To Drill Or Not To Drill…That Is The Question!
And How Do You Pick The Right One? Find Out Here…
I am convinced that almost every household has a set of basic hand tools—a hammer, screwdriver, a pair of pliers and/or wire cutters. These are all good and necessary for minimal (and I mean minimal) things around the house. However, whether it be for repair, renovation or décor, you’re unnecessarily limiting yourself by not adding a drill to your list of basic household tools. A drill is like so many things we take for granted: you don’t think you really need one because you don’t know what it can do for you. Then when you actually purchase one and begin to tackle some things that have “always needed fixing,” you will find yourself asking “Why didn’t I get one before?” You will confidently exclaim to anyone who will listen “I’ll never handscrew anything again! What was I thinking?”
As far as I am concerned, a drill is THE entry-level must-have tool when considering power tools. I back up that statement by saying that it is the #1 most-purchased power tool by homeowners, weekend warriors and professional contractors. A drill is entry-level for many reasons: it is easy to operate, the intimidation factor is low for the user, and the end results are many and huge—not to mention, in most cases, almost effortless.
Selecting The Right Drill For The Job
Let’s discuss features and benefits along with things I suggest that you take into consideration when making the decision to purchase a drill. If the selection process is taken seriously, the drill you purchase should last quite some time as a part of your family of “I don’t know what I’d do without it” tools.
There is so much to tell you about drills because there are so many types of drills. Each is designed and created for special applications and with different materials in mind. A drill is not just a drill. Most frequently, you will hear them referred to as drill, drill/driver, hammer drill, impact driver, and even rotary hammer drill. Some are the same, yet some are different.
For our purposes, you see that I’ve broken down the segments into 3 types of drills: drill/drill driver, impact and hammer drill.
Your most basic and generally inexpensive in the categories of drills. There is an on-and-off trigger with front and reverse modes. It runs at one speed and can be purchased with an electric cord, or cordless with rechargeable batteries.
Drill/Driver:
On this drill there will be a switch where you can change the speed of the drill. This is the clutch on a drill. It is similar to switching gears in a car, you change the clutch to change the speed or torque. The clutch engages or disengages the speed and driving motion to the drill for repetitive screwdriving–like when building a deck. With the clutch engaged, you can adjust the speed—lower speed, higher speed, more torque, less torque (this power is measured in pounds of force but, let’s not get too technical). What you need to know is that by switching the clutch “on,” it controls the “torque” or power used to drive the screw. This lets you adjust the power in order to give you better control of the screw. This is marrying the force needed to the material and the task being done. With this feature, you can literally adjust the drill—slow down the driving power when the drill motor senses that the screw is starting to snug up into the wood. The ability to adjust the speed and torque will help prevent the stripping of screws and tear out of the wood (when your screw goes too deep and leaves strands of the wood grain protruding) as opposed to nice and clean. Adjusting the clutch and speed will also help maintain a matched depth with each screw, which keeps things visually pleasing.
There is an on-and-off trigger with front and reverse modes. These drills may be purchased with an electric cord, or cordless with rechargeable batteries.
Hammer drills and impact drivers are often confused….
This drill looks like a regular drill, but has a longer barrel nose and chuck. However it has one additional feature I am sure you will appreciate because, in addition to screwing in with a rotary motion, this drill also provides a hammering/pounding motion which gives you more power.
This is one of those drills that you aren’t sure you are going to need or use until you get it. This is the drill you want when you are drilling into harder surfaces or need more strength behind what you are doing—such as concrete or stone or screwing a lag bolt into a stud. This baby really comes in when you are installing that fancy wall mount for your awesome big flat screen TV.
Some hammer drills can just run in “hammer mode” while some have a clutch to change from a regular drilling motion to hammer drill with the flick of a switch.
Here is the trick to this drill: It not only turns and drives a screw by incorporating a pounding hammering motion like a hammer drill, but it adds ratcheting force behind each turn. It is basically pounding and tightening as you go. The impact driver is the ideal drill when working with or installing into hard surfaces such as stone or cement.
This little beauty works great when installing cabinetry because it has a smaller, stubby profile and a hex socket in place of the chuck. This makes for easier access and the ability to change bits and tips easily.
There is an on-and-off trigger with front and reverse modes. It may be purchased with an electric cord, or cordless with rechargeable batteries.
This is not the first drill I’d recommend for a power tool starter but, if you want to give yourself or someone you love a special gift, a combo set is worth mentioning for the weekend DIYers out there. Truly an investment you won’t regret!
Corded Or Not Corded…The Drill That Is
Generally speaking a drill with an electric cable is going to have a bit more power. Quite frankly, with a corded drill, you can keep on going for hours without having to change batteries or wait for a battery to charge. With that being said, there is A LOT to be said about being able to go up a ladder and not worry about a cord limiting your comfort or safety. Out of the 12 drills I have in my workshop, only 2 of them have electric cords. And you guessed it: they are both hammer drills that I use when doing masonry work. This is mostly because a battery-operated drill won’t have the power or time on a battery charge to get me through the job. I rarely pull them out but, when I need them—I really need them.
I’m asked the question, “Do I buy a battery-operated cordless drill or a corded one?” all the time. And almost 99% of the time, I say go cordless. The easier it is to “grab and go,” the more likely you are to actually use it.
Care About The Battery Numbers!
Now the next question, “If I am going to buy a cordless drill, what do the numbers on the battery mean and do I care?” Yes, you should care since the number is closely related to the power or torque (the spinning power) the battery is able to generate. This can be the determining factor in whether you enjoy the project or not. Generally speaking, you will find 10.8V, 11V, 12V, 18V batteries. Professional-grade drills can even be found in 24V, 28V and 36 Volt. 18V drills are probably the most common. The higher-volt models allow these tools to produce as much torque as some corded drills. One thing to consider is that there is a trade-off for wanting more power or more voltage in a cordless drill. The larger the battery, the heavier the tool.
For continuous use, I will have one or more spare battery packs charging while working. This gives me the luxury of quickly swapping them out instead of having to continually wait for recharging. Even with the Rapid Charge Batteries, I hate to wait the 10–15 minutes they may take to charge.
Now that you know more about drills than you ever thought imaginable, here are my last thoughts on the topic before you embark on buying your first drill:
- Go battery-operated.
- Buy the lightest weight for the highest volts you can afford.
- Buy a general set of drill bits and tips to store along side your drill so you are ready to go at all times!
To drill or not to drill…that is the question…
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer;
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune by not buying a drill;
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them….by buying a drill!
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