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Bosch UniversalImpact 18V-60
UniversalImpact 18V-60, the brushless version
The easiest way in if the drill is going to live in a kitchen drawer. It weighs 1.3 kg with a battery, has 20 torque settings, two gears and a fuel gauge on the tool, so you can see whether the battery will last before you start a row of shelf brackets. Its 60 Nm is plenty for flat-pack, curtain poles and plugs in brick.
The battery is the real draw. The drill is part of the Power for All Alliance, so the same 18V pack runs the other tools in that alliance, from the house to the garden. It is not built for daily site abuse, but for a few jobs a month it is a sensible, light start.
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Ryobi 18V ONE+ HP Brushless Combi Drill RPD18X1
RPD18X1, the compact brushless HP combi drill
Ryobi's strength is breadth: one ONE+ battery runs every tool in the same 18V platform, from drills and sanders to garden kit. This compact HP model is the one to pick over the cheaper brushed drills, because its brushless motor is more efficient and lasts longer.
It has 24 clutch settings, which gives a beginner fine steps when driving small screws into soft chipboard, and up to 105 Nm when you need to bore a big hole. A metal ratcheting chuck holds bits firmly. If you expect to drill a lot of masonry, pair it with a larger battery than the smallest pack.
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Makita DHP485 18V LXT Brushless Combi Drill
DHP485, sold as the DHP485Z body or in kits
A trade drill that stays friendly in inexperienced hands. Its 50 Nm hard torque is modest on paper, but that suits shelves and furniture, where a drill that twists hard mostly strips screw heads. Twenty-one clutch settings and two speeds give you fine control, and the dual LED lights help inside a wardrobe carcass.
The LXT battery is the reason to choose it: Makita's 18V packs fit a wide trade range, so the impact driver, multi-tool or sander you want next year will run on what you already own. At 182 mm it is longer than the compact picks here, which matters only in tight cupboards.
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DeWalt DCD796 18V XR Brushless Compact Combi Drill
DCD796, the compact brushless XR combi drill
The drill you buy if your DIY may grow into bigger projects. DeWalt rates it at 70 Nm hard and 27 Nm soft, with speeds of 0 to 550 and 0 to 2,000 rpm, so it handles big wood bits and masonry plugs without strain, yet the bare tool weighs only 1.2 kg.
A 15-position torque control is fewer steps than some rivals, so practise on scrap before driving small screws into flat-pack. Once you own an XR battery, DeWalt's 18V range is deep enough to keep you going for years. Check what each kit includes, since the same drill is sold bare and with several battery sizes.
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Einhell TE-CD 18/50 Li-i BL
TE-CD 18/50 Li-i BL, the brushless Power X-Change combi drill
The budget pick that still passes the battery test. Einhell's Power X-Change packs run its workshop tools and garden kit too, so a cheap first drill does not leave you stranded on a dead-end battery. This model has a brushless motor, 50 Nm of hard torque, two speeds and a hammer setting for plugs in brick, and the bare tool weighs about 1.2 kg.
The catch is naming: the same drill appears as TE-CD and TP-CD depending on the retailer, and kits vary from bare to a single 4.0Ah pack or two 2.0Ah packs, so compare what is in the box rather than the headline price.
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Milwaukee M12 FUEL Sub Compact Percussion Drill M12 FPD2
M12 FPD2, the FUEL sub-compact percussion drill
Proof that a first drill does not need to be 18V. At 152 mm long and 1.4 kg with a 6.0Ah battery, it fits inside kitchen units and behind radiators where full-size drills will not go, and it is easy to hold overhead when fitting curtain rails.
It still has 45 Nm, two gears and a mechanical clutch with 13 torque settings plus locked drilling and hammer positions, which covers flat-pack, shelving and the odd hole in brick. The trade-off is that M12 is a smaller, separate platform from Milwaukee's M18 tools, so pick it if light, compact tools matter more to you than big garden kit later.
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Makita DTD157 18V LXT Brushless Impact Driver
DTD157, the sub-compact LXT impact driver
The sensible second tool for anyone who has bought into Makita LXT. An impact driver hammers screws home in short bursts, so long decking or timber screws go in without the wrist-twisting a drill gives you. This one has a maximum of 140 Nm, enough for most home jobs without being brutal.
What makes it beginner-friendly is A-Mode, which steadies a screw while it starts into wood so the bit is less likely to skate across the surface. Two electronic speeds let you turn it down for smaller screws. It weighs 1.4 kg with a battery. It takes hex-shank bits only, so it complements a drill rather than replacing one.
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DeWalt DCF850 18V XR Brushless Compact Impact Driver
DCF850, the compact XR impact driver
DeWalt calls this its smallest most powerful 18V XR impact driver, and the numbers back that up: up to 205 Nm from a body about 100 mm long, at 0.95 kg without a battery. That is far more force than shelf screws need, which is why the three-mode switch matters.
Its Precision Drive mode is designed to avoid damaging the material and the fastener on smaller jobs, which is exactly where beginners overdrive screws into soft board. Leave it there for furniture and step up only for long screws into joists or fence posts. It shares batteries with the DCD796, so the pair makes a natural two-tool starter set.
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