Buying the best drill today is a technology lesson. From best cordless drill models to hard-wired drills, these drills include many options that may or may not suit your home’s needs. One comparison you’ll discover is the option of brushless vs. brushed drill.
Choosing between any of these two designs means that you need to consider the science behind them. In the end, the brushless drill would usually be worth extra money depending on many factors, claiming that the tool is typically used over than once a week.
The gap between brushless and brushed drills relates directly to the motor. Brushless drills are used by magnets to produce electricity. Brushed drills use carbon brushes to move. Brushed drills use heat-creating friction, but brushless drills are frictionless, so they produce less heat. This makes them more effective and more accurate.
Table of Contents
How is the Drill Motor working?
The key difference between brushless or brushed drill motor is that the brushed versions are made of carbon while the brushless units use magnets to produce electricity. For this purpose, brushless motors are better suited, do not generate friction, produce less heating, and provide better efficiency. Besides, brushless units greatly minimize maintenance, which contributes to dust and there is no need to repair worn brushes.
The commutation of the windings in a brushless motor is not mechanical but electronically controlled by a system known as the controller. This converts the DC into a three-phase variable-frequency current and supplies the motor coils successively to create a spinning field. It is understandable that with this powerful concept, the coils are fixed in the motor and do not rotate like brushed motors.
All brushless motors seem to be of a relatively similar type. They come with a fixed stator that carries the coils and a mobile rotor on which the permanent magnets are glued. The windings may be formed in many ways, either in the shape of a star or a triangle. Most of the brushless ones have an internal rotor that turns up to 100,000 RPM.
The old-style motor in a power drill consists of four main parts:
- Carbon brushes.
- A ring of magnets.
- A commutator.
- An armature.
When the electricity is applied, the charge passes through the brushes and then into the switch commutator.
The charge is passed to the armature, which consists of copper wire. The charge magnetizes the copper wire and presses it against the magnet ring. This causes the armature to spin, which then drives the motor. The entire thing comes to an end when the electricity cuts out.
What is a Brushless Drill?
So, Let’s be honest, They aren’t as messy due to no brushes and they don’t create as much of a smell. The entire idea of how the motor works are turned on its head. A brushless motor uses magnets to produce power instead of carbon brushes.
Brushed motors have permanent magnets on the stator and electromagnets on the armature. The motors have permanent magnets on the rotor and the rotor-spinning electromagnets on the stator.
However, when they break, they are generally discarded while the brushed motor can be replaced by removing the brushes, which is usually simple to repair. Brushless appears to have more torque and longer life. There are three major types of algorithms used for brushless motors:
- Trapezoidal Switching
- Sinusoidal Switching
- Feld-Orientated control
Trapezoidal Switching
Trapezoidal switching is the easiest of the three and is suitable for apprentice application fields. Trapezoidal switching manages the motor’s power and RPM but suffers from torque rippling. This is a variation in the output of the motor as the rotor passes through the windings of the stator.
Sinusoidal Switching
The concept is that sinusoidal switching prevents torque rippling by supplying each of the motors with currents that differ sinusoidally as the motor turns This is a more complex switching procedure, but it avoids the six-step process accountable for torque rippling.
Feld-Orientated Control
Feld-Orientated Control, aka vector control, explains how torque and speed control is directly dependent on the electromagnetic state of the motor. Controls the variables of torque and flow of the motor (the electrostatic field).
Advantages of Brushless Motors

DEWALT DCD791D2 Cordless Drill
Brushless motor which delivers up to 57% more run time

Makita
XFD131
Cordless Drill
BL Brushless motor delivers 440 inches pounds of max torque

PORTER-CABLE Cordless
Drill
20V MAX Cordless Drill Combo Kit, Brushless, (PCCK619L2)
Disadvantages of Brushless Motors
What is a Brushed Drill?
As the article states, the brushed motor has a brush that receives electricity from your source of power. Image of a tube made of magnets. You have a set of large rotating teeth within the magnets (otherwise known as the armature). Now, take a picture of a rod (communicator) passing through the middle of the tube with the brushes connected to the ends.
The first time you push the button on your drill, the electricity goes to the brushes. As the brushes are connected to the rod, the next one sends the electricity. The rod then transfers the current to the spinning teeth. This is where the electrical current is converted into a magnetic field.
Remember that the tube is made of magnets, too. It’s the interaction of the opposite magnets that makes the teeth spin and your drill move.
Now, this is a really important bit. As the brushes get the electricity first, they get the most power. What’s more, the more you pull the trigger, the faster your drill will twist, which will be useful later.
Advantages of Brushed Motors

Bosch DDH361-01 Cordless Drill
36V Drill/Driver Kit W/ (2) Fat Pack (4.0Ah) Battery

LD120VA
Cordless Drill
BLACK+DECKER 20V MAX with 30-Piece Accessories

Milwaukee 2695-24 Power Tool
Combo Kit with Hammer Drill, Impact Driver,
etc.
Disadvantages of Brushed Motors
Which is a better brushed or brushless drill?
In general, brushless motors are better than brushed ones. Users will benefit from lower maintenance, increased performance, reduced heat, and noise. Brushless motors are synchronous units of one or more permanent magnets. Power tools with a brushless motor are now considered to be greater tools.
The DC motor consists of two electrical components: the stator and the rotor. When the motor is driven, it generates a magnetic interaction that sets the motor in motion. If you change the direction of the voltage that drives the motor, it turns in the opposite direction.
Conclusion
That we’ve already taken a more in-depth look at the two designs of power drills, we’re proposing a brushless option. So, if you can pay more initially for this tool, overall efficiency and power are well worth it. Not only that, but the longer life will ultimately compensate for itself, plus less pressure on your hands and arms.
We hope you enjoyed this review. Technological innovations and innovations can be difficult to handle. Often the investment isn’t worth it, and sticking to the tried and the tested alternative is to your benefit. At other times (such as this), understanding the difference between the two choices will help you understand why a new one is an all-around better option for you, your tool, and your next project.
If you’re dealing with a portable, battery-powered drill, then it’s a great idea to invest in a brushless drill. The motor in these drills is lighter and more powerful, making a big difference in battery-powered equipment. The difference is less apparent when you’re using a wired electrical tool.
If your financial plan is your primary concern, you could be better off with a brushed drill in the short term. Of course, you’re going to have to spend more extra time replacing the brushes, but they seem to be inexpensive. However, if you want to save yourself the pain of routine maintenance, you need a brushless motor.