The best drywall screwdrivers, compared.
Top pick: DEWALT DCF630B tool only – Highest score in the set: 4.4 from 2,161 ratings, and the title plus the contents line agree that the gun is tool only. Best value: Einhell TE-DY 18 Li-Solo – Best value as a settled bare tool at about £83.99, with 4.3 from 943 ratings. The battery and charger are still extra. Updated October 2026.
A drywall screwdriver is a screw gun whose nose stops the bit once the bugle head has seated, so the plasterboard paper stays intact. In the UK you use one to fix board to timber or light-gauge metal, when a dimpler tears the paper or slows a ceiling. It belongs here only if it has a depth stop. A combi clutch is a different tool, and an impact driver knocks the core. Hand-fed guns take loose screws for a patch or one room. Collated guns feed a strip when one hand must hold the board, and only if the magazine is included and the screws match. The usual tip is PH2. Coarse thread is for timber and fine thread is for light metal. A UK charger needs a BS 1363 plug. Set the nose on an offcut. Torn paper is a failed fixing. Published guidance uses 300 mm centres on partitions and 230 mm on ceilings, and a specified system overrides that. Feed and power are in the [drywall screwdriver buying guide](/hub/hand-tools/drywall-screwdriver/sub/drywall-screwdriver-buying-guide).
A drywall screwdriver is a screw gun whose nose stops the bit once the bugle head has seated, so the plasterboard paper stays intact.
14 products checked · 57 hrs invested · +18,600 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
How will you feed the screws?
The DeWalt DCF630B is a brushless 20V Max screwgun at about £173.67, listed at 1.18 kg, with an adjustable nosecone and four modes including lock-on. The amazon.co.uk line is 4.4 from 2,161 ratings. Ten of the 50 review texts are marked United Kingdom, and many of the rest are marked United States, so that star line is not a UK-only verdict. UK notes call it light, comfortable, and powerful, and one UK reviewer drove 55 mm screws and found it lighter than a Hilti gun they compared it with. The same UK sample includes a gun that squealed after two days of drywall work and one that ignored the trigger after months in the box. US notes praise a repeatable seat and also describe proud screws when the nose is angled or the adjustment drifts. The box lists the screwgun and a belt clip. It does not list a battery or a collated magazine, and the number-of-batteries field prints 1 against that contents line.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already use DeWalt 20V Max packs and you want a hand-fed screwgun with a printed weight of 1.18 kg.
Less suitable: You wanted a collated kit, a battery in the box, or a listing that names a UK 18 V XR pack.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the DCF630B include a battery?
No. The title says tool only, and the included components are the screwgun and a belt clip.
Is a collated magazine in the box?
No. The contents line does not list a magazine. A collated attachment appears only in a review, not in the specification.
What does the listing say it weighs?
1.18 kg. The size line is 28.4 x 8.6 x 18.3 cm.
The Einhell TE-DY 18 Li-Solo is a hand-fed 18 V body at about £83.99, listed at 980 g, with an adjustable depth stop, an LED, and a 6.35 mm magnetic bit holder. Across 943 amazon.co.uk ratings the line is 4.3, though only two of the 50 review texts are marked United Kingdom. Those UK notes say the depth stayed consistent and that a plasterboard ceiling was quicker than depth-stop bits, with the screw held on the magnet and the drive starting when you push. The same UK notes say it is hard on bits, slower than a drill with a screwdriver bit, and uncomfortable enough that one buyer stopped using it. The highlight prints 4,000 RPM and the table prints 6 Nm. Einhell’s page describes a brush motor and no battery in the box. An Italy review wanted a strip feed this listing does not have, and one Netherlands review describes a dead unit that smelt of burnt plastic. You still need a Power X-Change battery and charger. The E-Box is the part that is included.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already own Einhell Power X-Change packs and you are fixing one room or a ceiling with loose plasterboard screws.
Less suitable: You need a collated strip, you have no 18 V Einhell battery yet, or you want a brushless gun with a magazine listed in the box.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the Einhell TE-DY 18 Li-Solo include a battery?
