Cordless Drills: Is Buying Top Models Even Worth It These Days? 

The achilles heel of the Ryobi is sudden increases in demand from the tool, which the board will as a result shut it down. Some of the gradual increases in demand when testing the tool suit it more here, but in use we find if you feel a snag it will play it safe and shut the tool off. So that's some usage vs testing that's worth knowing. You can find our "tools that don't suck" list here: www.amazon.com/shop/torquetestchannel

As a tradesman who uses impacts and drills daily, it’s not about power anymore. It’s about ergonomics for me. I’ve touched all the major brands, and some of the budgets. Makita just feels the best in the hand and in tight spaces.

For parkside the "performance" lineup is significantly better and one of the performance drills is currently on sale for 40€

I've been using an old Ridgid brushed drill for ~5 years now. Just upgraded to the model featured here last week as part of a deal to get a "free" weedeater and leaf blower. I was absolutely blown away by the power. I've been drilling holes in concrete for a new workshop in my basement, running conduit, drilling Tapcons, etc., and it just absolutely eats through the walls. Makes my brushed drill feel like an expensive paperweight.

I've always been impressed with Ridgid. Price to performance across the board, not just a couple in their lineup. I've been using them hard for work and have never LSAed any tool. Just a charger. They have been dropped off roofs, fallen in snow, stepped on, used in hot environments, very cold environments and left out in the rain. Heck, my Gen 5x 7 1/4" saw had to cut about 20ft of 3/4" sheeting in 95 degree heat with all the carbide teeth gone, fast, before we lost our crane operator. I love my Ridgids, glad to see they keep offering new models all the time.

The parkside drill you tested can regularly be found at 15 euros and the 4ah smart batteries just sold for 15 last week, 30 bucks total. I have owned one for 5 years and for small jobs around the house it works great.

Man, I recall when I first saw your channel (like three years ago, maybe?) and it's amazing how far you've come and how much you're now able to test. Man, I recall you building a torque testing device back in the day. I'm not sure, but I think I've been subscribed since like your 2nd or 3rd video. LOL That might make me one of your longest subscribers! I deserve a cookie.

The DCD800/805 is an absolute monster. I have been using mine with rust/paint remover wheels to strip a floorpan and it's been phenomenal. I have discharged 3 batteries (2x 4ah, 1x PS 1.7) in a row without the drill hitching, overheating or anything. And that's at full throttle the entire time with basically no breaks. I figured it would start overheating or need a break during the process but it just keeps going.

do more Parkside stuff like their impacts please. they also have their performance line which is comprised of brushless tools

The batteries are the real issue with drills. Generally electric motors are very reliable, but batteries die with use and time. I have so many working drills with junk batteries. Only drill I still use is my Ridgid because the batter still holds charge for a full workday.

I’d be curious to see how the M12 and other lower voltage drill compares to these too. The M12 is really nice for pretty much everything that’s not heavy hitting.

The ryobi did better than I expected. I own one myself and I definitely feel it cut-out often. Especially at lower rpm.

Damn my wish was realized when I saw the Parkside.👍 I would love to see more of Parkside tools in this channel, especially the Performance Line.

Several years ago, my brother got me the kit of of Bosch 12v drill and impact driver... both are little and wimpy by TTC standards, but for my around the house projects, I'm very thankful. Nothing wrong with having a modest power tool for modest power jobs.

Love it that you test the parkside brand, but the green is the hoby series if you can get the black performance series with 4 amp or 8amp battery that i'm sure will be a different thing.😊

Love this channel. I watch it constantly (or something close to that). It would be great to see a comparison of the big right angle drills like the Milwaukee hole hawg for example. Keep on measuring the beans!

Great test and great data, as always. I think a lot of value comes out of this, not just from the perspective of "is this budget tool good" but also from the "is this top tool sale a good value". I bought the red tool you feature here, and at a price similar to the one in your description. With the money saved I could get better batteries the tool requires, for it's benefit and for the benefit of other "lower tier" tools from the same brand I have that are just enough for the job I need them to do.

