Brushless vs. Brushed Motors: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters

If you’ve been shopping for power tools lately, you’ve probably noticed the word “brushless” showing up on packaging and price tags. It’s one of those buzzwords that sounds good, but what does it actually mean? And is it really worth paying extra for a brushless drill or impact driver?

Let’s break it down in plain English.

How Electric Motors Work

Every cordless power tool with moving parts uses an electric motor to spin. Inside that motor are three key parts:

Stator: The stationary outer part that creates a magnetic field.

Rotor (or armature):The inner part that spins.

Commutator and brushes: The system that delivers electric current to the rotor.

In a brushed motor, small carbon “brushes” physically touch the commutator to transfer electricity. As the motor spins, those brushes slide against it, switching the polarity of the magnetic field to keep the rotor turning. Think: FRICTION.

In a brushless motor, that entire brush-and-commutator setup is replaced by electronic sensors and a small circuit board that handle the same job digitally—no friction, no wear parts.

The Real-World Differences

Because brushless motors don’t waste energy as heat or friction, they’re noticeably more efficient. More of the battery’s energy goes directly into spinning the tool, so you get longer runtime and more torque, especially under heavy load. They also stay cooler, run quieter, and generally last longer since there are no brushes to wear down.

Brushed motors, by comparison, are simpler and cheaper to make. They can still deliver plenty of power, but they lose efficiency as the brushes wear. Over time, you’ll need to replace those brushes, and the tool may feel weaker as they start to degrade. They also tend to get hotter and louder because of that constant contact inside the motor.

The onboard electronics of brushless tools can sense how much resistance the tool is facing and automatically adjust speed and torque. That means a brushless drill can slow down when driving a long screw into dense material, conserving battery power while still maintaining full torque. With a brushed motor, speed and torque are fixed, so the motor just draws more current and gets hotter.

Identifying Brushless Tools

Most brushless tools include the word "brushless" in the name, product description, or key features, as brushless is a premium feature that manufacturers and retails are smart to highlight. If you can't find confirmation that the tool is brushless, most likely it is brushed.

Some manufacturers have created entire product lines that exclusively use brushless motors. Sometimes these names include the word brushless, but other times they do not. Some examples of product lines that use brushless motors exclusively:

Where Brushed Still Shows Up

Brushless is quickly becoming the standard for core power tool lineups, but some brushed models remain simply because the performance demands don’t justify the added cost or electronics.

You will still see brushed motors in some tools that have lessor motor demands such as inflators, fans, drywall cut-out tools, and screwdrivers. They also frequently show up in non-flagship product categories such as sanders, rotary tools, shop blowers and the like. These products should be considered when significantly more cost-effective than their brushless counterparts, or when brushless versions of the tool don't exist in the same battery platform.

There are also products that are often lumped into the power tools category that don't have motors at all, such as lights, radios and speakers.

But when it comes to core tools - drills, impacts, grinders, saws, and outdoor power equipment - brushless is now the benchmark. These are the tools most likely to be pushed to their limits, and the higher-end electronics make a tangible difference.

The Bigger Picture

In addition to the advantages of brushless motors over their brushed counterparts, brushless products are usually the brand’s flagship tier overall. That means improved gearboxes, stronger housings, upgraded electronics, and better batteries included in the kits. When you buy brushless, you’re also stepping into the manufacturer’s premium ecosystem: the tools that get the newest technology, the best performance, and the longest warranties.

Bottom Line

Brushless isn’t marketing fluff. It’s a real technological leap that delivers more power, longer runtime, and longer life. Brushed tools still exist, but they’re increasingly limited to the low-end or secondary categories.

If you’re buying a heavy-demand power tool, go brushless. You’ll get the top-tier performance, the best components, and the platform that most brands are building their future around.