By Mike Szostech Last updated
Are you Canadian, searching online for the best cordless drill in Canada? This review contains an overview of 1/2 inch drive, battery powered drills that can be purchased online and in-store from retailers in Canada
A cordless drill is one of the most basic, and often first purchased, tool in the arsenal of the homeowner and DIY-er. Motor and battery tech keeps improving, so now these drills are smaller than they have ever been, and they have more power and can do more on a single battery charge.
And yet, my oh my. In researching for this product review, I came across many interesting things – and further proves the difference between professional review sites, and simply computer generated price comparison sites.
In my search for a cordless drill, simple Google searches produced sites with roundups of interesting products:
- One review site listed drills, hammer drills, impact drivers and those small battery powered screwdrivers. In my opinion, those are not comparable products as they all serve specific purposes.
- A site (that shall remain unnamed) clearly had computer generated results in their review, as they listed a dremel, and even a drill bit set – which they listed as their cheapest option – obviously. It’s not even a drill, it’s a cordless drill accessory!
- Another site listed the 18v DeWalt cordless drill as the top choice – it’s been out since 2013, and you can’t even find it online in North America. These are not sites that can be trusted!
In this roundup of the best cordless drills in Canada, we stuck with actual drills – nothing fancy, nothing specialized, just good-old-fashioned 1/2inch drive cordless drills that can drive screws and drill holes. We hope it’s helpful, and if it isn’t, leave a comment and let us know how the product review could be more useful!
Best Cordless Drill in Canada for 2023 Comparisons:
Hey Canada! This section helps you compare the features of these products to help you choose the best option for you! Click on the product name to jump down to that specific review.
Max Power
This power comparison isn't as important as it used to be. These days, all of the best cordless drills have enough torque to twist your wrist if you aren't holding it tight and you're driving a big screw or drilling a large hole. If you do need the most powerful cordless drill, then use these details.
Speeds
Tool Only Weight
Drill Length
The best cordless drill for tight spaces will have the shortest length - the distance between the edge of the drill chuck and the back of the drill's motor cover.
Made in USA
Our Top Choice for the Best Cordless Drill Canada
The DeWalt DCD708 Atomic is our top choice based on motor power, battery life, reliability and durability of the brand, and of course the price. Want to see how it stacks up compared to other more and less expensive DeWalt cordless drills? Check out this awesome comparison chart that has each and every DeWalt Cordless Drill in Canada.
Other Considerations in Choosing the best Cordless Drill in Canada
Although we can tell you which is the worst and best cordless drills for 2022, it really depends on you. You’ll be the one using it, and enjoying it or hating it. Make sure it isn’t too heavy, that the grip is a good size for your hand, that the automatic chuck is easy to use and not painfully rough on your hand.
Consider the types of jobs you want the drill to do, and how often you’ll be using it. Do you need a workhorse, or an around-the-house-fixall type of tool? If you will be working long hours with it, more than one cordless drill battery is a great feature to look for too.
Also consider the future – will you likely be adding to your cordless tool collection? Perhaps it actually makes more money-sense to buy a cordless combo kit now instead of just a drill, or at least pick a drill from a company that has other cordless tools you’ll want to buy – and make sure they all use the same batteries!
Top Pick - DeWalt DCD708C2 Atomic Brushless Drill
We like DeWalt for their great prices, and reliable tools with great features and usability. While some of the pros turn up their nose at DeWalt, it seems to be most popular with the DIY crowd.
This is a tiny and powerful cordless drill. Lightweight at only 2.4 lbs, and measuring only 6.3 inches front-to-back, this drill features a high performance brushless motor and an LED light.
Available from Home Depot with 1 battery, or from Amazon as a bare tool or with 2 batteries.
Get the best price DeWalt DCD708C2 Atomic in Canada from:
Top Pick - DeWalt DCD708C2 Atomic Brushless Drill review details:
DeWalt DCD708C2 Atomic Reviews
Wirecutter - Also great [November 2021]
The small 20-volt DeWalt Atomic offers more power than the 12-volt, but not as much as the larger 20-volt. It’s a good choice for a DIYer to buy into DeWalt’s expansive 20-volt line.
