Professional Tool Reviews for Pros
Looking for the best 18V cordless drill? You’re in the right place! Unlike other voltages, 18V drills have a wide range of sizes and power levels. It’s that kind of versatility that lets Pros carry two or more drills from the same manufacturer for different jobs. We’ll start by pulling back the curtain on each of our winners and then look at the 3 distinct groups in the 18V cordless drill class.
When it comes to pure power, DeWalt’s DCD997 gave us one of the highest torque measurements we’ve yet tested. In fact, it’s only topped by Hilti. DeWalt then backs it up with lots of speed and great features like Tool Connect. It also weighs less than most other heavy-duty drills and holds its own in every other category we evaluated.
Ridgid’s Octane hammer drill is the slowest drill in this class but makes up for it with excellent torque. It has a solid feature set and sets the standard for value, making it an excellent choice if getting the most bang for your buck is high on your priority list.
Topping the torque charts and finishing in second in speed and efficiency, the Kobalt 24V Brushless Drill Driver rose up to seize the Medium-Duty crown. It scored very well across the board and even put a 6-point gap on second place.
The Bosch GSR18V-755CN has a better fit and finish than Kobalt along with a deeper 18V platform centered on the Core18V battery. Solid performance, the lightest weight in the class, and a feature set that includes a Bosch Connected-ready design highlight a tool that any Pro can look forward to using.
The Metabo HPT DS18DBFL2 scored a win in the Compact class thanks to torque. The results put a wide gap between it and every other Compact drill driver. It also holds its own in speed and efficiency and earns a solid value score as well.
No one else in the Compact class can touch DeWalt’s speed. Backing that up with a second-place torque finish and Tool Connect app control, the DCD797 has a comfortable lead over the third-place finisher.
The best heavy-duty 18V cordless drill class contains models that have at least 900 in-lbs of torque on their spec sheet. These drills are capable of using the largest accessories and usually come with an auxiliary handle that you really should use.
If 1st gear has a low enough speed (or you can program it), you can get away with using the drill for mixing. But check with the manufacturer first—you can burn up the motor on some of these tools!
Size, weight, and value are not as high of a priority as performance compared to other classes.
Today’s medium-duty class is yesterday’s heavy-duty group. These range from 650 in-lbs of torque to 899 in-lbs. This is the most powerful group that some manufacturers enter. Realistically, there’s not a ton of need to go with a more powerful drill than this unless you frequently drill large holes or prefer to have power in reserve.
Size and weight are a bit smaller in this class and this garners a slightly higher priority.
The best compact 18V drills run up to 649 in-lbs of torque. This class is defined by a much smaller footprint and weight than the other two classes. Even so, these tools can still produce 90% or more of the work of full-size drills.
In this class, size and weight are critically important—as is the performance of the drill. Pros like to work with these drills as their first option because they cause less fatigue even though they’re often slower when using identical bits.
Makita has what they call their Sub-Compact class. These 18V cordless tools have a similar footprint and power level to 12V. DeWalt recently joined them with their Atomic series. Their goal is to give you the benefits of smaller tools without making you shift to a different battery.
Once we started getting results from our torque results, we saw a need for some category movement—both up and down. It’s not all torque, though. Before we shifted one way or the other, we looked at the speed to see how the manufacturer prioritizes it compared to torque. We also looked at the size and weight to get a holistic picture of the tool.
As we brought those four areas into focus, we made a determination as a team whether to move some tools. For the Best Cordless Hammer Drill classes, each move was a unanimous choice. Here are the tools that shifted categories:
Check out our Best Cordless Drill main page to see the details on how we tested these drills.
Hilti (708 RPM) was the only drill in the group able to drive a 2-9/16″ Milwaukee Switchblade Self-Feed Bit in any gear other than low. That propelled it to an easy win for the Heavy-Duty class, stacking almost 200 RPM over the second-place Metabo HPT MultiVolt at 509 RPM. Makita sat in a respectable third place with 474 RPM.
How close a drill can work to its no-load speed gives you an idea of how hard it’s working. The higher the percentage, the less strain the motor is under. Efficiency was a much different story than the speed with Metabo’s BS 18 LTX-3 BL Q I holding onto 99% of its no-load speed. Metabo HPT’s MultiVolt followed right behind it at 98% and DeWalt hit 95%.
