VOERJIA Cordless Drill Review: cheap brushless drill that’s better than it looks (with one big catch)

I picked up the VOERJIA 21V cordless drill because I wanted a cheap backup drill for home jobs, not another expensive Makita or DeWalt. The listing promised a brushless motor, 2 batteries, hammer mode and a whole suitcase of bits for roughly the price of one bare-body tool from a big brand. On paper it looks like a bargain, and the 4.4/5 rating on Amazon pushed me over the line.

I’ve used it over a couple of weeks for typical DIY: building flat-pack furniture, putting up shelves, drilling into brick for wall plugs, and some light metal drilling. I wasn’t gentle with it – I used it like I’d use my main drill, just to see where it breaks down. I swapped between the supplied bits and my own better-quality ones to check the difference.

My general feeling: the drill itself is pretty solid for the price, especially considering it’s brushless and has a hammer setting. But the set is held back by some weak spots, especially the batteries and the included accessories. It’s clearly built to hit a price point, and you feel that in some places more than others.

If you just want something for occasional home use, it gets the job done. If you’re thinking of using it heavily, or you’re picky about battery life and accessories, you’ll probably notice the compromises quite fast. I’ll break down what worked for me and what didn’t, so you can see if it fits how you actually use a drill.

Looking at the full picture – drill, 2 batteries, charger, and a pile of accessories – the value for money is pretty solid. For about the cost of a bare-body drill from a big brand, you’re getting a complete kit that lets you start drilling and screwdriving right away. For someone just setting up their first tool kit or doing light home DIY, that’s attractive.

Where the value shifts is when you compare it to buying a known brand with better batteries and accessories. The VOERJIA gives you a brushless motor and hammer mode at a low price, which is its main selling point. But the weak spots – average batteries, mediocre bits, unknown long-term durability – mean you might end up upgrading parts of the kit anyway. If you later buy a decent bit set and maybe different batteries, the overall cost creeps up, and the gap with a mid-range brand shrinks.

On the positive side, the performance you get for typical home tasks is more than enough. If you only pull out a drill a few times a month, it’s hard to justify spending two or three times more just to get a nicer logo and slightly better feel. In that sense, this VOERJIA drill hits a good balance for occasional users who are price-sensitive but still want something that doesn’t feel like a toy.

So in my view: if you’re realistic and see this as a budget-friendly DIY tool, the value is good. If you expect pro-level endurance and flawless batteries at this price, you’ll be disappointed. It’s a decent deal, as long as you accept that it’s a compromise package, not a top-tier setup.

The first thing I noticed is the size and weight. At around 1.2 kg for the body, it’s lighter and a bit more compact than many 18V big-brand drills. That’s nice when you’re holding it above your head or working in tight corners. It doesn’t feel toy-like, but you can tell it’s not a premium tool either – more “decent budget drill” than “pro workhorse”.

The grip is comfortable enough. The handle has some rubberised sections, and the balance with the battery attached is okay. After driving a few dozen screws in a row, my hand wasn’t cramping, which is what I care about more than fancy design. The trigger feels reasonably smooth, and the forward/reverse switch is where you expect it and clicks positively into place.

The top selector ring gives you three modes: screwdriving, drilling, and hammer drilling. There’s also a 20+3 torque clutch around the chuck. The markings are basic but readable, and you quickly get used to which setting is which. The LED light is placed just above the trigger; it’s not super bright, but it’s enough to see what you’re doing inside a cupboard or under a shelf.

The 3/8" (10 mm) keyless chuck is plastic with a metal-looking ring. It grips bits fine for light to medium work. I didn’t have any serious slipping with normal wood screws or pilot holes, but if you push it hard in hammer mode on brick, you can feel its limits. Overall, the design is practical and simple. Nothing fancy, but it’s intuitive and easy to use even if you’re not used to power tools.

The drill comes with two 21V 2.0Ah batteries, which sounds good on paper. In use, it’s a bit more mixed. For short sessions – like assembling furniture or drilling a handful of holes – one battery is enough, and having the second one charged is handy. I could get through a small project (say, a couple of shelves and some flat-pack) on a single battery without it dying on me mid-job.

However, the battery life and behaviour aren’t great. One Amazon reviewer mentioned that the battery seems to drain even when just sitting in the drill, and I noticed something similar: if I left the battery in the drill for a while, the indicator would show less charge when I picked it up later. It’s not catastrophic for casual use, but it doesn’t inspire confidence in the cells they’ve used. The capacity feels more like a cheap 1.5–2.0Ah pack than anything robust.

