36911_drills.jpgWhen it comes to home repair projects, nothing beats the help of a 18 volt cordless drill. Current models often now come equipped with ultra-lightweight lithium-ion batteries and super compacts designs for easy storage and convenient cordless operation. If there's one power tool that should be in your arsenal, a cordless drill is it...

36911_milwakee.jpgMilwaukee M18 2601-22
The Milwaukee M18 is a 4lbs beauty and was designed with the average home owner in mind, performing flawlessly with every task we've thrown at it. The battery tested for 63 non-stop minutes of operation, nimble and strong at a variety of tasks around our house.

36911_makita.jpgMakita LXFDO1CW
The Makita is more reliable than powerful, but strong enough to tackle everyday jobs. At 3.3lbs, this is a surprisingly lightweight model considering it boasts an all-metal gear set. The only drawback was the tiny 14 minutes we squeezed out of it during regular use, but it the torque made up for it.

36911_hitachi.jpgHitachi DS18DSAL
The Hitachi is the smallest of the bunch, but still managed to squeeze 33 minutes of full power drilling. It doesn't feel as solid as the other ones, with plastic components on the drive train, but is sufficient if you need a smaller model for occasional use. It also comes with a flashlight as an added bonus.

36911_dewalt.jpgDeWalt DCD760KL
The DeWalt is the newest entry of the 18 volt category, boasting a max RPM of 1,700 in drill mode. The one major flaw of this model is after repeated tasks, the battery overheats and requires a 15 minutes cool down period before it could be used again. That's not a great idea when you are in the middle of your DIY home improvement project (or just putting together a room full of IKEA products).