Toolbox Consensus

Disclosure: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. We don’t accept payment for rankings.

Shopping for the best cordless hammer drill in 2026? A hammer drill is a regular drill/driver with a pounding mode for brick, block and concrete, so one tool handles wood, metal and light masonry. We read the head-to-head tests from Pro Tool Reviews and the hands-on reviews at Popular Mechanics, Bob Vila and Outdoor Life so you don’t have to. Here’s where the reviewers agree and which one fits your batteries and budget.

Quick picks

Award	Hammer drill	Where to buy
Best overall	Milwaukee M18 Fuel 2904-20	Home Depot · Amazon · Ace Hardware · Northern Tool · Rural King
Most powerful	Flex 24V FX1271T	Amazon
Best heavy-duty	DeWalt 20V Max XR DCD1007B	Home Depot · Lowe’s · Amazon · Ace Hardware · Northern Tool · Rural King
Smoothest 40V pick	Makita 40V XGT GPH01Z	Amazon
Lightest pro-grade pick	Bosch 18V GSB18V-65B12	Amazon

How we built this list

We don’t test tools ourselves. For each hammer drill we collected the hands-on verdicts of the exact model from independent reviewers, such as Pro Tool Reviews’ nine-drill shootout (drilling concrete, driving big screws, boring wood with spade and self-feed bits) and Popular Mechanics’ year-long review of the Milwaukee. Pro Tool Reviews’ scores only compare drills within its own test group. Hammer drills are tested by fewer outlets than ordinary drills, so only one pick here has the three expert reviews needed for a Consensus Score; the rest show how many experts we’ve found so far.

1. Milwaukee M18 Fuel 2904-20 — Best hammer drill overall

Why reviewers love it: Popular Mechanics’ tester used it for about a year and called it his go-to, praising the mix of speed, power, size and comfort after boring stacked 2x4s and pushing a bit through a salvaged concrete slab. Outdoor Life named the 2904-22 kit its Best Overall, with the fastest drilling time (36 seconds) and deepest hole in its group test. Pro Tool Reviews scored it 85 in its nine-drill shootout: it didn’t win, but it finished within about half a second of the leader in three of four tests and is the most compact drill in the group.

• Speed: 0–500 / 0–2,100 RPM
• Torque: 1,400 in-lb (Pro Tool Reviews)
• Weight: 3.2 lb bare, 5.6 lb with the 8.0Ah battery Pro Tool Reviews used
• Typical price: Pro Tool Reviews listed it at about $229 bare and $329 as a kit

What to watch for: Popular Mechanics noted the Flex is faster, a Makita 18V drill is more compact, and the Milwaukee may be more drill than many homeowners need. Bob Vila notes some customers report chuck problems after extended use. Big batteries can throw off its balance (Pro Tool Reviews). It comes with a 5-year tool warranty.

2. Flex 24V FX1271T — Most powerful hammer drill

Why reviewers love it: Pro Tool Reviews gave it 95 points and its top spot, with the highest overall performance of nine drills: first in the spade-bit and concrete tests, drilling a 3/8-inch hole 3 inches deep in 4,000 PSI concrete in 5.66 seconds. It also praised the balance, the grippy overmold and the Turbo mode that works like a four-speed gearbox. Bob Vila’s testers drove a 3-inch lag bolt in under 2 seconds and named it the Upgrade Pick, and Popular Mechanics’ tester said it packed the most power of any drill he used.

• Speed: 0–700 / 0–2,500 RPM, up to 40,000 hammer blows per minute
• Torque: 1,400 in-lb
• Weight: 3.7 lb bare, 6.0 lb with the 6.0Ah battery Pro Tool Reviews tested
• Typical price: Pro Tool Reviews listed it at $149 bare and $249–$279 as a kit, with a lifetime warranty on registration

What to watch for: It’s heavy; Bob Vila measured just under 7 lb with a battery and handle. Flex’s 24V line is smaller than DeWalt’s or Milwaukee’s, and we couldn’t find this model at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Ace, Northern Tool or Rural King, so Amazon is the store link here (the listing is the FX1271T-Z tool-only version; battery and charger are extra).

3. DeWalt 20V Max XR DCD1007 — Best heavy-duty hammer drill

Why reviewers love it: Pro Tool Reviews scored it 91 and called it the runner-up, second in the spade-bit, self-feed-bit and concrete tests (6.39 seconds in concrete), and singled out its three-speed gearbox, kickback control and a pivoting 20-minute work light. Bob Vila’s Mark Wolfe drilled wood, steel, brick and concrete and drove 1/2-inch lag bolts, naming it Best Heavy-Duty and calling it “incredibly powerful.”

