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How fast are 18V Cordless drills? and why speed is important

There are many different versions of cordless drills available on the market and finding one with the right speed and that suits your budget and needs can be a minefield.

When you are looking to buy a new drill or replace an old one a great place to start is the cordless 18v -20v market, there is a wide variety to suit all tastes and budgets.

For the DIY and home improvement enthusiast like myself, an 18v or 20v cordless drill will cover most of the hole drilling and screw driving tasks that we are going to encounter regularly.

And what makes these cordless drills so good is having a wide range of speeds to cope with as many DIY Drilling and driving jobs as possible. But how fast are 18-volt cordless drills?

I did some research and put together a table comparing the speeds of the current top brands 18 -20 volt cordless drills:

Make

 Model Motor type No Of Speeds Speed 1 (RPM) Max Speed (RPM) Torque (in/lbs)

Torque settings

Metabo

 BS 18 LTX-3 BL Q I Brushless 3 0-440 0-3800 531

20

Hikoki

 DS36DAX/J4Z Brushless 2 0-500 0-2100 1221

22

Rigid

 R86116N Brushless 2 0-550 0-2100 700

10

Milwaukee

 M18 FUEL Brushless 2 0-550 0-2000 1200

16

Worx

 WX352 Brushless 2 0-600 0-2000 531

24

Kobalt

 KDD 1424A-03 Brushless 2 0-550 0-2000 650

22

Makita

 XPH12Z Brushless 2 0 – 500 0-2000 530

21

Einhell

 KIT-4513946 Brushless 2 0-500 0-1800 531

19

Skil

 DL529302 Brushless 2 0-480 0-1800 N/A

18

Porter Cable

 PCCK607LB Brushless 2 0-450 0-1800 N/A

N/A

Ryobi

 P215K Brushless 2 0-450 0-1750 500

24

Bosch

 DDS182BL Brushless 2 0-500 0-1700 442

18

Erbauer

 ERBAUER ECD18-LI-2 Brushless 2 0-480 0-1700 442

19

Draper

 Draper Stormforce Brushless 2 0-440 0-1650 442

22

Black and Decker

 BL186K Brushless 2 0-420 0-1650 460

24

Dewalt

 DCD777C2 Brushless 2 0-600 0-1600 531

15

Festool

 PDC 18/3-Basic Brushless 2 0-450 0-1500 442

25

First place, the fastest 18 Volt Cordless Drill on our list.

The highest speed 18-volt cordless drill in our search is the Metabo LTX range which has 3-speed settings with a really impressive maximum speed of 3800 rpm when in top gear. 

The torque available from the Metabo unit is similar to the Festool, Dewalt, and Makita drills all providing around 531 in/lbs (60Nm) of torque, giving plenty of power to drive screws and cut big holes.

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Joint second fastest 18 Volt Drill/drivers

The two second-fastest 18-volt cordless drills in our list come from Hikoki, and Rigid both with a maximum no-load speed of 2100 rpm in top gear, 

The Hikoki DS63 cordless unit also has the highest torque available with an impressive 1221 in/lbs (137Nm).

Technically this isn’t a true 18-volt cordless drill, as this is part of Hikoki’s multi-volt range which means it can run from 18 volts up to 36 volts for more power and longer-lasting charge times, making the Hikoki more versatile and able to tackle tough jobs on-site, the downside is the higher price as they are at the upper end of the market.

Nonetheless, they are great power tools and I personally use a Hikoki cordless drill and have done for many years and it has never let me down.

The two cordless drills at the top of our chart are not surprisingly the most expensive and are aimed at the more professional user. 

The Rigid R86 is a great cordless drill and has the third-highest torque figure on our list and with a reasonable price tag sits well amongst the other offerings here and comes with lifetime guarantees which makes it a very good choice.

The slowest Drill Driver on our list

The slowest 18-volt cordless drill/driver on our list is the Festool PDC 18/3-Basic, the Festool drill unit has a good speed range but doesn’t quite match the others in this class.

PDC 18/3 cordless drill from Festool, is the entry-level unit from the Festool PDC range and has 2-speed settings with a maximum speed no load of 1500 rpm. 

For that reason, if you are a fan of Festool, I would look at the drill/driver sitting at the next level up from this, which is the PDC 18/4-Basic.

This top-notch cordless drill has 4-speed settings and an impressive 3800 rpm maximum speed in 4th gear, but is not included in our list as it is not really aimed at the DIY market, and comes with a higher price ticket.

Why Drill speed is important

Having a wide range of speeds available means that drills can be used for multiple tasks not only drilling holes in wood or metal but also for using large-diameter hole saws to cut through brick or concrete.

This means that you only need one tool to do lots of jobs and that saves you money, time choosing your tool of choice, and space, needing only one tool means having only one storage box, one charging point, and so on.

You may also like our guide to Circular saws for more great tool advice on which tools to have in you toolbox use the this link to Common Circular saws 

Having an 18-volt drill capable of running at high speeds mean that drilling small holes into metals like aluminum and steel and some hardwoods are a breeze,

Drills with higher speeds can also be used for other DIY jobs, for example, when fitted with sanding discs or polishing mops they can be used to produce high gloss finishes without the need to use specialist tools which can be more expensive.

I often fit a sanding bobbin or flap wheel to my 18v drill and use it to make quick work to achieve really smooth curved edges or tricky shapes. 

Using a wire wheel fitted to your drill is a great way to quickly remove old paint or rust when refurbishing woodwork or metalwork in preparation for painting.

And running at lower speeds allows drills to be used for drilling larger diameter holes and countersinking, and working with plastics, or cutting thread with taps.

You can wind cable looms at really slow speed or wire lock fixings for hanging tools or creating storage hangers. There are lots of options when you have a versatile cordless drill

How much torque is available?

The other feature to consider is how much torque 18-volt cordless drills produce, the more the better and in today’s market brushless motors are leading the way. 

Brushless motors provide more power through simpler design and have fewer moving parts than brushed motors. 

The Hikoki and Milwaukee come out top of the list for available torque and both a wide range of settings, 24 on the Hikoki and 16 on the Milwaukee.

Having high torque is good but being able to control it is better and the more selections available means more choice and ability to match your power setting to the job requirements

This is where the Festool PDC range wins out with 25 torque settings it is the most adjustable cordless drill on our list.

So if you are looking to buy a good 18-volt cordless drill with great speed and torque take a look at our list and choose one that suits your needs and your wallet, it will make a great and well-used addition to your DIY Toolbox.

If you like reading this post and found it useful check out some of our other great information, how-to guides, and check out our podcast to listen to useful tips on the go.

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