Business Insider ranked it as the #1 on their list claiming it was the 'Best cordless drill overall' in their product review. [December 2021]
They tested this drill with the hammer feature (DCD709) and said that all of the settings make it one of the most functional drills you can buy.
Runner Up - Milwaukee M18 Compact Brushless Drill
Typically more expensive than the DeWalt, the Milwaukee takes second place. If you can find it on sale, the M18 series will be comparable to the DeWalt 20V cordless tool lineup.
Milwaukee's M18 1/2 in. compact brushless drill/driver kit is the best drill in its class, delivering the most power while maintaining its compact size. The MILWAUKEE brushless motor was built for the tool to ensure optimal performance.
It has best in class durability with an all metal chuck to get the job done every time.
Get the best price Milwaukee M18 Compact Brushless Drill/Driver Kit in Canada from:
Runner Up - Milwaukee M18 Compact Brushless Drill review details:
Milwaukee M18 Compact Brushless Drill/Driver Kit Reviews
Wirecutter - Also great [November 2021]
Nearly identical to the DeWalt, this cordless drill is recommended if you see it at a lower price than the DeWalt, or if you already use Milwaukee's cordless tools
Consumer Reports ranked it as the #3 on their list claiming it was the 'Best for serious users' in their product review. [January 2022]
It has an astonishing amount of power, drives fasteners quickly, and offers great run time, but it’s among the heaviest models.
T3 [January 2022]
A heavy duty drill that will last for years!
Made in USA - DeWalt DCD791D2 Max XR Brushless
While not specifically a compact cordless drill, this one from DeWalt is a little bit bigger than the compact drills, but has lots more power and it's assembled in the USA.
Get the best price DeWALT DCD791D2 Max XR Brushless 1/2" Cordless Drill in Canada from:
Made in USA - DeWalt DCD791D2 Max XR Brushless review details:
DeWALT DCD791D2 Max XR Brushless 1/2" Cordless Drill Reviews
Popular Mechanics ranked it as the #1 on their list claiming it was the 'Best Handling' in their product review. [September 2017]
They said it was easy-to-handle, and yet it operated like a professional grade product, and it also had the smoothest turning clutch of all the drills they reviewed. The battery life wasn't the best, but it comes with 2 batteries to keep your projects moving along.
GH ranked it as the #1 on their list claiming it was the 'Best Overall 20V Cordless Drill' in their product review. [source]
Long battery life because of the brushless motor, and lots of power in this compact drill.
Wirecutter ranked it as the #3 on their list claiming it was the 'Upgrade Pick' in their product review. [March 2020]
For faster work on tougher jobs, this powerful cordless drill retains the great ergonomics and other features that set the DeWalt drills apart.
Family Handyman ranked it as the #1 on their list claiming it was the 'Best of the Best' in their product review. [March 2020]
Smart, compact design, and lightweight. LED spotlight mode, brushless motor, 2 speeds.
Best Warranty and Budget Price - Ridgid 18V Brushless Sub-Compact
Ridgid from Home Depot is the only cordless tool lineup with a lifetime warranty!
The tools are a little bit bulkier and heavier than the DeWalt or Milwaukee cordless drills, but if a long warranty is important to you there is no competition.
Plus, the price of $129 at time of publication is the same or lower than any of the other options, and it includes more amp-hours of battery.
RIDGID’s new SubCompact tool lineup are compact and offer lightweight design. Their brushless compact motors provide more runtime, more power and longer motor life for unbeatable performance.
Features 425 in./lbs. of torque and 0-450/0-1750 RPM with 2-speed settings giving our users added control on the job site.
½" Drill Driver is 30% lighter weight and 30% more compact. Great for reducing user fatigue in repetitive applications
Get the best price Ridgid 18V Brushless Sub-Compact Drill in Canada from:
Best Warranty and Budget Price - Ridgid 18V Brushless Sub-Compact review details:
Ridgid 18V Brushless Sub-Compact Drill Reviews
Wirecutter ranked it as the #3 on their list claiming it was the 'Another Nice Subcompact' in their product review. [November 2021]
The Ridgid is similar to the DeWalt Atomic (with a bulkier battery) and can be a good entry point into Ridgid’s big line of 18-volt tools.
Competition for the Best Cordless Drill in Canada
There are dozens of power tool companies, and each brand has multiple models of cordless drills. It’s easy to get stuck in the weeds when trying to figure out which cordless drill is the best choice for you.
