We go through a lot of cordless drills and had a lot of problems with the nicad batteries on the Milwaukee 18v drills and with the gearboxes of the Makitas (partly from operator misuse) and with the lithium-ion we decided to give the DeWalt drills a try. Very happy we did as they have a lot of power and 3-speed gearboxes. The hammer action is good enough for a 3/8" hole and the torque is good enough for even a 6" hole saw if it is one of the new kinds with the deep slots (Big Hawg and Blue Boar TCT).
Chuck is hard to untighten at first but it holds better than any other chuck I have used. The battery is the largest of any of our drills and also weighs more but gives a lot of power and lasts and lasts. Charge time is good and with the long life of the batteries I get through the day with only the original battery and seldom need to use the spare.
Side handle can be tightened in any position like the Bosch and Makita drills which I like but deWalt does not include a depth rod like Makita or a way to attach one later.
Buy this drill if you want the most powerful 18 volt drill around. Also has 2-year battery warranty. DEWALT DCD760KL 18-Volt 1/2-Inch Cordless Compact Lithium-Ion Drill/Driver Kit
I was looking forward to trying this drill/driver out. I wasn't disappointed. I enjoy the light weight for a 18v drill/driver. The battery last a long time. Though I didn't know that Li-Ion batteries just stopped turning the drill instead of slowing down like a Ni-Cad battery does. This was my first Li-Ion drill. However, it doesn't cause a problem, just pop the other battery in and keep going.
The only thing that caused me a problem at first was the brake for the drill motor. If I didn't securely tighten the bits, meaning tightening the drill bit, etc. at a high clutch setting, after a few times of using the drill/driver the bit would come loose. The brake stopped the drill motor so well that the chuck would open and the bit would be loose. I would expect that as the brake wears a little it might not stop the motor so quickly and it won't be a problem. However, I wouldn't want this option changed. It is nice to have it stop that quickly.
Ken
Our crews use a lot of different makes of cordless drills and when they need one from the shop they used to grab one of the Makitas but now their first choice is the DeWalt DCD970 drill. The DeWalt deliver a lot more power over a longer period of time. Part of this is their having the biggest (and heaviest) lithium ion battery and part of it is the 3 speed gearbox.
We use the Hole Pro adjustable hole cutters a lot and the low speed setting is perfect for good cutting speed and having enough power to cut 8-1/4" holes in TJI or plywood. The middle speed we have learned makes for smoother cutting with hole saws though we have switched to using Blue Boar TCT hole cutters 90% of the time. We can easily cut 6" holes in inch thick plywood with an 18 volt cordless and the very efficient Blue Boar hole cutters.
Hole Pro X-230 Kit: 1-7/8" to 9" and all fractional sizes in between. Infinitely Adjustable Cutter with Twin Tungsten Carbide Blades needs ¼ drill power of a hole saw to quickly cut Plywood Sheetrock Plaster Fiberglass OSB Plastic MDF Hardie Board
Blue Boar TSF-12 - 12 Piece Tungsten Carbide Deep Hole Saw Kit - Cut 10x Faster, 3x Larger, and 40x more holes per battery charge versus bi-metal hole saws in wood, chipboard, plaster, MDF, cement board, etc. Deep side slots for fast plug removal
The DCD760 has only two speeds but a strong gearbox and an excellent chuck. The DeWalt drills are the only ones that never seem to loosen while drilling or hammering. The Makita and Hitachi are easily the worst chucks and we only use them to drive screws. Don't be mislead by either the power ratings or recharge times from the manufacturers' marketing departments. If you want to compare two DeWalt or two Makita or two Milwaukee against each other they are OK but the are worthless for comparing two drills from different companies.
Recharge times are also a bit of a con. Faster recharge times means hotter batteries and this is not good for the batteries. With lithium ion batteries they can even catch fire. Makita states a 15 minute recharge time but in the manual it also recommends at least a 30 minute cool down period before you take the battery off the charger. We have found that the bigger the battery and the more efficient the hole cutter or drill bit or screw fastener the longer the drill lasts on the job and the fewer spare batteries we need. Before we switched to the Blue Boar hole cutters we used to take 6 batteries to a job and now we only take two and often never use the second one.
The DCD760 is all the average home DIY guy or gal will likely ever need but for pro use the DCD970 is worth the extra cost and weight. You get a pro grade gearbox and clutch and very good batteries (but with half the warranty period of the yellow ones on the high end drills from DeWalt).
I've been using Dewalt drills for the last 8 years for my job, but never bought one myself because I always had access to my work tools. Now I no longer have access to my tools all the time, and I decided to purchase a drill for my own. Compared to Ni-Cad batteries these Li-On batteries have some advantages. One is weight, its about 1/3 to 1/4 as heavy as the Ni-Cad. Their size is also an advantage, being slightly smaller, you can get the drill into positions and areas you have have had difficulty before with a Ni-Cad 18v.
As far as performance however, I see some problems. I've never had NEW Ni-Cad batteries, but these Li-On seem to have no performance degradation over their charge life; they go 100% until they are done. And when they are done, they stop. Thats it. No slowing, no signs nothing to let you know the battery is not 100% ready. This makes it hard to tell if your battery is charged enough for the job. It could go 5 mins it could last an hour. No way to know. They also seem to stop have a shorter charge life than Ni-Cads I've used. Just drilled 24 3/8 holes into treated 4x4's and it needed a new battery after 18. It might just be the new Li-Ons need some break in time, but it was still a bit disappointing.
But for the price, and for use in light duty house work, this is doing well. - 18 Volt - Dewalt - Cordless - Compact'
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