How to Choose a Drill | Match Power To The Job

For the full breakdown, see our best Drill Set Under 100 guide.

Picking a drill feels harder than it should be because every box promises more power and speed. The real decision is simpler. Start with the material you’ll drill most, then weigh how long you’ll hold the tool at a stretch.

The First Question: What Material Will You Drill?

Most drills handle wood, metal, and plastic without complaint. Masonry changes everything. Drilling brick, block, or concrete requires a hammer-action drill — a combi, hammer, percussion, or SDS model — because the hammering motion breaks up the material while the bit cuts it. Running a standard drill into masonry is a mismatch you’ll feel in stalled bits and slow progress.

The bit type follows the material:

• Wood takes Brad-Point, Spade, or Forstner bits.
• Metal needs HSS, Cobalt, or Carbide bits, ideally with cutting fluid.
• Masonry and concrete use Carbide-Tipped, SDS-Plus, or SDS-Max bits.
• Glass and tile call for Diamond-Coated, Spear-Point, or Diamond-Tipped bits.

Corded vs. Cordless: Power Source and Battery Weight

Corded drills give you continuous power that never fades mid-hole, which makes them the pick for long projects and repetitive work. Cordless drills trade that for the freedom to work away from an outlet — on a ladder, in a crawlspace, or out in the yard. The trade-off is battery weight, which causes real fatigue over extended use, so grip the drill with the battery clipped in before you buy. Consumer Reports notes that drills with the same nominal voltage can still feel different in power across brands, so voltage alone won’t tell you which one is stronger.

Battery voltage roughly tracks the job class.

Key Features That Decide How Usable It Is

Beyond raw power, the features that make a drill pleasant to use day to day are the clutch, the chuck, and the extras that reduce effort. An adjustable clutch stops the bit from overdriving screws and stripping heads; a keyless chuck lets you swap bits without hunting for a key. Variable speed, multiple gears, and adjustable torque give you control over how the tool responds to different materials. An auxiliary handle, depth stop, and LED light make longer or awkward jobs easier.

Bit compatibility always depends on matching the shank format to the chuck type.

Other forms like rotary hammers, inline drills, and brace-and-bit tools fill specialized roles most homeowners never need.

Choosing By Use Frequency and Ergonomics

Think about how long you’ll hold the drill at a time. For occasional weekend tasks, nearly any capable model works. For longer sessions, ergonomics matter: the weight distribution, the grip comfort, and how the battery balances in your hand. The practical test is to clip in the battery and hold the drill the way you would on a job, then imagine doing that for an hour — if it feels heavy in the store, it will feel worse on a ladder. If you want more versatility from a single purchase, consider whether an impact driver, hammer drill, or cordless screwdriver would cover a wider range of tasks than a plain drill alone. The New York Times Wirecutter’s drill buying guide and Consumer Reports both offer detailed testing data that align with this same material-first approach.