Best Power Drill in Australia 2026 — 5 Picks With Verified AU Plug

You can buy a "DeWalt 18V drill" on Amazon AU for under $200 and unbox an empty plastic shell with no battery, no charger, and a sticker that says "skin only" — which is power-tool retailer slang for "you've just bought a paperweight." The hidden second invoice for batteries and a charger to make the tool actually do anything ranges from $150 to $250 depending on the platform. The other failure mode first-home buyers hit on Amazon AU power tools: ordering what looks like a great kit price, then unboxing it to find an American 110V plug that won't fit any socket in your house — a real verified-purchase customer review under one of the kits we evaluated (and disqualified) for this guide.

TL;DR — what we'd buy in 2026

Australian power tool shoppers often look for Milwaukee, Ryobi-Bunnings (the lime-green Australian range), or Ozito — those brands sit predominantly with Bunnings, Mitre 10, Total Tools, and trade suppliers rather than Amazon AU. Within Amazon AU's buy-box, we held a strict bar on AU plug compatibility per pick. Best overall — the only pick with explicit listing-level AU plug confirmation: Makita 18V 5.0Ah Brushless Impact Driver Combo Kit (~$475). Best for FHB price-point — full kit at strong inference-grade evidence: DeWalt 18V XR 2-Piece Brushless Drill + Impact Kit (~$385). Best for buyers already in the DeWalt 18V XR ecosystem (skin only): DeWalt DCD1007N-XJ Premium Hammer Drill Driver (~$199). Best for the Makita 18V LXT ecosystem (skin only): Makita DHP486Z (~$219, only 5 left at time of writing). Best sub-$200 kit: Stanley FATMAX V20 Hammer Drill Kit (~$165). Last updated May 2026 — prices verified live via Amazon Creators API.

How we evaluated power drills

NestPath doesn't physically test every product. Here's what we actually do:

• Surveyed 25+ cordless drill products available on Amazon Australia with verified buy-box listings, AU shipping, and current pricing.
• Cross-checked manufacturer specifications against retailer listings — removing products where claims didn't match (battery type, included components, tool category, regional SKU).
• Aggregated verified Amazon AU customer review data — filtered for star rating, review count, recency, and verified-purchase ratio. One DeWalt combo kit was removed after an Australian verified-purchase review explicitly stated the charger arrived with an "American" plug.
• Filtered for first-home-buyer fit — under $500 ceiling, suitable for a typical home DIY routine (mounting, assembly, light renovation), beginner-friendly forward-reverse and clutch settings, available in stock at AU buy-box.
• Verified availability daily via the Amazon Creators API. The "verified in stock" badge on each product card shows when we last confirmed buy-box availability.
• Verified AU plug compatibility per pick. Direct verification required listing-level evidence (explicit "(AU PLUG/STOCK)" title language, tech-details Plug type field, or Australian customer review confirming AU plug). Inference verification accepted regional SKU naming, AUD buy-box pricing, and brand AU distribution channels as supporting signals when direct evidence was absent. Bare tools (skins) without chargers needed no plug verification. We disclose verification grade per pick — readers can match purchase decisions to their personal risk tolerance.
• Editorial selection by Anish Puri, NestPath founder.

We earn affiliate commission when you buy through our links. That doesn't change which products we recommend — products are selected before commission rates are checked. Our methodology page explains scoring and how to flag inaccuracies.

Best overall — Makita 18V 5.0Ah Brushless Impact Driver Combo Kit

The Makita 18V 5.0Ah Li-ion Cordless Brushless Impact Driver Combo Kit (AU PLUG/STOCK) (~$475) is the only kit in our entire Amazon AU power-tool research with explicit listing-level AU plug confirmation. The seller has put "(AU PLUG/STOCK)" in the product title itself — language that creates seller liability if the kit ships with a non-AU plug — and the linked Makita DC18RC charger SKU sold separately on Amazon AU is explicitly described as "240V AU Plug in Plain Packaging." For first-home buyers who want maximum verification certainty and are willing to pay the premium for it, this is the highest-confidence pick on Amazon AU at the time of writing.

