Whether your a carpenter, contractor, mechanic, or you are a DIYer, having an efficient drill, is one of the most practical and important tools to have in your garage, workshop, or home.
But when it comes to drills, one of the biggest questions that comes up is, “Do I get a Cordless Drill or a Corded Drill?”
When it comes to drills, whether cordless or corded, they pretty much do the same thing, right? Which is, drill a hole or screw into an object i.e. a piece of wood, metal, or brick. Unfortunately, not all drills are made equal.
There are 3 main questions you need to ask yourself when it comes to choosing the right drill for you:
- What will I be using the drill for?
- What features, capabilities, or options will I need?
- How much power do I really need?
This article will discuss the differences between a cordless drill vs corded drill, and help you make a decision on which one is right for you.
There are 2 Main Differences when it comes to Cordless vs Corded Drills:
- Power
- Convenience
Power: How Much Do You Really Need?
Corded drills work on the never-ending power source of 110-volts, while the cordless drills rely on the power source of 12, 18, 20 or maybe even a 24-volt battery at most.
If you want to get in the nitty gritty of what the equation of power is, and what that means in terms of volts, amps, torque, and watts, than click here.(this will be a link to another post)
But if you are ok with not knowing the exact formula for power or the ins and outs of the above, than know simply that, when you are supplied with a never ending power source of 110-volts, it will always have more power than the 12 – 24-volt batteries.
Now going back to the 1st of the 3 questions you need to answer for yourself, “What will I be using the drill for?”
If you are a mechanic or a carpenter than the chances are, you will probably need at least one corded drill in your tool kit. The reason being, is that generally speaking, those type of jobs require more power, and more evenly sustained power, for a longer period of time. If that is the case, than a corded drill might be the right option for you.
Now that being said, today’s high-standard modern cordless drills can produce some real excellent power with their 18, 20, or 24-volt battery, and can provide you more than enough power for DIY home projects.
For example, we are a big fan of the (insert name of the cordless drill and link to that post), this bad boy last (insert how long here on one battery) and provided consistent power the whole way through for that time period.
If you have some type of DIY home project, and you are not sure if a cordless drill will provide enough power, don’t hesitate to ask below, we will get back with you usually within 24-48 hours, with our honest opinion.
Convenience: How Do You Measure Convenience?
When it comes to comparing cordless vs corded drills, in terms of convenience, this can really go to both sides. And the reason being, is that convenience can be “measured” differently by different people.
For example, when it comes to myself, Jason Cancino, and I am no pro by any means, I would rather have a cordless drill because in my mind, having to get out an extension cord and “set everything up” before I even start to drill, is a hassle to me. I would prefer to just grab my already charged drill and start drilling.
But if you take more advanced DIYers like my dad, Ruben, or my two brothers, Brandon and Aaron, they may see that having a corded drill is more convenient because it is lighter weight, can last longer, and can get into smaller places, than compared to cordless drills, because it isn’t as bulky.
Now most professionals or advanced DIYers, prefer corded drill because they don’t have to deal with heavy, bulky, big batteries, and because they are plugged into a never ending source of 110-volts. This means they can work all day long and have the same amount of power and torque, in the last hour of work as they had in the first hour of work.
When it comes to convenience for cordless drills, and a huge one in my opinion, is that in many cases, the battery for a cordless drill can be used in more than one tool. For example, Kobalt has a 6-Tool 24-Volt Max Lithium Ion Brushless Cordless Combo Kit, that comes with a regular drill/driver, an impact driver, a reciprocating saw, a circular saw and some other goodies for only $269.
This is a great deal, especially knowing that my dad, Ruben Cancino, bought the Kobalt’s regular drill/driver and the Kobalt Imapct Driver, on a Christmas special for $140, so to get two more power saws for only $129 more, plus some other goodies, is a great deal. If you don’t have any power tools right now, this is a great way to add to your tool kit very quickly.
The down side to cordless drill, is that if you leave the battery idle for too long, then it does run out of power and may not be available when you need. So if you are not gonna be using your drill too often, you either need to anticipate when you might need it so you can ensure it is charged ahead of time, or you may need to buy a corded drill.
It is for these reasons that I say, convenience can mean different things for different people.
Conclusion: Cordless Drill vs. Corded Drill – Which One is Right for You?
Deciding which one is right for you really just depends. For myself, Jason Cancino, I am not even a DIYer, I am a “get someone else’er.” So yes, I like to have a certain set of tools on me for the “just in case” times in life, like it is midnight, and there is no one I can call to come have it done for me.
So if you are like me, than you are probably big on convenience, so having a cordless drill, especially one that has a battery that connects to multiple power tools, than cordless is the way to go.
If you are like my dad, Ruben Cancino, or my two brothers, Brandon and Aaron Cancino, then it depends. Each of them own both types of drills, and they use them for different projects, depending on the need.
That is why going back to my three questions above, is so important:
- What will I be using the drill for?
- What features, capabilities, or options will I need?
- How much power do I really need?
I hope that this article helped answer some of those questions, but if it didn’t, or if you have any other questions or comments, please do not hesitate to leave them below, we would be glad to answer them.
Get the Job Done,
Ruben, Jason, Brandon, Aaron Cancino
Co-Owners
www.tools4guys.com