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I bought both of these on purpose. Not one to test and one to borrow — both, with my own money, into the same shop, on the same jobs, for six months. I wanted to know, after the reviews and the spec sheets, which subcompact drill I’d actually pick up when I’m halfway up a ladder and don’t want to think about it. Six months later I have a clear answer — and it surprised me.
Here is the part nobody tells you about this matchup: once you are choosing between two well-built 12V brushless drills, the motor has almost stopped being the variable. What decides whether you are happy in two years is the battery platform you just joined, how the chuck behaves with small bits, and whether the head is short enough to fit where you actually work. Torque is the spec every comparison leads with and the last thing I would argue about.
The short version
Both are genuinely good. If you already own one brand’s batteries, stop reading and buy that one; the ecosystem matters more than the 5% difference between these tools. If you’re starting fresh, keep going.
And understand what “starting fresh” means, because it is the expensive decision hiding inside a cheap purchase. You are not buying a drill, you are buying a charger, a battery size, and a shelf of future tools that will only run on that battery. The drill is the smallest cost in that chain. Pick the platform you want to live on, then pick the drill.
| Model | Best for | Weight | Rating | Buy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeWalt DCD701 | All-round value | 2.0 lb | 4.7 | See current price | |
| Milwaukee M12 Fuel | Tight spaces & | torque | 2.1 lb | 4.8 | See current price |
The criteria that actually decide it
These are the things I would weigh, roughly in the order they end up mattering in a working shop rather than in a spec table.
Head length, before anything else
Front-to-back length is the spec that changes what jobs are possible. A subcompact drill exists so you can work inside a cabinet carcass, between joists, behind a hinge stile, in the back corner of a built-in. Every fraction of an inch you shave off the nose is a job you no longer have to solve with a right-angle attachment or a stubby bit and a lot of swearing. If you install anything — cabinets, hardware, shelving in finished rooms — put this first.
The chuck, not the motor
A chuck that will not hold a 1/16″ bit square is a drill you stop trusting. Small bits are where cheap chucks reveal themselves: they slip, they wander, they let the bit run off centre and then snap it. Grab the chuck of any drill you are considering, tighten it by hand on a tiny bit, and try to wiggle it. That five-second test tells you more than any torque figure.
Battery platform breadth
Ask what else runs on the pack. A 12V platform that also gives you an impact driver, a right-angle drill, a light, a vacuum and an oscillating tool is worth paying a premium for, because the second and third tool cost you only a bare-tool price. A platform with three tools in it is a dead end you will pay to leave.
Weight and balance over raw grunt
Two pounds either way sounds trivial until you are driving overhead or holding a drill out at arm’s length for an hour. Balance matters as much as mass: a drill that sits back over your wrist feels lighter than one that hangs forward, even at identical weight. Fatigue is what causes stripped screws and blown-out pilot holes, not a shortage of torque.
Torque, last
Both of these tools have more torque than a 12V drill has any business making, and both will drive long screws into softwood all day. Torque only becomes the deciding factor if you regularly bore large holes, run self-feed bits, or work in hardwood and engineered lumber. If that is you, weight it heavily. If it isn’t, stop reading spec sheets and go back to head length.
Where the DeWalt wins
Value and balance. The DCD701 feels planted, the chuck grips 1/16″ bits without slipping, and the price with a battery is hard to argue with. For general furniture work and driving screws all day, it’s the one I hand beginners.
It is also the more forgiving tool to learn on. The gearbox is easy to read by feel, the trigger is progressive enough to start a screw without launching it, and nothing about the drill punishes a light grip. There is a real argument that a beginner should own the cheaper of two good drills and spend the difference on bits, clamps and a decent square.
DeWalt DCD701 ATOMIC 12V Drill/Driver
Light, well-balanced, and cheap enough to be your everyday driver. The two-speed gearbox handles everything from pilot holes to 3″ deck screws. If I could only keep one 12V drill under $100, this is it.
Where the Milwaukee wins
Raw grunt and reach. The M12 Fuel’s brushless motor has noticeably more torque, and the head is a hair shorter, which matters when you’re drilling inside a cabinet carcass. It costs more, and it’s worth it if you push tools hard.
