Strongest cordless drill set | Makita, Milwaukee or Dewalt?

Best DIY cordless drill

Best 12v electric screwdriver

Cordless drills are power tools that use batteries instead of an electrical mains power source.

In terms of features and functions, they are pretty much indistinguishable from electric drills.

They are the most common power tool for home workshops and DIY settings and have even become more popular than electric drills in professional construction and job sites due to their convenience and portability.

Early cordless drill models were under-powered and ill-suited for the demands of heavy-duty usage.

Mostly used in home workshops for occasional light drilling jobs, the first cordless drills to hit the market were aimed squarely at the DIY crowd.

Cordless drills applications

Nowadays, however, many handheld cordless drills provide similar power and performance capabilities as the best electric-powered models, making them excellent choices for professional applications. 

Cordless drills are commonly used to drill screw or bolt holes into wood, metal, or masonry.

They can also be used to remove screws and pound bolts into place by fitting the drill mechanism with an impact driver.

What are the available cordless drill types?

Some kits come with both a cordless drill and an impact driver, although some cordless drills combine a hammer-pounding action that makes it easier to drill through masonry. 

The best cordless drills have clutches that allow you to drive screws into different materials without causing damage to the surface.

There are even right-angle drills that make it easier to drive screws when working in tight spaces. 

What about the batteries?

Most modern cordless drills use lithium-ion batteries that hold the charge longer than traditional nickel-cadmium batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries also have longer run times and charge much more quickly than their nickel-cadmium counterparts.

Now, lithium-ion batteries typically range from 18 volts to 24, 28, and even 36 volts, compared to the 7.2-volt battery packs used in early models of cordless drills. 

Cordless drills are useful for anyone who needs to drive screws or bolts into wood, metal, or masonry.

They are typically used by electricians, mason workers, builders, woodworkers, carpenters, and home DIY’ers.

Features to consider

1. Understand what’s durable.

Cordless drills are typically subjected to a great deal of stress and hard usage. Drills, in general, get a lot more wear-and-tear than any other tool in your workshop.

If you are an electrician, you should be able to expect your cordless drill to last hopefully about two years; five years or more for a builder. If it’s just for DIY use, a cordless drill should last a lifetime really. 

2. Pick the best drill brand.

The best drills are made by Makita, DeWalt, Bosch, and Milwaukee. Ryobi also makes some good models, although they are better suited for the DIY market.

Drills made by the ‘big name’ manufacturers tend to be more expensive, but they also provide better performance and more power, and they will last longer.

If a cordless drill is your first cordless power tool choice, you want to pick a good brand to stick with so you can interchange the batteries with all of your cordless tools.

3. Pay the right price.

Even high-quality cordless drills aren’t very expensive these days. You could get a lower-spec model from Makita or DeWalt for not much more than you would spend for a top-of-the-line model from Ryobi.

It is always more practical to spend a little more on a quality tool that will last a long time and that you can use for more than occasional DIY jobs.

Makita, DeWalt, and Milwaukee, are all world-class manufacturers that produce high-quality power tools.

You pretty much can’t go wrong whichever brand you go for, but you might be better off with one or the other depending on your specific application and how you like to work. 

Makita and DeWalt make a range of drills that are also affordably priced for serious and casual DIY use, and still professional applications. 

The cheaper range of Makita and DeWalt drills is actually a similar price to brands like Ryobi and Skil, however, you can get a better tool brand and build.

The drawbacks of a cheaper Makita or DeWalt tool compared to there top of range options, will be smaller batteries, and the casing will be a little less durable for heavy use, and the accidental drop.

They will also have less power and be slower for heavy drilling jobs. But still great for DIY use, and even light-weight trade jobs.

Makita tools will generally give you longer battery life, while DeWalt tools will give you strength and power for even the toughest jobs.

Most Milwaukee drills provide similar power and performance as DeWalt drills, but with slightly less control over the torque. 

Electricians generally prefer Milwaukee drills for this reason, while most builders tend to go for DeWalt or Makita.

What is the best DeWalt cordless drill? You really can’t go wrong with the DCD996 20V MAX 1/2 inch hammer drill, which comes as part of the DeWalt DCK299P2 20V Brushless Cordless Drill and Impact Driver Kit reviewed below.

The DCD996 has a three-speed setting and is capable of peaking at 2000 RPM. It also has an all-metal transmission that allows for faster speeds and more efficient run-time.

Here’s how I compare other tools made by Dewalt and Milwaukee.

Makita cordless tools are generally lighter than their DeWalt equivalents.

This could be an important factor if you regularly have to use your drill for long periods.

DeWalt drills are usually more powerful than the Makita equivalent, but they do tend to drain the batteries more quickly.

Makita tools usually run for longer periods and take less time to charge as well. 

On the plus side, you generally have more battery options with a DeWalt toolset. 20-volt DeWalt batteries will work with all of the company’s 20-volt tools and 20-volt chargers.

If you purchase a 20-volt DeWalt battery, you could use it in more than 100 other tools and devices.

Which is superior when it comes to other tools? Check this guide.

Impact drivers provide more grunt and power compared to cordless drills they are better tools to use for driving screws, although they are not that great for drilling holes.

Impact drivers use a hammering function as they drive screws, when using a drill the drill can resist and twist as it drives in screws, however with impact drivers this is not the case.

