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Cordless drill buying guide

Updated: October 2026

You are fitting a shelf in a UK flat, the wall might be brick, and the amazon.co.uk page leads with 21 V and a best-seller rank. Those numbers do not say whether the drill has a hammer, how long the battery lasts, or which torque figure is real. This cordless drill buying guide uses a fixed order: the job, the batteries, one torque figure in newton metres, then the chuck and the charger family. Prices are the twelve listings in the [cordless drill comparison](/hub/screws-and-accessories/cordless-drill), captured on 15 October 2026. Products Compared did not lab-test these drills. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are fitting a shelf in a UK flat, the wall might be brick, and the amazon.co.uk page leads with 21 V and a best-seller rank.

Our top picks

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40

Best overall

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40
9.4/10about £75.23
View offer
BLACK+DECKER BLACK+DECKER BCD001C1-GB

Rank 2

BLACK+DECKER BLACK+DECKER BCD001C1-GB
9.2/10about £35
View offer
JYGMPRO JYGMPRO DZL00010

Best value

JYGMPRO JYGMPRO DZL00010
8.6/10about £42.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Start with the job, not the voltage
  2. 2.Count the batteries, then read the amp-hours
  3. 3.Keep one torque figure in newton metres
  4. 4.Chuck, charger and the next tool
  5. 5.What these twelve listings cost

Start with the job, not the voltage

A drill driver turns a bit and slips its clutch so you do not bury a screw. A combi adds a mechanical hammer for brick and block. Furniture and a timber stud do not need that hammer. A plug in a brick party wall does. Which? treats a higher printed voltage as a hint, not as proof of torque. Several 21 V kits in this set never state a hammer at all. Read the sentence, not the category. The BLACK+DECKER BCD001C1-GB has no masonry claim. The two-battery Rivlox set ranks among combi drills and says it has no hammer. The fork is on the combi drill versus drill driver page.

Count the batteries, then read the amp-hours

One 1.5 Ah pack is the thin end. The BLACK+DECKER drill driver, the BLACK+DECKER combi and the one-battery Rivlox set each ship with a single 1.5 Ah or 1500 mAh pack. That can finish a flat-pack. It will not cover a second task while the first pack is on the charger. The Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40 and the JYGMPRO set each include two 2.0 Ah packs. The two-battery Rivlox set includes two 1.5 Ah packs, a spare rather than a large reserve. KELNOW says two batteries and never states amp-hours. Which? discusses about 1.5 Ah to 5.0 Ah.
Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40

Testsieger

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40
9.4/10about £75.23
View offer

Keep one torque figure in newton metres

Usable listed maxima run from 30 N·m to 45 N·m. Bosch’s own DIY guidance, a brand scale and not a score for these ASINs, puts light work up to about 30 N·m and most DIY in a band of about 40–80 N·m. A stalled clutch means you have asked too much of a 30 N·m drill. Discard a field that is not in newton metres. The BLACK+DECKER BCD700S1K-GB states hammer drilling and 21,000 BPM, then prints 1 inch pound in both torque fields. When the page prints two newton-metre numbers, show both.

Chuck, charger and the next tool

A 10 mm chuck is the common size, enough for furniture bits and a 6 mm or 8 mm masonry plug. The Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40 lists 13 mm. BETENST does not state a chuck size. A chuck size is not a hammer. The charger has to fit a UK BS 1363 socket. A UK-spec sentence is not a certificate under the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008. A UKCA or CE mark is what GOV.UK allows for machinery, not proof the sample in the box was checked. Bosch names POWER FOR ALL, and BLACK+DECKER names POWERCONNECT. A 21 V pack does not join those families.

What these twelve listings cost

On 15 October 2026 the entry band is about £24 to £28: Rivlox at £23.99 and £27.99, and BETENST at £25.99. The mid band is about £34 to £43. JYGMPRO at £42.99 states hammer, one 42 N·m figure, two 2.0 Ah packs, a charger and a case. The named 18 V kits are about £66 to £77. The EasyImpact 18V-40 is £75.23. The 18V-38 is £76.50 with one pack. Who each row is for is on the best cordless drill page. Brick stops are on the cordless drill for brick page.

Common questions

Should you buy a combi or a drill driver?
Buy a drill driver for screws, timber and metal within the listed capacity. The BLACK+DECKER BCD001C1-GB is that tool here, at £35.00, with no masonry claim. Buy a combi only when the listing states a hammer and you will drill brick or block. A combi rank is not that statement. The two-battery Rivlox set sits in Combi Drills and still says it has no hammer.
Is a higher voltage number a more powerful drill?
No. Which? treats the printed voltage as a hint, not as torque. In this set the Bosch kits are 18 V and list 38 N·m or 40 N·m, while several 21 V kits omit a hammer sentence or print two torque figures. Compare the newton-metre line, the amp-hours and the mode sentence. Do not treat 21 V as stronger than 18 V.
How many amp-hours do you need for DIY?
For a single flat-pack, a 1.5 Ah pack is what several of these boxes include. Reviewers of the BLACK+DECKER drill driver say that size finishes ordinary household jobs. For a longer session, two packs, or one pack of 2.0 Ah or 2.5 Ah, is the fuller choice here. None of these listings includes a 5.0 Ah pack. If amp-hours are hidden, as on KELNOW, you cannot plan the runtime.
What if the page prints two torque figures?
Show both, and do not buy on the larger one. The one-battery Rivlox listing prints 42 N·m and 30 N·m. The FADAKWALT 7720 prints 30 N·m, 35 N·m and 21 N·m. Soft and hard screwdriving values only help when they are labelled. The BLACK+DECKER BCD700 fields that say 1 inch pound leave you with no newton-metre figure to keep.
Will a 21 V battery fit a Bosch or BLACK+DECKER tool?
No. Bosch in this set names POWER FOR ALL, and the drill-driver listing names BLACK+DECKER 18 V POWERCONNECT. The 20 V and 21 V kits do not state those families. A KELNOW reviewer says the packs are not Makita either. A cheap 21 V kit plus a later Bosch drill is two chargers, not a saving.

Related pages

Screws and accessories

Cordless drill

Best cordless drill among these twelve UK listings

Combi drill vs drill driver when the wall is brick

Cordless drill for brick when the listing states hammer

How to use a cordless drill without stripping screws

Sources

Public UK sources on machinery marking, drill standards, chargers and battery disposal. Listing prices, stars and review counts are from the amazon.co.uk extracts kept for this comparison on 15 October 2026. Prices move.

  1. Which?, How to buy the best cordless drill (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. BSI, BS EN 62841-2-1:2018+A12:2022 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK, Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK, UKCA and CE by sector (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. HSE, INDG271 Buying new machinery (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. HSE, Hand-arm vibration regulations (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Electrical Safety First, Chargers (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 15 October 2026)