Best Metabo Cordless Drills of 2026: BS and SB Models Compared

The BS 18 LTX BL I is the most sensible all-rounder in Metabo's 18V drill range. The "BS" prefix means drill driver, "BL" means brushless, and the trailing "I" is the Impuls function. Metabo rates it at 34 Nm in soft screwdriving and 75 Nm in hard screwdriving, which covers almost everything a general trade or serious DIY user does in wood, metal and plasterboard.

Impuls is the feature worth paying for. It fires short torque pulses, which stops the bit skating when you start a hole on a smooth surface and gives you extra breakaway force on a screw that has seized. Owner feedback is consistent on build quality: the 1/2 in metal chuck holds bits without creeping and the gearbox does not develop play the way plastic-housed drills do. It runs on Metabo's 18V platform, so any Li-Power or LiHD pack fits.

The SB 18 LTX BL I is the hammer version of the pick above. In Metabo's naming, SB means hammer drill driver, so you get the same brushless motor, the same 75 Nm hard screwdriving rating and the same Impuls function, plus a percussion mode for masonry. That makes it the straightforward answer if you want one cordless drill that also sets wall plugs and light anchors.

Be realistic about what percussion mode is for. A hammer drill driver punches small-diameter holes into brick and block perfectly well, but it is not an SDS rotary hammer. If you are drilling repeated large holes into poured concrete, buy an SDS tool and keep this for everything else. For occasional masonry work mixed with normal drilling and driving, it is the right tool.

The BS 18 LTX-3 BL Q I is the heavy-hitter drill driver. The "-3" is the three-speed gearbox and the "Q" is Metabo's Quick system, which lets you pull the chuck off and drop in a bit holder or angle attachment without tools. Metabo rates it at 130 Nm hard screwdriving, which is genuinely a lot for a drill driver and puts it in the territory where you can run large auger bits and hole saws.

The third gear matters more than the headline torque for most people. First gear gives you slow, controlled grunt for big fasteners, third gear gives you the speed you want for small twist bits, and you stop compromising between the two. The trade-off is size: this is a full-size drill and it is not the one you want for overhead work all day.

Here is the part most brand roundups get wrong: the brushed SB 18 LTX Impuls is rated higher on paper than the brushless two-speed models, at 110 Nm hard screwdriving. Metabo built these older LTX units around a torquey brushed motor and a stout metal gearbox, so the brushless upgrade bought efficiency and size rather than a big jump in raw twist.

What you give up is real, though. A brushed motor draws more current for the same work, so you get fewer holes per charge, and the brushes are a wear item on a tool used daily. If you want hammer action and high torque at the lowest entry price into the Metabo 18V platform, this is the value buy. If the drill will be in your hand every day, spend the extra on brushless.

The PowerMaxx BS 12 is a genuinely compact 12V drill driver, rated at 17 Nm soft and 34 Nm hard screwdriving. It weighs a shade over 2 lb with a small battery, so it is the one you reach for when you are on a ladder, working overhead, or driving cabinet screws in a space where a full-size 18V drill will not fit.

Do not expect it to replace an 18V tool. The 3/8 in chuck caps your bit size and 34 Nm runs out quickly in dense timber or with a hole saw. What it does well is precision work: pilot holes, hinges, electrical boxes, appliance and furniture assembly. Note that it uses the separate 12V PowerMaxx battery, not the 18V packs from the drills above.