DEWALT DCK283D2 20V MAX XR Compact Cordless Drill/Driver & Impact Driver Combo Kit
- MAX RUNTIME: Powerful motor for maximum runtime
- DRILL/DRIVER: DCD791 20V MAX* XR Lithium Ion Compact Brushless 1/2″ Drill/Driver
- IMPACT DRIVER: DCF887 20V MAX* XR Lithium Ion Brushless 1/4″ Impact Driver
- COMPACT DESIGN: Ergonomic, compact design allows for drilling and driving in tight spaces
- LIGHTWEIGHT: Among one of the lightest saws in its class at 8.8 lbs
- INCREASED VISIBILITY: 3-mode LED light for visibility in dark spaces.3 LED lights embedded in front of tool with 20-second trigger release delay providing increased visibility in dark or confined spaces
- *Maximum initial battery voltage (measured without a workload) is 20 volts. Nominal voltage is 18
The 20-Volt MAX* XR Li-Ion Brushless Compact Drill/Driver and Impact Driver Combo Kit from DEWALT has a powerful motor to deliver maximum run time. It features a lightweight, compact design that fits easily into tight areas. The 3-mode LED light gives users visibility in dark spaces.
List Price: $ 319.00
POWERFUL,
1. POWERFUL. Can’t imagine a use for power setting 3 (both units have 3 levels), maybe turning a Ferris wheel or winching a monster truck out of the mud? Sheesh. If I find a use for 3rd gear I’ll report back. Drove 3.5″ hex screws using level 2 into hard lumber like push pins. Direct brushless power is the way to go, unreal.
2. Having 3 LED lights is more useful than I would have imagined. If you have a single LED . . . no more shadows.
3. Battery indicator on back of battery (not on the bottom) is smart.
4. Impact driver – 1/4″ quick release means bits are a one hand operation both in and out. When it hits resistance and the impact kicks in, whatever’s on the business end becomes a helpless victim. But put it on power level 1 and it’s delicate enough to drive 1/2″ weak sauce screws into soft wood.
5. Belt clips are easy to add / remove, smart design. Unnecessary in the workshop, but need em on the ladder. Zip zip, done.
6. Don’t need the case for the drills but it’s big enough to hold my bass drum pedal and stick bag perfect.
Ever buy something and be happy with the purchase every time you use it? Yeah, this.
Great pair – make sure to push the battery all the way into the charger,
The normal drill is great, and a much needed updrade from my 12V base model (non XR whatever) from 12 years ago. And it’s MUCH lighter. Aside from the power, this is the most notable and welcomed difference from older drills.
I thought having the light would bug me, as I don’t think you can turn it off. It doesn’t. It’s awesome and I’m always glad it’s there regardless of the project at hand. Belt clips are also nice.
As for the impact driver – after having it save me from a frustrating experience, I’m going to go ahead and say it’s a must have in your tool collection if you don’t have one. I was late to the game knowing about these, and wow do I regret that after having just resurfaced a deck a couple years ago. Simply put – if you’re driving in screws, especially in treated or hard wood, fence, deck, deck blocking, tile sub floor etc…. it just puts them right in. In my case, I had some very tight spots I needed to put some screws in – there was simply no way I could get the angle needed for enough push with a normal drill. I finally tried this out, and boom, in they go.
If I hold down the trigger and just watch the bit spin, yeah, there is a wobble. But I’m thinking that is what’s supposed to be happening (it’s almost comical when using a 6″ extended driver bit, lol). It didn’t seem to affect much when I was actually putting in the screws.
One note – why I first got it, I put the battery into the charger in what I thought was the right spot. Turns out, you need to push it to make sure it clicks all the way in. If you don’t, the contacts hit enough to light up the charging light (so, at that point, you might think it’s all the way in), but then it will turn to “charged” immediately, which is of course wrong.