What you get: a brushless drill driver, a brushless impact driver, a Makita 18V LXT 5.0Ah Li-ion battery, and a fast charger. The brushless motor on both tools matters more than first-home buyers usually expect — it runs cooler, draws less current per task, and gives the battery roughly 30–50% more cycles before runtime drops noticeably. The 5.0Ah battery is the high-capacity option in the LXT range; expect somewhere in the order of 90–120 holes on a typical FHB workload (mounting brackets, picture rails, flat-pack assembly with the impact driver) before recharge.

The Makita 18V LXT platform is also the deepest cordless ecosystem available in Australia. Once you've bought into LXT batteries with this kit, every Makita 18V tool — circular saw, jigsaw, nailer, leaf blower, pole hedger, vacuum, and roughly 200 other tools — runs from the same battery. That platform commitment matters more than the sticker price for the 5–10 year cost-of-ownership math.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Real tradeoffs at this price: $475 is the highest-priced pick in our lineup and a real outlay for first-home buyers focused on a renovation budget. The kit doesn't include a hammer drill mode (the included drill driver is rotary-only) — if your house has older brick walls and you need to drill into masonry, you'll need a separate hammer drill or a masonry-rated rotary hammer. Editorial reviews from ProToolReviews and the Bunnings Workshop community consistently rate Makita LXT slightly below DeWalt 18V XR on raw torque numbers, though the Makita brushless drivers tend to be more compact and lighter — useful for overhead work and tight cabinet interiors.

Best for FHB price-point — DeWalt 18V XR 2.0Ah Brushless Drill + Impact 2-Piece Kit

The DeWalt 18V XR 2.0Ah Brushless Drill Impact/Driver 2-Piece Power Tools Kit (~$385) is the practical recommendation when price matters more than maximum verification certainty. It's $90 cheaper than the Makita combo above and delivers a comparable two-tool setup — brushless drill driver plus brushless impact driver, with a 2.0Ah battery, charger and tool box included. The DeWalt 18V XR platform is the second-deepest cordless system in Australia after Makita LXT; ecosystem expansion options remain wide.

Plug compatibility note: this listing's tech-details table doesn't expose plug type explicitly. We've inferred AU compatibility from the "18V XR" regional SKU naming (the AU/EU/UK convention; US-market DeWalt drills are branded "20V Max"), AUD pricing on Amazon AU's buy-box, and Stanley Black & Decker's direct AU distribution channel into Bunnings, Total Tools and Amazon AU. This is inference-grade evidence — not the same standard as the Position 1 pick where AU plug is stated explicitly. If your charger arrives with a non-AU plug, contact Amazon AU customer service for a return; Australian Consumer Law applies to all Amazon AU purchases regardless of seller location.

What you get: a DeWalt brushless drill driver, a brushless impact driver, a single 2.0Ah Li-ion battery (vs the Makita kit's 5.0Ah — meaningful runtime difference), a charger, and a tool box. The 2.0Ah battery is enough for a weekend of mounting brackets and flat-pack assembly but you'll feel the recharge gap on a longer day. Buying a second battery later is straightforward — DeWalt 18V XR 5.0Ah batteries run $95–110 on Amazon AU buy-box.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Real tradeoffs: the inference-grade plug verification is genuinely a softer evidence bar than the Makita combo above — readers who want maximum certainty should pay the $90 difference and go with the Makita. The single 2.0Ah battery is the kit's most pinching limit; serious renovation work effectively requires a second battery. The DeWalt brushless impact driver in this kit is the standard model, not the higher-torque "Premium" version sold separately at $199 (which appears as the budget pick in position 3 below if you're already in the DeWalt 18V XR ecosystem and want the Premium drill spec).