• Speed: 0–450 / 1,300 / 2,000 RPM (a bit faster in hammer mode), up to 38,250 blows per minute
• Weight: 4.2 lb bare, 6.3 lb with the 8.0Ah battery Pro Tool Reviews used
• Typical price: Pro Tool Reviews listed it at $249 bare and $349 as a kit

What to watch for: It’s tied for heaviest in Pro Tool Reviews’ group, and Bob Vila called it bulky for general use, about twice the weight of many 18V drills. It’s also expensive. To get the test results, use a PowerPack battery as Pro Tool Reviews did. It’s the easiest pick to find: we confirmed it at all six of our stores.

4. Makita 40V XGT GPH01Z — Smoothest 40V hammer drill

Why reviewers love it: Pro Tool Reviews scored it 87 and put it third. It was fastest of all nine drills at driving a big structural screw (2.03 seconds) and boring with a self-feed bit (1.59 seconds), and the review says it’s incredibly smooth, compact for its performance, and lighter than you’d expect for a 40V tool. It also has 41 electronic clutch settings in low speed, which no other drill in that test offers.

• Speed: 0–650 / 0–2,600 RPM, up to 39,000 blows per minute
• Torque: 1,250 in-lb
• Weight: 3.7 lb bare, 5.8 lb with the 4.0Ah battery Pro Tool Reviews used
• Typical price: Pro Tool Reviews listed it at $259 bare and $524 as a kit

What to watch for: It’s the priciest pick, and it was only sixth in the concrete test (7.56 seconds). The chuck collar can slip when you ratchet down hard on a bit. It runs on Makita’s 40V XGT batteries, not the 18V LXT batteries many Makita owners already have.

5. Bosch 18V GSB18V-65B12 — Lightest pro-grade hammer drill

Why reviewers love it: It’s the compact pick. Bob Vila’s Mark Wolfe tested it on hardened steel, concrete and brick and with lag bolts, named it Best Overall of the cordless drills it tried, and said he preferred it over all the others. It has switchable kickback control and 575 in-lb of torque, and it’s light and short enough for overhead work.

What to watch for: Straight-shank bits slipped in the chuck several times in Bob Vila’s test, and the small battery in the kit is meant to be upgraded. At 575 in-lb it’s for light to moderate masonry, not a stand-in for the heavier picks above. We found only one counted expert review so far.

Cordless hammer drill buying guide

Hammer drill or regular drill?

Pro Tool Reviews explains that a hammer drill’s blow rate tells you how fast the pounding action is in masonry mode, while torque shows how strong the drill is. If you only drill wood and metal, a plain drill/driver is lighter and cheaper (see our best cordless drills). Choose a hammer drill if you’ll drill brick, block or the occasional concrete hole. For lots of concrete work, Tools in Action notes that heavy-duty jobs call for an SDS rotary hammer instead.

Pick the battery platform first

Batteries only fit one brand, and they’re the expensive part. If you already own Milwaukee M18 or DeWalt 20V Max batteries, buy the bare tool and save. Starting fresh? Our DeWalt vs Milwaukee guide compares the two biggest platforms. Pro Tool Reviews tested each drill with a large battery rather than the one in the kit, so expect weight and runtime to differ with the battery you buy.

Features that matter

Pro Tool Reviews expects a pro-grade hammer drill to have a two-speed gearbox, a side handle, an all-metal keyless chuck, an LED light and a belt hook. Kickback control, which stops the motor if the bit binds, is the safety feature to look for, since these drills have enough torque to hurt a wrist. All five picks here have it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best cordless hammer drill?

The Milwaukee M18 Fuel 2904-20 is the best all-around pick, with three expert reviews and a Consensus Score of 92. If you want maximum speed and power and don’t mind weight, the Flex FX1271T topped Pro Tool Reviews’ test.

Can a cordless hammer drill drill concrete?

Yes, for small holes. Pro Tool Reviews timed each drill boring a 3/8-inch hole 3 inches deep in cured 4,000 PSI concrete, and the fastest took under 6 seconds. For many or larger holes, use a rotary hammer.

Is a hammer drill heavier than a regular drill?

Usually. In Pro Tool Reviews’ test the drills weighed 4.6 to 6.3 lb with batteries, and the Bosch is about 2.5 lb bare according to Tools in Action, so check the weight before you buy if you work overhead.

The bottom line

Get the Milwaukee 2904-20 for the best mix of power, size and expert agreement. Choose the Flex FX1271T for raw speed, the DeWalt DCD1007 for a three-speed gearbox and wide store availability, or the Bosch GSB18V-65B12 when weight matters most. As more experts review these tools, their scores will appear on our Top Rated Tools page.

Keep reading: Best Cordless Drills of 2026, Impact Driver vs Drill, or Best Cordless Tool Gifts: Holiday 2026.

Sources: Pro Tool Reviews (cordless hammer drill head-to-head), Popular Mechanics (Milwaukee 2904), Outdoor Life, Bob Vila (hammer drills), Bob Vila (cordless drills), Tools in Action (Bosch GSB18V-65B12). Specs and prices come from those reviews and were accurate as of October 2026; check the retailer for current pricing.

Header photo: Barry A on Unsplash.