I've had issues with my Ryobi's, got fed up with their "Customer Service" (actually sent me an INOP replacement 40V to replace a 40V battery that did not work out of the box), and thus started replacing them with the HF "Hercules" tools. Very happy with the HERCULES performance.

Longevity is why I buy Bosch. I have 10.8v Bosch that's coming up on 20 years old with original batteries.

Great video as always. I bought a bunch of Kobalt cordless tools. I'm surprisingly happy with them. They were just so cheap at the time I couldn't help myself.

Today's cordless drills are insanely powerful compared to 20 or 30 years ago. Ive got a larger DeWalt drill (about 6 years old) and it happily punched a 16mm augur through a 800 mm tree trunk when building my kids a tree house. It never sounded like it was struggling and never slowed down. Amazing!

I'd like to see a video of the subcompact class. In my professional use, I found the Ridgid subcompact drill to be the size of a 12v tool, but punching well above anything I would expect from a 12v. Absolutely excellent for overhead work. Also, slap that 8ah on some other Ridgid tools. I've felt a huge difference with the 8ah on my Ridgid circular saws in particular. I'd love to see the numbers.

I went with the Ridgid line because of their LSA warranty. So far that has paid off. My drill chuck broke, sent it off, fixed for free. My oscillator broke, replaced with a new one for free. My brad stapler is at their service center right now because it wouldn't drive. Its outcome is TBD. The LSA process was recently updated so all claims are done right from your Dashboard where you registered your tools. I have not had to replace any batteries yet. Ridgid is also adding more cool tools to their catalog and I like what I see.

You skipped rhe Harbor Freight offerings.

Two of my most looked forward to things on Friday: New episode of Reacher and new video on TTC. Life is good.

I have an old brushed DeWalt and I'll keep using it as long as it does the job, hasn't let me down yet. Their impacts I avoid. Crazy time here. I used the new Hercules for the last year which I use about 5 of the 8 hours in a shift and I absolutely love it. You have to get used to it due to it having too much torque. She likes to snap lags of with little effort. I'm going to keep using it for the next four years at least. 5 year warranty with no questions asked over the counter replacement is real nice.

I got the ridgid at work and did 16 13/16 hole in 3/8 steel with it. Couldnt belive how good it did, and was. Love that drill.

Great video and testing. Here in Europe, Parkside is very popular and their performance line is a little better, brushless. But in terms of durability they are not the best, but for home use they are ok. But for demanding jobs a powerful drill is necessary and worth the money. I have the bosch 150 Nm drill and it performed well in your testing. It's a big heavy tool but I can do anything with this tool. Parkside batteries also use the cheapest cells inside, especially the ones featured in this video. So no more cheap power tools for me. But depending on usage everyone can choose the one that will do the job.

So pumped finally seeing Parkside tools on your channel! I'm looking forward to seeing the 1/2 impact driver from Parkside!

for me, parkside performance is the best among such drills ... I have also worked with others and at this price it cannot be compared at all ... parkside performance at the then price of 70 euros is perfect ... I have been using it for the second year ... nonstop work in the production of superstructures for cars ... that is, a lot of drilling in metal, aluminum, wood, approx. 10,000 holes in half a year from 5 mm to 20 mm and it still works ...

Hi, I always follow your channel and without you we wouldn't be able to understand which products are the best. Thanks, having said that, could you try the Parkside impact wrench (I have the performance 226 nm and the 400 nm)? I'm very curious to see what they are capable of doing with the big brands... thank you very much in advance 💪💪🙏

lol I literally opened my eyes and got the notification ! Thanks dude!

