Cordless drills have become very popular, nowadays they are cheap and powerful. The early cordless drills were not very powerful and the battery did not last very long. Things have changed a lot since the early days, nowadays cordless drills are generally superior to mains powered drills. But for some people, a cordless drill may not be the right solution. Here is an overview of the cordless drill vs. corded drill topic.

An electric drill is the most useful power tool, every now and when you need one. The good old corded drill is cheap but nowadays a cordless drill can be a better choice. For many professionals, cordless drills are the best choice. A cordless drills is not limited by the cord and is suitable for most tasks. By having two batteries, the drill can be used non-stop. Once the battery is flat, replace it and charge it in a fast charger. It will be charged before the other battery is flat. Thanks to the fast chargers, batteries can be charged in less than 30 minutes.

But if you are only using your drill once in a while, then you may find that the battery is flat even if you haven’t used the drill. Self-discharge is still a problem. Most batteries have a self-discharge of about 10% per month. Also, batteries don’t have unlimited lifespan. With a corded drill, you don’t have such problems.

A good cordless drill can be used as a hammer drill as well as a screwdriver. If you buy a drill with hammering action, you can drill holes in concrete. Hammer drills have a switch that enables the hammering action, so they can be used as standard drills. The hammering action will damage softer materials. If you are going to use your drill has a screwdriver, it should have a reversing switch which changes the direction of the rotation. This makes it possible to drive and remove screws. The drill also needs to support slow speeds and preferably have an adjustable slip-clutch mechanism. This prevents the drill from damaging the screw or the workpiece.

Despite that cordless drills have a battery, they typically weight a little bit less than corded drills. But cordless drills are more expensive. So if you are seldom using a drill, a cheap mains powered model may be the best choice for you. Note that if you need a drill with hammering action, i.e. a hammer drill, you may prefer corded hammer drill. The hammering action drains the battery quickly. But apart from the problem with the energy-consuming hammering action, a cordless drills is a very versatile tool and nowadays relatively cheap. In most cases, a Ni-Cad drill is the best budget solution while a lithium-ion drill is the best choice if you need a powerful cordless drill. Ni-Cad batteries are heavier, bulkier and less powerful than the more expensive lithium-ion batteries.