Does your wrist and forearm get sore after you work on a project where you have to insert many screws into something? Well if you owned a cordless screwdriver you would never have this problem again.
Many people own power drills but these are too big and bulky to use all the time in place of screwdrivers. That is why the best cordless screwdriver products are a great item to have in your tool inventory. They are lightweight, easy to use and a variety of different screwing tasks can be done with them.
You also have many options available in the tool marketplace but the trick is finding out which model cordless screwdrivers are good ones. We are here to help with some reviews of the top cordless screwdriver models and we will also supply you with some other helpful cordless screwdriver information.
A Quick Overview of Some of the Best Cordless Screwdriver Models
Here is a brief summary of what we feel are some of the best cordless screwdriver products. We will do some more in-depth reviews on these cordless screwdriver models later on in this article.
Last update on 2024-04-30 at 22:58 PST - Details
Cordless Screwdriver Buying Guide
Here are some of the key characteristics of cordless screwdrivers that you need to look for when shopping for a new one:
Price
Cordless screwdrivers come in a very wide variety of price ranges to say the least. You can find them for under $15 or well over $100. In order to decide on what price range you want to look for a cordless screwdriver in you must decide on two things. The first is how often you will use your cordless screwdriver and the other is what dollar amount to spend on one fits into your tool shopping budget.
Type
There are basically three types of cordless screwdrivers you have to choose from. Here is an overview of them:
Straight
This was the first style of cordless screwdriver to enter the tool marketplace. You hold then very much like you would a non-powered screwdriver. The advantage of this type of cordless screwdriver is that it goes into tight spaces easier but it is also a little bit harder to hold.
Here is a photo of what one of these looks like:
Pistol grip
Many people mistake pistol grip type cordless screwdrivers for cordless drill drivers but they are not really that similar. Pistol grip cordless screwdrivers are much more compact and lightweight. They also do not have nearly the torque power that a cordless drill/driver has either.
The advantage of pistol grip cordless screwdrivers is they give you much more control when you are inserting a screw into some material.
Here is an example of a pistol grip style cordless screwdriver:
Multi-positional
Many consumers wanted both straight and pistol grip type cordless screwdrivers without having to pay for two different types of them. Hence the multi-positional cordless screwdriver was born. This type of power tool combines the best of both pistol grip and straight model cordless screwdrivers.
Here is a photo of a multi-positional cordless screwdriver. Notice it has a pivot point in the middle of it:
Voltage
The voltage on any cordless screwdriver is something that you want to become very familiar with. This is because it has to do with how powerful a cordless screwdriver model is. Cordless screwdrivers in the 4 volt range can handle most light and medium duty screwing tasks. Cordless screwdrivers with higher voltages will have more torque and be able to do even tougher screwing tasks in most instances.
Number of clutch positions
Having a clutch on your cordless screwdriver will help you a lot when you are inserting screws into an object. A clutch setting is used to disengage the torque of a cordless screwdriver when it gets to the point it may strip the head of a screw. The more clutch settings a cordless screwdriver has the better you can fine tune the clutch for the particular screwing task you are working on.
Variable speed settings
Many cordless screwdrivers only come with one speed setting and that is ok for what they do. It gets even better though if your cordless screwdriver has a variable speed setting. This will give you more control over your cordless screwdriver as you use it to insert screws in different type of material. So if you have an option to purchase a cordless screwdriver with a variable speed setting then we highly recommend you do it.
Battery composition
In this day and age if you buy a cordless screwdriver with anything but a lithium battery you are cheating yourself. This is true even if you save a little bit of money. The reason for this is because lithium batteries are lightweight, stay working longer and do not lose the amount they can be charged over time (no memory). So look for a cordless screwdriver that has a lithium ion battery.
Warranty
Even the best companies cannot control every aspect of their tool production. Materials can be defective or you may catch an assembly line worker on a bad day. That is why you need to have a decent warranty on any model cordless screwdriver you are thinking about buying. Strongly consider buying a cordless screwdriver that has the longest and most comprehensive warranty possible.
How to Use a Cordless Screwdriver
For those of you that have never used a power screwdriver before you may want to take a look at this instructional video. Proper use of this tool is essential to getting the most out of any cordless screwdriver that you own.
Reviews of the Top Cordless Screwdriver Models
Here is what we feel are the premier models of cordless screwdrivers in the tool marketplace:
DEWALT is a big name when it comes to power tools and they certainly do not disappoint with this model cordless screwdriver. It is a multi-positional model that can be used for a variety of different screw driving tasks.
This cordless screwdriver has some good power for a tool in this category. The 8V power it has is more than most other cordless screwdrivers have. The fact that it’s multi-positional makes it even better. It can be configured as a pistol grip tool or a straight screwdriver.
