Looking for a good mixing drill can be confusing, especially if you don't know what features to look for...
Right?
Some of the best mixing drills will have variable speed controls, a lower RPM and high torque capacity (very important) and will be made to last several years.
I looked at so many different drills in many different places, gathered all of the information I could on pricing, features, specs and everything in between and documented my findings. I hope you find it helpful!
1. The DeWalt DW130V - The Best Rated Mixing Drill Out There
Reviews: The Dewalt DW130V had more than 120 ratings from a range of sources (more than 6 in fact) which made it one of the best rated models out there.
Price: Nearly everywhere I found the Dewalt DW130V, it was very competitive as far as pricing goes. There was no real break in price no matter where I looked.
Why It Stood Out: The Dewalt DW130V had some of the most positive reviews out of all of the drills in the lineup and had the most feedback out of all of the competitors.
The style of drill is a more standard version and a lot of people really like how much power it had in the necessary torque to mix up full buckets of mortar.
The longevity was also another selling point to most people who chose left a review of seeing as how this drill replaced the previous drills that they had burned up in the past.
The fact that the Dewalt DW130V had multiple reviews from many different websites was also what really stood out above the other drills in its class.
Features: The Dewalt DW130V has an RPM range of 0 to 550 RPMs, three different positions for the side handle into different positions for the rear handle along with a 9 amp motor, so plenty of power for stiffer materials.
It was pretty lightweight as well, weighing approximately 7 1/2 pounds in total. They also have a great warranty, which you can check out over at DeWalt's website.
2. The Brutus 21665Q - A More Affordable Mixing Drill Makes The List!
Reviews: The Brutus 21665Q had nearly 80 reviews and ratings online with an average overall rating of 4.3 stars out of a possible five.
QEP makes the Brutus drill and even though the pictures show a slight difference (mainly the color of the drill) it is the same model and essentially the same exact drill.
Price: There was a slight price difference for the Brutus 21665Q of about $10 from the retail websites that sold it. It was in stock at Amazon, at the time and Home Depot did not have it but could either ship it to the store or my house but it would be between one and two weeks waiting time.
Why It Stood Out: The style of the drill is really preferred for mixing type applications and the Brutus 21665Q was not a bad price for these types of drills.
The amount of reviews they had was also another really good determining factor that I thought showed quality and appreciation for the product.
Features: The style is one feature that I really enjoy about these types of drills, they make mixing so much easier and more comfortable on the user and really give you a lot more control.
The Brutus 21665Q has two different speed settings that you can switch through using a dial and trigger is also a variable speed mechanism so you can control the speed with that as well.
The RPM range for this particular unit ranges from 0 to 700 RPMs.
3. The Makita DS4012 - Probably One Of The Longest Lasting Drills...
Reviews: The Makita DS4012 had just over 50 reviews at the time, enough to get a good feel for how it performs and what people thought of it.
Out of those number of ratings it received an overall feedback score of 4.7 stars out of a total five which isn't that bad.
Price: The DS4012 was pretty competitive in price between Amazon, Home Depot and CPO. The biggest advantage was that it was a Prime item on Amazon so it would be faster shipping than CPO and Home Depot (4 - 11 days).
As far as price goes though, no real difference anywhere you buy it.
Why It Stood Out: The DS4012 was one of the only drills that had a really high overall rating on multiple retail websites. These ratings were averaging around a 4.8 out of 5 which is a good sign and pretty rare.
The drill has been used for years (according to a couple of reviewers) and they continue to buy them because of this fact, so longevity seems to be a main feature that people like.
Features: This is a pretty basic drill as far as features are concerned but the DS4012 does have some key features worth mentioning.
The variable speed is mandatory these days and is controlled by the trigger and the RPM range is between 0 - 600 RPM, perfect for mixing most materials.
It is a very lightweight drill, weighing 6.2 lbs and has the standard side handle and a rear "D" shaped handle which is pretty standard.
4. The ColloMix XO55 - A Dual Paddle Mixer For Professionals (One Of The Best Available)
Reviews: The ColloMix Xo55 had only three reviews in total but I'm not solely looking at reviews and know (first hand) that this is one of the best hand mixers out there.
