Cordless drywall screwdriver: what to check before you buy
Updated: 23 October 2026
You are about to board a room, and a search for a cordless drywall screwdriver throws up 3.6 V furniture drivers, tek guns for steel sheet, and plasterboard guns that arrive with no battery. This page is the checklist before the five listings in our [cordless drywall screwdriver comparison](/hub/hand-tools/cordless-drywall-screwdriver): the nose, the box, and the speed line you can actually trust. Shelf prices in that set run from £76.99 to £129.43. Only the INGCO states a 2.0 Ah battery and a charger. Peter F., DIY and tools editor, wrote this on 22 October 2026 from those amazon.co.uk listings, not from a lab test. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are about to board a room, and a search for a cordless drywall screwdriver throws up 3.6 V furniture drivers, tek guns for steel sheet, and plasterboard guns that arrive with no battery.
You are about to board a room, and a search for a cordless drywall screwdriver throws up 3.6 V furniture drivers, tek guns for steel sheet, and plasterboard guns that arrive with no battery. This page is the checklist before the five listings in our cordless drywall screwdriver comparison: the nose, the box, and the speed line you can actually trust. Shelf prices in that set run from £76.99 to £129.43. Only the INGCO states a 2.0 Ah battery and a charger. Peter F., DIY and tools editor, wrote this on 22 October 2026 from those amazon.co.uk listings, not from a lab test. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Nose and bit | In the box | Stated speed | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Makita Makita DFS251Z bare unit | Magnetic socket for tek screws | Bare tool, clip, socket bit | 2.5 rpm and 500 rpm disagree | 6.3 | about £129.43 | View offer |
 Einhell Einhell TE-DY 18 Li-Solo | Adjustable stop, 6.35 mm holder | Tool, E-Box, belt clip | 4,000 rpm | 7.6 | about £83.99 | View offer | |
| Best value |  INGCO INGCO CDSLI204281 20 V kit | Adjustable stop, 6.35 mm hex | 2.0 Ah battery and charger | 0–4,200 rpm | 2.5 | about £76.99 | View offer |
On this page
What you are actually buying
A plasterboard gun is a depth-stop screwdriver. You press the nose to the board, the bit turns, and the nose cone decides when the head is in. A 3.6 V furniture driver is a different object: it is built for cabinet hinges and cam locks, and this comparison left several of them out because they are not drywall guns. A tek screwdriver drives hex-head self-drillers into steel sheet, which is the job UK reviews give the Makita DFS251Z in this set. A magazine attachment sold without the gun is a third miss: the screw feed is in the box and the screwdriver is not.
The useful check is the nose and the bit, not the word drywall in the title. Plasterboard screws in the UK are normally Phillips, so you want a 6.35 mm hex holder and a PH2 that stays on the magnet. The Einhell TE-DY 18 Li-Solo names that holder. The INGCO CDSLI204281 names a 6.35 mm hex and a 4.2 mm maximum screw diameter, with five bits whose profiles are not named. The DFS251Z includes a magnetic socket bit, and reviewers who wanted plasterboard say that socket is for cladding screws. If the job is board rather than sheet steel, the drywall screwdriver versus a combi drill page is the next decision.
Body only, kit, and the platform you already own
A body-only price is the tool. The battery and the charger are a second purchase unless the listing states them. The Einhell is £83.99 with the tool, an E-Box and a belt clip. Einhell’s UK page states a brush motor, 4,000 rpm and zero batteries in the box. If you already own Power X-Change packs, £83.99 is close to the cost to start. If you do not, add a pack and a charger before you compare it with a kit.
The INGCO is the kit: one 2.0 Ah battery and a charger at £76.99, and the platform line says INGCO 20 V packs only. It is also a 1.0 from one review with no text, so you are buying the stated contents rather than a proven stop. The DFS251Z is £129.43 as a bare 18 V LXT tool. The product notes say non-genuine batteries and chargers invalidate the Makita guarantee on that tool. The two ONEMANA listings claim Makita or similar packs. That claim is not a Makita warranty. On one the title says machine only and the included line lists a charger. On the other the included line is a charger only while the table lists 2 Ah. Treat a disagreement as unresolved.