No. The title says without battery, and the description says the Power X-Change battery and the charger are available separately. The case is included.
Does it feed collated screws?
The listing describes a hand-fed gun with a magnetic bit holder and a depth stop. It does not mention a magazine.
What speed does the listing print?
The item highlight prints 4000 RPM. The spec table also prints a torque field of 6 newton metres.
The ONEMANA ODSG18VPX0 listing is about £89.99. The title calls it a brushless magazine screwdriver, machine only, and also prints 2 Ah. The spec table says corded electric and 18 V DC, so the page does not settle cordless or corded. The amazon.co.uk line is 3.5 from 16 ratings. All seven review texts are marked Germany, and none is marked United Kingdom. Those reviews describe several hundred screws set at the start, a depth stop that seated evenly in one longer note, and packs that reviewers treated as Makita 18 V. They also describe a motor that cuts out as it starts, a magazine nose about 2 mm too long for standard bits, and a slide that jammed after repeated use. A Vine review says it arrived without a battery. Included components list a charger only.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are only price-checking a magazine claim near £90 and you will wait until the live page agrees on power source and box contents.
Less suitable: A ceiling you are starting this week, or any job that needs a known 18 V body or a known 240 V gun.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this a corded or a cordless gun?
The listing does not agree with itself. The title and bullets say cordless and Makita batteries. The spec table says corded electric and 18 volts DC.
Is a battery in the box?
Not settled. The title says machine only and also 2 Ah. Included components list a battery charger only.
Does the listing say it takes Makita batteries?
Yes. That sentence is the seller’s. The page does not list Makita model numbers.
ONEMANA’s BR8504 listing is about £104.99 and describes a collated brushless gun with a detachable magazine, an LED, and tool-free length and depth adjustment. The amazon.co.uk line is 3.5 from 8 ratings, and the review sample holds two texts, one marked United Kingdom and one marked Germany. The UK review says the gun jammed as soon as it was used, drove screws through the head attachment, and was returned after about five minutes. The Germany review calls the screwdriver otherwise good and complains that the charger plug was not a German plug. The bullets print 4,200 RPM and the table prints 5,000 RPM. Included components name a battery charger, while 2 Ah is only a spec field, so a battery in the box is not settled. The seller says it fits Makita packs. That sentence is not a Makita approval, and the item line of 4.21 kg and 43 cm is left as printed.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You have already checked the live page for a magazine, a battery, and a BS 1363 charger plug, and you accept an eight-rating sample.
Less suitable: A first room, a specified fire or acoustic lining, or any buy that needs the box contents to match the title before you pay.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this ONEMANA gun include a battery?
The listing does not settle it. Included components name a battery charger. A 2 Ah capacity is also printed in the spec table.
What screw lengths does the listing name?
The bullets say 3/4 inch to 2-3/16 inch, and they also print 25–57 mm, with tool-free length and depth adjustment.
Which speed figure is printed?
Both. The bullets say 4200 RPM. The spec table says 5000 RPM. They are not combined into one number.
Four amazon.co.uk listings were scored from the published method, with no lab test of depth, noise, vibration or runtime. The score starts at the star rating times 20. It then loses 20 points for fewer than 30 ratings, 15 if the title and the contents line do not settle the battery, 10 if the spec table contradicts the title on corded versus cordless, and 5 if two speed figures are printed. A batteries count of 1 on a tool-only listing, and a mix of review countries, stay as notes and do not change the number. The five published moves are a star base of up to 100 plus deductions of 20, 15, 10 and 5. The weights below are those moves scaled so they sum to 100. None of the four listings prints a noise or vibration figure.
Amazon star rating
67%The score starts at the amazon.co.uk star rating times 20. A 4.4 line starts at 88 before any deduction. A 3.5 line starts at 70.
Rating sample under 30
13%Fewer than 30 ratings takes 20 points off that base. The listings with 8 and 16 ratings take this deduction. The listings with 943 and 2,161 ratings do not.
Battery settled in the box line
10%If the title and the included-components line do not settle whether a battery is in the box, the score loses 15 points. A batteries field of 1 on a tool-only listing stays a note and does not change the number.
