Is brushless worth it? An honest answer

A brushless motor has no carbon brushes to wear out, runs cooler, and squeezes more runtime from the same battery. Those are real advantages. Whether they're worth the premium depends entirely on how much you drill.

When brushless is worth it

• Daily or jobsite use — brushed motors wear measurably under heavy use; brushless keeps going and stays cooler during long sessions.
• Big projects — a deck build or full renovation means hundreds of holes and screws. The extra runtime per charge is genuinely noticeable.
• You're buying pro-grade anyway — at the Milwaukee M18 FUEL / DeWalt XR tier, everything is brushless. It's not a separate decision.

When brushed is fine

• A few projects a year — hanging shelves, assembling furniture, drilling a dozen holes. A brushed drill will do this happily for a decade; the brushes will never wear out at that pace.
• Tight budget — a brushed kit at $59–$139 leaves money for the bits, anchors, and saw you'll actually need.

The thing nobody mentions

The batteries die before the motor does, either way. Lithium-ion packs degrade with age and cycles regardless of motor type, and a replacement battery often costs nearly as much as a new budget kit. For light users, the motor is the least of your worries.