Best Cordless Drills for DIY (2025)
Best 20V Overall Drill: https://amzn.to/4hsQ2Cl
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Best 20V Compact Drill: https://amzn.to/4huHxa7
Best 12V Compact Drill: https://tinyurl.com/22wg7wzh
Best 18V Value Drill: https://tinyurl.com/268cs5ru
CNet’s Picks: https://tinyurl.com/yzlot6sc
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I have old Craftsman 19.2v tools and I have Ridgid tools
Hey "Tool Bear" > How come I’ve not seen "the Bear" forever???????????????
Those articles written by AI are so annoying. They are usually very repetitive, and full of contradictory incomplete statements. They just want people buy from their affiliate links.
What is this list bro. It’s so out of touch “award winning staff” 😂
Excellent comparison video, with real value and smart choices for DIY’ers! Kudos and thanks!
What is this list bro. It’s so out of touch “award winning staff” 😂 this guy is intentionally trying to piss everyone off, this is a troll list.
The best tool IMHO are the older 18v dewalt line. Pick them up at yard sales or estate auctions for almost nothing because the batteries are junk and new batteries don’t last. Then buy a 20v dewalt battery adapter and at least 1 4ahr or larger battery. Good to go!
That has to be an AI bot. I just got the dewalt drill/driver combo @Lowe’s for $149. I am so happy with my choice. In 2018 my son got the dewalt set @Lowe’s (I think it’s 12V Brushed) and I was gona swipe it from him. LOL! So glad didn’t and now I have the 20V Brushless set. Thanks for pointing out the bots and who/what to avoid. 👍🏻😁
For a DIYer with no ambitions of ever getting more serious, my absolute top recommendation would be the *Black & Decker 20V Matrix* set. Currently $200 on Black & Decker, but often on sale for $150 or less. I think I got mine on sale for around $99. Gives you a nice case, the tool body, attachments for drill, impact, sander, multi-tool, router, and jigsaw. Comes with a battery and charger. Absolutely everything you need as an around-the-house DIYer. I keep mine in my house and all my "good" tools are in my shop. I have a ton of the B&D 20V stuff that I’ve owned for years, and have been a lot harder on it than a little casual DIY use (I renovated an entire Victorian 2200 sq ft house with those tools), and everything has been solid. Is it as good as my Dewalt XR stuff? No, but it’s far better than its price suggests compared to the big guys.
Jeff, you and I are on the same thought train. There’s so many people who over buy what they need either to keep up with the jones’ or for the sake of staying in their tool tribe. MOST weekend warriors really only need a ryobi/kobalt/skil level power for what they’re doing. But marketing has flooded everyone’s heads into getting fuel/XR. So many people can get away with used corded tools instead of full price. Thanks to you and DOTW, I’ve got the XR line for dirt cheap (price glitches for the win) but still encourage others to those much more economically priced lines.
What’s sad to me is that the so-called "expert" probably got paid to submit that article. I seriously doubt if he’s even used most of the brands of tools that he touts in the article, let alone the many other brands not mentioned. I think Jeff hit the nail on the head when he said this guy likely just did a web search for the category and picked a tool brand at random.
When I was much younger (in my late teens), I worked at a home improvement store (part of a chain that was later closed down due to competition from Home Depot). Back then, the Makita 7.2V Cordless drill was all the rage. I don’t recall if they had any other tools in that line, but if they did, there weren’t many. This just goes to show how far the cordless/battery-powered tool industry has come since those early days.
Anyone who recommends people buy Black and Decker drills clearly doesn’t know what the heck they’re talking about. If a person is looking for a cheap 12v drill driver with no ass, I’d send them over to Harbor Freight and recommend the Warrior. It’s cheaper than the Black and Decker and about the same in performance. But seriously, who would want to invest a penny into buying a drill driver like that?
I really like your recommendation to buy into the Skil 12v line. I bought my kid brother a Skil 12v brushless drill last Christmas, because he’s starting to tinker around with projects, I am quite impressed with the performance of that little drill.
I have found these reviews not reliable on websites. Many reviews on YouTube are the same thing as the review you just mentioned, and they have some robotic voice over, with affiliate links to make money off those sales. They look like they have some automated way to cut the videos and do voice over. Either way you want to read or watch reliable reviews from real people like yourself Jeff
This is by far the worst list I’ve ever seen. What a tool this Steve guy is.
In the first place you don’t need to look for the best tool. The best line of tools for your use. I don’t want a dozen chargers. All of my chargers are on the wall . You need to standardize your power tools and batteries.
The problem I have with Milwaukee tool users is they don’t like the price they have to pay for replacement batteries. They ask me to replace the cells and I say you’re better off to buy the battery. I show them the cost of new cells. Why I bring this up is they don’t factor the cost of the battery pack when they buy a tool.
