Which Dewalt Cordless Drill

[Steve Mellott]

During the recent HD sale, I decided to buy a cordless drill. When I got to the store I didn't know which model would be best for hobbyist woodworking and projects around the house. At the suggestion of the store clerk, I bought 3 different kits and will return 2 of them after I decide which one I want to keep.



My 3 choices are as follows:

• 18 volt XRP DCD940KX $99
• 18 volt drill/reciprocating saw kit DC759CA $99
• 14.4 volt DC730KA $69

Each of these kits comes with 2 batteries. I've used corded drills in the past and have very litle knowledge about these cordless tools. For example, do I really need the 18 volt power? Do I really need the XRP model since it seems to have more power? Are there other considerations? Thank you.


Steve

[Pete Schupska]

I have the 18v XRP drill and love it for most everything. I am yet to wish I had a less powerful cordless drill. That said, I'm planning on expanding the arsenal soon with one of the Li-ion kits. Probable the Makita or Bosch drill and driver combo pack. I'm starting to find a few situations where the large size of my DeWalt makes the task a bit cumbersome.

My vote is one of the 18v drills. If you need the recip. saw, go with that kit; but I love the XRP drill.

Another benefit, or at least something to consider, is the availability of other cordless tools that match your battery choice. DeWalt has a fairly inclusive line in the 18v, and as I recall, not so much in the 14.4v. Back in college, we purchased one of the 10 tool sets of DW 18v for our race team, and I was quite impressed with all of them.

If you anticipate expanding your tool collection, you might look around at what else is out there. For what it's worth, the number of times I wish I still had a cordless circular saw and a cordless angle grinder is approaching immense.

[Grant Larouere]

Steve,

I'm glad to see that someone took advantage of all the great sales on DeWalt items this year. I've used all of the items you've bought, so here's my thoughts.

14.4v DeWalt drill - Weighs less than the 18v. Great for driving screws and drilling holes. Decent power, but plan to pre-drill for longer screws (like 2" and above). If you're planning on doing something where you need to drill a ton of holes or sink a bunch of screws consecutively (one right after the other) than this probably isn't the drill for you. I've worked in quite a few shops where this was all they used, and they seemed fine.

18v w/ recip saw, non-XRP batteries- for starters, I LOVE the cordless reciprocating saw. If you think you're going to use it semi-frequently, than this is the package you want to keep. The drill is basically the same quality as the 14.4v model, except with more power. If you're not using the drill or saw a TON during a job, than having 2 thinner batteries is really not an issue. They charge in an hour or so.

18v w/ XRP batteries- This drill is a step up from the other one. It's got more metal in it and has a 3 speed transmission instead of 2. The XRP batteries are great if you're drilling/driving a ton of things one right after the other.

Personally, I own the drill that comes with the non-XRP kit. I used it for a few years, the batteries finally wore out, and the replacements I purchased were XRP batteries. I find that they last longer, but I have the sort of job that requires sinking many screws and drilling tons of holes per hour. I use my drill everyday at work, and it's still working great.

So Basically, if you're going to use the recip saw, get that kit. Use it until the batteries eventually stop holding a charge ( they always die before the tool does) and then consider buying XRP replacement batteries. The saw alone is worth $100 on ebay. If you're not using the saw, then get the better 18v. Many of my friends and coworkers have this model, and it's a real workhorse. I don't think I'd consider the 14.4v. Dewalt has a lot of other 18v tools that all use the same battery, but very few that are 14.4v.
Case in point, I got on eBay last month and bought myself the 18v impact driver (tool only) for under $100. It fits the batteries I own, so I saved a bundle. If I owned the 14.4v stuff, I'd be out of luck.

Just my 2 cents.

Grant Larouere
McCarter Theatre
Princeton,NJ

[Van Huskey]

No matter what you decide on (my choice for hobbyist would be the 2 tool set) don't return anything! Part the tools and batteries out on eBay or CL in a couple of weeks (after all the ones from the sale are gone) and get more than all you money back. In otherwords get what ever you decide to keep for free plus money!

[Mike Rees]

As others have said, stick w/ the 18V line to allow you to expand into other tools of like voltage down the line if you find the need.

I'd go w/ the XRP drill - its always nice to underuse a tool all the time rather than over-using a tool some of the time. I find the extra capacity of the XRP drill and batts very comforting to me - I know there is little chance if me asking it to do too much so I just sorta have at it w/ abandon.

Also, you will have a lot easier time getting XRP Nano batteries (if you decide to go lithium ion) in the 18v flavor .....

[Igor Petrenko]

I would advise for woodworking to get 14v and something corded for when tourque needed. 18v is too bulky.

[David Winer]

I would advise for woodworking to get 14v and something corded for when tourque needed. 18v is too bulky.

The 14.4 volt drill is definitely less bulky. And for everything I've used it for has proven adequately strong (plenty of torque). I've used it for a lot of projects, some for big screws in pressure treated dimension wood.

When our kitchen was being remodeled a dozen or so years ago I noticed the carpenters were using DeWalt 14.4 drills for everything. When asked why not 18 volt, they said it was too heavy. I took their advice and got the 14.4.

Eventually, during a large fencing project, I bought a second DeWalt 14.4 drill so a helper could participate in board fastening. Now I use them both for those times when different drill bits and screwdriver bits are called for. The first one came with a light which has been quite beneficial, and the second came with a saw that I first sneered at but which has come in handy after all.

[Scott Gibbons]

I have the 36v monster. It will run forever and tear through a tank if give the chance but it is really heavy and awkward to work with for a long time.

[Mike Rees]

The 18V XRP is heavy if equipped with standard NiCads. However if you just out and purchase the Nano flavor or later on down the line switch your NiCads to Nanos post purchase, you will find the drill weighs in around what the 12V XRP comes in at.