What Is Mini Drill? – All You Should Know

A drill is one of the most used power tools for drilling and driving purposes. In order to use for the lightweight tasks, mini drills are used. Normally, mini drills are used for lightweight DIY projects such as crafting, nail work, jewelry making, and many more low-power tasks.

When you select a mini drill you should consider many things. In this guide, you can grab all in detail about mini drills and their usage. So let’s see all in detail about mini drills.

Mini Drill Price

A small-size mini drill price will be varied between 15$ – 40$ and a medium-size mini drill price can be varied between 30$-70$. The price depends on the battery voltage, capacity, usage, torque, and purpose.

When you are going to buy a mini drill, there are things you should consider. You can have in-detail about mini drills below.

If you are a newbie to drilling you can use Drilling Basic Guide which I have prepared for the newbies.

Mini Drill Voltage and Battery

Normally, a mini drill needs 3 – 8 voltage and consumes 15W – 30W of power when it is operating. These values can depend on the used tool and the workload.

Whether you are a newcomer or an experienced person, when buying an electronic product, you should inquire about its battery and its voltage separately. Because it helps you to use that electronic device for a long time. This also applies to mini drills. Let’s find out about that.

The mini drill is commonly referred to as a single voltage device. Therefore, it will require an adaptor and a converter or transformer. There are mini drills on the market that can operate in a wide range of voltages. 

The corded mini drill is lighter than the cordless mini drill because the cordless mini drill requires a battery. The speed, torque, and efficiency of the mini drill gradually decrease as the battery life decreases.

Read More About – 09 Reasons Why Do Drill Batteries Die Soon? – My Experience

Mini drills with different drill bits
Mini Drill

Mini Drill Noise Level

Normally, a mini drill has below the 85 dB noise level which is lower than the recommended exposure limit for human ears. So mini drills do not produce higher noise when it is running.

Using an impact driver produces a higher noise level rather than a drill. So we have lower risk for the noise problem of mini drills.

You know that noise pollution is one of the most common types of pollution. This is because in some cases you have to use the device to see if there is a suitable environment to use the product. It is noteworthy that the noise level produced by the drill varies from type to type. For example, the impact mechanism of a hammer drill produces a lot of noise.

In particular, the noise produced by drill types has to be considered because the person using the drill is directly exposed to excessive noise during the work. In such cases, separate equipment should be worn for ear protection and a significant distance from the device. Accordingly, the noise produced by a light-duty mini drill is less.

Corded Vs Cordless Mini Drills

According to the power supply, mini drills can be categorized into mainly two categories. Those are corded and cordless mini drills. There are both pros and cons of corded and cordless mini drills.

CharacteristicsCorded Mini DrillCordless Mini Drill
Usable timeCan be used for long-term work. Can be used for short-term work.
Lightness and weightLighter drillThe cordless mini drill weighs more than the corded mini drill.
The duration of the powerProvides constant power.Power changes over time.
The amount of torqueHigh torque is given until the end.Torque varies with the time the drill is used.
The differences between coded Vs cordless mini drill

The corded drill bit is best suited for delicate light tasks such as nail polishing and crafting work that needs to be done uniformly in one station.

Read More About – Corded Vs. Cordless Impact Wrench – Mechanic Advice to Buy!

Mini Drill Bits

In the mini drills, we cant see, regular twist drill nits. There is a wide range of mini drill bits in order to drill hard materials such as stone, concrete, metal (gold), and many more. So we can see mostly abrasion drill bits instead of cutting drill bits.

Mini drill bits
Mini Drill Bits

The best features of the mini drills are;

  1. Made of tungsten steel or carbide-tipped drill bits.
  2. Has high hardness,
  3. Has high wear resistance,
  4. Resistance to bending,

These bits do not put too much pressure on the drill and are not subject to high temperatures as they are used for light work.

Drill bits are lightweight and do not require much weight to use, so these bits can be used over time. A mixture of tungsten and carbide also affects its durability. Sometimes diamond drill bits are also used in the mini drill bits for the tough materials.

Read More About – Drill Bit Material, Coating and Usage – In Depth Guide!

Mini Drill vs. Micro Drill

If the diameter of the holes is less than 3mm, a device that can make such holes is called a micro drill in this field. Successful micro-drilling requires a precision coil and a sensor machine with a low treadmill.

