Power drill selection for woodworking has gotten complicated with all the brushless motors and battery platform wars flying around. As someone who went through three cheap drills before finally buying a decent one and realizing I should have just spent the money upfront, I learned everything there is to know about what actually matters in a woodworking drill. Today, I will share it all with you.
Cordless Versus Corded — The Real Tradeoff
Cordless drills have improved so dramatically in the last decade that they handle ninety percent of woodworking tasks without compromise. The freedom of movement is worth it for most work. Modern lithium batteries hold enough charge to get through an entire project day without running out, especially if you keep a spare battery on the charger.
That said, corded drills still make sense for dedicated workshop use where you are drilling all day. Corded gives you consistent power regardless of battery state, and the drill never dies on you mid-hole. I keep a corded drill press and a corded drill in my shop for production work, but my daily driver is a cordless that goes wherever I need it. That’s what makes choosing the right drill endearing to us woodworkers — the right tool for your workflow saves time and frustration every single day.
What Actually Matters in a Drill
Probably should have led with this section, honestly. Skip the marketing specs and focus on these four things.
Chuck quality separates good drills from junk. Cheap drills come with cheap chucks where the jaws do not grip consistently. Bits slip under load, your hole wanders, and you end up with oversized or angled holes that ruin joinery. A good keyless chuck grabs the bit firmly and holds it through heavy drilling without slipping. This alone is worth paying more for.
Clutch settings control torque for driving screws without stripping them or snapping the heads off. More settings give you finer control over how much force the drill applies before the clutch disengages. Cheap drills either skip the clutch entirely or implement it so poorly that the settings are meaningless. For woodworking where you are driving screws into hardwood near edges that could split, a good clutch is essential.
Variable speed trigger lets you start slow and speed up as the bit engages. This is critical for control. Starting a hole in hardwood at full speed means the bit walks across the surface before it bites. Slow start, then accelerate. Single-speed triggers are virtually useless for precise woodworking.
Ergonomics matter more than you think when you are holding the drill for hours. Weight, balance, grip comfort, and trigger reach all affect fatigue and accuracy. Try before you buy if possible.
Brands Worth Your Money
DeWalt and Milwaukee make the drills I see in professional workshops most often, and both brands earn that reputation. The build quality, motor power, and chuck precision are consistently excellent. Bosch makes solid tools as well — their compact drill is popular for its small size and surprising power.
Ryobi is fine for occasional use and lighter-duty tasks. I have their impact driver and it has held up through several years of weekend projects. The battery platform is affordable and widely available. For someone starting out on a budget, Ryobi gets you working without breaking the bank.
Avoid the absolute bottom-shelf brands. You will end up buying the same drill twice when the first one fails, and the total cost ends up higher than if you had bought quality once.
Impact Driver Versus Drill — They Are Different Tools
Impact drivers are specifically designed for driving screws. The impact mechanism delivers rotational force in bursts that keep the bit engaged in the screw head without camming out. They drive screws faster, with less wrist strain, and with dramatically fewer stripped heads than a regular drill.
Drills are designed for drilling holes. The smooth rotation and clutch system give you the control you need for accurate hole placement. Using an impact driver to drill holes is possible but imprecise. Using a drill to drive screws works but strips more heads and fatigues your wrist faster.
Get both eventually. If you can only afford one tool to start, get a drill. It handles both tasks adequately while you save for the impact driver. Once you have both, you will never go back to doing everything with one tool.
Battery Ecosystem Strategy
Pick a battery platform and stick with it. Batteries are the most expensive component of cordless tools, and having three different brands with three different charger systems is expensive and wasteful. I committed to Milwaukee’s M18 platform and now every cordless tool I buy uses the same batteries. Drill, impact driver, circular saw, sander — all running on the same batteries. Simple, efficient, and cost-effective in the long run.
