The 10 Best Corded Drills
A Corded Drill Will Give You All The Drilling Power You Need
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Every homeowner and DIYer needs a power drill for all those projects around the home. It’s one of the most versatile tools in your toolkit. With a power drill, you can drill holes, drive in screws, remove screws that are bedded in tightly, and even use it to mix paint or mortar. Plus, with the right attachments, you can use your tool for sanding and buffing as well.
While cordless drills have risen in popularity and are highly convenient, they simply can’t match the power of corded drills. You don’t have to worry about running out of power like with a cordless drill. Your corded drill will just keep on going.
Corded drills may not be as portable as cordless drills, but you just can’t match their power and reliability when it comes to completing lengthy projects at home or in the workshop.
There’s a lot to consider when selecting the best corded drill for your needs. That’s why we’ve done some research on the 10 best corded drills available today. We’ve looked at all their features and benefits and have outlined these below.
You’ll save lots of time by reading our reviews and selecting the best corded drill from our list. Plus, we’ve included a comprehensive buying guide so you know exactly what you should be looking for before you buy.
View the Best Corded Drill, Below.
- DEWALT DWD115K Corded Drill
- BOSCH 11255VSR Bulldog Xtreme Hammer Power Drill
- BLACK+DECKER DR260C Corded Drill
- GALAX PRO GP57325 4.5 Amp 1/2 Inch Hammer Drill
- PORTER-CABLE PC600D Corded Drill
- SKIL HD182001 Corded Hammer Drill
- Metabo HPT D10VH2 Drill
- DEWALT DWD210G Pistol-Grip Electric Drill
- CRAFTSMAN CMED741 Drill
- Milwaukee 0299-20 Magnum Drill
1. DEWALT DWD115K Corded Drill
Best Corded Drill For Steel
The Dewalt DWD115K 8 amp 3/8 inch corded drill has a powerful 8 amp motor and is designed for heavy and wood drilling. The keyless chuck ensures that the bit is held tightly. This Dewalt drill features all ball bearing construction which means it's durable and offers exceptional performance.
Why We Liked It: This Dewalt 8 amp 3/8 inch corded drill is a powerful tool to add to your kit. The 8 amp motor ensures that you can drill through wood and steel with ease. It also features a reversible trigger and a ratcheting 3/8 inch keyless chuck. Plus, it comes with its own carrying case and offers a mid-handle grip design to give you extra balance. It's one of the best corded drills for drilling into steel in this price range.
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2. BOSCH 11255VSR Bulldog Xtreme Hammer Power Drill
Best Corded Hammer Drill
This hammer drill from Bosch is powerful enough to use at home and on the job site. The drill features an additional handle to allow for comfortable drilling overhead and in confined spaces. The handle is rotatable and can lock into 36 different positions.
Why We Liked It: This Bosch corded hammer drill is versatile enough for all applications. It features an integral clutch that will disengage the torque transmission if the bit gets into a bind. The cord turret can rotate 35 degrees for greater flexibility. The lower range RPM also gives you more precision drilling, and the drill is excellent value for the price.
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3. BLACK+DECKER DR260C Corded Drill
Best Budget Corded Drill
For a small, lightweight drill, this Black+Decker corded drill packs a fair bit of power with a maximum speed of 1500 RPM. It's perfect for all those DIY jobs around the home and is especially good for drilling into wood. The drill has a keyless chuck and a comfortable soft-grip handle. It also has convenient onboard bit storage in the handle that means bit changes won't slow you down.
Why We Liked It: This lightweight Black+Decker corded drill is ideal for the home handy person, and it comes at a good value for money. It's powerful enough for most jobs but also lightweight enough to eliminate fatigue while working. The bit storage in the handle is also convenient for fast and easy bit changes.
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4. GALAX PRO GP57325 4.5 Amp 1/2 Inch Hammer Drill
Best Value 1/2 Inch Corded Drill
This 1/2 inch corded impact power drill from Galax Pro has enough power to drill through concrete, wood, and steel. It features an adjustable D handle. This allows you to work overhead easily and get into tight spots while still having full control. The handle also features a rubberized soft grip for maximum comfort.
Why We Liked It: The Galax Pro hammer drill is the perfect tool for use at home or on the job site. It has enough power to drill into concrete and steel. It's also relatively lightweight at only 3.4 pounds. Plus, it's great value with an affordable price tag.
