Here's How Amazon's Denali 20V Cordless Drill Compares To Store Brands

Shopping for power tools is not always about opting for the most recognizable brands like Craftsman and Makita. You can stray from the big players and opt for a brand from owned by Amazon. Take, for example, the Denali by Skil 20V cordless drill driver kit, complete with a 2.0Ah Lithium battery. Just because it's not branded by one of the big players doesn't mean it isn't a suitable addition to your tool chest.

However, the same could be said for any number of generic cordless drills. In fact, while Amazon Basics may be an incredibly convenient option with quick shipping, there may be alternatives in the generic market that suit your needs similarly or even a little better.

Before you rush to put that Denali by Skil 20V cordless drill driver into your Amazon cart, do a little comparative shopping to see how it measures against available store brand and generic versions. 

The Amazon Basics 20V cordless drill looks like a fairly standard drill, and, for the most part, it is. For $59, you receive the drill, a 2.0Ah Lithium battery, and a 2.4A charger to keep things running.

The drill is a distinct deep blue with turquoise accents, measures 26 inches by 18.1 inches by 18.1 inches, and sports a sloped handle and rubber grip to maximize user comfort. There's even a built-in LED light near the battery to help guide in low-light settings.

Bits can be changed on the fly with the ½-inch keyless chuck. Simply rotate the drill's head to tighten and loosen the chuck to secure Phillips or flat head drivers or a range of drill bit sizes. Depending on the job, you can manually adjust the clutch to increase or decrease torque (up to 350 pound-inch) to prevent over-tightening and maximize efficiency while drilling.

The Denali by Skil drill also features a two-way toggle to easily change between 0 to 420 and 0 to 1,600 rpm.

While you can easily find Craftsman, Ryobi, Dewalt, and Bosch 20V drills at virtually every retailer, it's the more generic brands that would stand up closer to Amazon's Denali by Skil. The trick is finding a comparable 20V, which proved a little challenging at Lowe's, where 18V and 24V drills seemed to reign. However, brands like Senix, Worx, and The Original Pink Box offered similar, albeit costlier, alternatives.

The $134 fashionable Original Pink Box 20V drill also sported ½-inch bits and a 2Ah battery, though its two-speed adjustment goes up to 1,800 RPM and its torque tops at out 45 foot-pounds. Alternatively, for $139, you can grab a Senix X2 20V, which supports ½-inch drill bits and 45 lb-ft of torque but increases its speeds to 2,000 RPM. Worx matches the Senix X2 in every spec with its 20V drill, though at a cheaper $90.48.

Home Depot has one generic comparable option, the XtremepowerUS 20V drill. Though it looks far more advanced than the Denali at Amazon, this ½-inch keyless chuck drill is only slightly more powerful, making its $72.50 price tag a little hard to swallow. It does support approximately 33 lb-ft of torque, though its speed tops out at 1,400 RPM.

Going beyond the big box players, 20V cordless drills are a dime-a-dozen at retailers like Harbor Freight and Menards. The closest generic alternative at Harbor Freight is the Hercules 20V drill with side handle for $69.99.

Despite only being $10 more, Hercules delivers a more powerful drill with a higher maximum speed. Whereas the Amazon Denali tops out at 30 lb-ft in torque, the Hercules hits an impressive 100 lb-ft. It also increases the max speed of its two-speed motor to 2,000 RPM, and it comes with a detachable side handle to stabilize while drilling into durable surfaces.

At Menards, you'll be looking at the $89.88 20V, two-speed drill from Masterforce. Stubbier than the Denali at Amazon, the Masterforce drill hits a top speed of 1,850 RPM and matches the 45 lb-ft torque of the Senix X2 and Original Pink Box. The Masterforce drill has a lower-capacity 1.5Ah battery, so expect it to run out of power quicker than most of the drills mentioned above.