Best Electric Screwdriver 2018 – The Ultimate Buying Guide

There are few things on Earth that are as annoying to a worker as driving in a screw, especially having to do so by hand or when working at an odd angle.

And whether you are a professional or a hobbyist or just someone having to drive a screw in an emergency or to fix something swiftly, you will find that having an electric screwdriver is of great use to anyone and it belongs in any toolbox.

But how do you pick the best one? I would suggest that you read on and find the best electric screwdriver for your uses here, in this review!

At A Glance: The 10 Best Electric Screwdrivers For 2018

Before we look at each screwdriver on their own, though, let us first have a look at a comparative table, one that will allow us to see which will be best at a glance. Below, you will find just such a table.

This table should serve as a good standpoint for beginning to decide which one of these electric screwdrivers may be the best electric screwdriver for your personal needs.

It may not seem like there are many differences between the reviewed products, but truth be told, there is quite a bit of difference between the screwdrivers we looked at, from the way that they’re designed to the batteries that they use.

Hitachi DB3DL2 – The Asian Persuasion Model

A lot of people in the market for tools, especially in the US and Europe, tend to not put much faith in products made in Asia, as a rule. Spend more than a few minutes on any construction site or in an automotive shop, and you’ll hear people casting dispersions about their quality and how long they will last or how well they will stand up to use.

Hitachi’s offering, though, is one that should not be underestimated. In many ways, it is one of the best, including having great battery life and being capable of driving a lot more screws than some of the other offerings.

One of the things that are great about this offering is that the battery is removable.

Yes, that means that it can be lost, but there is a lot of benefits, too. If you get a bundle that has two batteries, you can run one, charge the other, for example.

This means that you will be unlikely to run out of power and not be able to use your electric screwdriver. It also means that if the battery goes bad after having gone through too many discharge/recharge cycles, you just need to replace the battery and not the whole electric screwdriver.

The Hitachi offering may well be the best lithium-ion cordless screwdriver that we have reviewed. Lithium-ion batteries are kind of the big new thing in rechargeable batteries and provide a lot more power at a stable rate of discharge, which is important if that power is running a motor that is basically forcing a screw into a material.

In conclusion, this is a great cordless electric screwdriver, whether you’re a professional or a novice.

Makita TD021DSW – The Simple Asian Option

Makita is a business out of Japan that has been designing, assembling, and creating fine power tools for over a hundred years. They’ve long been known for making a quality product, and much like Harley Davidson, they assemble their products all over the world, including in Georgia, so if you’re looking for something made in America, their tools do technically fit that description.

But a slavish devotion to products made in a nation is silly, which is why the Makita TD021DSW was made to be such a great product. As with the Hitachi, it operates off of a lithium-ion battery that can be removed and replaced with ease.

It clips into the base of the drill (you can see the connection point in the image above) and removes with ease.

The drill itself has a decent amount of power to it and can last for a fair few screws. It’s also fairly light, so if you need a small cordless screwdriver for doing something like hanging drywall, this is a good choice for you.

There is a downside, though; it only has two settings for the drill when it comes to speed, which may not meet everyone’s needs. Some people like to have a bit more control when working with their electric screwdrivers, and if that’s you, this is not the kind of screwdriver for you.

All things considered, if you’re looking for the best cordless screwdriver 2018 has to offer and a simple screwdriver that has plenty of power, this is the one that you’re going to want to look at.

DeWalt DW920K – The Spring-Loaded Power Pro

DeWalt is one of those names that you can find on almost any work-site and in the tool chest of almost every hobbyist who works on their home.

In 1960, DeWalt was bought by Black and Decker, another iconic name in the business, and Black and Decker began to use the DeWalt name as the ‘high-end’ and ‘professional’ side of their tool line.

This means that anything with the DeWalt name attached to it is going to be a quality tool.

Their DW920K electric screwdriver is a great product that can be had at a great price. The one big downside about this product is that, sadly, it does not have an LED light, or indeed any sort of light, attached to the front.

If you’re trying to drive screws in a dark area, you’ll need to bring along a penlight so that you can see what you’re doing, therefore.

