A drill bought for a house is a different tool from one bought for a site. Home projects are short, varied and usually indoors, so weight, balance and control matter more than raw torque or how many packs come in the case.
What this is based on. What this guide is based on. Published manufacturer specifications, retail listings and the reported experience of owners. We have not had these drills on a bench, so nothing is scored. See how we work.
Outside Kenya? The general edition of this guide covers the same drills without the local pricing.
These are five cordless drills worth shortlisting for home use, from a full 20V kit down to a compact brushless budget pick, with what each one is genuinely for.
Why you can trust us. Tools Soko earns a commission when you buy through links on this page. It never changes what we recommend, and it never changes the price you pay.
One thing to be clear about first. This is a research roundup built from owner feedback, published reviews and long running community consensus. It is not a bench test, and no scores are given here for that reason. For a wider comparison built the same way, see the best cordless drills of 2026. If you want a sensible shortlist for a house, stay here.
The five at a glance
| Drill | Class | Motor | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeWalt Cordless Drill/Driver Kit | 20V MAX | Brushless | The one drill that does everything |
| Makita Lithium-Ion Cordless Drill | 12V | Brushed | Light work, tight spaces |
| Bosch Max Drill/Driver Kit | 12V | Brushed | Occasional jobs on a budget |
| CATERPILLAR Cordless Drill/Driver | 20V | Brushed | Flat pack and shelving |
| Ryobi Compact Brushless Drill | 18V | Brushless | Best value brushless |
DeWalt Cordless Drill/Driver Kit
The most capable drill on this list and the only one that will not run out of ability as your projects get harder. A two speed gearbox and brushless motor give it the torque for hole saws and hardwood, and the 20V MAX platform behind it is one of the deepest ranges available, so it is a safe place to start a collection rather than a dead end.
- Buy it if you want one drill for the next ten years and expect to add tools to the same batteries.
- Bear in mind it is the heaviest here, and overkill for hanging pictures and assembling furniture.
Makita Lithium-Ion Cordless Drill
The opposite argument. A 12V drill that is light enough to use one handed above your head and short enough to fit inside a kitchen carcass. Two speeds give real control for driving, and for the work most homes actually generate it never runs short. Makita’s 12V range is also broad enough to grow into.
- Buy it if most of your work is assembly, cabinets, second fix or anything overhead.
- Bear in mind 12V will not drive hole saws or large auger bits, and no 12V platform runs a grinder or circular saw.
Bosch Max Drill/Driver Kit
A light duty kit that does what it says. It handles wood and light metal comfortably and is pleasant to hold, but it is not built for sustained or heavy work and will let you know when you push it. As an occasional household drill kept in a cupboard, it is honest value.
- Buy it if the drill comes out a few times a year and you want the lowest sensible spend.
- Bear in mind it struggles with heavier tasks, so it is a poor choice if a renovation is coming.
CATERPILLAR Cordless Drill/Driver
A 20V drill aimed squarely at home jobs, with a two speed gearbox and around 280 unit watts of torque, which is ample for assembling furniture and putting up shelving. The 13 mm keyless chuck takes bits quickly and the built in light earns its place in the back of a cupboard or under a sink.
- Buy it if you want 20V capability at a price below the established trade brands.
- Bear in mind the brushed motor gives up runtime and heat headroom, and the range above it is thin, so it is a tool rather than a platform.
Ryobi Cordless Compact Brushless Drill
The value pick. A brushless motor at this price is unusual, and the roughly 450 in-lb of torque covers drilling wood and metal and all normal driving. It is compact enough for awkward corners, and the ONE+ range behind it is enormous, which is the real argument: the batteries you buy here fit a very long list of other tools.
- Buy it if you want brushless efficiency and a huge tool range without trade prices.
- Bear in mind it sits below the DeWalt on outright grunt, so hole saws and hardwood will slow it down.
How to choose between them
Work backwards from the heaviest job you realistically expect in the next two years, not the hardest one you can imagine.
| If your work is mostly | Choose |
|---|---|
| Flat pack, shelves, picture hooks | Makita 12V or Bosch 12V |
| General household repairs | Ryobi brushless or CATERPILLAR |
| A renovation, decking, hole saws | DeWalt 20V MAX |
| Overhead or inside cabinets | Makita 12V |
| The start of a tool collection | DeWalt 20V MAX or Ryobi ONE+ |
Whichever you pick, buy a second battery before you buy a second tool. It changes a working afternoon more than any spec on this page. Our guide to battery care covers keeping both packs healthy, and the wider power tool buying guide explains why the platform matters more than the drill.
Common questions
Do I need a hammer function for a home drill?
For the occasional wall plug into brick or block, yes, and most combi drills include it. For anything into concrete beyond a handful of holes, a hammer drill is the wrong tool and an SDS rotary hammer is the right one.
Is brushless worth the extra at home?
Only sometimes. Brushless buys runtime, cooler running and longer motor life, which pay back under sustained load. A drill used a few times a month will not reach that. The Ryobi is the exception here because it is brushless without much of a premium.
Should I buy a drill on its own or as a kit?
As a kit, almost always. A kit with two packs and a charger usually costs less than the bare tool plus a battery and charger bought separately, so the second tool in the box is effectively free.
Is 12V really enough?
For a house, usually. A modern 12V brushless drill drives screws all day and drills comfortably up to around 25 mm in timber. The limit is hole saws, large augers and masonry, and the fact that no 12V platform will ever run a grinder or a circular saw.
Where to go next
For a wider comparison built from published figures, see the 2026 cordless drill guide. For the cheapest route onto a platform, read the combo kit guide, and for a budget option, our Pico 4 drill set review. Everything in the cordless drills section sits alongside these, and how we work explains how every article here is built, and why none carries a score.
The cordless platform wars covers which battery systems actually won, which is the decision underneath every drill on this page.
If the drill is the start of a household kit rather than the whole of it, our guide to the 20 tools every homeowner should own covers the hand tools, safety gear and painting kit that go with it, in the order most people need them.
