Guide for Choosing Cordless Power Drills

I have put together this guide for choosing cordless power drills for everyone’s reference. Cordless power drills have come a long way since their early days and it’s a relative common tool used by many nowadays. Know and learnt about their features and your requirements for your perfect match.

Cordless power drills are now:

• More robust,
• Faster charging,
• Hold its’ power for a longer period,
• Packs a punch when required
• No longer considered inferior when corded to their corded counterparts.

Main advantages:

• Safer to use and very portable. Ability to reach some areas where it’s inaccessible to their corded versions.
• Doesn’t need power sockets nearby
• No cumbersome cables in the way and possibility of tripping over
• Reduction in electrical shock risk should something go wrong

Features to Look Out for When Choosing Cordless Power Drills

Batteries
Modern cordless power drills now come with Lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries, smaller and lighter than their predecessor, nickel cadmium (NiCad) versions.
Li-ion batteries are able to hold their charge for longer period when not in use because they have virtually no discharge thus allowing them to be stored for months without losing power.
NiCad batteries do have “memory effect” where it will remember the point where it’s recharged. During subsequent use, it will remember this point and its’ voltage will drop at that mark. This gives you the impression that NiCad batteries hold a lesser power or charge which is in fact not true.

Torque
Torque is the amount of power generated to drive a screw or drill bit. Nowadays, cordless power drills have torque settings and even come with a clutch to disengage the transmission if the torque exceeds the setting. This is to prevent over-tightening of screws in more sensitive work area giving you more control.

Drill modes
Your drill may/will be able to switch between standard drill mode and hammer modes.
Normal drilling mode is what you select drilling wood and soft materials. As for the hammer mode, it rotates the drill and also produces short jabs to make it easier to drill into hard surface such as brick and concrete.

Combo Kits
Meant for those who wants a dedicated drill for each task. This kits come with a combi drill and dedicated driver just for screwing purpose. An attractive choice for those faced with jobs that requires constant changing between drilling and fixing screws.

Different Cordless Power Drills for Different Task

For hobby craft and low level DIY stuff, a small and light drill with enough power to accomplish the tasks on hand would be sufficient.
However, bigger DIY jobs around the house, a more robust medium powered drill would be required.
And as for the pros, you would want to go for the higher powered ones driven by big batteries.
As you can see, it is difficult to find a one size fit all and it’s better to get the properly powered drill for the tasks that you would like to accomplish. Anyway, regardless of the class that you fall in above, there is a cordless power drill to suit your needs.