12V vs 18V drill
The question sounds like it is about voltage. It is really about size, chuck and battery family, and the honest answer needs real models with sourced numbers, not class-level slogans. This page pulls the 12V pair and the 18V pair from our 31-model sourced dataset: the Bosch PS31 and Skil DL6290A on one side, the Milwaukee 3601 and 2904 on the other, every figure traceable to the page that published it.
The numbers, 12V pair against 18V pair
Every cell renders straight from the dataset as of 2026-10-14. Torque here is in-lbs for all four models, so unlike brand comparisons that mix unit systems, these columns genuinely rank against each other. Why unit discipline matters before any torque comparison is on the specs explained page.
| Spec | Bosch PS31-2A (12V Max) | Skil DL6290A-11 (PWRCore 12V) | Milwaukee 3601 (M18 Compact) | Milwaukee 2904 (M18 Fuel) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 12V Max | 12V | 18V (M18) | 18V (M18 Fuel) |
| Max torque | 265 in-lbs | 350 in-lbs | 550 in-lbs | 1400 in-lbs |
| Max RPM | 1300 | 1700 | 1700 | 2100 |
| Weight, bare (lb) | 1.8 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 3.2 |
| Chuck | 3/8 in | 1/2 in | 1/2 in | 1/2 in |
| Motor | Brushed | Brushless | Brushless | Brushless |
| Hammer mode | No | No | No | Yes, 33,000 bpm |
| Recorded price (dataset, 2026-09-07) | $116 kit | $70 kit | $99 bare | $259 bare |
| Street on our 2026-10-14 read | see below | $69.99 | $149.00 | $229.00 |
Bare-tool weights, battery not included. Kit prices cover drill plus batteries and charger; bare prices cover the tool only, so the two are not directly comparable. The Skil's speed figure is the top of its two-speed range: Skil's spec table publishes 0-450 and 0-1,700 RPM, and the dataset records the 1,700 max. The 2904's 33,000 bpm hammer rate is what makes it the only hammer drill of the four.
Read the weight and torque rows together
The 12V pair holds the two lightest drills in the comparison at 1.8 and 1.9 lb. That half-pound-to-pound saved, plus a shorter head, is the entire ergonomic case for 12V, and it matters most for the work 12V tools are actually bought for: cabinet hinges, switch plates, drawer slides, anything overhead. The torque row tells the other half. The gap from 265 in-lbs (PS31) to 550 (Milwaukee 3601) is a class boundary: double the turning force for roughly half a pound more bare weight. The 2904 at 1400 in-lbs is not competing in this conversation at all; it is the flagship answer for people who already know they need an 18V hammer drill, and it anchors the top of the range so the class difference is visible end to end.
Speed is the row most pages get wrong by omission. The 12V tools are not slow: the Skil spins to 1,700 RPM, exactly matching the Milwaukee 3601's 1,700. Top speed is a gearing choice, not a voltage prize. What voltage buys is torque held under load and runtime per charge, which is why the honest spec comparison puts weight and chuck first and treats RPM as a wash in this pairing.
The chuck row decides more purchases than the torque row
The Bosch carries a 3/8 in chuck, the Skil a 1/2 in. That single cell can settle the buying question before voltage enters it, because large hole saws and wide spade-bit shanks need the 1/2 in opening, and it is why the Skil is such an awkward 12V product for the 18V class to answer: a brushless 12V drill with a full-size chuck at 1.9 lb. Our drill chuck sizes page maps which accessories demand which opening, and the buying guide frames the same choice for first-time buyers.
