1) Cordless or Corded?

This is the first fundamental decision to come to. There are several advantages and disadvantages to each type of drill:

- Cordless drills tend to be more convenient. They can be used anywhere without having to deal with extension cords and power outlets; so long as the battery stays charged. The big advantage of corded drills is that there is no restriction on how long they can be used. With a corded drill, you will never find yourself waiting for batteries to charge.

- While it may sounds strange, cordless drills tend to be lighter than corded drills. However, if you opt for a high-power cordless drill (18V and 24V), they are sometimes as heavy or heavier than their corded counterparts.

- Cordless drills are safer. There is no cord dangling about to be tripped over.

- If high torque and power and long run times are required, a corded drill will work better than a cordless model. While there are many high-power options available for cordless drills, corded drills can supply more power, and they will be able to provide it for a longer period of time.

- Even good batteries have a limited lifetime. Expect that the batteries in your cordless drill will only last two to three years at most. Batteries are very costly to buy; it is usually cheaper to just buy a new cordless drill than it is to get two new batteries. So if you are purchasing a cordless drill, expect to be buying another drill in several years time. For comparison, if you choose a corded drill you are set for a good 10 years or more.

- If you are going to buy a cordless drill, make certain to purchase one with Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) batteries; stay away from Nickel-Metal-Hydride (NiMH) batteries. Li-Ion batteries are more powerful, they have longer lifetimes, they do not have "memory" issues, and they are better for the environment because they contain less harmful metal elements.

2) Pick a Chuck

The chuck is the portion of the drill that holds the bits. There are two decisions to make here: size and type.

Standard chuck sizes are 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" with the most common size being 3/8". If you plan on using bigger drill bits, choose the 1/2" chuck since many larger bits will not fit in a 3/8" drill. If you do not want or need the capability to use larger drill bits, the 3/8" chuck is a better option since you typically can get higher bit speeds in these type of drills.

There are two different types of chucks: keyed and keyless. With the keyed chuck, a mechanical key is used to tighten and loosen drill bits in the chuck. For drills with keyless chucks, you tighten the drill bit into the chuck by holding the chuck with your hand and powering the drill. The mechanical advantage of the keyed chuck makes it able to hold bits tighter so there is less chance of the drill bit slipping in the chuck. The advantage of the keyless chuck is that it is much quicker to change bits, and there is no key to be lost or kept track of.

3) Key Features

To get the most from your new drill, make certain that it has these key features:

- A reverse mode. Even if you don't plan on using your drill for driving screws, reverse is key feature to have for removing bits that get stuck. If you are buying a drill with a keyless chuck, it will already have reverse (you can't remove bits without reverse), so you only need to check for this feature if you are buying a drill with a keyed chuck.

- Variable speed. If you plan on driving screws, this is a must-have. If you don't plan to drive screws, this is still a great feature to have since it makes it much easier to drill clean holes in materials of different hardnesses.

- Multiple speed ranges. This is really only needed if you plan to drive screws. If you are, this is very important to have. The lower speed range makes it far easier to drive screws without stripping them.

- A clutch. As with the speed ranges, this is really only required if you are driving screws with your drill. The clutch lets you set a maximum torque after which the drill will stop driving. This is excellent when driving screws to guard against over-driving the screw into the material. If you are installing large numbers of screws (like in decking), this feature is worth its weight in gold.

 

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