I find this to be one of the funniest videos you’ve posted in recent memory. I chuckled most of the way through it. I’m no expert like you are, but even I know better than Steve! Thank you for your choices and the laughs! It was fun. 😃😃😃😃❤❤❤❤
light dyi here i love to get one of those drills but the amount i use them i cannot justify . so i got the HF nickel metal one
about 3 yrs ago does me fine .i did take older one which batter died i wired a cord and use it with a small rechargeable 12 volt battery . although i did see one of your pick im tempted
For kicks, I asked ChatGPT for its top-5 list of best 12v compact drill drivers available in US market. Here’s the result, which tends to prove that Steve is either discount A.I. or just a lame human:
1. DeWalt Xtreme 12V Max DCD701F2
2. Bosch 12V Max PS31-2A
3. Milwaukee M12 Fuel Installation Drill Driver Kit 2505-22
4. DeWalt Xtreme 12V 5-In-1 Drill Driver Kit DCD703F1
5. Bosch 12V Flexiclick 5-in-1 Drill Driver System GSR12V-300FCB22
It sounds like Steve Conaway needs to stick to what he knows because he doesn’t know squat about tools!🤔👎
I personally like Hercules hammer drill/ impact driver kit that comes with the 2 5 Ah batteries especially if you have a harbor freight coupon
I will stick with harbor freight 😊, I have a few Bauer tools and I love them I don’t use them alot so why pay a lot
I’ll stick to Milwaukee.
You have to believe everything they write, as this is an award winning writer?🤔🤣🤣🤣As a semi pro diy, I will stick to my Makita line, and my Fuel line for twelve volt.
Love my Bosch 12v drill.. I use it more than any other tool.. has some serious power for being so compact..
That Bosh drill driver is by far the worse 12 volt drill I ever used would not drive a 3 inch GRK left it half out and had zero power I recommend craftsmen rp for home diy over any brand except Ridgid there lifetime service agreement is best in business
WTF is happening!? I got a brushless Makita drill, 3ah battery, charger , and a bag five years ago for $80 bucks. The impact kit was also $80 bucks. So BLEED teal… but no on this one.
My choice for my diy needs is Ryobi because of the breadth of the product line. Compact 12v for me is Milwaukee. I also have some Skill and Craftsman.
I have Makita and Bosch corded and I pair them with Ryobi cordless and I love the Ryobi line. I have done lots of DIY projects and they keep just chugging along. Plus the color is so bright you can see them from a mile away.
That guy at CNET phoned in that article. Just goes to show anyone can put together a random list without any kind of knowledge or research and get paid. Rethinking my career now…
Why didn’t they mention Rigid they have lifetime service warranty
Metabo set is good for DIYs and even pro it used to be in 99.00 for the drill and driver at Lowe’s I have a few of them it comes with a charger and 2 2-AMPH battery
Totally forgot cnet existed years ago.
Dude, for DIY,,,,, I’ve have most all of my stuff, "China Freight" Bauer……..they work GREAT! Sometimes, you’ve gotta use one of the bigger battery’s though, 3a or 5a.,,,,,,,, CHEAP/ GREAT!!!!!!!
M12 Fuel for the win for DIY in my book
Kobalt love?
I started with Ryobi back when the tools were blue and just stayed because I had lots of batteries. Everything I have old and new work fine. The best? Probably not. My son is a professional mechanic and buys nothing off of the trucks. Has the big Ryobi impact and it’s a beast. Rambling on as usual.
Bring back the BEAR . Who wants to look at Jeffs Mug all the time!
Nothing beats the Hercules when you get the buy a battery and get a free tool ! Got to be patient but with time you save big time and get pro level tools
Steve is clearly an idiot who has no clue what compact or DIY even mean.
M12 probably is the most compact in SIZE but not in weight. I’ll take dewalt 12v at 2 lbs wih battery, non any m12 can beat that.
3:25…Just a reminder, this one shown is the first generation. Its good, but the current second generation is better.
Ryobi is perfect for me. Brushless cordless power tools are more powerful with a great price.
Let’s be honest for 80% of the public a DIY level drill is a tool used to drill into drywall and pine studs to hang stuff on walls. Spending over $100 for that is wild.
For the group watching (more serious home gamers) you hit the highlights. RYOBI for the system. Skil 12v for compact DIY, Bauer for value. But for DIY, what is on sale tends to win.
Trust the Tool Bear! 🧸
👍
Thank you for getting us the correct info
Ridgid sub compact for the 18v compact, and Skil 12v
I has picked my Skil 12v tools as throw aways on clearance but man I fell in love and have been adding. I started with the Hitachi 18v brushless almost 10 years ago but these are normally sitting in my garage. Also have the m12 for those tougher jobs but those also sit. Skil tools just keep on going. Hercules are also awesome tools. I picked up their hammer drill and man it got some power.
I’ll stick with my DeWalt, Bosch, and Milwaukee (M-12). Working with professional grade power tools my entire adult life at work has definitely influenced my purchasing decisions regarding my power tools I keep at home. Huge fan of DeWalt’s Atomic line for "DIY". Just recently gave Milwaukee a shot by purchasing their new 3/8 stubby impact wrench. That thing is a monster for how small it is. Bosch’s 12v brushless line would also be great for DIY. Super compact but still has a decent bit of power. I’m still recuperating from my DeWalt DCD1007B hammer drill that I purchased for work. $250 tool only. At least I bought it while a promo was going on so I got a "free" 8ah Powerstack battery. Talk about a beast regarding drilling through concrete though.
It seems like Steve just googled what drill category he was looking for and picked one randomly lol.
Steve is fake. Facts.