The 12V side, from the dataset
265 in-lbs, 0-350/0-1,300 RPM, 1.8 lb bare, 3/8 in chuck, brushed motor, 20+1 clutch. Sources: Bosch product page, Jason Wordie home-use test, Acme Tools listing
The PS31 is the 12V drill the internet agrees on, and the manufacturer page still publishes the full spec card our dataset records. Note what it does not have: brushless motor, hammer mode, 1/2 in chuck. It is a pure driver-drill for finish and assembly work. Our dataset recorded its two-battery kit at $169 on 2026-09-07; on this page's 2026-10-14 read the kit street ran from $169.00 at Acme Tools to $194.08 at Northern Tool, a genuinely volatile spread worth checking before buying: current Acme Tools listing. The kit recorded price moved a lot since September, when the dataset captured $116; we print both rather than quietly rewriting the record.
350 in-lbs, 0-450/0-1,700 RPM two-speed, 1.9 lb bare, 1/2 in chuck, brushless. Sources: Skil product page, Toolstash hands-on review, Walmart listing
The DL6290A-11 is the modern 12V answer: brushless, 1/2 in chuck, 350 in-lbs, and a kit (drill, 2.0 Ah USB-C battery, charger) whose own product page listed $69.99 on our 2026-10-14 pull. That price is the strongest value statement on this page, and it held live at gate checks earlier the same day. One caution from the same source: the Skil site's recommendation rail shows other kits near $109.99, which belongs to different products, not this one. Treat $69.99 as the recorded figure to re-verify: current Skil price.
The 18V side, from the dataset
550 in-lbs, 0-550/0-1,700 RPM, 2.3 lb bare, 1/2 in chuck, brushless. Sources: Milwaukee 3601-20 product page, Power Tool Insider 2026 comparison, ToolGuyd Milwaukee chart
The 3601 is the compact 18V drill the PS31 buyer should actually cross-shop, because it is the one that answers "what does half a pound more buy me": 550 in-lbs, double the Bosch's torque, with the 1/2 in chuck the Bosch cannot offer. Milwaukee's own product page confirmed 550 in-lbs, 0-550/0-1700 RPM and 2.3 lb tool-only on our 2026-10-14 pull. The dataset recorded $99 bare in September; the 2026-10-14 street read sat at $149.00 across Home Depot, Ace and Red Tool Store, a solid divergence we again print rather than reconcile: check the current Home Depot price.
1400 in-lbs, 0-2,100 RPM, 3.2 lb bare, 1/2 in chuck, brushless, hammer mode to 33,000 bpm. Sources: Construction Tool Warehouse 2904-20 listing, Pro Tool Reviews 2904 review, Power Tool Insider 2026 comparison
The 2904 is here as the ceiling of the 18V class. At 1400 in-lbs with a 33,000 bpm hammer mode it does jobs no 12V drill should be asked to do, and our best drill for concrete page covers exactly that end of the market. The dataset recorded $259 bare in September; Construction Tool Warehouse listed $229.00 on the 2026-10-14 pull: current CTW listing.
Which class fits which work
- Furniture, cabinets, hardware, overhead work: 12V. The 1.8 to 1.9 lb weight is a daily comfort win, and 265 to 350 in-lbs drives every screw those jobs produce.
- One drill for the whole list, including decks and large holes: 18V. The 3601's 550 in-lbs plus a 1/2 in chuck covers mixed home work; the 2904 covers it plus masonry.
- Regular masonry: 18V hammer, no contest. None of the 12V tools here has hammer mode at all.
- Already own batteries: the class your battery shelf owns. 12V and 18V packs do not cross, and the battery family is the expensive half of the purchase.
Battery labels, one footnote only
This page compares 12V against 18V and stops there. If you have seen drills badged 20V MAX and wondered where they fit, that badge is the same nominal 18V class with a different label convention, and our 18V vs 20V drill page takes that apart cell by cell. It is a separate question with its own page; nothing in the table above changes either way.
Related pages
The brand-pair siblings run the same sourced-spec discipline: Makita vs DeWalt and DeWalt vs Milwaukee, which shares this page's Milwaukee 2904 anchor from the other direction. The best budget cordless drill page is where the $69.99 Skil kit earns its keep, the full price comparison ranks all 31 dataset models, and the comparison chart lays every spec side by side. For what torque units do and do not mean, see specs explained.