CharacteristicsMini DrillMicro Drill
The area can be usedNail polishing, Crafting, Light work jewelry, polishingMedical, Machining industry aerospace
Type of drill bitA carbide drill bitA carbide drill bit
Drill bit made fromCarbideCobalt-steel alloy tungsten carbide
Suitable forCrystal, Glass, Plastic, Wood, Jewellery Wood, Plastic, Aluminium, Soft Metal
PriceCheapest than micro drillThe price is higher compared to a mini drill
The differences between mini drill and micro drill

Is Mini Drill for Men?

The ease of handling and the lightness of the equipment are the main and positive features. Therefore, this drill type is most suitable for women to do lighter work.

Because of this, many women around the world have turned to create handicrafts. Day by day we can see that the designs are being created in a better condition and finish.

Nail art has evolved into a profession today. It is convenient to have a variety of drill bits of different sizes.

Mini Drills For Crafting

Crafting is a very delicate task. Things like fine drilling and polishing should be done very neatly and efficiently. In some cases, invisible holes can be made using this mini drill. Varies tools are coming with a mini drill for that.

When you buy a mini drill in the market, you’ll get hundreds of drill bits and hundreds of other accessories at the same time. Using these makes it easy for even a woman to use a mini drill.

The ease of handling, the lightness of the equipment, the cordless, and the availability of a range of drill bits of different sizes are the main positive things of mini drills in crafting.

Mini Drills For Nails

Mini Drills Use for Nail Works
Mini Drills Use for Nail Works

As mentioned earlier,

  • The ease of handling,
  • The lightness of the equipment,
  • The cordless, and the availability of a range of drill bits of different sizes are the main positive things of mini drills in crafting.

With the advancement of technology, the mini drill has evolved into a mini drill pen. Using that type of drill can be done by anyone in the nail polish industry as well as anyone doing nail polish at home.

Accordingly, the mini drill can be used for grinding, carving, cutting, polishing, and cuticle removal

Can a Screwdriver Use as a Mini Drill?

If you’ve heard of screwdrivers, whether you are an amateur or an experienced person, you should know the quantitative difference between a screwdriver and a mini drill.

Quantitatively, an impact driver is larger than a mini drill. Its power is huge. Therefore, it cannot be used for nail decoration, because nail decoration is a very delicate task.  The lightness of the mini drill makes it easy to handle delicate tasks such as nail cleaning. But screw drivers can’t do this due to their shape and power.

Read More About – Can a Drill Use as a Screwdriver? – Best Smart Option

Shank Size of the Mini Drill

Do you have a problem with what a shank is? The shank is the visible part of a drill bit, so the shank is the end that connects the drill bit to a drill better and more securely without slipping.

Now you know that mini drills are used to do delicate things like nail decoration and crafting work. So the shank size of the drill bits used is much smaller than the shank size of the regular drill bits used for normal drills. Available in mini micro drill bits ranging from 0.3 to 1.6 mm. There are 20 types of drill bits within this range.

The other end of these drill bits has a sharp edge. That is, these bits are referred to as super sharp drill bits.

Can a Mini Drill Use to Cut Glass?

We all know glass as a fragile material. So the drilling of such a thing must be done very carefully. If you ask yourself at once whether a drill can be used here, you will find that it cannot be used. Actually, it can be used. What matters most is the type of drill bit used.

  • The tungsten carbide spear-tipped drill bits and diamond-tipped drill bits can be used.
  • And also carbide-tipped drill bits can be for tempered glass.

So do you have an idea what kind of mini drill bits are suitable for this? They are a type of carbide drill bit. So this work you can be done successfully by using a type of drill lubricant that can be used for very delicate work.

Mini Drill as a Grinder

Mini drills can be converted into grinders mostly. When polishing a material or craft piece, it should be done perfectly. As well as most of the workpieces are small and are unable to use with larger grinders or sanders. So the best solution is to use a mini drill.

There are types of mini grinding tools that you can use for your project.

Mini Drills Use as a Grinder
Mini Drills Use as a Grinder

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Tom Mackency

Tom Mackency

Hi, I am Tom Mackency. It has been 10 years that I have been working as a professional woodworker since 2013. I am really enjoying my carrier by creating many kinds of projects in my workshop. But mostly I like for home improvement projects. Home improvement and DIY projects are the most interesting things for me. More than that, the coolest things are power tools. Those are very precious and efficient than a decade ago. So I try to introduce so many things about power tools, woodworking, DIY projects, home improvement and many more interesting topics here.