Best budget — DeWalt DCD1007N-XJ 18V XR Premium Brushless Hammer Drill Driver (skin only)

This is a bare tool — battery and charger sold separately. Pick this only if you already own DeWalt 18V XR batteries (compatible with the kit at position 2 above). If you don't own batteries yet, the kits at positions 1 or 2 are the better starting point — they include both batteries and chargers; the $199 sticker price here turns into $350+ once you factor in the separate battery and charger purchases.

The DeWalt DCD1007N-XJ 18V XR Premium Brushless Hammer Drill Driver (~$199, no battery & charger, plain packaging) is the higher-spec drill in DeWalt's Premium line — distinct from the standard brushless drill bundled in the position 2 kit. The DCD1007 has 11-position adjustable torque control, three-speed all-metal transmission, a 3-mode adjustable LED with up to 70-lumen spotlight, and a hammer drill function that the kit-included DeWalt drill lacks. For first-home buyers already in the DeWalt 18V XR ecosystem (perhaps from a previous garden tool purchase) and needing to drill into AU brick or render, this is the tool to add.

The "-XJ" suffix in the model code is the European/multi-region SKU convention (EU, UK, AU). The "Plain Packaging" note in the title is real: this is sold as a no-frills retail-trade package, not a consumer gift box, which is why the price sits below the boxed equivalent. The tool itself is identical to the boxed version.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Real tradeoffs: this is the textbook FHB skin-only trap if you don't already own batteries — the $199 sticker is misleading at the unboxing stage. The plain packaging means no carry case is included; budget $25–40 for a hard case if the tool will leave the garage. Hammer mode on this drill is rated for occasional masonry work, not for sustained drilling into hard concrete — for that you want a dedicated rotary hammer like the DeWalt DCH172 SDS Plus, which is a different tool class outside this guide.

Best for buyers in the Makita 18V LXT ecosystem — Makita DHP486Z (skin only)

This is a bare tool — battery and charger sold separately. Pick this only if you already own Makita LXT batteries (compatible with the kit at position 1 above) or you plan to buy into the Makita LXT system over time. Like the DeWalt skin at position 3, the $219 sticker becomes $400+ once you factor in a Makita 5.0Ah battery and DC18RC charger separately.

The Makita DHP486Z 18V Li-ion LXT Brushless Combi Drill (~$219, batteries and charger not included, plain packaging) is the higher-spec brushless combi drill in the Makita LXT range — "combi" means it does drill, screwdriver, and hammer-drill duty in one tool, distinct from the rotary-only drill driver bundled in the position 1 combo kit. The headline specs: 130 Nm hard torque, 65 Nm soft torque, two-speed all-metal gearbox, and the XPT (Extreme Protection Technology) seal that protects against water and dust ingress on outdoor and laundry worksites.

Stock note: at the time of writing this listing showed only 5 left in stock at the Amazon AU buy-box per the Amazon Creators API. That's the kind of inventory level where stock can run out within a week. The verified-in-stock badge on the product card above will reflect current state — if it shows out-of-stock by the time you're reading this, the equivalent restock typically lands within 3–6 weeks.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Real tradeoffs: same skin-only trap as position 3 — the price doesn't include the runtime infrastructure. Makita's plain-packaging cardboard SKU isn't a presentation case; a Makita Makpac case is $50–80 separately if you want one. The DHP486Z is nominally a "Z" suffix bare-tool variant of the DHP486 — no charger to verify for plug, but the matching DC18RC charger sold separately on Amazon AU is explicitly described as "240V AU Plug" (the linked Makita charger ASIN B00DVO32VQ).

Best sub-$200 kit — Stanley FATMAX V20 18V Hammer Drill/Driver Kit

The STANLEY FATMAX V20 18V Cordless Hammer Drill/Driver Kit (~$164.79) is the budget pick on Amazon AU for first-home buyers who don't already own a battery platform and need a complete kit under $200. Stanley FATMAX V20 is the consumer-tier sister platform to the DeWalt 18V XR system — both are owned by Stanley Black & Decker, manufactured at SBD facilities, and distributed in Australia through Bunnings, Total Tools, and Amazon AU. The kit ships with two batteries (a 2.0Ah and a 4.0Ah — meaningful for runtime), a charger, and a kit box.

