It delivers a surprising amount of practical power in a remarkably diminutive package. It weighs a little more than 2 pounds and comes with a ⅜-inch chuck. Two speed ranges provide good versatility for all kinds of drilling and driving tasks. This product is available as a “tool only,” so the kit doesn’t include a battery or a charger. We used a well-worn 5.0Ah 18V battery from another cordless tool, and we were able to get almost an hour of continuous use.
We determined the extent of each tool’s power, whether it could withstand repeated use, its battery life, and the drill’s overall quality. Since some of the following drills are better suited to some tasks than others, we’ve defined the best use for each based on our extensive hands-on testing. We didn’t feel it would be a fair assessment dewalt reciprocating saw of the tool to award points on runtime. We also awarded points based on ergonomics, the ability to adjust clutch settings, and whether they came with additional features—such as work lamps. The DEWALT DCD996P2 cordless hammer drill also features a heavy-duty ½-inch ratcheting nitro-carburized metal chuck with carbide inserts.
From hedge trimmers and chainsaws to blowers and lawn mowers, power equipment from DeWalt grants maximum freedom, allowing you to move unrestricted without the worry of tripping over cords. Enjoy increased runtime in many battery-powered tools, as well as cordless compatibility that lets you use the same FLEXVOLT batteries across a range of products. For the final 10% of the overall score for each cordless drill, we awarded points based on all the little features and functions these tools have that make them easier and more productive to use. After all, a good tool should make it easier to accomplish the task at hand rather than make it more difficult. This cordless drill is phenomenal when driving in the normal wood screws. It set the screws very quickly with tons of power and had absolutely no problem setting the screw heads flush.
In the past decade, cordless drills have become more powerful, lighter, and energy-efficient, making corded drills practically obsolete. These improvements in cordless drills come thanks to advancements in lithium-ion battery technology and the introduction of brushless motors, which are more powerful despite requiring less energy. And the changes aren’t unique to cordless drills; they’ve occurred across many dewalt cordless drill of the power tools we test. The Ryobi PSBDD01K One+ 18V Brushless Compact Drill managed to drill just 31 holes on a single charge, making it one the least powerful 18-volt drills we tested. In fact, its capabilities are in line with our top 12-volt recommendation, the DeWalt, but with the added weight of an 18-volt tool. Also, the handle design includes an added finger notch that we found uncomfortable.
Since the battery was designed to slide into the base of the handle, DeWalt also had room to place the LED down below the grip, whereas many other 12-volt drills place their lights just above the trigger. The DeWalt LED’s lower position means it casts much better light at the nose of the tool and reduces the drill’s shadow considerably. In our tests, the light from the Bosch and Milwaukee models’ LEDs barely illuminated above the drills at all. For a general around-the-house drill, we recommend a 12-volt brushless drill kit that comes with a pair of lithium-ion batteries.
With the battery charged again, we switched to driver mode and inserted the screwdriver bit stored on the back of the tool’s handle. The drill offers an 11-setting clutch, which allowed us to tweak the drill’s torque sensitivity when inserting screws. To earn a spot in this cordless dewalt impact drill drill lineup, every power tool was extensively tested. We started by charging the batteries fully, so each drill had a fair shot from the outset. We separated the drills by voltage to remain product-appropriate and performed the most aggressive tests on the highest-voltage drills.