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Cordless or corded drywall screwdriver for a UK ceiling

Updated: 23 October 2026

The lead is the part you notice on a ceiling: it snags the tower, and it sits under the board you are lifting. A cordless or corded drywall screwdriver choice is that nuisance set against a battery you may still have to buy. Both can set a bugle head if they have a depth stop, and a cordless sticker is often a bare body. This page uses Makita’s 240 V FS2500/2 as the corded reference, then the four listings in the [drywall screwdriver comparison](/hub/hand-tools/drywall-screwdriver). Peter F., DIY & tools editor, read those pages on 22 October 2026 and did not measure runtime. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The lead is the part you notice on a ceiling: it snags the tower, and it sits under the board you are lifting.

Our top picks

DEWALT DEWALT DCF630B tool only

Best overall

DEWALT DEWALT DCF630B tool only
8.8/10about £173.67
View offer
Einhell Einhell TE-DY 18 Li-Solo

Best value

Einhell Einhell TE-DY 18 Li-Solo
8.6/10about £83.99
View offer
ONEMANA ONEMANA magazine screwdriver ODSG18VPX0

Alternative

ONEMANA ONEMANA magazine screwdriver ODSG18VPX0
2.5/10about £89.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What stays the same
  2. 2.When the lead is the right runtime
  3. 3.When the battery is the right runtime
  4. 4.Noise, plugs, and the choice

What stays the same

Corded or cordless, the gun is in this category because the nose stops the bit. A combi clutch is a different tool, and an impact driver is the one Homebuilding tells you to keep off plasterboard. Makita’s FS2500/2 is a 240 V screw gun with a depth stop. The four amazon.co.uk listings are sold as battery tools. You still set the seat on an offcut. ITS puts a corded gun where a socket stays within reach all day, and a cordless gun where you move rooms or work off a tower. Strips are a separate question, on collated or hand-fed. The wider forks are in the buying guide.

When the lead is the right runtime

The lead is the right runtime when you are next to a 240 V socket, you do not want a battery platform, and the work stays in one room. Makita UK’s FS2500/2 prints 240 V, 570 W, 0–2,500 revolutions per minute, 1.5 kg without the cable, a 4.0 m cord, and a drywall screw capacity of 5 mm. It also prints 86 dB(A). Those figures belong to that model, not to the four amazon.co.uk guns, which print no noise. ADA Fastfix lists a Makita FS2500 at £162.80 including VAT and a 110 V FS6300 at £138.83 including VAT. Those are shop prices. A 110 V gun belongs on a site transformer, not a domestic ring main.
DEWALT DEWALT DCF630B tool only

Testsieger

DEWALT DEWALT DCF630B tool only
8.8/10about £173.67
View offer

When the battery is the right runtime

The battery is the right runtime when the lead slows the ceiling, or you move from room to room. The Einhell is 18 V at £83.99, with the battery sold separately. The DeWalt DCF630B is 20V Max at £173.67, tool only. B0D14FHKGF prints a cordless title and a corded-electric table at £89.99. None of these four pages gives a measured number of screws per charge. £83.99 for the Einhell is the body and the E-Box. If you do not already own a Power X-Change pack and charger, add them before you compare that sticker with ADA’s £162.80 FS2500. The DeWalt names 20V Max and does not name a UK 18 V XR pack. Its number-of-batteries field prints 1, and the contents line does not list a battery. Trust the title and the contents.

Noise, plugs, and the choice

Both ONEMANA boxes list a charger and leave 2 Ah off the contents line. B0D14FHKGF says corded electric in the table and cordless in the title. You cannot add a battery to a price when you do not know whether the tool wants one. For a UK socket the charger needs a BS 1363 plug, or a conversion plug and a BS 1362 fuse, under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35. Cordless is not the quiet choice by default. HSE’s RR1182 report says battery tools are not automatically quieter. The FS2500/2 publishes 86 dB(A). These four listings publish nothing. Someone boarding all day needs a suitable, maintained tool, and training to use it. Choose a corded FS2500-class gun if a 4.0 m lead will reach the ceiling and you do not want a battery platform. Choose cordless on a platform you already own if the lead is what slows you. Leave B0D14FHKGF until the page stops saying corded and cordless at once.

Common questions

Is cordless always better for plasterboard?
No. Cordless is better when the lead is in the way, on a ceiling or between rooms, and you already have the right battery. Corded is better when a 240 V socket stays within about 4 metres, which is the cord length Makita prints for the FS2500/2, and you would rather not buy a pack. Both still need a depth stop.
When is a 240 V gun the better buy?
When the work stays in one room next to a domestic socket and you do not want a battery platform. The FS2500/2 is 240 V, 570 W, and 1.5 kg without the cable. ADA Fastfix lists an FS2500 at £162.80 including VAT. Add any battery you still have to buy before you compare that with a bare cordless body.
What about 110 V on site?
A 110 V gun, such as the FS6300 ADA lists at £138.83 including VAT, is for a site supply, not for a 13 A socket at home. A 240 V FS2500 is the matching tool for a house ring main. Mixing those supplies is an electrical mistake, not a way to save the difference between the two shop prices.
Is the DeWalt DCF630B an 18 V UK gun?
The listing calls it 20V Max and tool only. It does not name a UK 18 V XR pack. Do not promote a US review about any DeWalt battery into a UK compatibility claim. If your packs are 18 V XR, this ASIN is the wrong page to assume they fit.
What plug should the charger have?
A UK domestic charger should have a BS 1363 plug. If it does not, the lawful route is a conversion plug with a BS 1362 fuse, under the 2016 safety regulations, regulation 35. A review that complains about a European plug on a German delivery is a warning to look at the pins, not proof that your parcel will be wrong.

Related pages

Drywall screwdriver

Best drywall screw gun UK for the job you are doing

Plasterboard screw gun buying guide for a first UK room

Collated or hand-fed drywall screw gun for UK ceilings

How to set drywall screw depth without tearing the paper

Sources

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.

  1. British Gypsum, screw fixing centres for partitions, ceilings and encasements (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. British Gypsum site book, edges and screw length (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. HSE, selecting equipment (PUWER) (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. HSE research report RR1182, battery tools and noise (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. HSE, construction noise (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Makita UK, FS2500/2 corded screwdriver (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Homebuilding, screwing into plasterboard (retrieved 22 October 2026)