Plug compatibility note: Stanley Black & Decker has direct AU distribution (sold through Bunnings, Total Tools, and Amazon AU). The listing's tech-details table doesn't expose plug type. AU plug compatibility is inferred from the SBD AU distribution channel and AUD buy-box presence. If AU plug verification matters most for you at this price tier, contact the seller via Customer Q&A before purchase — Australian Consumer Law applies to Amazon AU sales regardless of seller location.

What you get: a 50 Nm hammer drill/driver (less than the Makita LXT's 130 Nm and the DeWalt XR's higher figures — fine for drywall, pine framing, and light masonry; underspecced for hardwood or sustained brick work), a 2-speed gearbox (0-350 / 0-1500 RPM), 24 clutch settings, and a hammer action rated to 25,000 BPM. The two-battery kit is the smart move at this price tier — the 2.0Ah for daily quick jobs, the 4.0Ah for long sessions where you don't want to recharge mid-task.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Real tradeoffs: the V20 platform is consumer-tier, not pro-tier — the breadth of the Stanley FATMAX V20 lineup (about 25–30 tools) is much narrower than the 200+ tool count on Makita LXT or DeWalt 18V XR. If you're committed to building a deep cordless ecosystem over 5–10 years, the Makita or DeWalt platforms are better long-term bets even at a $300–400 entry price. For a first-home buyer who needs a working hammer drill, two batteries, and a charger for under $200 and isn't trying to build a workshop, the Stanley kit is the right answer at the price point.

What to look for in a power drill

Cordless drill marketing is heavy on numbers that look impressive in spec comparisons but matter less on a real FHB worksite than the spec sheet implies. Here's what actually changes how the drill works in practice.

18V vs 20V — the same number labelled differently

"Is 18V or 20V better?" is one of the most-asked drill questions in AU search, and the honest answer is they're usually the same drill voltage measured two different ways. Lithium-ion battery cells run at a nominal 3.6 V each; a 5-cell pack runs at nominal 18 V (Australian/European convention) or peak 20 V (American convention — measured at no-load right after charge). DeWalt's "20V Max" line is functionally identical to the same cell pack labelled "18V XR" for the AU/EU market. The only real differences are the plug shipped in the box (US vs AU) and the charger input voltage (110V vs 240V). For FHB buying on Amazon AU, the "20v" or "20V" label is a red flag that the kit is likely a US-market import — like the DeWalt DCK240C2 we excluded from this lineup after a verified-purchase review confirmed an American charger.

Brushless vs brushed motor

Brushless motors run cooler, draw less current per task, and give the battery roughly 30–50% more cycles before runtime drops. The cost difference between brushed and brushless mid-range tools has narrowed to about $30–50 in 2026 — at this gap, brushless wins almost every comparison for first-home buyers who'll keep the tool for 5+ years. The exception is the absolute-budget tier under $80 where brushed motors still dominate; below that price, "brushless" claims tend to be marketing rather than build-quality reality.

Hammer drill vs drill driver — and why it matters in AU

A drill driver bores holes and drives screws via rotation only. A hammer drill adds a percussive function — the chuck pulses forward and back ~25,000 times per minute alongside the rotation, which lets the drill chip through brick, mortar, and light concrete. AU homes built before about 1990 are dominantly double-brick or brick-veneer, so any wall mounting into the load-bearing brick layer needs hammer mode. AU homes built after 1990 are dominantly timber-framed with plasterboard, where hammer mode is unnecessary and rotary-only is fine. Picks 3, 4 and 5 above all include hammer mode; the kits at positions 1 and 2 vary — the Makita kit's drill driver is rotary-only, the DeWalt kit's drill is also rotary-only.

