π§ Product Review
Best Cordless Tool Brand for Contractors UK
Every van in the UK runs one of about six battery colours, and that is not loyalty for its own sake. Once you have paid for a charger and a couple of packs, every tool after that is a bare unit, and changing brand means starting that spend again. We compared the six 18V platforms UK tradespeople actually buy into - Makita 18V LXT, DeWalt 18V XR, Milwaukee M18, Bosch Professional 18V, Ryobi ONE+ and Einhell Power X-Change - on what it costs to get started, which tools you can only buy on the dearer platforms, and where the trade-grade money is worth it. If you are still choosing a drill rather than a platform, our cordless drills roundup covers the models first.
Key Takeaways
- Makita DHP486Z 18V LXT Brushless Combi Drill sits on the best all-round platform for UK trade work, with the deepest range of site tools and the strongest secondhand values
- Milwaukee M18 Cordless Hammer Drill is the pick when the work is heavy duty, because M18 stretches into high-draw tools the other platforms do not really cover
- DeWalt DCD778S2T 18V XR Brushless Hammer Drill is the best first purchase on the list, because the kit arrives with two batteries and a case for around Β£171
- Bosch Professional GSB 18V-55 is the cheapest trade-grade bare unit of the big four at around Β£58, which suits anyone doing precise work in wood and metal
- Ryobi RPD18BL2-0 ONE+ Brushless Combi Drill covers the widest tool list for the money, and the Einhell TE-CD 18/40 is the cheapest serious way onto any 18V platform
Suggested Reading: Best Cordless Drills UK 2026 for individual models, or the brushless and voltage guide if you are still working out what you need from a platform.
Quick Picks
Short on time? Here is the bottom line.
Around Β£79 body only
Around Β£151 body only
Around Β£171 with 2 batteries
Around Β£58 body only
Around Β£89 body only
Around Β£114 with battery
Quick Comparison
Prices below are what the tools were listed at when we checked, and they move with Amazon's own discounts. Everything except the DeWalt and Einhell lines is a bare unit, which is the honest way to compare platforms once you already own batteries.
| Brand | Platform | Representative tool | Typical price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makita | 18V LXT | DHP486Z combi drill, body only | Around Β£79 | Daily site work, deepest trade range |
| Milwaukee | M18 | M18 hammer drill, body only | Around Β£151 | Heavy duty, plant and garages |
| DeWalt | 18V XR | DCD778S2T kit with 2 batteries | Around Β£171 | A complete kit in one box |
| Bosch Professional | Professional 18V | GSB 18V-55 combi drill, body only | Around Β£58 | Precision work in wood and metal |
| Ryobi | ONE+ 18V | RPD18BL2-0 brushless combi, body only | Around Β£89 | Lots of tools on a modest budget |
| Einhell | Power X-Change 18V | TE-CD 18/40 drill | Around Β£114 | Cheapest route into a full platform |
In-Depth Reviews
Makita DHP486Z 18V LXT Brushless Combi Drill
18V LXT Β· brushless motor Β· 2-speed gearbox Β· 13mm keyless chuck Β· all-metal gear housing
Makita is the platform you see most often in the back of a UK van, and the DHP486Z is the reason. It is a brushless combi drill with an all-metal gear housing, so it takes the knocks that come with being thrown in and out of a van all week. On the LXT platform you can add an SDS hammer for concrete, a reciprocating saw for pipework, a mitre saw for trims and even garden machinery, all running the same packs.
The real argument for LXT is not the drill, it is everything that comes after it. Because so many UK trades already run Makita, batteries are easy to borrow, easy to buy used and easy to replace on a Saturday morning. Body-only prices mean each new tool is cheaper than the last. The companion most people add next is the Makita DTD173Z impact driver, which is around Β£79 on its own.