Another great series of tests helping a buyer out. May I add a possible test metric that in my experience makes a big difference to how a drill will handle and the ease of use accurately. A good high quality drill will have a better or lower measured chuck /tool deflection. Almost all when new will be tight but with use some become loose very quickly. This can make it a little more difficult to use when using oversize tooling like a hole saw or a spade bit, even drilling steel with a 1/2" drill bit. This can be affected by clutch use or hammer function to wear it out faster. Some cordless drills are very overbuilt in this area and others are less so. Perhaps some testing of the deflection before and after your standard tests? 1/2" rod in the chuck the drill itself clamped then a measurement taken? You could rate them competitively by how far away from the end of the chuck the deflection measures 0.020". This may not stop the drills from running and driving screws or drill bits but if you need to start a drill without a pilot or center punched point it makes a difference. Just a thought? Cheers

There is also a "black" pro range of the parkside and these are brushless. The one I bought, I had it also for 39€ and it has a lot of torque but it cuts out quickly when loaded. Batteries are 2ah,4ah and recently also an 8ah. The batteries are cheap when you buy them in promo and for a tool that isn't used daily but only for diy, it's very good for the money. I use more my parkside than the green bosch, especially the driver. Plenty of other tools too like a portable bandsaw, jigsaw, branch cutter, nibbler etc..

Great video as always. Please look into Parkside more in the future. Lidl is actually huge in Europe, they have literally 12 thousand locations. Parkside have a black performance series which looks 1:1 like the Flex brand you tested in the past. Prices are unbelievable right now - 40 eur for the brushless impact or drill.

That big DCK still gets a chuckle out of me. I just got that little 12V Skil tool set. Seems more than adequate! And the price for the whole 4 piece kit was amazing.

You might be suprised how tough the parkside is. It is couple years old and after that abuse it is making grinding noises but works regardless. Left in Rain, dropped, used for jobs it was not suppoused to do. You cen buy them Here for mere 24.95 dollars. Not as powerful as dewalt that i had before it was stolen but very good price to performance ratio.

Love the videos, as always! Tiny correction: @9:12 you say "That 970 from Milwaukee" but I think you meant 960, which is what the graph is showing.

The Ridgid looks really solid! Great job with the testing 👍

The DCD805 is one of my favorites for sure for the size/performance ratio. Haven't tried it on metal... Makita XGT for that!

Parxide has the Performance series, which are black instead of green, they are all brushless and have effectively double the performance of the brushed series. For 1.5* of the price. Price-performance ratio is crazy on those, they are almost up to bar with Bosch or Dewalt in quality sometimes.

Great Video. I would love to see you all run a test on the different cluch settings some of the many drills you all do. My company uses bosch 12v screwdrivers and find that the '4' clutch setting perfect for doing rack screws in AV racks with out stripping them. There is not really any data I can find comparing the different clutch settings between brands, and I am not quite sure what Metric you all could measure them against, but based on your other videos, I am sure it would be quite informative.

PLEASE!! Do some parkside performance tools. Especially the 20v impact!

Nice comparison. The Ridgid looks great for beefy tasks, the Dewalt for most daily drilling. I have an older DCD791 that works fine. As for value performers, the new Metabo HPT compact drill has specs comparable to the Dewalt (620 in-lbs) and is currently $149 kitted with an impact, charger, batteries, and bag. Keep torquing. ✊🏼

I have a brushed Ryobi drill that's been through some major projects. it still works fine.

Thanks for the link TTC! I snagged the M18 drill for $99!

as a guy who is deep in Team Milly, I had to use a DCD800 (the non hammer model) for a day on a job site. For a little drill, it is surprisingly very good at handling almost all the jobs a drill would be used for. Only really lacking in the high power long usage options that my M18 hammer drill would have moderate struggle with. So, I will continue to give Dewalt credit that since 2020, they have stepped up and really brought the beans. Well done Dewalt. I am still sticking with my Millys though =)

For most tasks at work (electrical engineering/assembly) I prefer a smaller and lighter drill. I still use an old brushed Metabo 14.4V model with the quick connect chuck mostly without the chuck as a driver. For me the deciding factors would be ergonomics and size (not only length but also width and shape determine how a drill feels to use) and weight vs. power, and not purely the latter.

love yalls videos! When it comes to the power pack videos, youve done a lot for electric and gas, but can you dyno some impacts off of a 185 CFM compressor? run with like 3/4 or 1" air hose? Thanks guys!

Parkside also has a lot of Milwaukee inspired tools. They have a M12 stubby and m18 impact driver M 18 hi torque impact wrench

I sprung for Milwaukee and I am happy about that. If you're a DIYer, you don't need Milwaukee unless you have money, want the best, and understand the value of paying more for a premium tool brand over a bargain basement brand or even a midgrade brand.

