This lightweight, well-balanced Drill/Driver was built compact to help users comfortably work in tight spaces for extended periods of time. The 3-position, pivoting LED is designed to enhance visibility in dimly lit work areas with its 3 mode settings and up to 70 Lumens of brightness. This kit includes one DCBP034 DEWALT POWERSTACK™ battery, one dewalt circular saw DCB203 20V MAX 2Ah battery, charger, belt hook, and kit bag. Although it’s the most expensive 18-volt drill, this Milwaukee drill has tons of drilling power. It crushed the competition in our high-torque tests, completing 20% more bored holes than the second-place finisher. At 500 inch-pounds, no other drill has a higher maximum torque rating.
Although the Bosch scored second overall in the low torque test and third in high torque, Ryobi took first in low torque. Combined with the overall feel of the two drills, it puts the Ryobi drill kit as the value pick. The DeWalt battery also carries an impressive 6 amp-hour size, which gives it about four times the runtime of standard 1.5 amp-hour batteries. While all that power is nice, the beefier battery does add noticeably more weight, bringing the drill to a hefty 3.54 pounds not including the battery. It includes an LED work light that’s much brighter than what’s found on the other drills, and it has a battery power gauge. The list below includes some of DeWalt’s top corded and cordless drills.
The performance is on the lower side, but with speed hitting 1500 RPM and 300 UWO of power, it’s still effective for most of the projects you’re likely to tackle around your home. For size, the DCD797 is squarely in between DeWalt’s full-size and most recent Atomic compact models. That’s right on par considering its performance in our tests also puts in between those two classes. It’s still a good tool, though, and you should take a look at what all the 12V Max system has to offer. If your work doesn’t require the highest performance available and you can lean on lighter and more compact tools to get the job done, DeWalt’s Xtreme 12V tools might be right up your alley. As we expect, the trade-off for the high performance is a larger, heavier model.
Each year, we bring in and review more than 250 individual products. Our team will put our hands on hundreds of additional tools at media events and trade shows throughout the year. If you want to go compact without leaving the 20V Max battery system, take a look at the DCD799 as the best DeWalt 20V Max Atomic compact hammer drill. Its 552 UWO power level is significantly higher than the previous Atomic hammer drill and even beats out the excellent DCD797. Keep in mind—these careful picks come after hours and hours of testing and real-world use. The Drill/Driver has you covered featuring an LED light to help improve visibility in dark work areas.
DeWalt’s Xtreme 12V Max line offers some of the most compact cordless tools the brand makes. When it comes to drills, though, the newest Atomic models sneak in as slightly more compact. That said, the DCD706 12V Max hammer drill does drop the weight down more and its 12V Max batteries weigh less than the 20V Max batteries for the Atomic drills. Drills vary by voltage, which is the available power offered by the tool.
For the 12-volt brushed variable speed trigger cordless drills, Tacklife offered near-optimal performance at only 0.5 unit per amp hour shy of first place in our light duty battery tests. Its body size is one of the bulkier options, but it does have a battery life LED indicator, variable speed and is priced near the bottom of the pack to be named best value. We included models for DIYers that provide enough power for home projects while still being reasonably priced. For pros, we chose higher-end DeWalt drills that offer the UWO, rpm, and, in the case of cordless drills, battery life needed to complete more extreme projects. While DeWalt’s cordless drills dominate its collection, we made sure to include entries on our list to feature its corded collections of drills as well. Lightweight and compact for working in tight spaces for long periods of time, DeWalt’s Max XR is a lighter drill driver with a weight of 3.4 pounds.
These typically activate once you pull the trigger and go off either when you release the trigger or with a small delay. The placement of the LED is either at the base of the tool near the battery, or above the trigger on the main barrel of the tool. In 18-volt drills, Bauer, Ryobi and Bosch all have the lower-placed LED, and Ridgid is the only model without any LED. Running the low-torque tests takes longer than the high-torque tests, so there’s more time to get the feel of the tools themselves. Generally speaking, the drills all feel like you’d expect, but there were a couple of features that stood out. This may actually be a benefit for some people, but for me, it was a little off-putting.
Tool batteries can also power other tools of the same brand, battery series, and voltage. At 3.64 pounds and 6.5 inches tall, this DeWalt 20V Max Cordless Drill delivers 300 unit watts of power, with two different speeds and 530 inch-pounds of torque. Users like this drill for its half-inch single-sleeve ratcheting chuck, which provides tight bit-gripping strength, making it easier to complete any job on your to-do list. DeWalt offers a range of corded and cordless-power drills, each with its own purpose.