18v Drill Reviews

18V Drill Reviews

A cordless 18V Drill is an electric drill that uses rechargeable batteries. These types of drills are available in most DIY stores and also have the same and/or similar features to that of a regular mains powered drill. Read my guide on “Lithium-Ion extending battery life.”

The cordless 18V Drill is most definitely an essential tool for the keen DIY enthusiast or indeed a professional tradesman. They are very easy to use, coupled with convenience and a total flexibility that is hard to match with normal mains powered corded drills.

A cordless 18V Drill is a lot safer than a corded drill for a couple of reasons. One being that the voltage required to power the drills is a lot lower than that of the 220v to 240v needed to power the corded drills. The other main reason being that there are no cords and extension leads to trip over and get tangled.

You will find that, when you begin shopping, you will see many types of cordless drills for you to choose from. Your very first inclination might be to buy the biggest and most powerful drill you can afford, and in doing that you may not be making the best decision.

This cordless 18V Drill buyer’s guide that I have written out for you will help you determine exactly what type of drill will deliver the best results you need. It should also help you avoid overpaying for a drill with many features you just might not use.

Basic Cordless 18V Drills

Here we have the basic cordless drill that fits the needs of most day to day DIY’ers very well, as these types of tools offer more flexibility and power than your normal cordless screwdriver.

A basic cordless drill might have features such as an adjustable clutch to maximize the drill’s spinning power and also an adjustable chuck so you can easily change out both drill bits and individual screwdriver bits. These two features alone make it a versatile tool that is capable of drilling holes in light weight metals, tiles, wood, brickwork and concrete as well as driving and removing screws.
Cordless drills range from 9.6 to 18 volts typically.

Cordless Hammer 18V Drills

The cordless hammer drill is the most powerful family of cordless drills and their main purpose is to bore through hard surfaces like concretes and brickwork. A cordless hammer drill features an adjustable clutch, just as a regular drill does and so it can be used for general household DIY or professional jobs for electricians, plumbers and builders purposes, but the last setting (the hammer action) is designed for the drill bit to punch in and out while simultaneously spinning around allowing you to punch your way through very tough materials. When the hammer drill setting is used, special stronger drill bits are required because of the extra strain taken on the drill, cordless hammer drills are the heaviest of all the cordless drills.
Cordless hammer drills range between 18 and 36 volts typically.

Cordless Impact Driver

The cordless impact driver is basically the same thing as a basic cordless drill but with one exception. When the drill senses resistance, it automatically increases the amount of torque to prevent the bit from slipping out of the screw head. Something I’m sure we have all done before and ruined the screw. So this feature helps reduce the chances of stripping screws, ruining bits and also eliminates the need for a pilot hole.

I find that cordless impact drivers are not as effective as basic cordless drills are at drilling holes, but they are more suitable for use on larger projects like assembling wooden decking and building sheds etc.
Impact drivers range between 14.4 and 20 volts typically.

If you are thinking about buying an 18v drill, you should read my reviews and hopefully afterwards you will be able to make a well informed decision about which 18v drill is going to suit your needs best.

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