Speed, bit, and feed
Plasterboard guns in this set state speeds in the thousands of rpm when the lines agree. The Einhell highlight says 4,000 rpm and lists 6 Nm. The INGCO bullets say 0–4,200 rpm and the specification speed is 4,200 rpm. One ONEMANA magazine title and table both sit at 5,000 rpm. The other says 4,200 rpm in the bullets and 5,000 rpm in the table. The DFS251Z amazon.co.uk table says 2.5 rpm and 500 rpm. Makita publishes 0–2,500 rpm on its own page, which is not what that table prints, so neither amazon figure is a working speed you can quote.
Feed is the next split. Loose screws on a magnetic bit suit one room. A collated magazine suits a long run only when the strip length matches the nose. The Einhell is loose screws. Both ONEMANA guns are magazine tools, and both have jam notes in the reviews. Screw centres are on the how to use a drywall screwdriver page. A Screwfix bullet for the Einhell says fixed depth, while Einhell’s own page and the amazon.co.uk listing describe an adjustable stop. Use the adjustable wording.
The charger plug and rows that disagree
None of the five listings states a BS 1363 plug. UK mains chargers need a UK three-pin plug and fuse. Electrical Safety First says a charger should have that plug, and that a travel adaptor is not the fix. A GOV.UK product-safety report, OPSS 2511-0084, rejected a cordless-drill charger because the plug did not meet BS 1363 and isolation was poor, under the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 and the Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994. That report is not one of these ASINs. It is the reason to look at the pins before you rely on the charger.
A German review of the ONEMANA auto-feed gun said the plug was wrong for Germany. That is not proof about UK stock. It is a reason to check the plug on the unit you receive. When two lines on one page fight, buy the nose, the feed and the battery the listing actually includes. The magazine ONEMANA says corded electric on a cordless title. The DFS251Z drill-type line says impact driver while the title says tek screwdriver.
Common questions
Is a 3.6 V furniture screwdriver the same tool?
No. A 3.6 V set is for furniture cams and small assembly screws. A plasterboard gun is a depth-stop driver for board screws, usually at a stated speed in the thousands of rpm, with a nose that meets the paper. This comparison left several 3.6 V kits out because the title said drywall and the tool did not. If the voltage is 3.6 V and the box is a bit set, keep looking.
What do I still have to buy with a body-only gun?
The battery and the charger, unless you already own that platform. The Einhell at £83.99 and the Makita DFS251Z at £129.43 are both body only. The INGCO at £76.99 is the listing that states one 2.0 Ah pack and a charger. Add the pack price before you call a bare tool the cheaper way to start, and check the plug on any charger that arrives.
Will a Makita-compatible 20 V gun keep my Makita warranty?
A compatibility claim on an ONEMANA listing is not a Makita warranty, and it does not mean the gun is a Makita tool. Separately, the DFS251Z product notes say non-genuine batteries and chargers invalidate the guarantee on that Makita tool. Your existing genuine LXT packs are a reason to look at a real LXT body, not a reason to assume a third-party magazine shares the guarantee.
What rpm should a plasterboard gun state?
Look for one figure in the thousands, and for the same figure in the bullets and the table. In this set the Einhell highlight says 4,000 rpm and the INGCO lines agree on 4,200 rpm. If the table says 2.5 rpm and 500 rpm, as the DFS251Z amazon.co.uk table does, treat the speed as unresolved. Makita publishes 0–2,500 rpm for that model on its own page, which is still not what the amazon table prints.
How do I know the charger plug is legal in the UK?
Look at the pins. A UK charger needs a BS 1363 three-pin plug and fuse. None of these five listings states the plug type. Electrical Safety First advises against running a charger through a travel adaptor. A plug that was wrong for a reviewer in Germany does not tell you what is in UK stock, so you still check the unit in your hand.
Related pages
Sources
Sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026.
- British Gypsum, screw fixing centres (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- British Gypsum, screw lengths for metal and timber (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- British Gypsum, Gyproc WallBoard data sheet (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- British Gypsum, collated drywall screws (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- HSE, hand-arm vibration regulations (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- HSE, noise for employers (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- GOV.UK, Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (retrieved 22.10.2026)