DeWalt.

Milwaukee 12V gets my vote. Have been using them for years and am quite happy. Smaller body allows for getting into tighter spaces and has plenty of torque.

We have a BUNCH of different cordless drills at work. The very best as far as clutch quality/precision/repeatability are Milwaukee (we fasten soft #2 machine screws) but the best all around are definitely Dewalt. The new lithium batteries are MUCH better than ever too.

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I researched cordless drills about a year ago and ended up getting a dewalt (for several all reasons). Been happy with it so far, and the batteries go a long time without needing to be charged.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/DEWALT-20-Volt-Max-Lithium-Ion-Li-ion-1-2-in-Cordless-Brushless-Drill-with-Battery-and-Soft-Case/1000135807

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-20-Volt-MAX-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Brushless-Compact-Drill-Driver-DCD777C2/207105622

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J7UPHIS/

And it's ok to not immediately recharge the batteries. Dewalt says it's ok to leave the battery on the charger when it's full. You can get 1.5 , 2 and 3 amp hour batteries that work in the same charger. Batteries on drills have advanced miles in a few years.

Literally everyone is probably going to say DeWalt, and for all intents and purposes, they're right. DeWalt it probably the best one you can get.

However, if you're just using the drill around the house for stuff, and you're not a professional or a contractor, I've bought in to the Ryobi ecosystem of tools. They're batteries are congruent across all sorts of different things, and they have pretty good quality. A decent drill that'll do pretty much everything you need won't be more than like $100. Plus you can use the money saved to get other tools from them that all work with the same battery.

We've got a weed wacker, a circular hand saw, an impact drill, hammer drill, cordless drill, jig saw, and a couple other stuff. All use the same battery. My dad and I have used them extensively to renovate several rooms in the house and build a shed from scratch. We haven't had a failure.

gotta say thewalt also, 20 volt of course.

problem with Ryobi is the batteries, they do work great but batteries don't last. (or maybe they are better these days).

I build custom cabinetry and use them every day. Milwaukee 18V Fuel impact is my choice. They have tons of other quality tools using same battery. Their one handed reciprocating saw is a very handy tool as well.

Dewalt-easy. Dropped it 5 floors down in the pit from the top of an elevator- now that i think about it thats happend more than once. Still goin strong.

They come with belt hooks too.

Makita...

"Best" is a hard question. I bet Yellow, Red, and Blue are all pretty close. I use mine for work, I wound up with Dewalt because they had a good price. If it is just for casual home use I would go cheap and get Ryobi. I have some 12V Milwaulkees that are great for small tasks.

Agree

Ryobi are cheap and great. They take quite a beating, will last for years (I’ve had 2 for over a decade) and are so cheap that you don’t feel bad about tossing them if they break. The li-ion batteries last fairly long on a charge.

My city has an interstate battery shop that can rebuild the batteries if they crap out too. The cold Canadian winters are hell on batteries

Look up a guy on YouTube called AVE. he does Boltr's (bored of lame tool reviews). He's interesting and very funny to watch, knows a lot and goes into some good detail about best cordless drills in one video. I'm a home owner, do my own carpentry and wood working. I still use 18v dewalt stuff and besides being a little heavy, it does everything I need it to do. Since getting into pins, would be nice to have a small lightweight 12v drill/driver for pinball projects though.

Don't buy a Ryobi. I've always used DeWalt drills. Not the "best", but good value and they last. They go on sale several times a year at Home Depot. And I wouldn't get anything less than the 20 volt drills. The best thing you can do is buy a good magnetic bit holder and a good set of whatever bit tips you use.

Milwaukee 12 volt. PLENTY of power and the smallest 1/2 chuck hammer drill on the market. Many tools available. The larger 4.0 batteries go a long long time on a charge. Would recommend them to anyone who doesn't need 8 hours a day 5 days a week of use.

Dewalt Impacts are the best I've used.

remember to think about what other cordless tools you might want (or already have) and look to reuse the battery/s across your tool ecosystem...I use Milwaukee 18v brushless tools and have two battery's covering 4 tools (you only have two hands). My advice would be to stick with one the good brands mentioned so far, Milwaukee, Makita, DeWalt and Bosch as they are usually the only brands used by tradies, and for good reason.

By "red" I hope u meant these guys! Haha, I use makita as well but only because I have 5-6 batteries.. Hilti is nice stuff tho! All my lasers & drywall tools are hilti. The lil impact driver is a beast too!

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Ive been using this Hitachi Kit
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00N3W70P0

Depends if you're planning to actually drill or use it for running screws. For drilling heavy duty nothing beats a Milwaukee 18V M18 Fuel. I've run 24 Tapcons after hammer drilling the hole and not even used 1/4 of battery charge. But if you're looking to run screws with a 1/4" hex drive, I like my Bosch 10.4V and the Milwaukee 12V. Both have a smooth clutch that won't over tighten a screw. Bosch is my favorite, use it on pins daily.

They make a very small mini Mikita cordless drill
It's great for tight areas and also used for car repair in tight spots
I happen to stumble into one and wouldn't trade it for anything

The battery lasts a long time and the power is insane
I haven't seen anything that compares for the price can be found under a 100 and is not huge and bulky as most others are

I love my Makita and Dewalt cordless tools.

I've not had the opportunity to use Makita's customer service, because even after all the abuse I put them through, the tools keep working.

I've only had to use Dewalt's customer service because of failing chargers, the tools themselves have always worked as well. Dewalt's customer service has been fantastic to me. I've never had to exchange more than a few emails to get a free charger replacement, and they've never even bothered me with things like proof of purchase.

My favorite Dewalt tool for pinball right now is this: http://www.dewalt.com/products/power-tools/screwdrivers-and-screwguns/8v-max-gyroscopic-inline-screwdriver/dcf682n1

It's a gyroscopic electric screwdriver, so you push the button to turn it on, then it measures which direction you rotate the screwdriver to begin turning that direction, it also increases speed the more you turn.

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Mitsubishi....I kid

Dewalt!!!

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No batteries needed.

DeWalt for more power
Makita for more battery life

I have a pc 18v kit that came with a hammer drill and regular drill and two lithium ion batteries. It's about 2 years old now, works great, batteries last a long time, good power. It was less than $100 at home Depot.

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I personally love the Bosch line:

https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-CLPK22-120-12-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Batteries/dp/B005GT0IWK/ref=sr_1_2

I have the older driver and the drill and it is always working well for me for pinball stuff.
That said; if you plan to use it for a lot of hours a day... you might need the bigger capacity batteries.

Bosch here as well. If not, then Milwaukee M18 series. Obviously, if price is no object, then Festool or Metabo.

I was about to post the same link. The Bosch drivers are great, light and little and pack a good punch.

I'd be lost without my little Bosch PS20.
I have 3 in my home shop and 2 at my work shop.
PERFECT for pinball.