Things were a bit closer in the Medium-Duty class where Skil’s 20V HD529501 pushed 472 RPM. Kobalt was close behind with 459 RPM and Milwaukee followed on its heels at 446 RPM.
By far, Ryobi proved the most efficient in this group. It maintained 97% of its no-load speed. Hilti’s SF 6H-A22 dropped to 87% while Kobalt and Skil tied at 86%.
The Compact class dropped to a 1-1/2″ Milwaukee Switchblade Self-Feed Bit. The DeWalt DCD797 put a huge gap on the field with a 550 RPM average. Craftsman followed up with a 451 RPM effort and the Hilti SFC 22-A scored a distant third at 426 RPM.
DeWalt also led in the efficiency department at 97%. The Metabo HPT DS18DBFL2 put in a solid 92% efficiency rating followed by Craftsman and Masterforce tying in third at 80%.
Metabo laughed all the way to the Heavy-Duty finish line by driving a 1″ Bosch Daredevil High-Speed Auger Bit more than 1000 RPM faster than anyone else in the field. Its 3039 RPM effort dwarfed DeWalt (1906 RPM) in second place. That put a big gap on third-place Hilti (1657 RPM).
DeWalt easily led in efficiency at 95%. The Metabo HPT MultiVolt drill driver took second at 86% and their 18V model topped out the third spot at 84%.
DIY brand Skil led the Medium-Duty class with a 1438 RPM average in a tight race over Ryobi (1424 RPM) and Festool (1404 RPM).
This group isn’t as efficient as the Heavy-Duty class with Ryobi mustering the win with 81% of its no-load speed. Hilti’s SF 6H-A22 places second at 77% with Kobalt and Skil tying up third place with 74%.
For the Compact class, we used a 3/4″ Bosch Daredevil High-Speed Auger Bit where DeWalt continued its speed dominance with a 1948 RPM average. Hercules managed to pull off second place at 1409 RPM and the Makita XFD12 took third with a 1347 RPM average.
DeWalt (98%) sat atop the efficiency rankings again while their Atomic series DCD708 (81%) made its first appearance on the podium in second. Metabo HPT wrapped up the top 3 with 80% efficiency.
Our torque results come from a soft torque test, so they don’t match up with manufacturer’s listed specification unless they list a soft torque. Check out our shootout main page for the details.
Hilti showed why they’re a favorite on industrial sites with a bone-crushing 677.2 in-lbs effort to lead the Heavy-Duty class. DeWalt wrapped up second place with 618.8 in-lbs and the Ridgid 18V Octane finished in third by a fraction with its 615.6 in-lbs average.
Two models rose above the rest in the Medium-Duty class. Kobalt 24V (562.8 in-lbs) and Bosch 18V (523.2 in-lbs) both exceeded what some of the Heavy-Duty drill drivers were capable of. Festool sat way back in third with a 392.4 in-lb average.
Similarly, Metabo HPT (312 in-lbs) put a big gap on second place DeWalt (220.8 in-lbs). The Ridgid R86116 (190.4 in-lbs) sat third alongside the DeWalt Atomic drill with 189.2 in-lbs.
Some features matter more than others. Here’s what stands out from the norm for our Best 18V Cordless Drill contestants:
Metabo BS 18 LTX-3 BL Q I
Despite a ton of muscle, none of our Heavy-Duty cordless drills broke the 6-pound mark, even with a battery. DeWalt was the lightest at 4.88 pounds, the Metabo HPT 18V took second at 5.14 pounds, and the Makita XFD07 wrapped up these relative lightweights at 5.30 pounds.
Bosch (4.74 pounds) led the Medium-Duty class, sitting pretty close to DeWalt in the Heavy-Duty class. The difference was that only one of these 18V cordless drills broke 5 pounds. The Hilti SF 6H-A22 just edged out Bosch at 4.75 pounds with Kobalt not far behind at 4.83 pounds.
The Compact class brought the weight down even further. In fact, a couple of models weighed under 4-pounds. The Makita Sub-Compact XFD11 weighed a minuscule 2.89 pounds—including the battery. The Skil DL529301 (3.01 pounds) barely cracked the 3-pound barrier, and the DeWalt DCD708 topped out at just 3.15 pounds.
