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How to use a right angle drill

Updated: 23 October 2026

The screw is in the corner of a cupboard, the straight drill fouls the door, and the right-angle body in your hand has no numbered clutch. How to use a right angle drill, on the compact cordless tools in our [cordless angle drill comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/cordless-angle-drill), is a short sequence: battery off, a bit shorter than the gap, two hands, a slow start, and a stop if the tool twists harder than you can hold. The listings, Bosch DIY’s UK note and HSE leaflet INDG296 were read on 19 October 2026. We did not run a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

The screw is in the corner of a cupboard, the straight drill fouls the door, and the right-angle body in your hand has no numbered clutch.

Our top picks

Einhell Einhell TE-AD 18 Li Solo

Best overall

Einhell Einhell TE-AD 18 Li Solo
8.7/10about £49.99
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Milwaukee Milwaukee C12 RAD-0

Alternative

Milwaukee Milwaukee C12 RAD-0
6.8/10about £99.99
View offer
XIIW XIIW 12 V right-angle drill

Best value

XIIW XIIW 12 V right-angle drill
5.7/10about £47.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Set the tool up before it is in the gap
  2. 2.Keep the bit shorter than the gap
  3. 3.Start slow and stay in line
  4. 4.Stop when the tool takes over

Set the tool up before it is in the gap

Take the battery off before you change the bit. On the XIIW, off means the pack is unclipped, not that the trigger is released. On the Bosch, Einhell and Milwaukee the pack was never in the carton. Fit it only after the bit is seated. Seat the bit until it stops, then tighten the chuck by hand. The XIIW reviews say the chuck has no internal lock. If the bit walks in the jaws, stop and reseat it before you are inside the cupboard. The Milwaukee page prints a 30 mm chuck that conflicts with its 10 mm metal capacity. Plan on about 10 mm, which is what Screwfix lists for the C12RAD-0. The Einhell and the XIIW state reverse. The Bosch and Milwaukee listings do not, so find the switch on the tool.

Keep the bit shorter than the gap

A long driver bit cancels the right-angle head. If the bit is longer than the clearance beside the hinge, you are holding a straight drill again, only with the motor sideways. Use the shortest bit that still lets the tip meet the screw without the chuck rubbing the stile. Offer the head in with the battery off, and see whether the battery, not just the nose, clears the return. One UK review of the Milwaukee puts the tool at about 13 inches once a pack is on. Set the Einhell’s rotating pack before you start. Where the gap is a joist bay, read drill in tight spaces before you commit to the hole.
Einhell Einhell TE-AD 18 Li Solo

Testsieger

Einhell Einhell TE-AD 18 Li Solo
8.7/10about £49.99
View offer

Start slow and stay in line

Put on eye protection before the first squeeze. Clamp the work if it can move. INDG296 tells employees to keep bits sharp and not to force the tool. A blunt bit needs more pressure, and more pressure is what kicks a small drill out of your grip. Support the head with one hand and the body with the other. The twist arrives as a roll, because the motor sits beside the hole. Keep your fingers off the pinch point one review reports beside the Milwaukee head. Start on the slower end of the trigger, or on the XIIW’s low range at 0–300 rpm under an 880 rpm ceiling. The Bosch, Einhell and Milwaukee run up to 1,300, 1,100 and 800 rpm. None of those ceilings is a starting speed, and there is no clutch to ease off for you.

Stop when the tool takes over

Stop if the bit binds and the body rolls harder than you can hold. Release the trigger and do not fight a spinning head back onto the screw. Back the bit out once it has stopped. Stop if the chuck slips, if you smell hot windings, or if the bit is polishing rather than cutting. None of these tools has hammer mode. Call a competent person for a structural joist, for cables or pipes you cannot identify, for work at height, and for any bind you cannot hold. Which body to buy, if you are still choosing, is on the cordless angle drill buying guide.

Common questions

Do I remove the battery to change the bit?
Yes. Unclip the pack before your fingers are on the chuck, and clip it back only when the bit is seated and the direction is set. On a body-only Bosch, Einhell or Milwaukee that pack is the one you already own. On the XIIW it is the included 12 V pack. A released trigger is not the same as a battery off.
How short should the bit be?
Shorter than the clearance beside the screw, so the chuck does not hit the stile before the tip meets the work. Offer the tool into the gap with the battery off and see the fit, including the pack. About 13 inches with a battery, from one Milwaukee review, is a working length, not a bit length.
Which hand resists the twist?
The hand on the body resists the roll, and the hand near the head keeps the bit in line. A right-angle drill kicks sideways because the motor is beside the hole. Keep clear of the pinch point one Milwaukee review reported near the head. If you cannot get the second hand on, the gap is too tight for this tool.
What speed do I start at?
The bottom of the trigger, not the listed maximum. The XIIW’s low range is stated around 0–300 rpm, under an 880 rpm ceiling. The Bosch, Einhell and Milwaukee are single-speed tools up to 1,300, 1,100 and 800 rpm. There is no clutch setting to select first.
What do I do if the chuck will not lock?
On the XIIW, reviews say there is no internal lock, so tighten by hand and test in free air with nothing near the bit. If the shank still walks, reseat it with the battery off. Do not carry on inside a cupboard with a bit that is already slipping.
When do I stop and get a professional?
Stop when the hole is structural, when you cannot identify a cable or a pipe, when you are working at height, or when the tool twists out of your grip. Release the trigger and leave the bit. A compact angle drill is for a screw or a small hole you can hold.

Related pages

Right angle drill vs attachment

Cordless angle drill

Best cordless angle drill for packs you already own

Cordless angle drill buying guide: gap then torque

Drill in tight spaces: cupboards, vans, joist bays

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file.

  1. HSE, Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. HSE, Select equipment for reduced vibration exposure (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. HSE RR1182 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Bosch Professional, GWB 12V-10 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Toolpicker, Einhell TE-AD 18 Li (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Screwfix, 12 V cordless angle drills (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. PUWER 1998 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 19 October 2026)