DEWALT 12V MAX Impact Driver Drill Combo (DCK211S2)

Never showed up did not last

I’m a reasonably handy homeowner who has owned any number of cheapo drills/screwdrivers, but I’ve gotten fed up with batteries dying, low torque, chucks that don’t grab, and all that. A friend of mine who’s a much handier homeowner (has built some significant projects, including structural additions to his house) recommended this set to me, and demoed driving a 3″ screw without a pilot. I also own a DeWalt corded drill for heavier jobs.

This really is like night and day compared to those $29 specials and compacts. Everything is well designed and solidly built, with useful features. The tools feel like low-end professional ones (they’ll keep on going when used within the design parameters, and can be used all day) rather than high-end casual use. I’ve now owned them for about 6 months and use them regularly.

Both pieces fit very comfortably to hand. Others have commented that they fit small hands very well; I will comment that they both fit my very big hands (some XL gloves don’t fit) perfectly. The location of the battery makes for a more secure grip, since it helps hold the hand in place. They’re very light and are not at all tiring to use. Mechanically, both have a drive lock which stops the shaft instantly when you release the trigger. The trigger pull is progressive and smooth on both, making it easy to control the speed. Having the two pieces is very convenient; I can drill and drive screws without having to swap bits. The batteries are easy to remove, but lock securely, and charging is quick. I don’t use the belt clip and don’t particularly like the look of it, but it’s there if you want it (I’d prefer the clip to be mounted to the body of the tool rather than the end of the handle).

Specifics for the drill: it’s a standard enough drill/screwdriver combo, that feels solid. Nothing too special about it. The LED illuminator isn’t positioned as well as it might be, as others have noted. The balance is very good; even driving a 3/8″ hole through wood, it’s easy to control one-handed although it’s always a good idea to use both hands if you can. I find I have fewer misdrilled holes, probably because of the good balance. The one thing you have to be very careful about is that you always tighten the chuck firmly. The chuck clicks twice, a light click and then a firmer click, as you tighten it down. Always tighten it until it clicks solidly in place. That does take a fair bit of force, a lot more than with the old-style keyed chucks, but after the first time I didn’t tighten it down, I learned quickly. The drill has two speed ranges (low for driving screws, high for drilling).

Specifics for the impact driver: this is a tool very much worth learning about. My first question to my friend was “why a drill and a separate screwdriver, rather than, say, a reciprocating saw?” An impact driver is a different beast from an ordinary power screwdriver, even with a clutch. The clutch on the drill/screwdriver simply limits torque; the impact driver uses hammer-like blows as torque demand increases (when there’s only light resistance, it just rotates without hammer action). The advantage of this is that if used correctly, it can drive screws much harder without stripping either the head or the thread. But you have to use it correctly, which means firm pressure to prevent the bit from jumping out of the head (the usual way that Phillips heads get stripped). And watch out with the trigger, since at full speed it’s very high RPMs (actually higher than the high range on the drill), so if you aren’t pushing hard enough, it will jump out. It’s surprisingly gentle, though; I’ve driven screws hard into plastic anchors into wallboard, and only very rarely stripped them (I built a few shelves on Sunday, and out of 50 screws, I think I stripped 2). Much less frequently than with a conventional powered driver or even an ordinary hand screwdriver. As others have also noted, the LED illuminator works very well on this tool. It does take some learning, but it’s worth it. It’s also very compact (somewhat shorter than the drill, so it fits into tight spots), and bits lock in (pull on the sleeve around the bit to release). I almost always prefer it for driving screws, but again, this is one tool you should practice with before using it.

The bag looks chintzy (it’s a nylon bag with a reinforced bottom and a frame), but it’s sturdier and more versatile than I thought. I can easily enough get both tools, the charger, a set of drill bits and another set of drive bits in plastic shell cases, several large screw drivers, a pair of large channel lock pliers, a full-size Vise Grip pliers, a hot glue gun, a spare bag of glue sticks, and a few bags of small hardware into it while still closing it. With some fiddling, I could probably also fit a small hammer for punching starter holes for drilling. Since my main tool box is an almost 40 year old Craftsman steel box that I got as a present as a child, I like being able to carry around something much smaller and lighter (10 lb is a lot easier than 30 lb). I actually prefer this to a hard shell case, since there’s more flexibility.

All in all, I’d say this is a well-designed and executed tool set for a wide variety of uses.

El tamaño es perfecto, las pilas duran bien, el cargador es algo pequeño pero cumple su función al 100%. Excelente compra

Potente par pensado para profesionales, principiantes. , Producto práctico, particularmente poderoso, por precaucion puede practicar , paso previo, producir posteriormente.