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★★★★★
An explanation of Unit Watts Out
This drill is a beast. DEWALT products have never let me down, and so far this drill is no exception. First of all, it's an amazing deal. At nearly $90 for one replacement battery, even just the two 1.5mah batteries that this unit comes with should be more expensive than the whole kit. Instead for just over $100 you get two batteries, a fast charger, a soft case and the of course the drill. Frankly if I had other DEWALT 20V tools, I'd buy this kit just for the batteries.
This drill is a no-nonsense drill. There are very few bells and whistles, just a workhorse powerful drill with great batteries. It's extremely small and lightweight, probably half of the weight I'm used to holding with normal NiCad battery drills. However after getting used to the lighter weight of the battery, it feels balanced and stable, with a good fit for my larger hands. But it has at least the same amount of punch of a bigger heavier drill, lasting longer with no fade. I love that this drill performs at 100% and dies quickly - the performance is strong until the end. And with the fast charger, by the time battery A is dead, battery B is fully charged and ready to go. The batteries also seem to hold their charge for indefinite periods of time.
One feature I like is the light (the one bell and/or whistle this drill has). I've had other drills with lights - that's nothing new. However, in a few different models, the light would only operate when the trigger was being pulled. If I'm lining up a bit or a screw in a circumstance that requires light, it's not easy to do if the drill is spinning. This light stays on for ~10 seconds after the trigger is released, allowing you to tap the trigger to engage the light, line up the bit or screw, and resume drilling/driving.
The build quality is great. The drill feels solid and strong. My only complaint is the plastic chuck. While I've had no trouble getting up to 1/2" bits into the chuck firmly, it feels cheap - much cheaper than the black metal DEWALT chuck I'm used to. But I guess with this product they had to cut corners somewhere, and if I can still firmly grip a bit, I don't care what the chuck is made out of.
Note: DEWALT seems to be measuring their drills in Unit Watts Out, rather than in/lbs. While this makes sense, as UWO supposedly takes into account both speed and torque, it's confusing. According to this article on ProToolReviews (http://www.protoolreviews.com/buying-guides/max-watts-out/13109/), in/lbs can be approximately calculated with the following formula:
Speed (RPM) x Torque (inch pounds) / 560 = Max Watts Out (estimated). Note that you must use the lower speed to get the higher torque reading.
At 300 UWO, that puts this drill at about 373in/lbs in the low speed setting - not the best, but not bad. Certainly there are more powerful drills, but this one is certainly competitive, and with a name like DEWALT, I felt it was the best bang for my buck. I have yet to be proven wrong.
September 2015 · Tools and Home Improvement · verified purchase