The very few reviews also led to a low overall score because one person gave the drill a negative rating. I feel that if more people gave this drill a try, they would gladly give it a better rating!
Price: The ColloMix Xo55 was one of the more expensive drills on the list but in my opinion well worth the engineering and functionality that you get for the money.
This came in at around $900 mark which is about four times as much as some of the other drills on the list but is geared more towards professionals so it would be well worth the investment for these types of people.
If you are a DIYer or homeowner the just wants one of these mixing drills for yourself for smaller projects that may come up then one of these probably isn't going to justify the expense for you and I would recommend going with one of the other drills in the list.
Features: The ColloMix Xo55 has a ton of features that the other drills just don't have and the dual paddles is just one of these features.
The paddles actually spin in opposite directions of each other so there is no pull or spin on the bucket as your mixing. The paddles can also be disconnected very easily due to the quick release system that the company uses.
5. The MD Fusion Mixer - A Well Rounded Mixer (Value And Performance)
Reviews: The MD Fusion Mixer was another drill that made the list and it had only a hanful of ratings (14+) at the time but were from two different retailers, which is a good sign, as opposed to only one source.
It had an overall rating of 4, out of five stars and people and was in the same price range as some of the other drills.
Price: The Fusion Mixer was right around the price of some of the other mixers, so pretty competitive in that aspect but is much further down the list because of the limited number of reviews.
The drill was just under the $200 mark, at the time and has basically the same features that you would find in other types of drills nothing super special about it.
Features: This mixing drill didn't have anything super special about it but it did have a couple features that stood out.
The paddles actually threaded inside the drill itself to prevent slippage, which I thought was nice and something I tend to deal with on an occasional basis.
You can select between two different gear speeds that range from 100-400 RPMs to 150-700 RPMs. You can check out more about info on MD Products by visiting their website.
6. The Bosch GBM9-16 - Another Strong Contender With An Extended Handle
Reviews: The Bosch GBM9-16 did not have as many reviews as some of the other drills in the lineup but was just as highly rated.
It had a handful from Amazon, Home Depot, CPO and a couple of other retailers.
Price: The Bosch GBM9-16 was around that $170 mark at the time and was pretty consistent on other websites as well, like the other drills.
It is right at that price range that the DeWalt, Bosch and Brutus Model and pretty standard for mixing drills, in general.
Features: This Bosch power mixer had roughly the same metrics as some of the other drills did but what makes it different is the extended side handle which gives you much more control over the drill.
The chuch is a bit larger than all the others at 5/8" and the weight is fairly decent, coming in at just under 10 lbs. Overall, another great choice.
7. The Ridgid R7122 - A Surprising Choice But Worth A Look
Reviews: The Ridgid R7122 had a decent amount of reviews (nearly 100 in total) and the majority of those came from Home Depot.
The reviews left by most people were not descriptive at all, so it left a lot to be desired but that is also a good sign because there weren't all that many complaints either.
The overall feedback was around a 4.5, out of a total 5, so a good sign.
Price: The Ridgid R7122 was right at that typical price (like the rest of the models) and came in at around $170.
There was a bit of a difference in price between Amazon and Home Depot (at the time), roughly $20 or so but shipping was longer for Amazon, since it was not a Prime item.
This could change in the future, so be sure to check both retailers to see who has a better deal and if delivery time is a concern, check up on that as well.
Features: The R7122 really had some of the typical features, a low RPM range (0 - 500) a 1/2" chuck and was a variable speed model (trigger controlled).
It did have a 3 year warranty though which was comparable to the better warranties out there. A drill worth a look, anyways.
Some Other Choices I Found...
I did find a find other models that stood out offered by different retailers that I thought I should mention.
They had great reviews as well and stood out for different reasons (price, manufacturer, features, etc.) so they are at least worth looking at.
Harbor Freight Drill
This is a popular drill at Harbor Freight that has decent ratings and a fair price. It was worth mentioning, I thought.
Klutch Mortar Mixer
This drill was at Northern Tool's website and had good feedback and a lower price for the dual paddles.
Rubi Mortar Mixer
I found this at HD and it had stellar reviews, even though there weren't that many in total. Another good choice.
