Cordless tools · Comparison
Cordless tool platforms compared: DEWALT 20V MAX, Milwaukee M18, CRAFTSMAN V20, RYOBI ONE+
Your first cordless drill also picks your battery system. Which platform should a homeowner buy into?
Quick picks who each one fits
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DEWALT 20V MAX drill and impact driver combo kit (DCK240C2)
Drill and impact driver from day one
- Platform: 20V MAX
- Voltage: 20 V
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Milwaukee M18 compact drill/driver kit (2606-21CT)
M18, if you plan to add automotive tools
- Platform: M18
- Voltage: 18 V
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CRAFTSMAN V20 hammer drill kit (CMCD711C2)
Hammer drill first, for occasional masonry
- Platform: V20
- Voltage: 20 V
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RYOBI ONE+ 18V drill/driver kit with battery and charger
One battery for household, garden and hobby tools
- Platform: ONE+
- Voltage: 18 V
Figures are as stated in each product's current Amazon listing. Yes or No: whether the listing names the feature.
On this page
What we compared and why
- Battery compatibility across the platform. Batteries and a charger come with your first kit. A platform whose batteries fit every later tool lets each later tool run on the batteries you already own.
- The tools you are likely to add. Think two years ahead: a vacuum, a light, a leaf blower, a ratchet. This page does not compare the makers' ranges; check on each maker's own site that the tools you will want next exist on that platform.
- The entry kit. The drill kit is where most people start. We compare what each kit is sold as and its voltage class.
The models compared
| Model | Platform | Voltage | Amazon link |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEWALT 20V MAX drill and impact driver combo kit (DCK240C2) | 20V MAX | 20 V | See on Amazon |
| Milwaukee M18 compact drill/driver kit (2606-21CT) | M18 | 18 V | See on Amazon |
| CRAFTSMAN V20 hammer drill kit (CMCD711C2) | V20 | 20 V | See on Amazon |
| RYOBI ONE+ 18V drill/driver kit with battery and charger | ONE+ | 18 V | See on Amazon |
Read at this page's build and converted to one unit by us; sources as in the key above. "Not stated in listing": the listing does not give it. "Listing gives two values": it states two, so we show neither.
DEWALT 20V MAX drill and impact driver combo kit (DCK240C2)
Who it fits: You want a drill and an impact driver from day one and plan to stay with DEWALT 20V MAX batteries.
Skip it if: You only need a drill; a single-tool kit is the smaller start.
Milwaukee M18 compact drill/driver kit (2606-21CT)
Who it fits: You expect to add automotive tools later, such as the ratchets and impact wrenches in our other guides, on M18 batteries.
Skip it if: You mainly want garden tools on one battery; compare what each maker sells for the garden first.
CRAFTSMAN V20 hammer drill kit (CMCD711C2)
Who it fits: You drill into masonry now and then and want a hammer drill as your first tool.
Skip it if: You never drill brick or concrete; a plain drill/driver does the household jobs without the hammer mode.
RYOBI ONE+ 18V drill/driver kit with battery and charger
Who it fits: Homeowners who want one battery for household, garden and hobby tools, on the platform whose maker states three decades of battery compatibility.
Skip it if: You already know the next tools you need and have not checked them on RYOBI's own site; do that before you commit.
What the makers say about battery compatibility
DEWALT 20V MAX. DEWALT says its FLEXVOLT batteries are compatible with DEWALT 20V MAX power tools, so a FLEXVOLT battery bought later also runs your first drill. How FLEXVOLT, 20V MAX and 60V MAX fit together is set out in DEWALT FLEXVOLT batteries explained.
Milwaukee M18. Milwaukee runs two separate systems, M18 and the smaller M12, and its battery pages describe each battery family as fitting the tools of the same system. Decide which of the two you are buying into before your first kit (see Milwaukee M12 or M18); our ratchet guide shows why many people end up with M12 tools too.
CRAFTSMAN V20. CRAFTSMAN describes its V20 batteries as compatible with all CRAFTSMAN V20 tools and equipment.
RYOBI ONE+. RYOBI's US system page describes the 18V ONE+ battery as compatible across products from the last three decades. RYOBI also sells other battery lines (such as 40V) that are separate systems.
How to choose
- List the next three tools you expect to buy. If they include garden tools, check each maker's garden range.
- If you lean towards automotive work (ratchets, impact wrenches), check those tools on each maker's site before the drill; the automotive tools in our other guides include DEWALT, Milwaukee and CRAFTSMAN models. See cordless impact wrenches for lug nuts.
- Only then compare the drill kits in the table. A kit is how most people get their first batteries and charger; a "tool only" listing has neither. Not sure whether you need a drill, an impact driver or both? See drill or impact driver.
Reading the table
"Voltage" is the class the maker names the platform by. Makers quote it differently: some give the battery's maximum initial voltage and others its nominal voltage, so a 20V class and an 18V class battery can be the same size of battery. Compare platforms by their batteries and the tools you need, not by that number.
A platform decision in one line each
- Already own batteries from one of these? Stay with it unless the tool you need next does not exist on that platform.
- Starting from zero? List the next three tools you want and check each maker's own site for them. The ratchets and impact wrenches in our other guides include DEWALT, Milwaukee and CRAFTSMAN models.
What this page does not tell you
We have not used these kits side by side, and we do not rank the platforms. This comparison is research-based: it rests on the makers' own compatibility statements and current listing data.