If you only buy one drill, buy a cordless one. A modern 18V cordless drill-driver handles roughly 90 percent of what a home workshop throws at it — drilling pilot holes, driving screws, assembling furniture, hanging shelves — and it does it anywhere, without hunting for an outlet or tripping over a cord. Corded drills still have their place, but it is narrower than it used to be: sustained heavy drilling, big-diameter holes, and all-day masonry work, where unlimited runtime and constant torque matter more than portability. Own one drill? Make it cordless. Already own a cordless and keep hitting its limits? A cheap corded drill is the best second drill you can buy.
Corded vs Cordless at a Glance
Before the detail, here is the whole comparison in one place.
| Feature | Corded Drill | Cordless Drill |
|---|---|---|
| Sustained power | High and constant — full power until you switch it off | High in bursts; fades as the battery drains |
| Runtime | Unlimited | 30–90 minutes per battery, depending on the job |
| Portability | Tied to an outlet; needs extension leads outdoors | Works anywhere — ladder, garden, site with no power |
| Weight | Lighter (typically 1.0–1.5 kg) | Heavier (typically 1.2–1.8 kg with battery fitted) |
| Upfront cost | Lower — a good one costs half a cordless kit | Higher — you are buying batteries and a charger too |
| Long-term cost | Very low; can last decades | Batteries wear out in 3–5 years and cost real money to replace |
| Best for | Bench work, big holes, masonry, all-day drilling | Everyday DIY, driving screws, working away from outlets |
Power: What the Numbers Actually Mean
Corded drills are rated in amps, cordless drills in volts, and neither number tells the whole story on its own. A typical 7-amp corded drill draws around 800 watts from the wall and holds that output indefinitely. A good 18V cordless drill delivers roughly similar peak power — many now quote 60 Nm of torque or more — but only in bursts. Push it hard through thick hardwood or steel and you will feel it slow as the battery voltage sags.
For everyday work, that difference is invisible. Drilling pilot holes, 6–10 mm holes in softwood, driving 50 mm screws — a cordless drill does all of it without breaking a sweat. The gap only opens up at the extremes: Forstner bits over 35 mm, hole saws over 50 mm, and long sessions drilling steel. That is where a corded drill’s constant torque earns its keep.
Brushless motors have narrowed the gap a lot in the last few years. A brushless 18V drill runs cooler, lasts longer per charge, and holds its speed better under load than older brushed motors. If you are buying cordless today, brushless is worth the small premium.
Convenience: The Cord Is the Whole Story
This is the reason cordless drills took over, and it is not a small thing. Think about where you actually drill: up a ladder fitting a curtain rail, in the garden building a planter, on a roof, in a room where the nearest socket is behind the sofa. A cordless drill just goes there. A corded drill means finding an extension lead, uncoiling it, and then managing a cable that always seems to snag on the one corner you need to reach.
In the workshop, at the bench, the cord barely matters — you are standing in one place, the socket is right there. But the moment the job moves, the cord becomes the job. There is also a safety angle: trailing leads across a workshop floor are a trip hazard, and they always seem to snag on the one corner you need to reach.
That said, cords are not all downside. A corded drill is always ready. No flat battery, no “I forgot to charge it,” no second battery on the charger while the job waits.
Runtime: Batteries vs the Wall Socket
A corded drill’s runtime is unlimited, and that is its trump card. A cordless drill’s runtime is whatever its battery holds, and you need to plan around it. As a rough guide, a 2.0 Ah 18V battery will drive around 150–200 medium screws or drill a few dozen 8 mm holes in softwood before it needs charging. A 5.0 Ah battery roughly doubles that. Heavy work — big hole saws, masonry drilling — drains a battery far faster, sometimes in twenty minutes of hard use.
The practical fix is a kit with two batteries: one in the drill, one on the charger. For most DIY work, you will never outrun that rotation. But batteries age. After three to five years of regular use, a lithium-ion pack holds noticeably less charge, and a replacement costs a significant chunk of what the whole drill cost. That is the hidden running cost of cordless, and it is worth factoring in before you buy.
Cold weather makes it worse — lithium batteries lose capacity in the cold, so a battery left in an unheated garage in winter will feel weaker than the same pack kept indoors.
Weight, Size, and Handling
Batteries are heavy, and you feel it. A typical 18V cordless drill-driver with a 5.0 Ah battery weighs around 1.5–1.8 kg; the equivalent corded drill is usually 1.0–1.5 kg. That half-kilo does not sound like much until you are drilling overhead, holding the drill up to a ceiling joist for the tenth time. Fatigue is real, and it is where lighter drills earn their money.
The battery also changes the shape of the tool. The pack sticks out of the bottom of the grip, making the drill bulkier in tight spaces — inside a cabinet, between joists, behind a pipe. Compact 12V cordless drills solve some of this: they are genuinely small and light, and for light-duty work like assembling flat-pack furniture they are a pleasure to use. Just do not expect a 12V drill to chew through brick.