Corded and cordless agree
7%If the spec table says corded electric while the title says cordless, the score loses 10 points. A listing that agrees with itself on tool only does not take this deduction.
One printed speed
3%If two different speed figures are printed, the score loses 5 points. One listing prints 4,200 RPM in the bullets and 5,000 RPM in the table.
Choose the depth stop first, then the feed, then whether the box matches the title. A dimpler is enough until it tears the paper. A specified fire or acoustic lining is a professional job.
A drywall screwdriver is a screw gun with a nose that stops the bit when the bugle head has seated. The point is to leave the plasterboard paper intact. You are usually fixing board to timber or to light-gauge metal. The gun earns its place when a dimpler in a combi drill tears the paper or makes a ceiling slow. Without a nose that sets depth, the tool is not this category. A combi clutch is a different tool.
A capacity in the spec table is not the included-components line. If the title says machine only and the contents list a charger, the battery is not settled. The same check applies when a batteries field prints 1 against a tool-only contents line.
A seller’s line that the gun takes another maker’s packs is that seller’s sentence. It is not an approval, and the page may not name the pack models. Do not treat a review of a foreign plug as proof of a BS 1363 plug.
A hand-fed tool-only contents line does not include a collated magazine. An impact driver is the wrong tool for the board: the knocking damages the core. PH2 and Pozidriv are different tips, and the wrong one cams out even when the nose is set.
The depth stop is the nose that halts the bit once the bugle head has seated. Without it, you are using a drill, a clutch, or a dimpler, and those are different tools. Homebuilding’s quoted advice is to use a dimpler if you are new to boarding, and not to use an impact driver, because the knocking damages the core. Set the nose on an offcut of the same board before you fix a wall or a ceiling. Torn paper is a failed fixing. British Gypsum shows over-driving as bad practice.
Hand-fed guns take loose screws, which suits a patch, mixed lengths, or a single room. Collated guns feed a strip when one hand must hold the board. The magazine has to be in the box, and the screws have to fit that gun. A collated attachment that appears only in a review is not a contents line. Read the title against the included-components line.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
Buy a gun only if a dimpler is already tearing the paper. The Einhell TE-DY 18 Li-Solo is the hand-fed bare tool in this set, at about £83.99, with an adjustable depth stop and a 6.35 mm magnetic holder. You still need a Power X-Change battery and charger. Leave it if you need a strip.
Stay on the battery platform you already own. The DeWalt DCF630B is the hand-fed tool-only gun, at about £173.67, listed at 1.18 kg, with an adjustable nose and lock-on. The box is the screwgun and a belt clip. It is the wrong row if you wanted a magazine or a battery in the box.
A dry liner who wants strips should skip a listing whose spec table disagrees with its title. The ONEMANA BR8504 is the collated row here, at about £104.99, with 3.5 from 8 ratings. The only UK text describes a jam and a return. Wait until the live page agrees on the magazine, the battery and a BS 1363 charger plug.
In this set of four amazon.co.uk listings, the top pick is the DeWalt DCF630B at about £173.67, with 4.4 from 2,161 ratings and a score of 88. It is a hand-fed tool-only gun: the contents line lists the screwgun and a belt clip, with no battery and no magazine. The best value is the Einhell TE-DY 18 Li-Solo at about £83.99, with 4.3 from 943 ratings and a score of 86. It is a settled bare tool on Power X-Change, so the battery and charger are still extra. Neither result is a lab test, and neither is a claim about every drywall screwdriver on the UK market.
DEWALT DCF630B tool only
Highest score in the set: 4.4 from 2,161 ratings, and the title plus the contents line agree that the gun is tool only.
Einhell TE-DY 18 Li-Solo
Best value as a settled bare tool at about £83.99, with 4.3 from 943 ratings. The battery and charger are still extra.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources and maker pages are listed below. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk listing figures used in this comparison. This page did not lab-test depth, noise, vibration or runtime.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the UK listing figures in this comparison. We did not lab-test these drywall screwdrivers.