How Can I Trust The Information?
I have used mixing drills for several years now and have quite a bit of experience with them myself.
I've tried both types of drills and many different manufacturers and really, they all serve somewhat of the same basic function but (like everything) are little bit different and have key features that make them stand out.
In this article I really just wanted to do the most thorough researcher could, combine all the different models out there today and see what other people had to say about them.
I've documented the whole process, made what I thought were some of the best choices and I made the entire research process transparent so that you could see exactly what I was doing, how I was getting the information and why I made my choices.
Hopefully this article will be thorough enough and provide enough detailed information for other people who may be looking into buying a drill for themselves and accept things like cement, mortar, concrete or any other type of material.
The Differences In Mixers Out There...
There were a few different styles of drills that I found and I have used a lot of these in my life for mixing concrete, stucco, cement products and various other products and know that there is a huge difference in performance, feel, power and longevity.
This section of the article will lay out some of those differences and compare some of the main features that you can expect to see from these types of power mixers.
The Two Main Styles:
There are two main designs or styles that these drills have and they each have their pros and cons but it does really come down to personal preference as well, which is different for everyone.
The first style is designed like a "steering wheel" and has similar hand grips which is usually more comfortable to the user.
The other style is designed like a standard corded drill but much larger and bulkier, this is because it has larger gears for the increased torque requirements usually needed for mixing stiffer materials like concrete, mortar, etc.
Style 1:
This style of handle is more comfortable for most users and the trigger is usually located along the bottom side of the "wheel" part and is easier to control the overall speed.
Style 2:
This design is more standard and usually whet you will see most people using, I have used these myself for many years and they work great.
Different Features That Power Mixers Offer:
There are some features that are standard when it comes to drills that are specifically designed for mixing different materials.
They usually have much higher torque capabilities and a much lower overall top speed, which is better for mixing anyways to eliminate air from becoming trapped in the mix and making it weaker in the end.
- Low RPMs - Typically, most drills have higher RPMs which are usually helpful when screwing in bolts and other fasteners but with mixing drills a lower RPM is desirable to keep out any unwanted air that can get trapped within the mix.
- Increased Torque - Mixing drills have a massive amount of torque to them for mixing up some of the more stiff material such as concrete, mortar, cement, drywall mud and other materials which require more torque and less overall speed.
- Handles - If you take a look at most of the mixing drills out there, you'll notice that they have several different handles for the user and in most cases they can be moved to different locations to accommodate the users specific preference.
This will help control the very high-powered nature of these drills. - Variable Speed - Most of these power mixers will have some sort of variable speed control implemented into them. These can come in the form of a dial, a variable speed trigger or something closely related to one of these options.
These are definitely helpful to have and can help control spillover of the material during the initial mixing process. - Forward/Reverse - Some drills have both a forward and reverse switch to change the rotation of the mixing paddle.
This comes in very handy if you do not add enough water to the mix and it became too stiff when trying to mix it up. Going the opposite direction can, in most cases help to break up the material and get a more thorough mix in the process. - Speed Settings - We mentioned variable speed controls using the various dials and or trigger but some drills have optional speed settings (usually a low and high speed) on top of the variable speed controls themselves giving you even more control over the mixing speed.
These come in very handy when mixing up special materials such as epoxies and resins. - Dual Paddle Integration - Some mixing drills have two paddles that can be attached to them, like a handheld power mixer you would use for mixing up cake/pancake batter, just on a much larger scale.
These will require special paddles to be used in some cases and universal paddles can not be used.
The Deciding Factors & My Process...
I did end up finding a bunch of different drills for mixing on various websites including Amazon, Home Depot, CPO Tools, Northern Tool, Lowes, Harbor Freight and various other third-party websites that were really just manufacturers that exclusively sold mixing drills or semi-exclusively at least.
This was really some of the best research I could've done on the subject and it really gave me a broad view on how many drills there are out there that are made specifically for mixing.
This helped me with distinguishing between some of the different features, what can a designs were out there and I was surprised to see how much information I was able to gather just from looking at the different models available.
Amazon really had the best selection, Home Depot came in second in the other websites I listed had anywhere from 1 to 3 different models that I could add to the overall list.