If most of your drilling is at a bench, weight barely registers. If most of it is overhead or at arm’s length, weight is the spec that matters most — more than volts, more than torque.
Cost: What You Actually Pay Over Five Years
Upfront, corded wins easily. A decent corded drill costs roughly half what a comparable cordless kit costs, because you are not paying for batteries and a charger. A solid corded drill can be had for the price of a single replacement cordless battery.
Over five years, the gap narrows but rarely closes. A cordless kit with two batteries, used regularly, will likely need at least one replacement battery in that time. On the other hand, a cordless drill shares its batteries with the rest of its platform: saws, sanders, lights, and vacuums that all run on the same packs. Once you own two or three tools on one battery platform, the maths flips, because every bare tool you add costs far less than a whole new kit.
The honest summary: corded is cheaper if you only ever need a drill. Cordless is better value if you are building a kit of tools around one battery system — and do not assume more volts always means more power. An efficient 18V brushless drill will outperform a cheap 20V brushed one all day.
Which Drill for Which Job?
Home DIY, furniture, and flat-pack
Cordless, without question. Assembling furniture, hanging pictures, fitting shelves — this is short, scattered work in different rooms, and portability beats raw power every time. An 18V drill-driver with two batteries covers it all.
Drilling brick, block, and concrete
Corded if you do it often. Masonry drilling is the hardest work a drill does, and it drains batteries fast. A corded hammer drill holds full power through a whole wall of holes. For occasional masonry holes, a cordless hammer drill copes fine — just keep a spare battery charged. For regular concrete work, skip both and look at an SDS drill.
Deck building, framing, and driving long screws
Cordless 18V, with two 5.0 Ah batteries. Driving dozens of long screws is exactly what modern cordless drivers are built for, and being able to walk the length of a deck without dragging a lead is worth more than the extra torque a corded drill would give you.
Bench work, big holes, and mixing
Corded. If the drill mostly lives at the bench — big Forstner bits, hole saws, mixing paint or plaster — the cord is no inconvenience and the unlimited runtime is pure upside. A cheap corded drill is the ideal second drill for this.
Mistakes People Make When Choosing
The most common mistake is buying the cheapest cordless kit on the shelf. A bargain drill with a single small 1.5 Ah battery will frustrate you within a month — short runtime, weak torque, and a battery that is flat exactly when you need it. Spend a little more for a kit with two batteries, or buy a bare tool and a good battery separately.
The second mistake is buying a 12V drill and expecting it to do 18V work. Compact drills are wonderful for light jobs and terrible for masonry and big holes. Match the drill to the hardest job you do regularly, not the easiest.
The third is ignoring chuck size. A 10 mm chuck limits you to smaller bits; a 13 mm chuck takes the full range. For a general-purpose drill, 13 mm is the safer choice.
The fourth is buying into a battery platform without checking what else runs on it. The platform is the real purchase — once you own the batteries, every compatible tool gets cheaper. Check that the brand makes the other tools you will eventually want.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a cordless drill replace a corded drill completely?
For most home users, yes. A good 18V brushless cordless drill-driver covers everything from flat-pack assembly to deck building. The only people who genuinely still need a corded drill are those doing sustained heavy work — all-day masonry drilling, big hole saws, or bench work with large bits — where unlimited runtime matters more than portability.
Is 12V enough, or do I need 18V?
For light work — assembling furniture, drilling pilot holes, driving small screws — 12V is plenty, and the smaller, lighter tool is nicer to use. But 12V struggles with masonry, large bits, and long screws. If you can only own one drill, buy 18V: it does everything 12V does, plus the hard jobs.
How long does a cordless drill battery last?
A lithium-ion battery typically lasts three to five years of regular use before its capacity drops noticeably. Per charge, a 2.0 Ah battery handles roughly 150–200 screws or a few dozen small holes; a 5.0 Ah battery about doubles that. Heavy drilling drains a battery much faster. Store batteries indoors and charged to around half full if you will not use them for months.
Are corded drills being phased out?
No, but their role has shrunk. Cordless dominates the home market because convenience wins most buying decisions. Corded drills survive where they are still the better tool — sustained heavy work, bench use, and budget buyers who want maximum power per pound. Manufacturers still make them, and probably will for a long time.
Which is better for drilling concrete?
A corded hammer drill, or better still an SDS drill, for anything more than the occasional hole. Concrete is the hardest common material a drill meets, and it drains cordless batteries quickly. A cordless hammer drill will manage a handful of holes for fixings and anchors, but for a full day of concrete drilling, corded power is the right call.
Bottom Line
Buy a cordless 18V drill-driver first — it is the drill you will reach for 90 percent of the time, and modern brushless models are powerful enough that most people never miss a cord. Then, if your work includes heavy masonry, big holes, or long bench sessions, add a cheap corded drill as your second tool rather than replacing the cordless one. One drill for freedom, one for grunt: between the two, there is no job in a home workshop you cannot handle.