An essential in both the DIYer's and the craftsman's toolbox, the drill is the power tool used to drill holes, screw and unscrew.
From the inexpensive drill on sale to the professional Makita drill, the choice of a drill is based on its performance and features sized to the user's needs. Mainly, one finds:
- the power (W) for corded drills;
- the voltage (V) and the amp-hour (Ah) rating for battery drills;
- the type of battery for cordless drills: nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) or lithium-ion (Li-Ion);
- the percussion mode for drilling into concrete, stone, etc.;
- the torque for the screwdrivers/unscrewdrivers;
- the rotation speed;
- the type of chuck (keyed chuck, keyless chuck or SDS chuck) and its size (mainly 10 or 13 mm).
To facilitate their use, several options are offered on drills:
- the auxiliary handle;
- the depth stop;
- the automatic release;
- the lighting etc.
Generally speaking, in terms of use, the corded drill is preferred for drilling into hard and regular materials and the cordless drill/driver for sustained screwing and unscrewing and occasional drilling.
For example, a 14.4 V - 2 Ah cordless drill/driver is preferred for screwing tasks (assembling a flat-pack furniture) and for drilling into plasterboard, brick, or wood and an 850 W corded hammer drill meets the majority of DIY tasks at home (drilling a wall to fix a shelf, drilling wood, etc.). The maximum drilling diameter in materials is a key characteristic for drills; for example, for an 850 W Bosch drill: 13 mm in steel, 40 mm in wood, 18 mm in concrete.
The choice of brand (Black & Decker, Makita, Bosch, Metabo, Hitachi, Dewalt, AEG, Hilti, etc.) is a matter of budget, product quality, and frequency of use.
The power of corded drills goes up to about 1200 watts, the voltage of battery drills up to 18 V, and the ampere-hour rating up to 5 Ah. The higher these values (W, V, and Ah), the more efficient the drill. For more difficult and larger diameter drilling, a rotary hammer is used.