This tool has a powerful motor, quite capable of driving screws into wood. The included 7.2 nickel-cadmium battery provides a lot of power for just that purpose, even though nickel-cadmium batteries are falling out of vogue as a power source these days in general.

One big complaint about this product, though, is the way that it disposes of the bits once you’re done with them. Basically, it is spring-loaded; you push a button, and the bit in question pops out.

This makes removing bits a quick and easy process, but the big downside is that if you do it by accident (which is entirely possible to do), you end up losing bits or having them go to places that are hard to reach.

It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but once you’ve lost six or seven that way, it begins to get old.

All things considered, if you’re looking for the best DeWalt screwdriver, this is going to be a good option for you. The complaints are fairly minor compared to the quality of the product, and it has plenty of battery life to help you power through those tough jobs.

Black And Decker PD600 Pivot Plus – The Pivoting Model

The Pivot Plus is kind of a two-in-one tool, really. It works both as a drill and a screwdriver (although, technically, you can use most of these as a drill, if you really want to and you buy some drill bits that are appropriate).

The joint connecting the base to the head of the tool (aka the battery part to the part that actually drives screws or holds the bits) is a locking joint. It allows you to lock the head in multiple positions, allowing you to get whatever position is best for the job you’re doing, which is much simpler and makes working in odd areas or at odd angles much easier.

It also comes equipped with an LED light for illuminating the area that you’re working on, which, as I’ve mentioned before, is a great asset.

This Black and Decker Pivot Plus is the first electric screwdriver that we have reviewed that has an integrated battery.

These batteries tend to be more powerful or larger, but they come with a notable downside.

As soon as the battery dies, you have to stop work and wait for it to recharge. And then, of course, there’s also the problem that almost any battery is going to have, including the 6v alkaline batteries used to run the pivot plus.

Eventually, they will reach the end of their discharge/recharge cycle, and they will no longer be capable of holding much of a charge. When that happens, you basically have to buy a new electric screwdriver.

It’s a great electric screwdriver Home Depot tends to sell at a pretty good price, too, if you would like to go and see it before you spend money on it.

VonHaus 3.6v Bundle – The Outsider Bundle

A lot of these screwdrivers come with one or two standard bits, often with one being designed for the average-sized flathead screw and the other for the average-sized Phillips screw.

Especially when you’re looking at high-end and professional electric screwdrivers, they tend to assume that you’ve already got the requisite bits, or that you are going to buy them as you need them.

So, if you find someone willing to sell you a bundle, that’s a good day, especially if that bundle includes a lot of bits.

And the VonHaus bundle includes bits for almost any screw you could encounter, as well as coming with a nifty carrying case.

Without even talking about the drill, this is already a good deal.

As far as the VonHaus 3.6v electric screwdriver goes, it is a good deal on its own, too. It provides you with a good screwdriver, albeit one that has an integrated lithium-ion battery.

It has a decent amount of power to the motor, it lasts for over an hour of use, and it is small enough to fit most places. It also happens to include the beloved LED light for illumination, which is a great thing for pretty much anyone working on any sort of project.

All things considered, if you’ve just found yourself needing a set of bits and an electric screwdriver, you are definitely going to want to look into this bundle, as well as its nifty carrying case.

It makes for a great beginner’s kit for anyone who has found themselves needing an electric screwdriver, even if the screwdriver itself does not have as much power and as much versatility as some of the other, more well-known names on this list.

DeWalt DCF682N1 – The Gyroscopic Stabilizing Model

DeWalt makes another return to the list with a product that offers simplicity and something that may be thought to some to be a gimmick. They offer ‘gyroscopic stabilization’. In some devices, this is used to keep the device stable while under operation.

In this case, it basically allows you to decided which way the screwdriver will spin on the fly. Hold down the trigger and angle it clockwise to drive in screws, or angle it counter-clockwise to remove screws.

This is one of those niceties that borders on being a gimmick, but it is an interesting solution to the problem and no doubt about that.

This offering from DeWalt powered by the 8V MAX lithium-ion removable battery. In fact, the purchase of this electric screwdriver gets you one such battery and it also gets you a handy charging station for making sure that your tool will remain usable.