- Deepest range of genuine trade tools on one battery
- All-metal gear housing copes with van life
- Used batteries and tools are easy to find in the UK
- Strong resale value if you ever change platform
- Bare units cost more than Bosch Professional equivalents
- Overlapping model numbers make secondhand buying confusing
- Genuine batteries are not cheap
Milwaukee M18 Cordless Hammer Drill
M18 Β· brushless motor Β· hammer function Β· bare unit Β· REDLITHIUM packs
Milwaukee M18 is what you buy when the tool has to survive a working life rather than a kitchen refit. The range goes where the other platforms only partly follow: high-draw tools like reciprocating saws, angle grinders, impact wrenches and site lighting. If your work involves plant, steel or anything that needs the tool pushed hard for hours, M18 is usually the platform still working when everything else has stopped.
You pay for that. At around Β£151 for the bare hammer drill it is the dearest combi drill of the big four, and M18 packs are the most expensive on this list. A DIY user will never touch the top of the range. The companion to add is the Milwaukee M18 impact driver, which is built for the same punishment.
- Built for heavy, continuous work
- Covers high-draw tools other 18V platforms skip
- Very good runtime on the larger packs
- Most expensive bare units of the six
- Batteries are the priciest to replace
- Overkill for domestic and light trade work
DeWalt DCD778S2T 18V XR Brushless Hammer Drill
18V XR Β· brushless Β· 65Nm torque Β· 2-speed Β· 13mm keyless chuck Β· 2 batteries Β· TSTAK case
If you are starting from nothing, this is the kit that gets you working. DeWalt's XR brushless hammer drill arrives with two batteries, a charger and a TSTAK case for around Β£171, and the hammer action will get you through brick for rawl plugs and fixings. It is the lowest-risk first purchase on this list because nothing else is needed on day one.
XR is also the platform with the biggest secondhand market in the UK, so adding tools as jobs demand them is straightforward. The obvious next step is the DeWalt DCF887N impact driver at around Β£80, which turns a drill into a proper fixing setup. Worth knowing that XR splits into 18V and the 54V FlexVolt tier for the heaviest tools, so the top of the range costs a lot more than the kit you start with.
- Two batteries and a case in one purchase
- 65Nm torque deals with long screws and hardwood
- Largest secondhand market of any UK platform
- Hammer function handles brick for everyday fixings
- 1.5Ah packs run out quickly on a full day
- The heaviest XR tools need the dearer FlexVolt tier
- Kit costs more up front than a bare unit
Bosch Professional GSB 18V-55 Cordless Combi Drill
Professional 18V Β· 55Nm torque Β· 2-speed Β· 13mm chuck Β· bare unit
Bosch Professional is the cheapest way into a genuinely trade-grade battery system. At around Β£58 for the bare GSB 18V-55 you are paying roughly a third of the Milwaukee equivalent, and for cabinet work, second fix and metalwork the control you get is hard to argue with. Bosch's blue Professional tools are the ones with the tighter tolerances, and the 18V system runs from drills and impact drivers through to SDS hammers.
The catch is the same one that applies to every Bosch buyer: the brand also sells a green DIY range, and the two do not share batteries. Buy the wrong colour once and you have bought twice. The platform is also thinner on landscaping tools than Makita or Ryobi. Useful additions include the Bosch GDR 18V-215 impact driver, which Bosch rates at 215Nm, and the GBH 18V-26 F SDS hammer if you are drilling concrete every week.
- Cheapest trade-grade bare units of the big four
- Excellent control for precise wood and metal work
- Full system includes SDS hammers for serious masonry
- Green DIY and blue Professional batteries are not shared
- Slimmer range of garden and outdoor tools
- Fewer mid-priced options between entry and top tier
Ryobi RPD18BL2-0 ONE+ Brushless Combi Drill
ONE+ 18V Β· brushless Β· bare unit Β· 260+ tools on the same battery
Ryobi ONE+ is the platform that quietly covers more jobs than anything else at the price. The brushless RPD18BL2-0 is a competent combi drill, but the reason to own ONE+ is the 260 plus tools that run on the same pack, including pressure washers, drain cleaners, glue guns, lawn kit and lighting. For a one-person operation doing domestic work, that spread means fewer one-job tools sitting idle in the van.
