4 Drills That Crushed the Competition in Our Performance Tests

There’s a certain excitement in the air on head-to-head testing days in our shop. It’s the payoff from all the hours we spend designing experiments to mimic real-world conditions and build rigs to help control variables. And there are almost always surprises along the way.

Testing cordless drills is one of my favorites. It’s a competitive field, and nearly everyone can use a drill in their life, so it’s an effort that has a wide appeal. Our full results take into consideration ergonomics and features to calculate the final scores, but what if you’re only concerned about performance?

In our testing, four models set themselves apart with a pace the rest of the group couldn’t hang with. I’ll show you how we tested, how these models performed, and which one is the best of the best. But first, let’s meet our superstars… in alphabetical order—I don’t want to spoil the ending for you.

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Best Cordless Drill Head-to-Head Review

DeWalt 20V Max XR DCD1007

• Speeds: 0 – 450/1,300/2,000 RPM (0 – 500/1,500/2,250 RPM in hammer drilling mode)
• Max Hammer Rate: 38,250 BPM
• Max Power: 1530 UWO
• Length: 7.5 inches
• Bare Weight: 4.2 lbs
• Tested Weight: 6.3 lbs w/ 8.0Ah PowerPack battery
• Price: $249 bare, $349 kit

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Key Features

• Kickback Control: Automatically stops the motor in the event of a bind-up
• Hammer Drilling Boost: Steps up in speed when using hammer drilling mode
• Three-Speed Gearbox: More options to match the application
• LED Light Control: Pivot the light where you want it and leave it on up to 20 minutes

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DeWalt 20V Max XR Hammer Drill DCD1007 Review

Flex 24V Brushless FX1271T

• Speeds: 0 – 700/2500 RPM
• Max Hammer Rate: 40,000 BPM
• Max Torque: 1,400 in-lbs
• Length: 7.1 inches
• Bare Weight: 3.7 lbs
• Tested Weight: 6.0 lbs w/6.0Ah Stacked Lithium battery
• Price: $149 bare, $249 – $279 kit

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Key Features

• Kickback Control: Automatically stops the motor in the event of a bind-up
• Turbo Mode: Steps up to a higher speed and torque level, effectively creating four working modes

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Flex 24V Brushless Hammer Drill FX1271T Review

Makita 40V max XGT GPH01

• Speeds: 0 – 650/2,600 RPM
• Max Hammer Rate: 39,000 BPM
• Max Torque: 1,250 in-lbs
• Length: 7.1 inches
• Bare Weight: 3.7 lbs
• Tested Weight: 5.8 lbs w/4.0Ah High Power battery
• Price: $259 bare, $524 kit

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Key Features

• Kickback Control: Automatically stops the motor in the event of a bind-up
• Electronic Clutch Settings: 41 settings for dialing in higher depth driving precision

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Makita 40V max XGT Hammer Drill GPH01 Review

Milwaukee M18 Fuel 2904

• Speeds: 0 – 500/2100 RPM
• Max Hammer Rate: 33,000 BPM
• Max Torque: 1,400 in-lbs
• Length: 7.0 inches
• Bare Weight: 3.2 lbs
• Tested Weight: 5.6 lbs w/8.0Ah Forge battery
• Price: $229 bare, $329 kit

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Key Features

• Kickback Control: Automatically stops the motor in the event of a bind-up
• One-Key Option (model 2906): Add smart tracking, management, and tool control

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Milwaukee M18 Fuel Hammer Drill 2904 Review

How We Tested

To get the most accurate times, we video the tests so we can see the exact start and finish times.

For each test, we start with a fully-charged battery and run the drill three times. If we encounter an error or outlier result, we repeat the test to ensure we have three quality runs.

Test 1: Driving Structural Screws

How We Tested

• Material: Stacked and glued OSB subfloor
• Fastener: 3/8 x 8-inch rugged structural screw (RSS)
• Bit: T40 driver bit
• Battery: Fully-charged 20V Max 8.0Ah PowerPack
• Mode: High-speed drilling

To make sure the screw gets a straight start and doesn’t spin as it tries to bite into the wood, we set it into a 1.5-inch pilot hole. We begin with a full trigger press and finish once the head is flush with the wood.

Results

For most of our test drills, this was not a particularly challenging test. However, our group of four included the only ones to average less than 2.5 seconds per hole. Realistically, several others were in the ballpark, so this test didn’t definitively set them apart on its own.

Test 2: Boring Holes with a Spade Bit

How We Tested

• Material: Stacked and glued OSB subfloor
• Bit: 1-inch self-feed spade bit
• Battery: Fully-charged 20V Max 8.0Ah PowerPack
• Setting: High-speed drilling

The spade bits we use have self-feed tips. Starting with a full trigger pull, we maintain a straight drive, and apply only enough downforce to keep the drill under control.

Results

With the load of a spade bit, we saw even less overall separation, and it was tight among our top four. They were the only ones to finish with an average of less than three seconds, though. Considering last place was only 3.88 seconds, this test still didn’t wow us compared to the rest of the drills.

Test 3: Rough-ins with a Self-Feed Bit

How We Tested

• Material: 2×4 pine stud
• Bit: 2 9/16-inch self-feed bit
• Battery: Fully-charged 20V Max 8.0Ah PowerPack
• Setting: High-speed drilling

The process for this test is very similar to the spade bit test. We start with a full trigger pull and simply control the drill as the motor and bit do the work.

Not all drills can complete this test in high speed. If the drill stalls repeatedly, we’ll kick it into the next gear down and start over.

Results

The rough-in test was revealing. Six of our nine test drills averaged less than two seconds per hole, but it started to expose those who didn’t have as much muscle to deal with the heavier load.

Test 4: Drilling in Concrete

How We Tested

• Material: 4000 PSI concrete
• Bit: 3/8-inch concrete
• Battery: Fully-charged 20V Max 8.0Ah PowerPack
• Setting: High-speed hammer drilling

It would be great if every hammer drill included a depth rod, but they don’t, so we put a tape flag on our bit at exactly 3 inches to make it easy to see in the video when it hits the target depth.

As before, we start with a full trigger pull and maintain a steady, consistent pressure that we try and match for every drill we test.

Results

In concrete drilling, the duration was longer, and only Flex managed to finish in less than size seconds. DeWalt and Milwaukee managed to stay under seven seconds, but Makita had a noticeable drop in ranking for this one. Fortunately, its previous results helped it stay among the elite part of the group.

Performance Analysis

You may look through those results and wonder if these hammer drills are really so much better than the competition that they deserve such high praise. Let’s consider their results as a whole, though.

Their combined average was 33% faster than the average of the remaining drills. Even if we toss out the last-place drill (Hercules), they were still 22% faster on average. Those are very real productivity gains.

As a group, here’s how our top four compare test-by-test to the rest of the group minus Hercules:

The Best of the Best

So, which model ends up having the best overall performance?

The Flex FX1271T. Adding the times from all four tests, its total of 12.14 seconds was the best of the best.

Among the rest of our test group, no other drill broke the 15-second mark, which created a clear separation that proves these four drills are performing at a higher level.

We want to hear what you think—drop us a comment below!