As someone who uses power tools everyday, when people ask me my recommendations I say: if you use it once to a couple times a year, ryobi, black and decker something like that. Once to twice a month, rigid, maybe kobalt but rigid. And if you use it more than once a week, dewalt, Milwaukee, makita, and typically I recommend their professional lines. I was surprised to see how well the ryobi did! This videos are so interesting and informative!

I’m in the Uk and have the most recent spec M18 drill, it has the auto stop/anti wrist breaking mode and it works faultless……every time. It’s torquey for sure. Only things I don’t like are its loud, way louder than a Makita 18v equivalent drill. And the screw locations in the back of the drill are uncomfortable if doing a lot of drilling that requires some additional pressure.

Loved the vid would love to see all the parkside lineup performance and regular to see howbthey compare, especially the green1/2 inch impact wrench vs a old ryobi p261 brushed i suspect the insides are the same if not similar the sound alike.

I'd be interested to see more regular inclusion of the Hercules brand in these types of tests. One because I've all but fully converted (with the exception of some M18 tools that might just be sentimental) to the HF High Tier brand, and two I would be interested to see more long term inclusion of testing to see how they stack in reliability. I Bought my 1/2" Hercules 1400 ftlb tool for $179.99 and got a free 5 AH performance battery, that is really tough to beat when I see it keeping up with the M18 High Torque!

Loving that you managed to get Parkside. However the Performance versions you may enjoy a lot more. I have a video scheduled to air tonight. Might be interesting if you have the time.

Damn I was worried something happened to the channel glad to see it back and running! Drills make for a bit of a boring video but I watch them all regardless

I love my little Dewalt XR. I do a mix of wood and metal work, with the largest bits respectively being about 2" forstner bits and 3/4" cobalt steel twist drills, and as fas operation goes, it does "good". But as far as usability, ergonomics, size, and weight, i prefer it over everything else. -regular use is w/5&4amp batteries-

I had a nicad powered Ridgid drill that wouldn't give up the ghost after 20 years of regular abuse. All I had to do was have the cells replaced every so often. I also had a DeWalt nicad that didn't hold up so well. When it came time to move to lithium, I stuck with Ridgid. I do a mix of wood and aluminum and steel and regular bits, step bits, up to hole saws and it handles it all with ease. It also feels like a quality tool without the price tag of the red brand.

The best small drill I have used is the DeWalt 12v drill, so light and so much more powerful than the old generation full sized drills..... I would get one of those for day to day use for house work and have a big powerful drill on the shelf for when you really need the power.

Great thing about ryobi is that at least so far, they have maintained backwards compatibility of their batteries. The modern lithium batteries have breathed fresh life into my ancient drill and circular saw

I'm surprised the Hercules kit at less than $100 was not included. It makes more torque than my gen 3 Milwaukee. I use it for auger bit going through pilings.

Well, I have recently picked up the Parkside for the equivalent of around 20 USD - new from store. Gave it to a friend and he seems to be vary happy with it. Can't beat it for the price. If you are able to get your hand on Parkside Performace it would be a much closer comparisson I believe. The PPSBSA 20-Li A1 bought as a kit with a fast charger and 4Ah smart battery for 110 USD is a total steal. Work very well for me. Hell, if you wish I con probably ship one over, you just need to get your hands on a battery since shipping those seems to be a problem...

I have the non-hammer drill version of the Milwaukee (2903) and it's a BEAST! Pair it with a 6AH battery and it's good for all day use in the shop.

Honestly, after standardizing on Ryobi's 18v. platform, I'm not happy. Been seeing some RU-vid videos from other content creators taking apart Ryobi tools. Let's just say, very eye-opening. Looking to standardize on a new platform. Came up with a list of the best contenders. Eliminated one after the other until I've got two left. One is Bosch. The other is RIDGID. I'm a bit surprised that the latter is still on my contenders list. Not being a Pro, RIDGID's line-up of tools overall, including this drill, is looking very tempting.

