DeWalt DEWALT reviews
A fine value
And there I was in a Home Depot in Laplace, Louisiana and what did I see?
The very same Dewalt 14.4V xrp 1/2 cordless, drill/driver on the clearance rack for $149.99 plus 10% sales tax.
"Say it ain't so!" - I thought to myself. Why would this be a clearance item? Perhaps the batteries are not used in enough of the other tools - 18 volt units seem to be the new benchmark. Yet what a lovely price -so I bought one.
I've owned a Dewalt 12v xrp for 4 plus years and it's still going strong. When the 12v unit came out the xrp batteries were not available. I ultimately purchased 2 replacement 12v xrp batteries and have been enormously satisfied.
So recently I have been doing a lot of pre-drilling and screwing and have thought about purchasing another 12v xrp drill/driver; they are still holding their price at $169.00
And then I saw the 14.4 on the clearance rack. Half inch chuck, xrp batteries and case for the same price. Oh yeah!
The 14.4 is a bit heavier than my venerable 12v - not the lead weight of the xrp 18v, but all the features are the same:
3 speed, ratcheting steel chuck and great tough if not precision construction.
Some where between 12v and 18v - the torque of the drill becomes unmanageable with one hand. (when tightening wood screws or when a spade bit stops dead in a hole.) That is what the clutch is designed to alleviate. I have never used a cordless drill in the screw/clutch mode. I achieve my desired results by careful modulation of the trigger. The 14.4 works just about perfectly without wrenching your wrist.
There is the same slight bit wobble present in the 12v xrp but it is more of an irritation than a liability.
All Dewalt cordless drills are not created equal.
My 12v xrp has more torque and longer battery life than a friend's 18v dewalt heavy duty cordless drill/driver (non xrp model.)
Complaints: I am ready to see a nickel metal hydride battery made available for cordless hand tools. Knowing that the battery would have a longer run time - yet a much longer charge time would not deter me because the batteries would not be subject to failure in 2 years. ( the Nickel Cadmium short coming.)
My advice buy a 14.4v xrp cordless drill/driver at your home depot clearance rack or take advantage of the Amazon frequent tool discounts to make the DEWALT DC983KA 14.4-Volt XRP 1/2" Drill/Driver Kit your next best friend.
caslo
2/9/2007
dewalt 14.4 v hammer drill
I feel lucky to have stumbled across this website. I left my drill behind on the job and I was looking to have to spend 200+ dollars for a replacement. I had spare batteries and the charger so this was perfect in order to minimize my loss. The drill itself seemed new and I haven't had a problem with it yet. Thank you
2/17/2009
DEWALT DRILL
THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUICK SERVICE, I HAVE BEEN USEING THE DRILL ALOT SINCE I RECEIVED IT. BEEN WORKING VERY GOOD.
5/22/2008
Great drill; Great deal
Arrived quickly; well packaged; and I was using it 5 minutes after receiving it. Highly recommended, especially if you already have the battery.
3/11/2009
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