A Drill for those that pick Quality over Quantity.
Written: Mar 21 '03 (Updated Mar 21 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good Quality Tool, Yellow Color, Power & Torque, Good Batteries, Warranty.
Cons: For me, nothing I can think of after 2 years.
The Bottom Line: If you are looking for a good quality tool to replace that last piece of junk you bought, this Drill is for you.
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| armyman's Full Review: DeWalt Heavy-Duty 12v Compact 3/8" Adjustable Clut... |
I have owned my DeWalt for over two years now and it is still going strong. My unit came with the standard charger, two batteries, the DeWalt 90-degree pivot 12-volt flashlight with Xenon bulbs and carrying case. I purchased the DeWalt after finally becoming disgusted with annually purchasing cheap wannabe drills.
I use the unit for projects around the home and other small projects helping friends, such as building a small car-port with wood and tin, decking and fencing. I use this tool for an equal amount of drilling and screwing. The variable clutch and variable speed trigger allow me to use this baby to do everything from put up a new fence, to installing a garage door opener, to putting together a computer desk. I think I use this thing more than I use my manual screwdrivers. The trick is to make sure you set the variable clutch so that you do not over tighten things with all the torque available. It is so nice to just go ziffffft rather than turn the handle, turn the handle, turn the handle, turn the handle, rest your hand, turn the handle…well you get the idea. Yes I could purchase one of those small dedicated power screwdrivers, but so far I have not had a need to spend the extra money with the DeWalt around. The only advantage I could see is the ability of those little suckers to fit into tight places.
The unit weighs around 3.8 pounds and balances very nicely in the hand when drilling at any angle. I have never felt uncomfortable using this tool in any attitude. One note is that it will not balance on its battery when set on the ground. This is important to some people, but not to others.
The batteries are still going strong after two years of use and will charge in between 20 minutes and one hour. I have never been able to drain one battery before the other one is charged enough to continue. This assumes of course that you are not using one of the batteries to run the flashlight. By the way the DeWalt flashlight is a mighty bright light with its Xenon bulb. I usually keep one battery in the charger and one in the flashlight by the garage back door.
The 190 in. lbs of torque that this unit can provide is more than enough for every project I have ever used it for. It has two settings available. One is for high-torque 0-400 rpm operation and the other is for low-torque 0-1,200 rpm operation. Combined with the Variable Speed Trigger and Adjustable Clutch there is not much you cannot do with this while drilling or screw driving. The Keyless Chuck makes changing bits and accessories a breeze. In other words no more misplaced keys…come on you know you’ve misplaced those things before.
If you are thinking about purchasing a new drill/driver do yourself a favor and spend the extra money for a quality tool whether it is a DeWalt or some other contractor or semi-contractor grade manufacturer. Don’t go purchase a $49 cordless drill/driver that will give you marginal service and questionable quality in the long run. I have made this mistake in the past and paid for it with frustrating performance and frequent purchasing of the same type tool.
A quick note about the yellow color of the drill. It may not seem like much, but when you have your tools laid out around your work area it makes it easy to pick out your drill. It is a little thing, but the little things are what can make a difference.
Now to the warranty. For a drill the DeWalt has an excellent warranty. None of that 90-day junk. The DeWalt has a full 1-year warranty that includes normal maintenance and replacement of worn parts. On top of all that it has a 30-Day, No-Risk, Satisfaction Guarantee. If you don’t like the drill for any reason in those first 30 days you can return it along with proof of purchase for a full refund. So now you have no excuse for not trying this DeWalt drill.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
armyman
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Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Rather than getting too technical in my reviews, I strive to give an overall feeling.
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