As always, if you’re going to be using it often or for long periods of time, spending a few extra dollars on another 8V MAX lithium-ion battery is a good idea, especially if you’re going to be working on a construction site.

Add in the ease of use of this tool with the LED light for illuminating your workspace, and then consider the interesting system for choosing the direction it’s going to rotate, and you’ve got a very good, if not a little weird, tool for use anywhere you could need it.

And with the DeWalt name (technically, trademarked as ‘DEWALT’), it’s the kind of tool that a professional could use with confidence for a long time to come. These things will keep kicking for quite some time, making them a good investment for anyone.

Craftsman 4v Bit Set Bundle – The Craftsman Offering

For a long time, Craftsman was known as a Sears brand, though Sears never actually made them. They were the high-end tools Sears offered, and they came with a lifetime guarantee. Purchase one, and if it broke, it was replaced, almost no questions asked.

On to the Craftsman 4v electric screwdriver. It looks a lot like the VonHaus offering, although this one is much sturdier. In fact, the bundle that it comes with even looks similar; both come with a nice carrying case, both come with a few bits (in this case, 20 bits, verse the VonHaus bundle’s 50-ish), and both have an integrated battery design.

Of course, that also comes with a downside; the whole ‘integrated battery means that if the battery has gone through too many cycles of charging and discharging to run the motor in the screwdriver, it will eventually cease to hold a charge. If you have a removable battery, at that point you just throw the battery away.

Many of these batteries contain highly toxic elements, and they shouldn’t be dropped down your garbage disposal or thrown in your trash of course.

Some big-box stores, like Home Depot and Walmart and even Best Buy, actually have battery disposal in-store. The problem is that with an integrated battery, you end up having to throw out the whole device in most cases when the internal battery dies.

However, this electric screwdriver is a great choice and one that will be good for a new home-owner to do some work with. It has an LED light and runs off of a 4v battery, so it has plenty of power and a decent amount of battery life, while also being useful for work in tight or poorly-lit spaces.

Black & Decker AS6NG – The Basic Solution

Stanley Black and Decker have yet another entry on this list. This one is the most basic electric screwdrivers reviewed, it’s a product without a lot of bells and whistles. It’s a good tool for a novice, for someone who doesn’t often need a screwdriver.

Definitely not a tool for a professional.

That doesn’t mean it has nothing to offer, though. Sure, it may not have an LED light to illuminate your workspace, and it may not come with the ability to pivot a million different ways, and it may not come with a big bundle and a nice carrying case, but it is still a good tool for the basic user.

The motor is powerful enough for most uses, of course. It comes with the two basic bits that will get you through most jobs that a casual user will encounter; an average Phillips bit and a flathead bit.

There is one shining way in which this is an amazing choice for the casual user, though; it runs off of standard AA alkaline batteries.

That means that if your screwdriver loses its charge mid-use or mid-project, you are going to be able to replace the power source with standard and easy-to-find batteries. Most people have plenty of AA batteries in their house, so powering this thing should be very simple.

If you’re looking for a basic electric screwdriver, kind of a ‘beginner’s first electric screwdriver’, then this is the one for you. If you’re looking for something more advanced, or something that is fit for a construction site or work site it may behoove you to look elsewhere.

Black & Decker BDCS20C – The Entry Level Black & Decker

Yet another Stanley Black and Decker product make it to the list! If you want to see a business that has the entire tool market fairly cornered, this is the company to look at. They control a large portion of it, to be sure.

Anyhow, this is another one of the more ‘entry level’ offerings that they have for the craftsman needing an electric screwdriver. It is simple to use, with a switch and a trigger being all you need to operate it.

Set the switch to the direction that you want the screw to turn, either to drive it or to remove it and away you go. It has an LED light included because honestly, the only reason to not include one at this point is due to worry about draining the battery too quickly.

The battery is another integrated lithium-ion battery, which means that it will last for a fair length of time, and at 4v, it provides more than enough power to ensure that you are going to be able to drive (or remove) screws with ease.

