this 2007 survey of 3,428 builders and contractors.

ProToolReviews.com: Tests here give the Milwaukee 2410-22 the highest possible rating for performance, noting that it provides as much power as some 18-volt cordless drills but is much easier to use.

CopTool.com: This well-illustrated blog review (associated with a tool retailer) recommends the Milwaukee 2410-22 over the Bosch PS30-2A, praising the metal chuck on the Milwaukee and noting that it's an inch shorter than the Bosch, making it better for tight spaces.

Amazon.com: More than two dozen owners review the Milwaukee 2410-22 drill/driver here, giving it above-average ratings, praising its balance of power and weight plus the LED light and fuel gauge -- though a few quality-control complaints bring the average rating down below perfect.

Northern Tool and Equipment: The Milwaukee 2410-22 drill/driver earns near-perfect reviews from the handful of owners reviewing it here, who represent a nice cross-section of professional and homeowner users.

HomeDepot.com: The Milwaukee 2410-22 gets mostly positive reviews from the dozen or so owners rating it here.

ConsumerReports.org: This review compares the Hitachi DS12DVF3 cordless drill with 54 other cordless drills, based on earlier tests published in December 2007.

Wood Magazine: The Hitachi DS12DVF3 is recommended by this tester as the best value in cordless drills, with praise for its excellent runtime and 30-minute charger.

J.D. Power and Associates: Though Hitachi ranked third in the 2009 survey of cordless drill buyers, it has lost ground and ranks eighth in the 2010 survey -- though still above the industry average and rated "better than most." The rankings are based on six factors, with drill performance most important, followed by ease of use, battery performance, price, versatility of battery system and warranty.

BuilderOnline.org: Hitachi ranks in the middle of the pack in this 2007 survey of 3,428 builders and contractors -- ranked eighth out of 15 brands that make cordless drills.

Amazon.com: About four dozen owners review the Hitachi DS12DVF3 drill/driver here, giving it a high average rating and judging it a good value for ordinary household tasks.

Lowes.com: The Hitachi DS12DVF3 earns above-average ratings here, especially for tasks that don't require too much power -- based on reports from about three dozen users.

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 lumber and steel.

Fine Woodworking: The Makita BDF452HW earns both the Best Overall and Best Value awards in this comparison review of 10 compact 18-volt drills, based on separate objective tests of torque and run time.

Taunton's 2011 Tool Guide: This review duplicates the one in the 2010 tool guide, based on the Fine Woodworking review above.

ConsumerReports.org: This review compares the Makita BDF452HW cordless drill with 54 other cordless drills, but it's not clear how recently each drill was tested.

Tools of the Trade: Tools of the Trade compares eight compact Li-ion cordless drill/drivers based on objective tests plus jobsite use, ranking the Makita BDF452HW second only to the Milwaukee 2601-22.

Popular Woodworking: Based on objective tests comparing it with seven other 18-volt lithium-ion drills, the Makita BDF452HW earns the Editor's Choice award -- not only for its power and run time, but also for its excellent balance and fit in both small and large hands.

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

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 easy to tell which ones perform best with the most comfort, and any drawbacks are noted.

J.D. Power and Associates: Makita places fifth in this third annual J.D. Power and Associates' customer-satisfaction survey of 13 cordless drill brands, though it still ranks above the industry average and earns the same 5-star "among the best" rating as the four brands ranked higher: Milwaukee, Bosch, DeWalt and Craftsman Professional.

BuilderOnline.org: This 2007 survey of over 3,400 builders and contractors ranks Makita ranks sixth as a power tool brand.

Amazon.com: The Makita BDF452HW compact lithium-ion drill is one of the top-rated cordless drills at this retail site reviewed by over 250 owners.

HomeDepot.com: Over 40 owners review the Makita BDF452HW at HomeDepot.com, making it one of the top-rated cordless drills at this retail site.

Northern Tool and Industrial: The Makita BDF452HW earns near-perfect ratings from the handful of owners reviewing it here.

The Power Tool Geek: The Power Tool Geek blog post reports on informal tests of cordless drills by three women.

ToolKing.com: This video, posted at YouTube, is basically an advertisement, but it does give a good indication of the relative size and power of the Makita BDF452HW LXT drill.

PopularMechanics.com: The Makita BTD144 earns a 5-star rating here, outranking the other eight impact drivers tested -- with praise for its compact size, light weight, power and three-speed finesse.

The Journal of Light Construction: The Makita BTD144 earns top ranking here based on objective tests and field use, compared with three other new impact drivers as well as nine tested in Oct.

Fine Homebuilding: This single-product review of the Makita BTD144 gives it a perfect 5-star rating, with special praise for its three speed ranges and excellent variable-speed trigger.

Popular Woodworking: Popular Woodworking names the Makita BTD144 impact driver one of the best new tools of 2009, saying it became "an object of envy" in the magazine's workshop.

Wood Magazine: Editors of Wood Magazine name the 18v Makita BTD144 impact driver one of the top new tools for 2010, praising the extra control provided by its three-speed transmission combined with an excellent variable-speed trigger.

Amazon.com: The Makita BTD144 impact driver earns above-average ratings from the owners reviewing it here (fewer than a dozen at the time of our report) -- with praise for its extra control.

J.D. Power and Associates: Makita as a cordless-drill brand earns a perfect 5-star rating here based on a survey of nearly 5,000 consumers, ranking well above average but fifth among brands.

Builder magazine: Makita ranks sixth as a power tool brand, compared with 14 others that make cordless drills, in this 2007 survey of 3,428 builders and contractors.

Woodworker's Journal: Based on tests of both power and control (to avoid stripping screws), this detailed review compares six subcompact impact drivers, choosing the 10.8-volt Makita TD090DW best of the bunch.

Popular Woodworking: The Makita TD090D impact driver is among the tools recommended here.

Amazon.com: The 20 or so owners reviewing the subcompact Makita impact driver here give it high praise for its combination of power and light weight.

J.D. Power and Associates: This survey of nearly 5,000 cordless-drill consumers ranks Makita well above average, with a perfect 5-star rating, but below four other brands.

BuilderOnline.org: This 2007 survey of 3,428 builders and contractors ranks Makita sixth among 14 power tool manufacturers that make cordless drills.

YouTube.com: This video review is basically an ad furnished by Tyler Tool, but it shows how the tool works and gives a good sense of its size.

ConsumerReports.org: A similar Craftsman kit is among the 10 four-piece cordless combo kits ranked and rated here, based on objective tests.

Sears.com: More than 50 owners review the five-piece Craftsman 11445 cordless combo kit here, giving it a high average rating.

J.D. Power and Associates: Craftsman Pro ranks third among the 12 cordless-drill brands rated and ranked here, based on a survey of nearly 5,000 consumers -- but regular Craftsman drills rank ninth, just above the industry average.

BuilderOnline.org: This 2007 survey of over 3,400 builders and contractors ranks Craftsman below 11 other brands for power-tool quality overall.