For those who keep only one drill/driver on hand, a full-sized 18-volt cordless hammer drill can be a good option. You may not need the hammer function all the time, but it’s helpful to have the capability of drilling into dense materials such as steel, concrete, and masonry when you need to.

I recently tested 10 different 18-volt models for With all of them, users can switch between three modes: drilling, clutch-controlled driving, and hammer drilling. While all of those tools are capable of everyday drilling tasks, I was looking for the heavy hitters—those with the muscle to handle the jobs that often come up for remodelers, but that smaller drill/drivers just can’t do.

This article first appeared in Tools of the Trade. Click here to read the original version.