Dremel’s Genius New Drill Is the Most Compelling 12V Power Tool I’ve Seen in Years

The company’s newly released Blueprint Multi-Drill integrates three of the most common tools home owners need for drilling jobs into one handy device.

The Dremel Blueprint Multi-Drill shown sitting on a room floor sitting on top of two white planks of wood that appear to be furniture parts being assembled. The bottom feat of a credenza appears in the background

By Ben Bowers

Published January 9, 2025

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Cordless drills are the first point of contact most people have with power tools and function as a gateway drug to the DIY way of life.

Toolmakers know this all too well, which is largely why drills tend to be boring as hell (no pun intended), though the forces driving this outcome are counterintuitive.

Dremel’s newly revealed Dremel Blueprint Multi-Drill (a.k.a the Dremel DD12V-S1 3in1 Drill Driver) is a rare new exception that brings several exciting fresh ideas to the category that anyone who’s ever had to hang something on a wall will immediately appreciate.

It Integrates Everything Needed to Handle the Most Common Drilling Tasks

The Dremel Blueprint Multi-Drill shown being pressed flush against a white wall and turned to its side to highlight the device's integrated stud finder functionality. A pair of hands are shown along with the drill. One hand is holding the drill against the wall. The other hand is marking a spot on the wall with a black pencil. — One of the Dremel Blueprint Multi-Drill’s most appealing features is the stud finder integrated into its handle.

The Dremel Blueprint Multi-Drill’s design immediately stands out from other drill / driver combos due to what appears to be a prominent plastic handle guard from a far.

In reality, the large flat protrusion is a built-in stud finder designed to sit flush against a wall surface. The stud finder’s side also features a positioning arrow to ensure that any wall marks made are precisely on the stud.

The Dremel Blueprint Multi-Drill shown turned upside down with the devices integrated bubble and laser level being pulled away from its storage compartment the bottom of the drill's front handle. — The Dremel Blueprint Multi-Drill’s also ships with a removable laser and bubble level that stores in the drill’s handle. It’s charged separately from the drill via USB-C.

The bottom of the handle guard also contains the drill’s second most significant feature – a detachable combination Class 2, <1 mW, 635nm laser, and bubble level. Dremel says the level comes with “reusable mounting putty” to stick the level to a wall. Still, it’s not clear from the product information if this putty is attached to the piece inside the drill or provided alongside the drill in a separate package.

Another quirk about the integrated laser level is that it must be charged separately from the drill battery via USB-C.

There are also a few other user-friendly details found on most other drills, including an on-device slot for bit storage, a lighted battery power indicator, and an LED spotlight to provide a clearer line of site for drilling.

The Drill and Its Companion Blueprint Line Tease Dremel’s Future Ambitions

The Dremel Blueprint Multi-Drill shown drilling into a piece of wood into the floor. — Dremel’s status as a relative newcomer in the 12V cordless power tool market has clearly encourage the brand’s design team to think outside of the box and introduce products that are distinct from the rest of the market.

Dremel isn’t a newcomer to the power tool market. The brand, named after its founder, Albert J. Dremel, was founded nearly a hundred years ago in 1932 in Racine, Wisconsin. It has long been synonymous with its line of electric rotary tools. The company was also bought by a titan in the power tool market, Bosch, back in 1993.

And yet, the company has held off until now from officially introducing other 12 V power tools outside of the rotary tool space.

The Dremel Blueprint Multi-Drill shown alongside it's included drill bits with the integrate laser level pulled on. All of the products are shown against a light grey background. — It’s a nice perk that the Dremel Blueprint Multi-Drill ships with a drill and drive bit set.

The Blueprint Multi-Drill is part of a new Blueprint line of 12V battery-powered tools from the Dremel in 2025, which includes a portable saw and sawing station along with the expected rotary tool.

The long wait may have been a key factor that incentivized Dremel to develop the Blueprint Multi-Drill.

That’s because, for the most part, every consumer power tool brand is a walled garden, sealed through proprietary battery and charger designs. As such, any company that can convince a consumer to buy their particular drill dramatically increases its odds of securing a repeat business as customers pick up other power tools down the road.

You’d think this would incentivize power tool makers to ensure their brand’s particular drill stood out from the pack, but the reality is just the opposite. The long-term business stakes are too high to tolerate significant risks in drill design for established players, especially if the design results in a dramatic price difference over a competitor’s product.

Dremel Blueprint portable table saw shown sitting on a table alongside some cut pieces of wood. In the background is a blurred kitchen island with bar chairs. — The Dremel has also introduced the Blueprint Portable Saw Station alongside the Multi-Drill which is also clearly aimed at a subset of potential DIY consumers who lack the space, money or interest in investing in more robust power tool ecosystems. The two early pieces are clearly meant to serve as cornerstones in a more robust family of Blueprint-branded 12V power tools in the future.

The last thing a tool company wants is to dissuade a potential customer from choosing their drill because of a divisive feature or design that’s non-essential.

As such, most drills – especially the consumer-centric 12V variety- might as well be the same product painted in different colors to most consumers.

But compared to established players, Dremel has a serious incentive to stand out if it hopes to make business inroads with more casual DIY consumers who may not have the space, money, or interest in investing in larger or more elaborate power tool ecosystems or setups.

It’s Available Now From All Major Retailers at a Competitive Price

Here’s Dremel’s brief promo video of the Blueprint Multi-Drill in use.

The Blueprint Multi-Drill is now available from major retailers, including Home Depot, Amazon, and Lowes. At $99, it costs just slightly less than other class-leading 12V drills/drivers from DeWalt and Dremel’s sister brand, Bosch.

Given the resources and experience of Bosch’s holding company, and Dremel’s general reputation for making quality tools, we’d expect the Blueprint Multi-Drill to function well as a handy tool for essential home projects like hanging pictures and shelves. An early review of the drill from Glenda Tailor at BobVila.com seems to verify this assumption.