Charging is fairly quick, but the charger is basic – no cooling, no detailed status, just a light. It works, but you can tell it’s the budget end of the spectrum. This is the sort of setup where I wouldn’t leave the batteries on charge overnight every day. For occasional charging it’s fine; for heavy users, I’d be more cautious.

One interesting point from a user review: they managed to run Makita 18V 5Ah LXT batteries on it, which says a lot. If that’s true for your unit and you already own Makita batteries, the drill body alone becomes much more attractive, because you bypass the weaker stock packs. Out of the box though, I’d rate the batteries as "usable but not great". They’re okay for DIY weekends, not ideal for long, intense work sessions.

On durability, I’d say the drill feels better than typical no-name cheapies, but still clearly not in the same league as pro brands. The plastic housing is reasonably solid, no obvious creaks or loose parts when you twist it. The chuck hasn’t shown wobble in my short test, and the mode selector still clicks into place properly after switching between screw, drill and hammer a bunch of times.

That said, this is a new-ish tool, and long-term wear is where these budget tools usually show their weaknesses. One Amazon review mentioned the drill developing a fault but praised customer service for quickly sending a replacement. That’s reassuring in terms of support, but it also hints that quality control isn’t perfect. With an unknown brand, you’re basically trading long-term proven reliability for a lower price and rolling the dice a bit.

The accessories are clearly not built for the long haul. The included bits will work a few times, but I wouldn’t expect them to survive heavy use. The case is thin plastic; it keeps everything together, but the hinges and latches don’t feel like they’ll love being thrown around in a van every day. For home storage in a cupboard or garage shelf, it’s good enough.

If you’re a casual user drilling a few holes every month, I think it’ll hold up okay. If you’re using it every day on site, I’d be less confident. For me, it feels like a secondary or backup drill, not the one I’d rely on to earn a living. It’s fine for the price, but I wouldn’t expect it to last ten years of hard abuse.

On the performance side, the drill is better than I expected for the price. The brushless motor gives it a bit more punch and smoother feel compared to the really cheap brushed drills I’ve used before. The claimed 65 Nm of torque is probably optimistic, but it’s got enough strength for typical DIY: driving 5–6 mm screws into softwood, drilling pilot holes, and running small hole saws in wood.

I tested both speed ranges: low speed (around 0–1800 rpm according to the spec) for screwdriving and tougher drilling, and high speed (up to 2600 rpm) for smaller drill bits. The two-speed gearbox feels usable; you can tell the difference, and the trigger allows reasonable control at low speed. For furniture assembly and putting up shelves, it did the job without feeling weak.

Hammer mode is where I was most sceptical. On proper brick and concrete, it’s obviously not on the same level as a dedicated SDS drill, but it’s still good enough for light jobs. I drilled several 6 mm and 8 mm holes for wall plugs using the supplied masonry bits and then with my own better bits. With decent bits, it went through standard brick without too much drama. It’s slower and noisier than a real hammer drill, but if you’re just hanging shelves or a TV bracket now and then, it’s fine.

Where you see the limits is on continuous heavy work. If you start drilling lots of larger holes in hard material or driving long screws into dense wood, the drill starts to feel a bit strained, and the chuck and body warm up. For casual home use, it’s acceptable. For all-day building work or big renovation projects, I’d look at a bigger brand or a more robust model.

When you open the box, you get a pretty packed plastic case. Inside there’s the drill body, two 21V 2.0Ah batteries, a basic charger, and a big pile of accessories: wood bits, masonry bits, spade bits, some small hole saws, a flexible shaft, sockets, screwdriver bits, and a box of wall plugs. On paper, 46 pieces sounds impressive, and it does look full when you first open it.

In practice, the standout item is the drill itself, not the extras. The drill feels like the main value, while many of the accessories feel like filler. The wood and masonry bits are fine for a few holes here and there, but they’re not the kind you keep for years. Same for the screwdriver bits: they’ll work for basic furniture assembly, but if you drive a lot of screws, you’ll quickly feel the difference compared to a decent bit set from Bosch or Wera.

The charger is small and simple: plug-in brick, no fancy cooling or fast-charge readouts, just a light. It does the job, but it’s clearly budget. The two batteries clip in and out easily, and there’s a basic power indicator on the drill so you can see roughly how much charge is left.

Overall, the bundle looks generous, but I’d mentally treat most of the bits as "starter" accessories. If you’re serious about DIY, plan to buy a better drill/driver bit set later. The good news is that the drill takes standard bits and 3/8" (10 mm) shank, so you’re not locked into anything proprietary.