The shorter nose is the part that keeps earning its money. It is the difference between reaching a screw and building a jig to reach a screw. Pair that with the extra torque and you get a tool that rarely makes you go and fetch the 18V drill, which is the whole point of owning a subcompact in the first place.
Milwaukee M12 Fuel 12V Drill/Driver
The one I reach for on the tough stuff. More torque than a 12V tool has any right to make, and the short head sneaks into places the DeWalt can’t. Pricier, but it’s the drill I’ve never once wished were stronger.
What separates good from bad at each price band
At the bottom of the market — the no-name 12V kit with a case, a bit set and two batteries for less than either of these tools alone — the failure points are predictable: a brushed motor, a plastic-jawed chuck, and batteries you cannot replace in three years because the seller is gone. The kit looks like more tool for the money and is less.
The bare-tool band is the best value in cordless, but only if you already own compatible packs or are certain you will. Buying a bare tool and then a battery and then a charger separately usually costs more than the kit did.
In the single-battery kit band, which is where most people buy, what you are paying for is a brushless motor, a metal chuck, a real warranty, and packs you can still buy years from now. That is the band both of these tools live in, and it is where the money is best spent.
Above that, you are mostly buying battery capacity, not drill. A compact pack in the 1.5–2.0 Ah range keeps the tool light and fits under the grip; a high-capacity pack in the 4–6 Ah range roughly doubles runtime and adds noticeable length and weight. Own one of each and use the small one 90% of the time.
Mistakes I see people make
- Buying the drill and ignoring the platform. The second tool on the same battery is where the savings are. Choose the family, not the tool.
- Chasing torque numbers. Nobody has ever finished a cabinet faster because of a marketing figure. Head length and chuck quality change your day; peak torque rarely does.
- Only buying big batteries. A heavy pack turns a subcompact drill into a mediocre full-size one.
- Skipping the clutch. Set it low and let it slip. Most stripped screw heads and split rails come from a clutch left on drill mode.
- Using worn or cheap bits. A dull driver bit destroys screws and a dull twist bit burns holes. Bits are consumables; treat them that way.
- Expecting one drill to do everything. A subcompact is not a joist-boring, masonry-drilling, mixing tool. Asking it to be one is how people conclude 12V is useless.
Who each one suits, and who should skip both
Buy the DeWalt if you are furnishing a first shop, mostly building furniture and driving screws, or handing a drill to someone who is still learning. Buy the Milwaukee if you install, work overhead or inside cases regularly, or already know you are the sort of person who pushes tools until something complains.
Skip both if the honest description of your work is holes in concrete, boring through framing, or mixing thinset — that is an 18V/20V job with a hammer function, and no subcompact will make you happy. Skip both, too, if you already own a working drill and mostly drive fasteners; an impact driver on your existing platform will do more for you than a second drill will.
My honest pick
I reach for the Milwaukee. Not because the DeWalt is worse — it isn’t — but because the extra torque and shorter nose have saved me on enough awkward jobs that it’s earned the trust. If your budget is tight, the DeWalt will not let you down and you’ll never feel cheated.
FAQ
Is a 12V drill really enough for woodworking?
For furniture, cabinets, shelving, jigs and shop fixtures, yes — comfortably. Where 12V runs out is large-diameter boring, long augers and masonry. Most hobby shops hit that wall a few times a year, which is an argument for borrowing or owning one bigger drill, not for skipping the subcompact.
Bare tool or kit?
Kit, unless you already own packs on that platform. Batteries and chargers bought separately cost more than the bundle, and a single battery means the tool sits idle while it charges.
Do I still need an impact driver?
Not to start. A drill with a clutch drives most screws in wood with better control than an impact does. Add the impact when you are running long structural screws, lags or hundreds of fasteners at a time — and buy it bare, on the same battery.
Can I use these for concrete or masonry?
Neither of these is a hammer drill, so a masonry bit will scrape rather than percuss. You can get a small anchor hole in soft block if you are patient, but treat that as a workaround, not a use case.
Whatever you pick, put a decent bit set in the case with it. A great drill with worn bits is just a loud paperweight.