This is a great place to start and I had plenty of models to sift through. In total, I found 22 different models that I could individually look at and dig a little further into in order to try to hand pick some of the best performing tools.
Some of The Different Brands I Came Across:
As always there are a handful of manufacturers and always have their hands in every tool and they constantly pop up on the search results whether you're looking on a retail website, search engine or anywhere else, you're always going to see these first and it was no different when I looked at mixing drills.
Dewalt, Makita and Ridgid were the top three manufacturers that I saw when looking for these types of drills on retail websites.
There were a few different models of lesser-known manufacturers but after doing a bit more research I found that they're actually quite reputable and make high quality products, so I decided to include these in the lineup as well because they are strong contenders, in some cases they may even be better than some of the brand-name manufacturers we are all used to.
Here is a quick list of the manufacturer's that make drills suitable for mixing:
- Dewalt - Dewalt only had one particular drill that was suitable for mixing but it was a popular model.
- Makita - Makita had two different models even though it was essentially the same exact drill the only difference was that the other model was a variable speed one.
- Ridgid - There were two different models made by Ridgid but they were very similar and had basically the same features.
- Bosch - I only saw one Bosch drill that was specifically made for mixing applications.
- QEP - QEP had a couple of different drills that had the same basic design with a few minor feature differences but were all under the parent company's name.
- Other Mfg.'s - I didn't want to name off every single manufacturer out there so I will just mention some of the other manufacturers in the lineup that I found that also make mixing specific drills.
I found some manufacturers were better than others, but it was all part of the research process and I'm glad I looked at every single manufacturer I could find.
Things To Consider...
There is a couple things to consider when looking at what type of mixer will best suit your particular needs. The type of paddle you use will ultimately provide you the best results depending on what type of material you are mixing up but the drill is also an important factor.
Let's take a look at some of the materials that are commonly mixed up, the type of paddles that people use and some of the basic features that you should consider when looking to purchase a new drill.
- Concrete - You could use a couple of different paddles for mixing up concrete but the ones that work the best usually have the least amount of surface area. Since you add gravel to concrete will need a paddle that can make it around the larger rocks in the mix.
- Notice how the mixing paddle on the right has very large open areas and the paddle itself uses a much smaller surface area to mix the concrete up.
This type of design will move around the sand, cement and rocks without getting too clogged up.
- Mortar, Cement, Etc. - This is the type of paddle I would recommend for mortar, cement and other materials that use light weight aggregates.
- This also has a small amount of surface area to it on the paddle itself but does have a little more than the one we looked at earlier and this will help to mix up the mud better without having a whole lot of drag when mixing.
- Epoxy/Resin - This paddle is shaped like a spatula which has more surface area and less empty space. Mixing epoxy and resins requires a low mixing speed and a paddle that will prevent air from becoming entrained inside the mix.
- This takes a special type of low speed drill and a special mixing paddle to achieve the results that are recommended by nearly all epoxy/resin manufacturers.
- Drywall Mud - You can use a range of different mixing paddles for drywall mud but this one does a pretty good job and I wanted to show it because it is another option and specialty products are coming out often to "fill gaps" in the marketplace.
- The holes in the middle of the paddle along with the softer material used to make up the blade will reduce scraping along the bucket.
What To Watch Out For:
- I did notice a few models that didn't have a variable speed option (mainly before I sifted through them).
This is not a must have feature but will make life a lot easier and the mixing process cleaner and essentially with less problems.
- Either style of drill will do the job fine but some people I have talked with prefer one style over the other, just something to consider.
- There were some refurbished models mixed in with the new mixing drills so be sure to look at that.
It is very easy to see that the item is refurbished but wanted to state the obvious anyways.
Helpful Resources For This Article...
What To Watch Out For:
- I did notice a few models that didn't have a variable speed option (mainly before I sifted through them).
This is not a must have feature but will make life a lot easier and the mixing process cleaner and essentially with less problems.
- Either style of drill will do the job fine but some people I have talked with prefer one style over the other, just something to consider.
- There were some refurbished models mixed in with the new mixing drills so be sure to look at that. It is very easy to see that the item is refurbished but wanted to state the obvious anyways.
