GuisBuild's Full Review: Dewalt DC9PAKIA Heavy Duty 18 V Cordless 9 Tool Co...
Looking at my shop (or trailer, the back of my truck, the backseat of my truck....)all are good ways of recognizing that I already own some variety of the items included in this Combo Kit courtesy of Dewalt. I am proud as can be (that's my chest puffing out....that's me coughing because I can't keep it out) to find a reason to purchase a combination kit of anything tool-related thanks to a younger fella' following in my footsteps. It's not the footsteps as much as the justified tool purchases that has me grinning.
Special purchase number one was the Dewalt DC9PAKIA Heavy Duty 18 Volt Cordless Tool Combo Kit. Try saying that 9 times fast! The kit comes complete with:
* 1/2 inch hammer drill/ driver
* reciprocating saw
* handheld grinder of sorts (they call it a "cut off tool")
* circular saw
* variable speed jig saw
* small flood light
* 1/2 inch torque wrench
* "cut out tool" (as opposed to "cut off")
* charger, 2-18V batteries, two contractor bags
Now I try to keep my math skills up to snuff so I caught on right away to the fact that either this kit is one tool short - that would be glass half empty - or the kit has more than nine items - glass half full. For anyone who has recently purchased 18-V batteries or a charger...well, I think you'll gladly concede that this kit has more than 9 items and leave it at that.
KITS
The interesting thing about considering the purchase of a kit, is that it is a downright tough decision for those woodworkers and contractors who have spent far too much of their time pouring over tool catalogs, "test driving" various tools, and generally bleeding grease, oil & sawdust. In fact, I immediately thought of at least a couple tools I'd rather replace some of the items in this kit with. Oh, it's not to say these were bad options, I just knew too much. (My wife would claim that this knowledge has cost her a great deal of money and, therefore, has certainly come at a price.)
I'm starting with this information, because in reviewing an entire kit I found myself at a fork in the road. Do I take apart each and every tool and point out its faults, or do I tend more toward looking at this as a whole - thinking in terms of who would opt for a kit. I'm going with the latter.
SO - A KIT FOR WHOM?
Contractor - this is a good fit. Especially for the guy or gal starting out and needing to get going fast. To rely on cordless tools on a regular basis, nothing but 18 Volt is worth the effort. In addition, in general, the heavy duty moniker on these Dewalt items is quite accurate. Drop a driver - you're still good to use it. Beat up the circular saw - you may need a new blade but your housing is still good. Drop your "flood light" you may be realizing you never really needed it to begin with.
Weekend Warrior - this could work....how "warrior" are your weekends? The average guy watching HGTV and then deciding to tackle a project probably won't use each of these tools enough to buy one. Surely there's a neighbor or parent-in-law with a tool you could borrow. In fact, for the price, a weekend warrior may be better investing in a good portable table saw and a nail gun. If money is no object, projects abound, and your wife is all about investing in your "knowledge" it's not a bad purchase.
Average Homeowner - you've been invited to a bridal shower and want to give a tool. Who doesn't? You have a $1000 budget. Again, common. You buy the groom a cordless drill, a battery, a charger, and use the rest of the money to buy a few rounds at the shower. This is overkill for the average homeowner.
TOOL CONTENTS
In spite of the fork I chose, the review would be worthless without a passing comment on the tools.
1/2 hammer drill/driver - this is DeWalt's model DC925. It has three speeds, 22 chuck settings. Plenty of torque, good handling, feels good in the hand. A good driver normally in the $250 range when purchased alone.
reciprocating saw - model DC385 with verticle and horizontal blade orientation. This saw - and other cordless saws - will suck the life out of your batteries. Not a bad saw - it's not an ancient Sawzall or anything, but not much is. For quick cuts it's good - for all day work you're going to want a corded saw.
handheld grinder or "cut off tool" - model DC410 is light but oddly shaped. It feels awkward in the hand and, though I'm not a car guy, I can't help but guess that using this for such work is going to feel just as awkward. This one is the clunker in the bunch as the power just isn't enough to be long lasting, the design flawed, and it just doesn't match other offerings.
circular saw - model DC390 came with a carbide blade and rip fence and the claim that it will cut 100 2x4s on a single charge. We tested the claim and came quite close to 100 though by the end of the exercise we were feeling bad for the saw and wanted to put it out of its misery. A 50-degree bevel is worthwhile the feel in the hand, again, leaves much to be desired. It is droppable though perhaps not from a second story onto concrete. The blade guard is plastic and does not appear to be too "heavy duty" - it will be interesting to see how long it lasts.
variable speed jig saw - model DC330 offers keyless blade changing and a 45 degree bevel. A blower will keep basic sawdust out of the way when in use. It's a fine tool - it's not "rave-able" but certainly useful for quick needs. Not production in any sense of the term.
1/2 inch torque wrench - model DW059 is perhaps my favorite tool in this kit. It's compact in size and the reason cordless tools were invented. (Okay, maybe not, but in my history books this is the reason.) The power is exemplary for a cordless tool and the size means power can be brought into a tight space. The grip is excellent and feels good in the hand with 3600 lbs of power.
"cut out tool" - is model DC550 - the rotary tool. 26,000 rpm is more than adequate. We took this tool through the paces trying cuts in drywall, cement board, ceramic tile - it worked well in all. It is a consistent performer and did not seem to drain the battery as quickly as the other saws. A tool that not all will need - it's just one extra thing and for many of us we'll grab our Sawzall and do what this one could do. For the guy or gal who needs a separate tool for each function or for cases when the cut needs to be more precise this is a nice piece.
OTHER
I did not write a detailed paragraph on the flood light, bags, batteries or charger. These, to me, are extras thrown in for good measure. The flood light has a flexible neck and works just fine though, if in the midst of work, it is probably not where you'd want to use one of the two batteries included in the set.
The batteries included will want to multiply - you'll find yourself adding batteries to this set. The charger works just fine and probably will want to multiply as well - add another to the mix. The bags are durable, somehow hold all the tools when you first purchase everything, seem to shrink later (but that probably reflects organizational skills or lack thereof).
Blades & extras included:
- rip fence
- reciprocating saw blade
- 2 wheels for the cut out tool
- flange
- wrench
- handle
FINALLY
If you made it this far, I owe a concise rating...I'm going with 3.5. Had my new carpenter - young lad that he is - ask the old man to wander through stores and catalogs for a couple days, hand-picking his new tools we would have had some different items in his un-matched milk crates. Instead he has some matching tools in matching contractor bags. For one-stop shopping for the new carpenter this is not a bad kit. When the individual prices of items are totalled it does have a savings built in. For the consumer who has the time and desire to research each individual component I'd suggest purchasing items separately including some of the Dewalt offerings while throwing in other brands in certain areas. I'd even skip cordless in certain areas BUT I can't fault a kit that tries this hard and offers enough useful items to start a guy off on the right track.
DeWalt DC9PAKIA Heavy-Duty 18V Cordless 9-Tool Combo Kit The DeWalt DC9PAKIA is a cordless 9-tool combo that includes: a hammerdrill/drill/driver, a c...More at Tyler Tool
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