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8V vs 12V cordless drill tool kit

Updated: October 2026

Two amazon.co.uk titles can both say tool kit and both show a drill. An 8V vs 12V cordless drill tool kit comparison on this shelf has a surprise in it. The 8 V DEKO boxes and the 12 V DEKO boxes both state 800 RPM, and neither states hammer mode. Voltage alone is not a speed upgrade here. The twelve listings are on our [tool box with cordless drill](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/tool-box-with-cordless-drill) page. The Products Compared editorial team read them on 15 October 2026 and did not laboratory-test them. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This page is only the class argument.

Two amazon.co.uk titles can both say tool kit and both show a drill. An 8V vs 12V cordless drill tool kit comparison on this shelf has a surprise in it.

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What the two voltages print

The 8 V class is five DEKO colours at £39.99: wood, plastic, and screws, at 800 RPM, charged by USB-C. Two pages share a 370-review line. Purple has its own 411. Amp-hours, torque, and hammer mode are not stated. The 12 V DEKO class also states 800 RPM. Blue is £59.49 and leaves amp-hours n/a. Grey is £69.99, states 1.5 Ah, and shares 4.4 from 658 reviews with blue. Pink is £59.49, states 1.5 Ah and 54 × 38 × 25 cm, with its own 564 reviews. TLGREEN, at £49.99, states 22 Nm and 400 and 1,500 RPM. That is still not a hammer claim.

Same 800 RPM, different box

Both DEKO classes state 800 RPM. The 12 V box is heavier, the title says 238 pieces rather than 126, and the price steps from £39.99 to £59.49 or £69.99. That is the case and the contents, not a faster stated speed. The 12 V DEKO bullets do not state a second speed or a numbered clutch. TLGREEN’s 400 RPM gear, beside 1,500 RPM, is the practical difference for a screw. Which? says higher voltage is not automatically higher torque.
DEKO DEKO 126-piece 8 V drill kit

Testsieger

DEKO DEKO 126-piece 8 V drill kit
6.9/10about £39.99

What UK guides mean by enough

Bosch’s DIY guide for Great Britain describes 12 V for lighter tasks and 18 V for more demanding DIY. None of the twelve is 18 V. Maker UK puts 12 V at flat-pack and says it stalls on brick. B&Q’s Hi-Spec 12 V kit, not one of the twelve, excludes concrete, brick, and carbide. A tile showed £79.99. Screwfix’s bands are a guide only, and they still ask for hammer action on masonry. A 12 V bullet at 800 RPM does not become light masonry because the band mentions 12 V. Who should leave the shelf is on the best tool box with cordless drill page.

When 21 V is the third class

Maxesla is £37.99, states hammer drilling and 42 Nm, and includes two 2.0 Ah batteries, with 4.0 from 951 reviews that disagree about walls. Sundpey is £43.07 and 34 Nm, and hammer mode is not stated. Higher voltage does not drill brick by itself. Choose the 8 V class for wood and plastic at £39.99. Choose pink for the 54 × 38 × 25 cm case. Choose TLGREEN for 22 Nm and two speeds, if you accept a basic-drill label. Choose Maxesla when the listing must say hammer. Regular brick may be the wrong job for this shelf.

Common questions

Is 12 V more powerful than 8 V if both say 800 RPM?
On the DEKO listings both classes state 800 RPM, so the voltage step is not a printed speed step. Torque on the 8 V pages is n/a, and the 12 V DEKO bullets do not print newton metres either. TLGREEN, also 12 V, prints 22 Nm and speeds of 400 and 1,500 RPM. Which? says higher voltage is not automatically higher torque. The extra money on a 12 V DEKO box buys case size, piece count, and, on pink and grey, a stated 1.5 Ah.
Is 8 V enough for flat-pack?
The 8 V bullets state wood, plastic, and screws at 800 RPM and £39.99, which is the materials list a furniture job uses. Enough means that stated job. It does not mean a clutch, which those bullets omit, and it does not mean brick. You can still strip a chipboard hole if you hold the trigger. The flat-pack page covers when the hex key should do the work.
Will 12 V drill brick if hammer mode is not stated?
The 12 V DEKO bullets do not state hammer mode. A review on the 658 pool says there is no hammer action even with masonry bits in the box. B&Q’s wording on a different 12 V kit excludes concrete, brick, and carbide. Bosch keeps rawlplug holes for a combi. Screwfix’s 12–18 V band still asks for hammer action on masonry. Without the hammer sentence, brick is not the stated job.
When is 21 V the real alternative?
When you need hammer mode or a printed torque that the 8 V and 12 V DEKO pages do not give you. Maxesla states hammer drilling and 42 Nm, with two 2.0 Ah batteries, at £37.99, and the reviews disagree about walls. Sundpey states 34 Nm and does not state hammer mode. TLGREEN’s 22 Nm and two speeds are the alternative when the job is still screws and timber. The number 21 by itself is not the difference.
Does pink versus blue change the voltage?
Both are 12 V at 800 RPM and £59.49. Pink states 54 × 38 × 25 cm, 1.5 Ah, and its own 564 reviews. Blue states 40.5 × 31 × 16 cm, leaves amp-hours n/a, and shares 658 reviews with grey at £69.99. The colour marks a different stated box. It does not mark a different voltage or a stated hammer mode. Grey’s higher price does not print a larger case.

Related pages

Sources

Safety and buying notes from the sources below. amazon.co.uk listings were read with reviews dated up to 10 October 2026.

  1. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 3 (retrieved 10 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK, Electrical Equipment Safety Regulations 2016: Great Britain (retrieved 10 October 2026)
  3. General Product Safety Regulations 2005, regulation 3 (retrieved 10 October 2026)
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 19 (retrieved 10 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK, accepting returns and giving refunds (retrieved 10 October 2026)
  6. Electrical Safety First, drills (retrieved 10 October 2026)
  7. London Fire Brigade, home fire safety leaflet (retrieved 10 October 2026)
  8. HSE RR1182, battery-tool noise and vibration (retrieved 10 October 2026)