Love these videos man, if you would, it would be pretty nice if you tested other speeds, as in the m12 stubby the speed 1 and 2, seems like nobody is displaying the torque they give at the first 2 speeds.

I have a rigid gen5x brushed i use with a paddle for mixing drywall compound, plaster, driveway tar, etc, yes i know i shouldn't use it for that but it just keeps going and going.

Personally drills are more about the balance of power, feel and clutch function. I've had some clutches that work terrible and it would be great if you could incorporate a quick clutch test on drills.

The Milwaukee 2904-20 has the anti wrist breaking function. Put the forward/reverse switch in the middle and pull the trigger 5 times to toggle it on/off.

Milwaukee... our drills cost 200 dollars... also milwaukee, catch this sale and get 2 6ah high output batteries and two tools for $350...i wish they would just price their stuff accordingly...

need to test the parkside performance brushless drills

I would love a video comparing modern drills/impacts to drills/impacts of the past before lithium became standard. I loved my Milwaukee nicad tools and thought Dewalts 18v line up was also great.

I bought into Makita's 18V LXT Lithium-Ion platform when it was first launched. So, I stay with their tools. Got too many batteries and tools these days to even think of jumping ship. But, I love watching the manufactures battle it out for bragging rights.

I have several drills, none of which are top of the line, my 3/8" warrior works well for hanging pictures and small jobs, I find it surprisingly powerful ffor it's size, then my Skill 12 volt, then my 3 Ryobi drills which always are part of one kit or another. I don't do a lot of heavy duty work so they work for my needs.

I personally have a lot of Milwaukee and Dewalt cordless tools/batteries. At work I decided to purchase a huge amount of Ryobi HP tools (40v and 18v), because they are way more affordable. Also, the deals on Home Depot are incredible sometimes. I have been extremely impressed with the vast majority of Ryobi's recent tools. The 6ah and 9ah HP batteries are fantastic. Just earlier today I was using my Milwaukee fuel angle grinder and absolutely ripping through batteries. Decided to switch to the Ryobi grinder with 9ah batteries and was getting way more grinding time. Obviously Milwaukee is a more premium brand with higher performance but Ryobi is great.

About 14 years ago I bought the cheapest cordless drill in an aluminium carry box for one job. Well I still have it and use it. I am just a home user. Upgraded to a Skil when they were on close out as the model was old stock. They do what I want them to do.

Great that you got hold of parkside! In poland we love these tools, some of them are even "basing" on Milwaukee designs, for example their high torque impact. 2 weeks ago Lidl had a promotion where you could buy this drill + charger + battery for like 20bucks (100pln). I personaly have DCF900 and DCF512, but for most "dirty" jobs i use parkside tools as they are extremely cheap and quite durable. FYI they have "professional" black tools, which are mostly brushless and basic green tools, like the one you have.

You've got to love when torque test channel proves buying an orange tool not to be a bad idea again. First it was the 3-in cut off wheel and now the new 1200 inch pound brushless drill. 80% of the Milwaukee power without the Milwaukee tax. Which is more than enough power for what I will ever use the drill for.

I like having a variety of sizes. If I was in Dewalt I'd totally have a big and small one like the ones you showed.

The Parkside is actually amazing option for DIY people in central Europe, they have a performance line up which is using brushless motors, their batteries are at least half the price of the others and they have quite wide spectrum of tools. I myself have a SKIL set of brushless tools, but around the house I do most of the stuff with Parkside 12V drill as it is light and enough for most of the small jobs. If the LIDL shop here in Finland would have the online shop with all the tools available like in central Europe, I would definitely invest in that platform, specially for the tools I dont use so often.

