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12V or 18V right angle drill

Updated: 2026-10-23

The cupboard is the same size either way, and you are stuck on the battery. A 12V or 18V right angle drill, among the four dedicated tools we kept, is three 12 V bodies and one 18 V body. It is not a ladder where 18 is always better. On 21 October 2026 the listings were the XIIW 12 V kit at £47.99, the Milwaukee 2415-20 at £85.50, the Milwaukee C12 RAD-0 at £99.99, and the Einhell TE-AD 18 Li bare body at £49.99. The cells are our [right angle drill comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/right-angle-drill). We did not run a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

The cupboard is the same size either way, and you are stuck on the battery. A 12V or 18V right angle drill, among the four dedicated tools we kept, is three 12 V bodies and one 18 V body.

Our top picks

Milwaukee Milwaukee 2415-20 M12 right angle drill

Best overall

Milwaukee Milwaukee 2415-20 M12 right angle drill
9.4/10about £85.50
View offer
Einhell Einhell TE-AD 18 Li cordless right-angle drill

Best value

Einhell Einhell TE-AD 18 Li cordless right-angle drill
9.2/10about £49.99
View offer
XIIW XIIW 12V cordless right angle drill

Alternative

XIIW XIIW 12V cordless right angle drill
7.6/10about £47.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What 12 V means in this set
  2. 2.Clutch and head size on 12 V
  3. 3.What the 18 V Einhell adds
  4. 4.When neither voltage is the job

What 12 V means in this set

Twelve volts here is a platform and a stated torque, not a promise that the head is always shorter. The XIIW states 18 Nm, two speeds and 880 rpm, with a 10 mm chuck and a 2.0 Ah pack named in the title. The C12 RAD-0 states 12 Nm and 800 rpm, with 22 mm in wood and 10 mm in metal, sold bare at £99.99. The 2415-20 states 100 in-lb, about 11.3 Nm, 800 rpm, a 3/8-inch chuck, 25 mm in wood and 9.5 mm in metal, also bare. None of them is the Einhell's 45 Nm.

Clutch and head size on 12 V

The 2415-20 is the 12 V tool whose amazon bullets print a clutch: 11 settings plus drill mode. A fitter driving small screws may prefer that clutch to a higher torque figure with no stages. Screwfix states 11 torque settings on the C12RAD-0, plus a 10 mm chuck and 1.1 kg without battery. The amazon file for that ASIN still contains a 30 mm chuck cell and a 100 g weight, which this comparison does not use. One UK buyer found a C12 body about 13 inches long and larger than the photo.
Milwaukee Milwaukee 2415-20 M12 right angle drill

Testsieger

Milwaukee Milwaukee 2415-20 M12 right angle drill
9.4/10about £85.50
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What the 18 V Einhell adds

The Einhell TE-AD 18 Li is the only 18 V tool kept here. It states 45 Nm, one speed up to 1,100 rpm and a 10 mm chuck, at £49.99 without a battery or charger. It takes Power X-Change packs. It does not take M12 packs, and an M12 tool does not take a Power X-Change pack. You cannot mix them to upgrade a 12 V Milwaukee by borrowing the Einhell battery. Amazon states 10 mm in wood and 10 mm in metal. Screwfix lists 35 mm in wood for the same TE-AD. Keep both. The amazon file has no clutch-stage count, so the extra newton metres arrive without the 11-stage clutch the 2415-20 prints. Which body matches the packs you own is best right angle drill.

When neither voltage is the job

Both voltages here are compact drills for screws, pilots and small holes in a gap. They are the wrong class for repeated holes through joists at trade diameters. Screwfix's shelf puts hole-making tools beside the compact bodies, with a Milwaukee Super Hawg bare from £294.99 and a DeWalt stud-and-joist body at £459.99. Those prices are context. This page does not rank those tools. If a 12 V tool stalls, the next step is not automatically the Einhell. More voltage does not add a hammer. Brick is the wrong material for every listing here. Stay on 12 V for an M12 shelf you own, or the XIIW kit when you own nothing. Move to the Einhell when the packs are Power X-Change and the 12 V tool has stalled. Leave both for the hole-making class from about £295 bare.

Common questions

Is 18 V always better in a cupboard?
No. Eighteen volts here is the Einhell's 45 Nm, and it is a bare Power X-Change body with no clutch stages on the amazon file. A UK buyer found a 12 V C12 body larger than the photo, so the smaller voltage is not automatically the smaller tool. Buy 12 V when the clutch, the M12 shelf, or a battery in the XIIW box is the constraint.
How much torque do these four actually state?
The XIIW states 18 Nm. The C12 RAD-0 states 12 Nm. The 2415-20 states 100 in-lb, about 11.3 Nm. The Einhell states 45 Nm. Torque is not the clutch. Only the 2415-20 prints 11 clutch settings plus drill mode on the amazon bullets. The Einhell amazon file does not.
Will an 18 V Einhell take my Milwaukee batteries?
No. The Einhell listing is Power X-Change. It does not say it accepts M12. The 2415-20 and the C12 RAD-0 are M12 tools, sold without a battery. Written reviews say the XIIW pack does not fit Milwaukee or DeWalt either. If you cross the platform, you are buying packs and a charger, not only a different head.
Can the 12 V tools drill a 25 mm hole because one review did?
That 25 mm hole was a UK review of the 18 V Einhell, in a steel door, after a 12 V Milwaukee angle drill stalled. It is not a 12 V capacity, and it is not the Einhell's amazon metal cell, which says 10 mm. The 2415-20 lists 25 mm in wood and 9.5 mm in metal. The C12 lists 22 mm in wood and 10 mm in metal.
What wood capacity am I allowed to quote?
Quote the cell on the page you are citing, and do not merge sources. Amazon states 10 mm in wood for the Einhell. Screwfix states 35 mm in wood for the same TE-AD, with 10 mm in steel. The XIIW states no wood capacity. The C12 states 22 mm in wood. The 2415-20 states 25 mm in wood.
When do I leave both and look at a stud drill?
Leave this set for repeated structural drilling, or when the hole is joist-scale and already beyond the stated capacity. Screwfix lists hole-making angle drills from about £295 bare, including a Super Hawg, up to a DeWalt stud-and-joist body at £459.99. Those tools are a different class, and this page does not score them.

Related pages

Right angle drill buying guide

Right angle drill

Best right angle drill for the packs already owned

How to use a right angle drill in a tight cupboard

Right angle drill versus attachment for a tight gap

Sources

Public UK sources and manufacturer pages, last checked on 21 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures used on this page. The Milwaukee torque page is not a UK price.

  1. Screwfix, angle drills (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. Toolstation, drill buying guide (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. Einhell UK, TE-AD 18 Li-Solo (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. Milwaukee, M12 3/8 in right angle drill 2415-20 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. HSE, vibration duties for employers (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. HSE, noise duties for employers (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. HSE, INDG175 hand-arm vibration (retrieved 21 October 2026)