Best Cordless Drill of 2024 – CNET [CNET]
Examples of the battery/torque testing process for 12-volt brushed cordless drills.
Steve Conaway/CNETFor the high-torque test, I use a new 1-inch wood spade bit for each drill. I use the bit to drill a series of holes into standard yellow pine construction grade lumber. After, I divide the number of holes drilled by the battery capacity which gives a “holes per amp hour” data point for comparison. I like this particular metric method because it negates the ability of a drill to win just by having a larger battery.
On this test, the numbers for the 12-volt drills are pretty low — so if you’re looking to bore a lot of holes, it’s probably best to stick with the 18-volt drills. For the most part, all of the 18-volt drills felt strong starting this test off with a new battery, and although it did score second-to-last here, the Ryobi felt the strongest out of the gate. There’s also the breakthrough feel — how well the spade bits are able to exit the opposite side of the lumber without snagging and seizing. Here, it was Milwaukee that really showed off. Not only did Milwaukee absolutely trounce the competition, but the spade bit moved from one side of the lumber to the other with almost no snags. On the opposite end of the scale, both Bosch and Ridgid seemed to have trouble exiting the boards almost every single time.
Number of holes bored per amp hour for 18-volt brushed drills.
Steve Conaway/CNET