Check Price on Amazon ➞5. PORTER-CABLE PC600D Corded Drill
Best Overall Corded Drill With A High Amp Motor
This 6.5 amp 3/8 inch Porter-Cable electric drill is the perfect corded drill for use both on the job site and in the home workshop. It has enough power to drill through a multitude of materials. The drill features a high torque gear for quick and easy drilling. It's designed for extended use with the addition of a button that allows you to lock on the drill.
Why We Liked It: This quality 6.5 amp 3/8 inch corded drill from Porter-Cable is ideal for both the professional and the home handyperson. It has plenty of power and allows for extended drilling time. This tool also features a belt clip for securing the power tool and a 6-foot long power cord.
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6. SKIL HD182001 Corded Hammer Drill
Best Corded Drill For Woodworking
This Skil 1/2 inch corded drill has both a hammer and drilling function with a button to switch between the two with ease. It features a powerful 7 amp high torque motor with a maximum speed of 3000 RPM. It also has a D handle to give you better control when using this power tool.
Why We Liked It: This is a powerful 1/2 inch corded drill from Skil for both the home handyperson and the professional. It provides both comfort and exceptional performance with the soft-grip handle and the lock-on button. It's a fairly solid power tool for the price.
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7. Metabo HPT D10VH2 Drill
Best Lightweight Corded Drill
This Metabo corded drill is ideal for use around the home and in the workshop. It features a 7amp motor with a maximum speed of 2700 RPM. If you weren't aware, Metabo HPT is the rebranded name for the previous Hitachi line of tools. You can use this 3/8 inch drill both for drilling holes and driving screws. The drill is well balanced and comfortable to use.
Why We Liked It: This is the perfect lightweight drill for use around the home with its 7 amp motor. It features a metal 3/8 inch keyless chuck for extra durability. It's a great drill for the price and is small enough to get into tight spaces.
Check Price on Amazon ➞8. DEWALT DWD210G Pistol-Grip Electric Drill
Best Corded Drill With A Pistol Grip
This Dewalt corded drill is ideal for drilling into both steel and wood. It includes a variable speed trigger and a soft-grip handle. The drill has a powerful motor for drilling in both forward and reverse. The keyed chuck ensures that the tool will hold the bit securely.
Why We Liked It: This is a powerful 1/2 inch electric corded drill from Dewalt with a pistol grip for all those DIY jobs around the home. The overload protection means that you can't "burn out" the drill with too much use. If it gets too hot, it will just switch itself off for 10 minutes, and then you're ready to go again.
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9. CRAFTSMAN CMED741 Drill
Best Budget Hammer Drill
This Craftsman corded drill is ideal for drilling into concrete and masonry. It's a hammer drill with a motor powerful enough to get the job done. As the drill is reasonably heavy at 5.19 pounds, the side handle allows for better balance and control when you have a lot of drilling to do.
Why We Liked It: This Craftsman corded drill is great for all those drilling jobs around your home. It has enough power to drill through concrete and masonry. The lock-on button and additional handle give you better control and reduce fatigue when you're drilling a lot of holes.
Check Price on Amazon ➞10. Milwaukee 0299-20 Magnum Drill
Best Heavy-Duty Corded Drill
The Milwaukee corded drill is the perfect workhorse for all those drilling jobs around the home. The heavy-duty all-metal-keyed chuck ensures that your bits stay secure. The ergonomic side handle gives you better control as this drill weighs 6 pounds. Plus, the reverse switch is conveniently placed within easy reach of your fingertips.
Why We Liked It: This is a heavy-duty corded drill that's durable and made to last. It's heavy enough for even the most daunting tasks. Plus, it has an 8-foot long cord and an all-metal keyed chuck.
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Best Corded Drill Buying Guide
When selecting the best corded drill for your toolkit, you have to consider a number of factors. Most of these relate to the type of projects you want to complete and how often you’ll use your corded drill.
The top features you should think about are the power of the motor, the chuck size, how fast the drill rotates, and whether it has a reverse function. You also want to consider the weight of the drill, especially if you’re going to be using it for an extended period of time. Let’s look at all of these factors in more detail.
How Much Power Do You Need?
The amount of power the drill has is important when you consider what you’re going to use it for. While cordless drills have to rely on the amperage of the battery they use, corded drills plug straight into a power socket. This is why a corded drill is generally more powerful than a cordless drill.
The power of a corded drill is measured in amps. The higher the amps of the motor, the more powerful the drill will be – this means it’ll take less time to drill a hole. You’ll also get more precise holes with a high amp motor.
