Professional Cordless Drills

Cordless drills for construction jobs or building furniture

If you have more ambitious plans for your cordless drill, such as building furniture or tackling several large construction projects, you may want to consider pro-level cordless drills in the $250 to $400 price range. These have half-inch chucks and are designed for extended hard use. Some offer more control for precision work; others offer longer runtime between charges. Two cordless drills share top ranking in this price range: the 18-volt Makita BDF451 (*Est. $300) Li-ion cordless drill and the 12-volt Festool C12 (*Est. $375), which uses nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries.

For finesse and durability, critics praise the Festool drill for its fine engineering; its innovative brushless motor has won several awards. Popular Woodworking calls the German-made Festool a "lifetime drill." It's especially recommended for furniture makers because of its excellent controls. Despite its light 4-pound weight, it uses 3.0-Ah batteries for long runtime.

Another review compares the Festool C12 against several professional-level 14- and 18-volt drills, finding that the higher-voltage drills began smoking under a high load while the Festool C12 simply carried on. The Festool drill protects the NiMH batteries and motor from damage, shutting down anytime the batteries might be overdrained. For drilling in tight spaces, Festool offers three outstanding chucks as optional attachments. The only real drawback here is the Festool C12's very high price.

The 4.6-pound Makita BDF451 LXT drill is heavier, but carries a longer three-year warranty and uses Li-ion batteries that are rated at 3.0 Ah. The Makita LXT drill has three speeds for easier control. It's worth noting, however, that some testers report the switch can be hard to move from the middle position. Makita's warranty coverage is three years on the drill, one year on the batteries and charger.

Hammer drills are fine for drilling wood, but can add a hammering motion for drilling into masonry. The 4.9-pound Makita BHP454 (*Est. $330) hammer drill provides only two speeds, but adds extra capacity for drilling masonry; it's the top-ranking cordless drill in the latest tests at Popular Mechanics. But if you don't need to drill masonry, the Festool and Makita drills weigh less.