Skin only vs full kit — the FHB unboxing trap

"Skin only" or "bare tool" or "tool only" or "no battery & charger" all mean the same thing: you've bought the tool body without the runtime infrastructure. The price is roughly 50–60% of the equivalent full kit. The trap is that an FHB browsing Amazon AU compares a $149 skin-only DeWalt tool to a $199 full Bosch kit and thinks the DeWalt is cheaper — it isn't, once you factor in the $150–250 separate purchase for a battery and charger. If you don't already own a battery platform, always start with a full kit (positions 1, 2, or 5 in this guide). Once you own the platform, skin tools become genuinely cost-effective additions.

Battery platform commitment

The cordless drill is rarely the most expensive cordless tool you'll buy — circular saws, mitre saws, leaf blowers and impact wrenches all run higher. The platform you commit to with your first kit purchase determines what you can add cheaply later, because batteries are platform-locked: a Makita LXT battery doesn't fit a DeWalt 18V XR tool and vice versa. The big platforms with deep AU retail support are Makita LXT (~200+ tools), DeWalt 18V XR (~150+ tools), and Milwaukee M18 (mostly Bunnings/Total Tools, not Amazon AU's strong category). Stanley FATMAX V20 is narrower (~25–30 tools) but cheaper to enter. Bosch's split system (Professional 18V vs Home & Garden 18V) is the deepest in Europe but, as our research found, the AU listings for the Home & Garden range have plug-disclosure issues we couldn't verify around.

Care and maintenance

A $385 cordless drill kit treated well lasts 7–10 years. The same kit treated badly degrades to a $385 paperweight in 18 months. The maintenance habits matter more than the platform choice for total cost of ownership.

Storing Li-ion batteries — the temperature and charge rules

Li-ion batteries hate two things: extreme heat (above 40°C accelerates capacity loss) and being stored at full charge for months (electrolyte breakdown). The first matters in Australia — a battery left in a closed garage in summer hits 50–60°C easily. The garage shelf is fine; the dashboard of a parked car is a battery-killer. The second matters for the spare battery you're not using daily — store it at 40–60% charge if it's going on the shelf for more than a month. Modern Makita LXT, DeWalt 18V XR and Stanley V20 batteries have built-in protection circuits that mitigate the worst of both, but the protection extends battery life, it doesn't eliminate degradation.

When to use hammer mode (and when not to)

Hammer mode chips through masonry but is rough on the drill bit and on wood/metal. Rule: hammer mode on for brick, mortar, render, light concrete, and tile. Hammer mode off for timber framing, MDF, drywall, plasterboard, soft metal, and plastic. Using hammer mode on timber strips out the screw thread or splits the wood; using rotary mode on brick takes 4× longer and dulls the bit. Most modern drills have a clutch ring that switches between modes — set it correctly per material and the drill bit's life triples.

Bit selection and care

Drill bits are platform-agnostic — any 1/4" hex bit fits any modern drill chuck. Buy a quality bit set ($25–60 for a 100-piece set on Amazon AU buy-box) rather than the budget kit-bundled bits, which are often soft steel that dulls in 20–30 holes. Keep wood bits, metal bits and masonry bits separated; using a wood bit on metal blunts the cutting edge in one hole. Magnetic bit holders are worth the $15 — they save you the "where did the screw go" 30-second pause on every drive.

When to replace battery vs the whole tool

Two replacement signals matter. Battery degradation: when runtime drops below 50% of new (typically 4–6 years for daily use, 8+ years for weekend use), buy a new battery rather than a new drill. A 5.0Ah Makita LXT replacement battery is $90–120 on Amazon AU buy-box; a new full kit is $300–500. Tool degradation: when the chuck stops gripping bits firmly, the gearbox starts whining, or the trigger gets sticky, the tool is at end of life — replace it. For brushless drills, most tools wear out the gearbox before the motor. For brushed drills (older models, sub-$80 tier), the motor brushes wear out first and are replaceable on some models, not on others.

