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How to use a cordless drill

Updated: October 2026

You have just opened one of the 18V kits, the flat-pack is on the floor, and the first screw is the one you do not want to ruin. This is how to use a cordless drill for that screw and for a hole in wood or plasterboard: which collar does what, which gear to pick, and which bit belongs in a UK furniture screw. The twelve listings, priced from £23.99 to £76.50, sit on the [18V cordless drill comparison](/hub/screws-and-accessories/cordless-drill-18v). Peter F. read those amazon.co.uk pages and the UK reviews on 16 October 2026. There was no lab test piece. A purchase through a link can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have just opened one of the 18V kits, the flat-pack is on the floor, and the first screw is the one you do not want to ruin.

Our top picks

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40 (2×2.0 Ah)

Best overall

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40 (2×2.0 Ah)
8.5/10about £75.23
View offer
BLACK+DECKER BLACK+DECKER BCD001C1-GB

Best value

BLACK+DECKER BLACK+DECKER BCD001C1-GB
8.3/10about £35.00
View offer
MYLEK MYLEK MYW09

Rank 3

MYLEK MYLEK MYW09
7.3/10about £29.77
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Three controls, not one dial
  2. 2.Drive the screw on a clutch setting
  3. 3.Drill the hole with the clutch set to drill
  4. 4.Direction, hammer off, and when to stop

Three controls, not one dial

The numbered collar is the clutch, the 1 and 2 switch is the gearbox, and the hammer symbol is a third mode. Which kit to buy is on the 18V cordless drill buying guide. Whether it should have had hammer mode is combi drill vs drill driver. No listing publishes a clutch chart, so find the number on a spare screw. Gear 1 is the slow screw speed. Gear 2 is faster once the collar is on the drill symbol. The BCD001C1-GB is one speed at 600 rpm, and the Mylek is one speed as well.

Drive the screw on a clutch setting

Set a low clutch number, fit the bit square, and let the clutch click before the head cams out. Move up one number if the screw stays proud. Drop a number if the head chews. Use gear 1 when there are two speeds. Most UK flat-pack screws are Pozidriv, commonly PZ2, and a Phillips bit rides out of that recess. UK reviews of the Mylek and the Rivlox 21V set say the bundled bits bend, snap or wander. A brick hole is the cordless drill for brick page.
Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40 (2×2.0 Ah)

Testsieger

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40 (2×2.0 Ah)
8.5/10about £75.23
View offer

Drill the hole with the clutch set to drill

Turn the collar to the drill symbol so the clutch does not stop the bit halfway. Gear 2 is the usual choice in softwood or plasterboard. Drop to gear 1 if the bit grabs as it breaks through. On the BCD001C1-GB there is still only 600 rpm. HSS separates plasterboard, brick and studs. A wood bit belongs on the drill symbol with hammer off. A masonry bit belongs only on brick, on a combi whose listing states hammer mode.

Direction, hammer off, and when to stop

Stop the chuck before you flip between forward and reverse. Hammer stays off for plasterboard, wood and metal, or it punches plaster and sinks a chipboard head. Check for cables and pipes before a wall hole. Stop for a professional on concrete, a wall that may be structural, a boiler, a kitchen unit, a heavy television, or where asbestos or reinforcement is possible. HSE figures of 2.5 m/s² A(8) and 5.0 m/s² A(8) bind employers through the working day, not one shelf, and no listing here states a vibration figure. A drill that is not as described is the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Common questions

What do the numbers on a cordless drill clutch do?
The numbers set how far the chuck turns a screw before the clutch clicks and slips. A low number clicks sooner. A higher number keeps driving. They are not newton-metres, and none of these twelve listings publishes a setting for a given screw. Find the number on a spare screw of the same type.
Should you drill a hole with the clutch on a number?
No. A numbered clutch is for driving screws. For a hole, turn the collar to the drill symbol so the clutch does not click and stop the bit halfway. Leaving it on a number is how you get a shallow hole, a hot bit and a sore wrist. Set the symbol first, then choose the gear if the drill has two speeds.
When do you use gear 1 and gear 2?
Use gear 1 for screws, so you can keep the bit in the recess. Use gear 2 for holes in wood or plasterboard, once the collar is on the drill symbol. If the bit grabs as it breaks through, drop back to gear 1. This split only exists when the drill has two speeds.
What if the drill has only one speed?
Work with that speed. The BLACK+DECKER BCD001C1-GB lists one speed at 600 rpm, and the Mylek MYW09 is one speed as well. You still use a low clutch number for screws and the drill symbol for holes. You do not select gear 2, because there is no second gear on the housing. One speed can still assemble flat-pack.
Do you need a PZ2 or a Phillips bit for UK flat-pack screws?
You need a PZ2 for a Pozidriv screw, the usual recess in UK flat-pack. A Phillips bit is a different shape and rides out of that head. PH2 and PZ2 are not interchangeable. UK reviews of the Mylek and Rivlox kits say the bits in the box bend, snap or wander, so buy a PZ2 that fits.
When must hammer mode stay off?
Keep hammer mode off for plasterboard, wood and metal. Those jobs need the clutch or the drill symbol, not a hammer blow. Turn hammer on only for masonry, and only on a combi whose listing states that mode, and wear eye protection when you do. A drill driver such as the BLACK+DECKER BCD001C1-GB has no hammer setting to switch. That is a limit of the tool, not a hidden mode.
When should you stop and call a professional?
Stop when the hole is in concrete, when it stalls in a wall that might be structural, when the fixing is a boiler, a kitchen unit or a heavy television, or when asbestos or reinforcement is possible. One shelf at home is not an employer vibration assessment under the HSE figures of 2.5 and 5.0 m/s² A(8). If ordinary brick will not cut, hire an SDS rather than forcing this combi.

Related pages

Screws and accessories

Cordless drill 18V

Best 18V cordless drill for each job, and the skip

18V cordless drill buying guide: mode, torque, chuck

Cordless drill for brick: when the combi is enough

Combi drill vs drill driver: with a hammer, or none

Sources

Public UK sources on machinery marking, vibration at work, work equipment, and consumer rights, plus ITS and BBC Gardeners' World on 18V and 20V labels. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are from the amazon.co.uk extracts kept for these twelve ASINs. Prices move. Bosch DIY and BuildWiz were also in the digest and are not repeated as extra rows here.

  1. HSE, Hand-arm vibration regulations (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK, product marking by sector (UKCA and CE) (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, regulation 7 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. ITS, 18V and 20V labels (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. BBC Gardeners' World, cordless drills (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. Which?, how to buy a cordless drill (retrieved 16 October 2026)