Buy a Cordless Drill

A handheld cordless drill is one of the most useful tools to have available around the house.  Using a cordless drill to drive screws is a lot easier than turning a screwdriver to drive a screw.  Looking back I wish I had bought one much sooner than I did.  I actually waited several years after home ownership to buy a cordless drill.  

Many years have passed, and I have put my cordless drill through many trials and tribulations.  Recently I dropped my 12 year old cordless drill about ten feet onto a gravel driveway and was sure it was broken.  Even after I got off the roof and picked up the drill I thought it was broken.  The reality was it wasn't broken, it had just got banged into Neutral.

I highly recommend making a cordless drill one of your first power tool purchases.  When you decide to buy a cordless drill I would consul you to spend the money and get a dependable one.  Resist the urge to purchase a bargain basement cordless drill, you'll spend just as much money replacing them when it breaks as you would if you just bought a good one.

You should figure on spending somewhere between $100 - $200 depending on the brand and accessories included. This is going to get you a quality cordless drill, but it's not going to be a contractor grade cordless drill. A contractor grade cordless drill is for heavy use every day, but the typical homeowner will want their cordless drill for occasional use on a project.

Most cordless drills will come with a carrying case. Other included accessories will effect your initial price. At a minimum you will want a separate battery charger. A second battery is extremely nice to have but not necessarily a requirement as long as the projects aren't too large. The second battery allows one to be charging while you're using the other one. This really keeps the project going!

Locating a set that includes all your desired options may also enable you to save a little money on the initial purchase.

There are lots of features to evaluate when buying a cordless drill.

• Chuck size, most will be 3/8 or 1/2 inch, the larger will be more versatile
• Battery voltage, most common will be 14.4 volts and 18 volts.  You could go smaller to try to save some money but I wouldn't recommend it.  The extra power is nice to have when it's needed.
• Torque, how hard can the cordless drill turn the bit or screw?  If you'll be working with soft pine you wont need much, but drilling through an oak board the torque can help.
• Weight, the heavier cordless drill will likely have more power, but also be harder to hold for a day long project.
• Speed(s)
• Integrated light

Purchase the cordless drill from a manufacturer that will be around in the years to come.  Batteries have a tendency to where out before the motor will in a good cordless drill so you will want to be able to replace just the battery instead of the entire drill.