While none of our Heavy-Duty 18V cordless drills truly qualify as “compact,” some carry better than others. Metabo sat lowest in the class (7.75″) with a mid-range head length (8.4″). Makita flipped the dimensions with an 8.6″ height and 7.8″ length. Both Metabo HPT models had the same footprint (8.3″ height, 8.1″ length) to tie for third smallest.
The dimensions begin to drop for the Medium-Duty class. The Milwaukee 2706 (8.1″ height, 7.2″ length) looks small enough to fit in the compact class. Skil (8.1″ height, 7.5″ length) is no slouch, either. Kobalt takes third with its 8.3″ height and 7.5″ length.
The sub-compact drills led the Compact class in this area with the Makita XFD11 (7.8″ height, 6.4″ length) edging out the DeWalt DCD708 (7.9″ height, 7.2″ length). Meanwhile, the Milwaukee 2801 M18 Compact Brushless Drill Driver (not a Fuel model) sat right behind them with a footprint of 7.8″ x 6.6″.
Value represents more than just the price of the tool. Take the performance, weight, footprint, and feature set, toss it in a blender with the price (and a little secret algorithm sauce) and you get our value score.
Ridgid dominated the Heavy-Duty class in value thanks to its $159 price and solid performance. Metabo HPT made a nice run for second place by balancing solid scores across the board with reasonable pricing. Both models also got a boost from their lifetime service agreement/warranty plans. Makita wrapped up the 3rd position with only Ridgid offering a better value when you look at kit pricing.
The Kobalt 24V drill gave us the best bang for the buck in the Medium-Duty class. Kit prices drop below bare tool prices when they’re on sale. Ryobi made its presence known in value with its P251 that cost just $129 for the kit. Skil barely edged out Hilti for third.
The Compact class was much tighter at the top with Metabo HPT barely edging out Skil. Ryobi isn’t far behind thanks to its brushless impact driver kit bonus.
Several manufacturers have killer warranty programs—just remember some require you to register your tools for the full benefit!
The final scores in the Heavy-Duty class only range 11 points from top to bottom. The only thing you have to decide is if you want to prioritize speed, torque, features, size/weight, value, or a balance of all of them. From where we’re sitting, there’s not a single bad choice in that group.
Metabo HPT (formerly Hitachi) hasn’t done well in our shootouts historically. For us, it’s worth celebrating their performance in the Compact class with a solid win, including dominating the torque test.
Winning the Heavy-Duty class and taking second in the Compact class shows just how well-designed DeWalt’s newest generation of drills is. They don’t really lose focus in any category, and it’s that balance of performance and design that sets them apart from their competition.
When we designed our tests, we looked at the maximum capacity for each drill class. Then we reached out to bring in the following:
What we found in testing is that these accessories are so efficient that we could have easily used larger sizes. Buying quality accessories like these makes the job go faster and lets your hammer drill work more efficiently, giving you longer battery runtime and tool life.
We weight our results based on what our Pros agree is most important. If money is the biggest priority for you, your final rankings will look different than ours. We love diverse opinions, so tell us what you think is most important and which model you think is the best 18V impact driver.
Just remember that there are real people who do the work and who are contributing through their comments. I hate having to delete comments and ban people for acting like middle schoolers, so keep it on topic and clean.
On the clock, Kenny dives deep to discover the practical limits and comparative differences for all kinds of tools. Off the clock, his faith and love for his family are his top priorities, and you'll typically find him in the kitchen, on his bike (he's an Ironman), or taking folks out for a day of fishing on Tampa Bay.
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Makita says the XFD12 has a length of 6.75 inches, but your chart shows 7.2 inches. Which is correct?
why rate dewalt’s 20 volt drill in a best 18v drill category?
Great review PTR thank you
I enjoy your comparisons, but I would like to know more about the batteries.
I really don’t unswrstand how you completely skip Milwaukee’s 2806-20 hammer drill, which is vastly superior to any other but, eveb if it’s not… The best drill, in your PROFESSIONAL opinion is a DEWALT?! I’m not sure how much Dewalt pays you but to say it’s the best heavy duty drill with its miserable torque figures… You either don’t know what you’re talking about or simply trying to push a product, not sure which one is worse.
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Professional Tool Reviews for Pros