One-line summary: WOW! Buy this set!,
The Dewalt DCK283D2 MAX XR Lithium Ion Brushless Compact Drill and Driver set is, at the time of this review (Aug 9, 2016) the latest and greatest iteration of Dewalt’s 20V Compact Drill and Impact Driver. I bought them as an upgrade for the older 18V Dewalt tools (hammer drill, compact drill, and circular saw) which I have owned for almost a decade. All I can say is HOLY COW THESE ARE AMAZING!
It’s stunning how far technology has come. Compared to my older 18V tools–which were very good–these are considerably smaller, lighter, and more powerful, plus just as durable or more so! Seriously, I should have upgraded sooner. Of course, it’s probably a good thing I waited, as these newest versions (DCD791 Compact Drill and DCF887 Impact Driver) have the advantage of better illumination options (brighter LEDs, with a 20 second standard shut off delay after activation, as well as a 20-minute illumination option). Far from a gimmick, the brightness and placement of these lights is a major convenience any time you have to drive a fastener from inside a dark cabinet or other confined/poorly lit space.
Dewalt also makes a hammer drill version of their compact drill, as well as a full size regular and full size hammer drill. I decided that if I ever need the power of a hammer drill, I will invest in the full-size hammer drill. But for 95% of all things I do or make with my tools, this DCD791 Compact Drill has PLENTY of power, and the light weight and slim form factor are amazing. I can get into small spaces much easier, and support the tool for much longer without fatigue. Need to drive a 2-1/4″ hole-saw through 3/4″ plywood? No problem! I’m totally thrilled with this compact drill’s performance.
The Impact Driver is equally exciting. Even more compact than the drill, it offers a nearly ideal balance between brute power (especially on setting 3) and delicate driving tasks (settings 2 or 1). Thanks to the reduced speed as well as reduced torque on setting 1, I am comfortable driving even relatively delicate #6 and #4 screws into wood with it. And on setting 2, it drives #8 1-1/2″ screws very quickly, with the impact function kicking in just as the head of the fastener begins to seat. Perfect! I’ve driven a few hundred screws with it now–about four times faster than I can drive them with my old 12V Bosch driver–and not one seated too deeply or tore out. 90% of the time I leave it on setting 2 and the sensitivity of the trigger gives me enough control to drive fasteners anywhere from reassuringly slow to blazingly fast. As I previously alluded, I also find that the level of control with an impact driver is markedly better (compared to a standard cordless driver) when seating fasteners flush. The ratchet provides audible and palpable feedback at the moment the fastner is beginning to seat and tighten, making it a lot easier to avoid over-driving the fastener below the surface of your material.
A couple of things to know about these 20V tools…. First, 20V is the max operating voltage; these are technically 18V tools, so the 20V claim is a bit of a marketing gimmick. What makes them “more powerful” is not the voltage but the fact that they use better parts/components than the 18V tool line that Dewalt also still sells. At the same time, they are also more compact than most equivalent tools in the 18V line. The chief advantage over the older 18V tools is the use of Lithium Ion (memory-less) batteries. My older 18V batteries HAD to be fully discharged and recharged at least once every month or they would go bad alarmingly quickly. Since I’m the kind of guy who tends to tackle a nine-month boat-building project, and then take a few months off before I start something else, this meant I kept finding myself needing to buy expensive replacement batteries. After doing that twice–and spending WAY too many years juggling four half-dead batteries between my tools and two charging stations–I finally upgraded to this newer 20V system. WOW… the batteries are so much lighter, smaller, and more powerful… and they don’t seem to discharge (let alone go bad) at all, even if left unattended and uncharged for more than a month. This is a major improvement over the NiCad 18V batteries, which would need to be replaced or would barely hold a charge if neglected to that same extent. Also, just for reference, I recently built a rolling kitchen island for my wife (22″ x 36″ x 35-1/4″), plus four small portable tool-organizer cabinets (11″ x 11″ x 18″) over the past two weeks using this drill and driver. At present, I still have not recharged anything. The impact driver battery still shows a full three bars of power and the drill battery shows two bars of power when I press the battery gauge. So not only do they hold a charge well, but they obviously operate quite efficiently. I’ve been doing a lot of drilling and fastening on these projects, including…
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