-
Step 1
Decide what you want your cordless drill to do. If your power tools drill thousands of holes for you each year, they will be different than someone who just uses the cordless drill on weekends. So the first step is your purpose for the drill. If you just do light projects around the house, consider an inexpensive tool, it will serve you well. If you are a tradesman, spend the money and get a contractor grade tool, you know the brands.
-
Step 2
How much power do you need? If you drill mostly smaller holes and install screws, for the most part you will be happy with a 12 to 14 volt tool. Most contractor are using a 14 to 18 volt tool depending on the application. Remember, voltage equals power so if your power tools drill mostly smaller holes and screws, 14 volt is more than ample. If you drill bigger holes like hole saws or very long bits like bell hanger bits, you may want more power.
-
Step 3
Battery choices. You have three choices when it comes to batteries, Nicad, Nimh, and Lithium. Again, depending on use, many times the less expensive Nicad works well, however.... If you want the ultimate in run time with less weight than the Nicad, the lithium, although a more money, will really amaze you. They are so light, but have so much power. Panasonic is the main player with the Nimh battery, very popular with wood workers and electricians.
-
Step 4
Check out warranty and completeness of line. Once you commit to one brand of power tool, it is hard to justify switching. So look at the complete line and see what they have. If you can interchange batteries, you can get a lot more work done, with a lot less batteries. As for the warranty, their are some great ones out there, I have seen 5 years on some of the top brands. Many times you must register the tool, but small price to pay for the extended warranty.
