The cordless drill is a wonderful tool and every tradesman will have at least one, but what if you have never owned one, how do you know what to buy? Hopefully these questions and answers will help you to decide.
What size cordless drill do I need? The answer is, what do you need it for? Hey that's a question, not an answer! The size of drill is dependent on how you are going to use it, for putting furniture or even kitchen units together a 12 volt cordless will be enough. If you plan to undertake construction work then a 36V one will be more appropriate.
What sizes do they come in? Cordless drills are available from 6 volts up to 36 volts. The lower end around the 6-12 volt range are really electric screwdrivers but at the other end of the spectrum 36 volt cordless drills are pretty much the same as a mains powered drill, without the trailing flex.
What is a hammer drill? A hammer drill is used for drilling into masonry such as brick, blocks or even concrete. It is called a hammer drill because the drill actually pounds the end of the drill bit as it is rotating to drill faster.
What is an SDS drill? An SDS drill is a machine with a special type of 'chuck,' It is actually a slot which accepts an SDS drill bit which has a specific shape to fit into the end of the drill. These types of drill are favored because there is no need to have a chuck key or indeed a chuck.
How powerful is a cordless drill? As I said before a 36 volt drill is just as powerful as a mains drill but the two measurements which are the most important after voltage are:
1: Beats per minute; This is the number of times the drill pounds the drill bit every minute. A higher number is better and a good starting point is around 4200 BPM
2: Impact Force: This is measured in Joules, an energy transference measurement and again the higher the number the better, look for something above 2.1.