You'll also want

The drill is one piece of an FHB tool kit, not all of it. Here's what most readers buy alongside the drill in the first month or two of home ownership.

• 100-piece HSS drill bit + driver bit set — search Amazon AU. $25–60. The kit-included bits on most drills are 5–10 bits at most. A 100-piece set covers wood, metal, masonry and PH/PZ/Torx driver heads with enough redundancy to last the first 2–3 years before any individual bit dulls.
• Stud finder (electronic, multi-mode) — search Amazon AU. $35–80. Drilling into AU walls without a stud finder is how you discover the electrical cable behind the plasterboard — which is the wrong way to discover it. Multi-mode stud finders also flag live wires and metal pipes, both of which kill drills (and DIYers) faster than wood does.
• Spirit level / laser level — search Amazon AU. $40–120. Mounting picture rails, shelves, TV brackets, and curtain tracks all need accurate horizontal lines that a $5 spirit level handles for short runs and a self-levelling laser handles for long runs (over 1.5 m).
• Wall anchor / plug kit — search Amazon AU. $20–40 for a multi-pack with both plasterboard anchors and masonry plugs. AU walls are dominantly plasterboard over timber framing (post-1990) or double brick (pre-1990); both need the right anchor type for the wall material to actually hold the load. The cheap supermarket-tier anchors fail under load reliably.
• Safety glasses (ANSI Z87.1 rated) — search Amazon AU. $15–25. Drilling into masonry without eye protection is the FHB injury most reported by AU emergency departments. Anti-fog coating matters in AU summer humidity.
• Magnetic wristband for screws and bits — search Amazon AU. $15–25. The "where did the bit go" pause that happens 8 times per assembly job goes to zero with a magnetic wristband. Underrated FHB accessory.

The competition — products we considered but didn't pick

Five products that came close but didn't make the lineup, with the one-line reason each.

• Bosch Home & Garden 18V kits — UniversalImpact 18V-60 (~$149), EasyDrill 18-40 (~$99), EasyImpact 18V-40 (~$115). Three Bosch kits with strong feature-sets and FHB-friendly pricing — would have anchored the lineup. We excluded the entire Bosch H&G range after extensive verification: zero plug evidence in tech-details tables, zero plug-related Q&A or customer reviews from Australia across all three listings. The Bosch system is "Made in Europe. Designed in Germany," verified, but the AU plug shipping convention isn't documented anywhere we could trust.
• DeWalt DCK240C2 20v Lithium Drill/Impact Combo Kit (~$278). The model code "20v" with imperial measurements (1/2-inch chuck, 5.55-inch length, 2.8 lbs weight) is the US-market SKU pattern. A verified-purchase Australian review on the listing confirmed: "It came with what appears to be an American charger." Disqualified for AU plug failure.
• Ryobi One+ HP Brushless Drill (skin-only varieties). The lime-green Ryobi range that dominates Bunnings is a different product line than the Ryobi One+ tools sold on Amazon AU — Bunnings has the Australian-spec Ryobi range; Amazon AU's Ryobi listings are dominantly tool-only skins, not kits. For FHB readers comfortable with Bunnings, the Ryobi One+ HP 18V Brushless 1/2 in. Drill kit is a strong sub-$300 option there.
• Ozito PXC 18V kits. Ozito is Bunnings' budget house brand, sub-$100 for many kits, with a real AU plug. Nearly impossible to find on Amazon AU buy-box (Amazon AU listings for Ozito are sparse and frequently SCARCE). For sub-$100 budget tools, Bunnings is the right channel.
• Milwaukee M18 cordless drill kits. Milwaukee is one of the strongest cordless platforms in the AU pro-trade segment but the buy-box on Amazon AU for M18 kits is thin and dominated by skin-only listings. For Milwaukee, Total Tools and Sydney Tools are better channels than Amazon AU.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 18V or 21V better for a cordless drill?