All that being said, this is not the most powerful of offerings that we’ve seen.

Who is this right for? If you’re the kind of person who is looking to hang their own cabinets or something like that in the house, this is a good electric screwdriver for you.

Apollo Precision Tools DT1036 – The Newcomer

Every one of the products we’ve reviewed thus far came from a well-established and well-known company, the kind of tool companies that you see ads for on television and whose products you can find on local store shelves.

Apollo, on the other hand, is more new to the industry.

That doesn’t mean that their products are bad, though. This is another one of the ‘swivel’ electric screwdrivers, with two possible positions; either configured in the ‘L’ shape, or in the straight configuration.

It has an integrated LED light, which is always a nice touch when you’re working somewhere that can be a bit on the darker side.

Another great thing is that it’s a bundle. As you can see from the image above, it comes with a handful of bits, which should provide you everything you need to do most of the basic work you’re likely to be doing.

In fact, for most purposes, this affordable option will have everything that you need in order to get the job done. And to be honest, most of the time, you won’t need anything more than the correct size of flathead or Phillips screwdriver bit.

In some cases, you may need a hex bit, but you can buy those almost anywhere that sells tools.

The only downside is that this product uses nickel-cadmium batteries, which isn’t the greatest battery.

If you’re a professional, you’ll definitely want to weigh the ease of use against the difficulty in keeping it charged and the limitation of the lifespan.

How To Choose The Right Electric Screwdriver

If you’re buying your first electric screwdriver, it may seem like a complex world out there. By reading this buyer’s guide, you will find it much easier to hunt for your first or next screwdriver.

Battery Type

All battery types have their uses, of course. Alkaline batteries are good, so long as you don’t let them get a minimum charge where they are liable to bursting and leaking various caustic chemicals.

Lithium-ion batteries are capable of discharging at a higher voltage, allowing it to handle a more powerful motor for driving screws or removing them.

Finally, nickel-cadmium batteries will have a longer use of life, surviving through more charge/discharge cycles before they are no longer capable of carrying a useful charge.

Picking the best battery for your uses really depends on what those uses are. If you’re just using it occasionally, a screwdriver run off of alkaline batteries, or even off the shelf AA batteries, may be a good one for you.

If you’re a professional, though, you’re probably going to need to look into something powered by lithium-ion batteries. Nickel-cadmium batteries will last longer, but they’re hard to dispose of, and they contain some very toxic metals, for example.

At the end of the day, it comes down to what you’re doing, and what your preference is.

Integrated vs Removable Batteries

This is an entirely subjective opinion. However, I greatly prefer one over the other for a few big reasons.

An integrated battery is part of the device. You won’t lose the battery in a toolbox or something, or forget it on the charger. It won’t fall out if not seated properly, and it won’t wind up suddenly not seating right if you don’t take care of the terminals and connection points.

The downside to integrated batteries is that you have only one, and you can’t remove it. If it dies while you’re working on a project, that project is over until it recharges. If the battery stops functioning or being able to hold a charge, then the tool is now useless.

On the other hand, with removable batteries, no tool is ever permanently dead due to its battery having reached the end of its lifecycle.

You can buy two batteries, and you will be able to swap them out while on the job, which is great. If one battery goes bad, dispose of it in accordance with the laws in your area, and get another at the hardware store.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a great cordless electric screwdriver, it is on this list. This list contains the best on the market, and if you are looking for one that will meet your needs, this is the place to look.

However, all that being said, there can really only be one that wins the title of ‘the best electric screwdriver’.

That winner is the DeWalt DCF682N1. It has a powerful battery and a powerful motor. It has an included LED light for illumination of the work site. It has a removable lithium-ion battery, meaning you can buy more if you want to (and you will probably want to).

All things considered, it has everything that you could possibly want in an electric screwdriver, as well as an impressive lineage. It is, without a doubt, the best electric screwdriver that 2018 has to offer, and the gyroscopic controls, once you get used to them, are actually pretty great.

However, whichever bundle or device you buy on this list, you’re going to be glad you bought one, whether it is to be used on a job site or to be used in your own home for some minor fixer-upper work.