Power Drills
Choosing the best power drill
Power drills are very handy to have around the house. These versatile tools will prove useful for a wide range of home improvement tasks and projects, from building furniture or home additions to drilling holes in walls for hanging decorations.
Uses of Power Drills
An electric drill has a powerful motor that is used to make a drill bit rotate at a rapid rate, allowing you to make holes in materials ranging from wood to metal. Diamond-tipped drill bits are extremely strong and can make holes in just about anything, even concrete.
One feature that makes power drills particularly useful is that you can swap out the drill bit for a screwdriver head and use the tool as a power screwdriver. This feature alone can save you a great deal of time and labor.
Variations on the standard plug-in electric drill include cordless drills, which have chargeable batteries and prove very convenient if you need to move around while you work. On the other hand, if you perform a lot of drilling work in a stationary position, adding a drill press to your repertoire of power tools may well prove to be a boon.
One important safety note to keep in mind: you should always, always wear safety glasses when working with power drills. Their powerful rotating and drilling action causes debris to fly out in every direction, and if a larger chunk of material hits your unprotected eye, you could lose your vision.
Popular Power Drill Brands
In the world of power drills, a few brand names stand out above the rest for proven durability, reliability and performance excellence. Coleman drills, Dewalt drills and Makita drills have all been very favorably reviewed both by consumers and industry experts, and Stanley power drills continue to rank among the top-performing brands year after year.
When you're shopping for a new electric drill, keep in mind that a ⅜-inch chuck will suffice for the vast majority of home improvement projects. There's usually no need to spend the extra money on a more powerful ½-inch chuck, though the latter will provide you with considerably more flexibility.