I never upgraded over the years, so I'm still using the big heavy hilti 6H and the super tiny, super light hilti 12v drill. Surprised that after all of these years the rigid is the only one with the super important atc shutoff. I like the feel of the ryobi HP drill though but I only got to use one once

I snagged a third gen M12 3404-20 used for under $60 shipped and it has done everything i've asked of it so far

Loving the Ryobi love lately, i think we all know they arent as tough or strong but why do they need to be? Keep up the good work guys

Love the content. Would you guys ever consider testing the DCD708 from DeWalt? I recently just got one to replace my gen 3 m18 due to price difference when the m18 died

I have to appreciate Lidl's current lineup of tools. Very affordable, especially since they are often on sale, even at 50% off. Batteries that go up to 8Ah too. The quality is fairly good. I tend to buy their stuff for tools that I use only once in a while, where the cost of a pro tool isn't justified.

I used the ryobi as a trailer tech for the las 2 years, I ended breaking 3 drills in that time. Decent performance but it doesn't hold up to abuse. I have the dcd999 now, the shop paid for that one.

I recently bought a Makita XPH14Z for $99 since i already had batteries and it is a total monster. It's the highest torque 18v drill makita makes. 5" hole saw in hard wood is no problem.

I mean for all the drills my family has had lying around over the years (they're the only power tool mom seems keen on not having enough of, which makes sense considering all drills can do) I've never really felt lacking for any particular job with any of them; some have better ergonomics, better chucks, better batteries, etc. The DeWalts I've gotten are obviously the best of all of ours, but even the tiny little DCD708 I got simply because it was on sale hasn't ever failed to do something asked of it, and I've abused it pretty heavily for just a "DIY" guy, using it to put together scrap-wood coops, shelves, tables, with any kind of wood I can get my hands on, grinding and cut-off wheels, even some medium-sized hole saws. Never once stalled and never even got past warm. That being said I think I'm still going to go out and buy some more drills eventually. I dont even need it and that DCD999 is calling my name.

OMG!! Finally a Parkside tool on TTC ❤

Yep, my biggest complaint with the few Ryobi tools that I have is "Logic" limitations and constant shut-offs. I'm pretty much done with Ryobi. I need my tools to perform, not piss me off. Can y'all test some more DCK brand tools? I have read that they are like the Milwaukee of China. Anyway , thank you for another informative video.

Getting the bigger battery for Parkside makes a huge difference in performance. I don't know why, but even though its still 20v, the bigger battery packs a punch.

I was so excited to see the Parkside. I spend half the year in Germany and I always see them at the grocery store and often wonder if they're worth it... on clearance their stuff is REALLY cheap

Seeing the Lowe's and Home Depot exclusive tools would be nice as well.

I use an older model DCD796 daily running in 3/8 x 3 inch lag bolts and have never had a problem with it. Definitely don’t feel the need to spend money to upgrade it to something more powerful. Drills are strong enough now that you should just stick to what brand you like and what fits your budget the best.

I use that DeWalt. I use that drill instead of a small impact because it's faster at driving 3 inch construction screws in high. 😮 I know the others might do the same I just like the little DeWalt because I have the batterys lol I would like to see how these more budget-friendly options compare when powered up with an off-brand battery pack

I think a comparison between the fastener driving ability of a drill, impact driver, and impact wrench with bit adapter would be interesting. Also testing different voltage tools within those catagories i.e. 12 volt vs 18 volt.

My gripe with Ryobi, and to a smaller degree Ridgid is that goofy plastic cover over the battery. So the handle section will stick out no matter what battery size you use. Where as the others can be manipulated with smaller batteries if space constraints.

You should test the Ryobi 18v auger. We recently purchased one and in soil without huge roots of course it will make a 6”x36” hole in under 30 seconds. Also has a pretty decent safety function to keep from breaking your wrists. That said if you were to by pass the stop safety it would be a badass torque monster if one was to convert it for other purposes.

I like this test run for more common use. We do a lot of fabrication. And tons of drilling for rivets. I have a older big 20v dewalt. And it gets used a lot. But we have 3 smaller 12V dewalt drills that get used and abused heavily. We love em. 1ah batteries is all they ever get. Im sure they would test low here but they are workaholics. Drills dont need to be all powerful. I do have some corded monsters. Lol and a killer drill press.

I just love the M18 stuff! Feels better and my hand and it will last forever not like the cheap stuff, yes I have tried other brands started out with Makita then went to Dewalt and now all M18 amd M12 stuff and probably never go to another brand