How to Choose the Right Cordless Drill for the Job

The cordless drill is the tool most often bought, and most often bought wrong. Before you look at the price, ask yourself three questions: what will you drill, how often, and where. If your work is timber and drywall, putting up shelves and curtain rails, a 12V drill is enough: light, it gets into tight spaces, and it does not tire the wrist overhead. If you drill brick and block or bore large holes in thick timber, look for a hammer mode and 18 or 20 volts. Do not confuse a drill with an impact driver. A drill bores holes and drives short screws; an impact driver adds short blows that push long screws home without twisting your hand, but it does not drill metal accurately. Many tradespeople carry both, one to drill and one to drive, so they are not changing bits every minute. Finally, look at the battery before the tool. If you already own cordless tools from one system, choose the drill that takes the same battery and buy it as a bare tool; you save the price of a battery and your packs stay interchangeable. And in a Saudi summer, never leave batteries in the car: heat is what shortens their life fastest.