The voltage spec on a cordless drill is a peak measurement, and once you're comparing professional-tier 18V vs consumer-tier 21V, the lower-voltage pro tool will out-perform the higher-voltage consumer tool more often than not. A Makita 18V LXT brushless drill at 130 Nm hard torque outperforms most 21V consumer drills on the Amazon AU buy-box. Voltage is a marketing differentiator at the budget tier; brushless motor design and battery cell quality matter more above $200.

Is there a big difference between 18V and 20V drills?

Usually no — they're the same drill voltage labelled by two different conventions. AU and Europe spec batteries by nominal voltage (the steady-state running voltage of the cells), which gives a 5-cell Li-ion pack 18V. The American convention uses peak voltage (the no-load voltage right after a full charge), which gives the same pack 20V. DeWalt's "20V Max" and "18V XR" lines are functionally identical hardware with different labels for different markets. On Amazon AU, "20v" or "20V" labelling is the strong signal that the kit is a US-market import — and the charger plug that ships in the box may follow.

Which is better, DeWalt or Makita, for a first home?

Different strengths. Makita LXT has the deepest cordless ecosystem in Australia (200+ compatible tools), is generally lighter and more compact, and the Makita brushless impact drivers are class-leading for low-vibration. DeWalt 18V XR has higher rated torque on most equivalent models, broader Australian retail availability (Bunnings, Total Tools, Mitre 10, Amazon AU), and the kit pricing is usually $50–100 cheaper for a comparable spec. For first-home buyers without an existing battery platform, both brands are correct answers — pick by which has the upgrade tools you'll need over the next 5 years.

Do I need a hammer drill for an Australian home?

If your home was built before about 1990, almost certainly yes — AU pre-1990 housing is dominantly double-brick or brick-veneer construction, and any wall mounting into the load-bearing brick layer requires hammer mode. If your home was built after 1990, almost certainly no — post-1990 AU housing is dominantly timber-framed with plasterboard, where rotary mode handles every domestic task. Apartments and townhouses fall on a building-by-building basis depending on construction era. Check your home's brickwork before deciding — picks 3, 4, and 5 in this guide all include hammer mode for brick.

Should I buy on Amazon AU or Bunnings for a first cordless drill?

It depends on which platform you want. Amazon AU has the strongest range of DeWalt 18V XR and Makita LXT kits with verified buy-box availability. Bunnings has the strongest range of Ryobi One+ (Bunnings AU has the lime-green Ryobi range that the Bunnings Workshop community uses), Ozito, and Milwaukee M18 — three platforms that are sparse on Amazon AU. For sub-$100 budget kits, Bunnings is the better channel. For mid-range to premium DeWalt and Makita, Amazon AU's buy-box pricing is usually competitive with Bunnings or cheaper.

Setting up your home tool kit?

A power drill is the start of an FHB tool collection, not the whole of it. For the broader essential-tools picture — including hand tools, a hammer, screwdrivers, a tape measure, and the storage to keep them organised — our home tool kit guide covers the kit a first-home buyer actually needs in the first six months. For the bigger move-in picture — including kitchen, laundry, and bathroom essentials — start with our new home checklist, which covers the room-by-room essentials so you can prioritise. Once you've moved in, the ongoing job is keeping things working — our home maintenance checklist covers the seasonal home-DIY tasks that the drill earns its keep on. For storing the drill and the rest of the FHB kit somewhere they're easy to find, see our garage storage ideas. Mid-move you'll need a parallel checklist — our moving checklist Australia covers timing, suppliers, and what to pack first. And once the move is done, the drill spends its first weekends mounting things at the home office workstation — see our home office setup guide for monitor arms, standing desks, and cable management that all need a drill on day one.

About the author

Anish Puri founded NestPath in 2026 after going through the Australian first-home-buyer process himself. NestPath focuses on Australian first-home buyers because the existing review sites are American, generic, or both. Anish handles editorial selection across the homeowner hub. Reach out: hello@nestpath.com.au