It is a DIY and light trade platform rather than a site platform, so treat it that way. If you need to drill a hundred 16mm holes in engineering brick every week, this is not the tool. If you need forty different tools that all work off two batteries, nothing else comes close for the money, and the R18PD3 starter kit at around Β£68 is the cheapest way onto the platform.
- Over 260 tools share the same battery
- Body-only prices are low enough to buy on a whim
- Cheap starter kits make it easy to try the platform
- Not built for all-day site punishment
- Weaker resale value than the trade brands
- Some specialist tools feel light for paid work
Einhell TE-CD 18/40 Li-i Power X-Change Cordless Drill
Power X-Change 18V Β· 40Nm torque Β· 2-speed gearbox Β· battery platform shared across the range
Einhell has quietly become the cheapest way to run one battery across a large tool range in the UK. The TE-CD 18/40 is a 40Nm two-speed drill, which is honest DIY power rather than trade power, but the Power X-Change platform behind it covers hundreds of tools from garden shredders to workshop vacuums.
Think of it as a second platform rather than the one that earns your money. If you have a van full of Makita or DeWalt for paid work, a cheap Power X-Change kit for the garden and the odd jobs around home makes sense because the packs cost so little. The 40Nm figure is the limit worth knowing about: it drives screws and drills timber happily, but it is not a masonry or heavy framing tool.
- Cheapest entry of the six platforms
- One battery runs a very large tool range
- Good choice as a second, low-cost platform
- 40Nm is light for paid trade work
- Tool range is weighted towards homeowners
- Fewer UK service options than the trade brands
How to Choose the Right Platform
Battery lock-in: what switching really costs
Every platform on this list uses its own slide mount and its own communication pins, so a Makita LXT pack will not fit a DeWalt XR tool and vice versa. That is the whole decision in one sentence. Once you own two packs and a charger, changing brand means paying for that setup again, which is roughly Β£80 to Β£150 before you have bought a single tool. Pick a platform you can live with for five years, not one that wins on this month's drill offer.
Body-only first, or kit first?
Your first purchase should be a kit, because you need batteries and a charger anyway and kit pricing bundles them sensibly. From the second tool onwards, buy body-only. A bare combi drill such as the Makita DHP486Z runs about Β£79, while the same tool with two packs and a charger lands near Β£180. If you are building a van around one brand, our 18V cordless drill kits guide lists what each starter setup actually includes.
Brushed or brushless for paid work
For money-earning tools, brushless is worth the extra Β£30 or so. There are no carbon brushes to wear out, the motor runs cooler under load, and you get more work out of each battery charge. Brushed drills are fine as a second tool for occasional jobs, but if the tool is in your hand every day, the cheaper option costs you more in the long run. Our guide to brushless and voltage explains where the difference actually shows up on site.
Starting a platform on a Β£300 budget
Around Β£300 buys a serious platform start if you spend it in the right order. A kit drill and two batteries comes first, then an impact driver as a bare unit, then a third tool that matches the work you actually do. Buying a drill kit, an impact driver and a spare pack in one go is usually cheaper than buying three tools and hoping the batteries keep up. If you are still deciding on a drill rather than a platform, our cordless drills comparison covers the individual models, and the impact driver roundup covers the tool most people add second.
Frequently Asked Questions
Final Verdict
For paid UK trade work, the platform we would put money into first is Makita 18V LXT. The DHP486Z combi drill is a solid brushless tool with an all-metal gear housing, but the real argument is everything after it: SDS hammers, saws and garden kit running the same packs, plus a secondhand market deep enough that you can replace a battery on a Saturday morning.
If the work is heavy duty rather than general, the Milwaukee M18 earns its premium. If you are starting from nothing and want a working kit out of one box, the DeWalt 18V XR kit is the safest first purchase at around Β£171. Where the work lives in wood and metal, the Bosch Professional GSB 18V-55 is the sensible starting point at the lowest trade-grade price here.
Whichever you pick, buy the platform rather than the drill. The tool in your hand today is the cheapest part of the decision.
James Walker
Writer
James compares power tools, hand tools and workshop kit.
Last reviewed: September 14, 2026 Β· Evidence-based review Β· Contains affiliate links