The hammering function compensates for that resistance and twisting of the tool in use. On top of that impact, drivers have more power and are smaller and lighter to use. The drawback is they can be loud.

On the other hand, the DeWalt DCK299P2 combo kit also contains a hammer drill and an impact driver, each running at 20 volts off a 5.0Ah battery. The DCD996 hammer drill has a ½” diameter and three-speed settings, topping out at 2000 RPM.

The all-metal transmission efficiently transfers energy from the motor to the tooltip, making it run at optimal performance while increasing run times. You also get a pounding action that ranges from zero to 38,250 BPM, enabling you to punch through even dense masonry.

The DCF887 impact driver measures ¼”, and spins even faster at a maximum of 3250 RPM, with a range of zero to 3,600 impacts per minute.

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The Makita XT267T brushless drill set provides pretty much everything you need to drill holes, drive screws, and punch through hard, dense materials.

A cordless drill and impact driver set combines two brushless-motor tools that allow you to drill and drive through practically anything, and to fasten workpieces together as well.

The ½” hammer driver-drill produces up to 2,100 in. lbs. of torque, which makes it easy to work punching through tough wood, metal, and even masonry.

The impact driver puts out even more torque at 3,600 in. lbs. in a compact and efficient design.

The tools run at 18 volts off 5.0Ah lithium-ion batteries, which charge pretty quickly considering their capacities. 

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The 18-volt Makita XFD10R is an excellent choice, giving you a good balance of performance and power in a compact and ergonomic design.

It also charges pretty quickly, so you don’t have to wait around for it to charge before getting back into action.

The drill itself is an 18-volt model with a ½” diameter drill bit powered by a fast-charging lithium-ion battery.

Packing more than enough power for most DIY jobs, the XFD10R is a compact and ergonomic unit that puts out a maximum torque of 480 in. lbs. via its 4-pole motor.

This efficient design allows for a 25% faster performance than the XFD10R’s predecessor.

The XFD10R also has a two-speed transmission made entirely of metal, which cranks out a peak RPM of 1900.

It also utilizes Extreme Protection Technology (XPT) that keeps it running flawlessly even under harsh operating conditions.

Making this is the best value drill for DIY’ers as it’s built for trade use, but is the same price as DIY models.

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Even with all its power, the DCD996 is pretty compact and lightweight, weighing in at only 4.7 pounds.

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Brushless motors in power drills [1] are a good idea for many reasons. They are much more efficient than brushed-motor drills, with longer run-times per charge.

Makita introduced the first impact driver with a 18V brushless motor [2] being much more low-maintenance than their brushed counterparts because there are no brushes that need to be replaced when they wear out. 

The brushless design also results in a more powerful motor in all cordless power tools.

Although a brushless motor really stands out when using impact drivers to drive large-sized hex screws. 

Ryobi is another reputable power tool manufacturer with a reputation for quality tools, although most Ryobi tools are intended for the DIY market.

If you don’t plan on doing a lot of drilling, you might be able to get by with a top-of-the-line Ryobi. But if you are at all serious about drilling–even for DIY applications–it is always better to go for a power drill intended for the trade or professional market.

DeWalt and Makita have excellent models that aren’t that much more expensive than higher-priced Ryobi cordless tools, and you can use them for DIY work as well as more demanding applications. 

Here’s how I compare DeWalt and Ryobi tool-by-tool.

1. Mark the spot to drill.

It’s a good idea to create a mark at the spot where you want your hole, especially if you are using a large drill bit. Larger bits tend to wander across the work surface when you start drilling, resulting in improperly positioned holes.

You learn more about how to cut a circle using a cordless drill in my guide.

You could avoid this by marking off the correct spot and then creating an indention for the drill bit.

2. Put a scrap wood beneath the workpiece.

To make holes that are clean all the way through, consider placing a scrap piece of wood under the workpiece. This will prevent the drill bit from tearing out the other side of the work-piece when it drills through the wood. 

You can drill straight down holes by placing a square perpendicular to the workpiece. Try to keep the drill aligned with the square while you are pushing in the bit. 

3. Use a tape for marking.

If you need to drill to a specific depth, place a piece of tape to mark off the proper woodworkers on your bit. 

4. Pilot holes for driving screws should have larger diameter.

If you are using screws to secure the top board, make your pilot holes slightly larger than the screw’s diameter.

5. Pilot holes for driving nails must have smaller diameter.

Drilling pilot holes can help you avoid splitting or cracking a top board. If you will be driving nails into the workpiece, drill a hole that is slightly smaller than the nail’s diameter.

6. For precise and detailed holes…

For precision work, like arts and crafts, you can sometimes use an engraver with a drill bit, make sure there is a narrow handle though, or you could opt for a manual hand drill. 

The Makita XT267T Cordless Drill and Impact Driver Kit has everything you need to drill and punch through practically any type of material. The ½” hammer driver-drill puts out as much as 1,090 in. lbs. of torque, which should be sufficient for even the toughest woods, metal, or masonry.

The DeWalt DCK299P2 kit is equally impressive, with the DCD996 cordless hammer drill easily pounding through most workpieces with a peak speed of 2,000 RPM and a pounding action that maxes out at 38,250 BPM.

And for a great all-around DIY performer, you can’t go wrong with the Makita XFD10R, which provides a maximum torque of 480 in. lbs. and 25% faster performance in a compact and lightweight design.

Dewalt DCK299p2 review

Makita XT267t review