In addition, higher amp motors will generally have more torque. This is especially important when you’re drilling into heavy materials. If you’re constantly drilling into hard materials such as steel or masonry, you’ll want a corded drill with an 8 to 10 amp motor.
However, for more lightweight materials like wood, a corded drill with a 5 amp motor is quite sufficient. Less torque also allows you to drill with more precision, giving you greater control.
What Chuck Size Is Better?
The chuck holds your drill bits in place. It comes in a variety of sizes to suit different drill bits, and there are generally three different chuck sizes available for most corded drills.
These are:
- 1/4 inch chuck size, suitable for light-duty drill bits
- 3/8 inch chuck size, suitable for most general-purpose drill bits
- 1/2 inch chuck size, generally used with heavy-duty drill bits
So, the larger the size of the chuck, the more powerful the drilling because the drill can accommodate a more sturdy drill bit.
Another thing to consider is whether the chuck is keyed or keyless. Keyed chucks need a special tool to tighten or loosen the chuck when you want to change the drill bit. On the other hand, keyless chucks allow you to loosen or tighten the chuck by rotating it with your hand.
Whether you choose a drill with a keyless or keyed chuck is entirely your own preference. However, it may be easier for some people to tighten the chuck with a key tool.
Why Rotation Speed is Important
Rotation speed is the measurement of how many rotations the drill bit will make in one minute. It’s measured as RPM or rotation speed per minute. However, rotation speed doesn’t dictate the power of the drill, as the torque determines this.
As a general rule, lower speeds are more suitable for drilling into hard materials such as steel and concrete, while higher speeds are more adequate for softer materials such as wood.
Slower speeds are also more useful when you first start the hole, as this can provide you with more control and precision, resulting in a cleaner hole. The best corded drills will have a variable speed option. This allows you to start the hole slowly and then increase the speed as you move into the material.
Does the Drill Have a Reverse Function?
All corded drills have a reverse function. This allows you to reverse the drill bit out the hole with more ease. Many of the corded drills we’ve included in our reviews have this function in the form of a button located either on the top of the drill or the handle.
The reverse function also allows you to remove screws that are bedded in tightly. This is a useful function and should be considered when selecting a corded drill.
How Heavy is the Drill?
You’ll find, in general, corded drills are much lighter than their cordless counterparts. This is because they don’t have to support a battery as part of the drill. The majority of corded drills can weigh from four to five pounds, but some higher-end drills can weigh around six pounds.
If you’re going to be using your power drill for an extended period of time, you’ll want to make sure you can handle the weight easily. For this reason, a lot of heavier corded drills have an auxiliary handle. This allows you to hold the drill with two hands, distributing the weight more evenly.
Do You Need a Hammer Function?
Corded drills with a hammer function give you more power, making it easier to drill into hard materials. The addition of the hammer significantly increases the torque of the drill. Hammer drills allow you to drive in longer screws and give you the added torque to drill into hard materials, such as steel, concrete, and masonry.
What Type of Grip Does the Drill Have?
To reduce fatigue and eliminate the likelihood of blisters, corded drills with soft grip handles are better. Remember that a corded drill is likely to be one of the most used tools in your tool kit. Therefore, you want to ensure that it gives you the best comfort and control possible.
Why Most Corded Drills Do Not Have a Clutch
Corded drills are mostly used for drilling holes and not driving in screws. That’s precisely why most corded drills do not have a clutch. On the other hand, most cordless drills do indeed have a clutch.
The clutch disengages the gears when the required torque has been reached. This allows you to embed and remove screws without shearing them. That said, a small number of corded drills do feature a clutch to disengage the gears if the drill bit gets stuck.
Conclusion
A corded drill is one of the most useful tools you can have in your tool kit. It allows you to effortlessly complete many different tasks around your home and in your workshop. Remember that corded drills are generally more powerful than cordless ones. They give you a wider range of possibilities.
When selecting the best drill, it’s important to look at a few different features to determine which drill will work best for you. You should consider the power of the drill, the RPM or rotation speed, the chuck size, and the weight of the drill.
You also want to consider whether you’re going to need a hammer function, as this allows you to use a much higher torque when you want to drill into hard materials. However, if you’re going to be mainly drilling into wood, then a hammer drill is unnecessary.
We hope you’ve found our reviews helpful and that they’ve made it easier for you to choose the right tool for your needs.