There are so many nice features you get with this product. It has a 15 position clutch which is great to help you avoid stripping the head on any screw you drive in with it. It has a variable speed setting and you can even take screws back out with it too.
This fine power tool also comes with a carrying bag and DEWALT backs it up with a 3-year limited warranty.
Pros
- 8V power
- 15 position clutch
- Two position handle
- Variable speed and reversing
- One hour charging
- Professional quality
- 3-year limited warranty
Cons
- Battery cannot be used on other DEWALT products
- Some users would prefer it to be even smaller in size
SKIL is another very reputable power tool manufacturer. This is a nicely designed cordless screwdriver from them. It will handle any light to medium screw driving tasks that you require.
Its one drilling speed goes steady and smoothly as you drive in a screw. That helps you avoid stripping the screw head. You can both put screws in and take them out with this cordless screwdriver too. The compact pistol grip makes this cordless screwdriver easy to hold no matter what size hand you have.
One of the best features you get with this compact and lightweight cordless screwdriver is the LED light that is built into to help you see better as you are driving your screws in. it is nicely powered by a lithium ion battery which provides superior working time and helps keep this cordless screwdriver lightweight.
Pros
- Built-in LED light
- Compact and lightweight
- Both forward and reverse settings
- Lithium ion battery
- 4 volts of power
- Pistol grip style
Cons
- Not good for high torque screwing tasks
- No right angle attachment
- Only one drilling speed
WORX is a company that is rapidly building a reputation for itself in the power tools marketplace. Excellent products like this cordless screwdriver are the reason why. This model cordless screwdriver works well and can be bought for a very affordable price.
This 4 volt cordless screwdriver does a nice job driving in screws when not a lot of torque is required to do it. It is a single speed model that has just the right speed to help you guide in the screws you are using in a way where it does not strip the heads on them.
Its pistol grip style makes it easy to hold while working and its lithium ion battery allows for a generous amount of work time. The extended shaft this model has built into it will also enable you to be able to put screws in and take them out even if they are in hard to reach places.
Pros
- Budget friendly
- Extended shaft for hard to reach screws
- Spindle lock for non-powered screwdriver use
- Offset chuck
- Lithium ion battery
- 4 volts of power
- Pistol grip style
Cons
- Not made for high torque screwing jobs
- Handle is not multi-positional
- Only has a single speed
Here is one of the more innovative cordless screwdrivers on our top review list. Although it features and older style straight grip design it still is a very useful tool. It has for volts of power which are plenty enough to handle any light to medium duty screw driving tasks that you have.
It also has 2 bright LED work lights built into it. This will help you to see what you are screwing when you are in a position where your hand blocks the normal light from the room. This tool is nicely supplied energy by a lithium power battery. These batteries are known to be lightweight, last a long time and they do not have memory like other style tool batteries do.
One of the amazing safety features on this device is its patent pending circuit sensor technology. This cordless screwdriver will actually warn you if you are getting to close to a hidden wire where you are driving a screw in. It alerts you both visibly and audibly when this happens.
Pros
- Built in circuit sensor
- Lithium ion battery
- 4 volts of power
- 2 LED work lights
- Straight grip style
Cons
- Its straight handle design makes it tougher to control when using it
- No for screwing tasks that require high torque
- It uses impact bits which are harder to change out
- No variable speed setting
One thing this large company gets right is building excellent power tools. Hitachi demonstrates that here in this model cordless screw driver. It is loaded with innovative design features and works well on all small to medium size screw driver tasks.
One thing that makes this device really nice is the fact that it is multi-positional. You can get in to tight places with it when you use it as a straight cordless screwdriver and you get more control over it when it’s in a pistol grip position.
There are also a whopping 21 different clutch selections. That means you will never have any trouble finding a setting that will allow you to drill in screws without stripping the heads on them. There is even a convenient LED light built into that shines on the tip area.
This cordless screwdriver has a great warranty too. You get two years on the battery and the rest of this tool is covered by a limited lifetime warranty.
Pros
- Multi-positional
- 21 clutch settings
- Lifetime tool warranty
- 3.6 volt power
- LED work light
- Works in forward or reverse
- Lightweight and compact
Cons
- Cannot handle high torque screw driving jobs
- Handle position does not lock
- LED light is to the dim side
Our Favorite Cordless Screwdriver Model
We really liked all the different model cordless screwdrivers that we reviewed. Each of them had specific tasks that they were perfect for. But the best overall model was definitely the DEWALT DCF680N1 8V Gyroscopic Screwdriver. There was just so much to like about.
One of the things that really stood out about it was its 8V power. That is more than any other cordless screwdriver we reviewed. It also was multi-positional which makes it an even more versatile tool. Unlike other cordless screwdrivers this model can really tackle even some heavy duty screw driving tasks. The 3 year warranty that comes with it really put it over the top for us.
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