Drills and rotary hammers

Buying guide

Start choosing a drill with the job you do most often: an ordinary drill is fine for wood and metal, but concrete calls for a hammer mode or a rotary hammer. A rotary hammer's impact energy is measured in joules, and that figure tells you how large a hole it can bore. On a cordless drill, voltage and battery capacity determine run time. The chuck must grip the shank size you use, otherwise the bit spins in the chuck and the hole comes out crooked.