To keep things simple, we just stuck with a few of the top choices. Here are some of the other drills we considered that didn’t quite make it to the top of the pile. That doesn’t necessarily mean they are bad choices, just that we didn’t think they would be the right cordless drill for most people.
HomeDepot has 2 specific brands of power tools it carries – the Ryobi brand and the Ridgid brand. Since the prices on their compact cordless drills are almost the same, we went with the Ridgid over the Ryobi One+ HP Brushless drill because it beats the Ryobi in almost every spec including shorter, lighter, more torque, more battery capacity included in the kit, and a longer warranty period.
Makita, Bosch, and Metabo (formerly Hitachi) all make great cordless power tools. Typically they are a little more costly, so they didn’t make it as our top choices. If you find them on sale, they’re a great option.
Or if you already own some power tools from those lineups (and you like them), then it would make the most sense to continue buying that brand and sharing batteries.
Brushless motor or not?
The best cordless drill in Canada is a brushless cordless drill, because the motors are smaller and lighter but produce the same power. Plus, they are more energy efficient – meaning that you can do more drilling on each charge of the battery. (read about brushless motors on Wikipedia)
However, if you see an older model cordless drill on sale, a non-brushless drill is still a great tool to have. We chose to only include brushless drills as the price difference is only $25-$50 and we think it’s worth the little bit of extra money.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the best cordless drill in Canada without ever feeling it in your hand is difficult. If you have the chance to visit a local hardware store, or big box ‘home improvement’ store we recommend you do. Then you can see and touch the options to make sure you get the best cordless drill for you – and remember, everyone’s choice is not always the same!
I appreciate the comprehensive review of the top cordless drills available in Canada. I noticed that brushless motors are highlighted as a significant advantage. How do brushless drills perform in colder Canadian climates compared to their non-brushless counterparts? Is there any difference in battery efficiency or motor performance in colder temperatures?
Its sad to note that most of reviewed items are not made in Canada . Something is not right when almost everything we need is imported.
Hi From Elliot Lake,
I’m just wondering if you have considered reviewing the ⅜ size cordless drills in addition to the half inch models.
I’m looking for something reliable but relatively lightweight; mostly drilling into hardwood and softwood to be used a few times a year. At 81 I’m not into big renos.
Thanks from the north!
Cordless tools are getting smaller and more compact all the time. The weight of the DeWalt 3/8 cordless drill is 2.28lbs without the battery, while the 1/2 Atomic (that’s the name for their compact series) is 2.4 lbs without the battery. For the extra 0.12 lbs, it’s worth it (for most people) to go with the 1/2 drill.
If you are set on a 3/8 drill, we do like the DeWalt, but we’ve also heard great thinks about the Milwaukee M12 series (although that weighs the same as DeWalt’s 1/2 Atomic).
If it’s been a while since you picked up a cordless drill, you might be accused of having a screw or two loose. The battery-powered drills in CR’s most recent ratings can drill holes and drive screws far longer—and with more power—than similar models did just a few years ago.
Very good info. Lucky me I ran across your blog by accident and this is helpful info on comparing the best cordless drills.
How can you do a review like this and leave out Milwaukee?
Hi Jake, we did include the Milwaukee M18, but based on the cost of it compared to the others it just didn’t make it to the top of the list!
Ryobi is a very good chainsaw brand. thank you so much.
Some chainsaws have very large cutting teeth but are unable to cut through many thick pieces of wood safely
Its really pleasant post on how to picking a best cordless drill
Here you will get to know about the best cordless drill in Canada – You will get the best review over here.
thank you for taking the time to list out the specs. It made it very easy to find the lightest cordless drill and then check the cordless drill price
Your style is really unique in comparison to other folks I have
read stuff from. I appreciate you for posting all information about the best cordless drills.
Matchtröjor Fotboll
Thanks for this best review, I like it. Now I can choose the best one for my work.
Hi there, great post! Quick question though, Which power tool brand do think is better for a beginner? Milwaukee or Dewalt? I just bought a house and I’m starting to collect some tools. Looking forward to your reply! 🙂
Both are great choices, although Dewalt is often cheaper than Milwaukee, and is more than reliable and powerful enough for the do-it-yourself-er