The 8 Best Keyless Drill Chucks

If your drill's chuck slips or wobbles, the Rohm Extra-RV 50 is the upgrade to look at first. Rohm builds it in Germany and calls it the shortest professional chuck in the world, so the drill ends up less nose-heavy. A ring of locking teeth stops it from opening when the drill runs in reverse, and the jaw tips are hard metal that wears slowly. It costs nearly as much as a budget drill, and stock runs thin.

Some Milwaukee and DeWalt drills use a thicker spindle thread, and the Rohm Extra 50 9/16-18 is made for them. It shares the short German-made body of the Extra 50 line, with ground jaws tipped in carbide and a lock that holds whichever way the motor turns. Rohm backs it for a year. Check the old chuck first, because it won't thread onto the more common smaller spindle, and carbide tips can chip in a hard fall.

The DeWalt DW0521 turns an impact driver into a light-duty drill. It snaps into the driver's quick-release collet and holds round-shank bits up to three-eighths of an inch, so you can drill a few pilot holes without hunting for a second tool. The body is all metal, and a single sleeve tightens with one hand. Expect a little wobble at the bit tip, and save big bits and hole saws for a real drill.

Plenty of older and smaller drills use the thinner 3/8-24 spindle, and the HFS 3/8-24 is a cheap way to bring one back to life. The seller lists carbide jaw inserts and a steel body, and it still opens wide enough for a half-inch bit. It's a fair choice for a garage drill that sees weekend jobs. Quality varies from batch to batch, so check it for wobble while you can still return it.

Drill press owners whose chuck wobbles or slips can swap in the WEN DPA158L and keep the machine. It comes mounted on its own tanged Morse taper arbor, the No. 2 kind, so it seats straight into a press spindle of that type, and WEN says it fits its own benchtop presses. The heat-treated jaws open wide enough for five-eighths bits. WEN gives no accuracy figure for this model, so fine machining calls for a pricier chuck.

The Milwaukee 42-66-2608 is the maker's own service part, a sensible pick if you want your Milwaukee drill back the way it left the factory. It's a single-sleeve ratcheting chuck that takes bits up to a half inch on the common 1/2-20 spindle. Some Milwaukee drills use a thicker thread, so check the old chuck or the drill's parts list first. Few buyers have weighed in so far, and an outside seller offers it.

Makita owners who want an impact chuck from the same brand can reach for the Makita 763198-1, though its hex shank fits any quarter-inch quick-release driver. The silver steel body holds bits up to three-eighths of an inch, and Makita shows it working on its own impact drivers. It's handy for pilot holes and small drilling between screws. Makita lists no warranty term for it, and like any hex-shank chuck it adds length and some wobble.

For tiny bits in a screwdriver or impact driver, the Neiko 20753A costs very little. It slips into any quarter-inch hex holder and grips round-shank bits for pilot holes, hobby work and thin sheet metal, and it's small enough to live in a bit case. It only takes thin bits, and Neiko suggests snugging it with pliers before drilling hard steel, since hand pressure alone may not hold.