Cordless Tools Reviews

Used to cost $60 now selling for $50.

Purchased my first to replace the originals provided with the 12v XRP 1/2 drill/driver. This battery is better constructed and delivers good power for a long time.The original batteries lasted about a year and a half. The jury is no longer out on this unit. I just purchased my second unit. If you use your tools everyday - buy it - you'll like it. For someone who does not use their tools everyday it may be more cost effective to buy the DW-1214's at $28.00 per. So far the 12v XRP drill/drivers have remained unchanged so your batteries will still have value when your drill wears out.

This is the first serviceable battery I have seen from Dewalt; it is screwed together rather than glued. The packaging states that the battery has a 2 year, free service guarantee, which implies that the internal batteries can be replaced within 2 years for only the cost of parts. The packaging states that there is a 3 year limited guarantee on this unit, however there is no documentation that explains what the "limited" guarantee covers.

These 12v batteries can fit in and operate my 14.2v xrp driver - a good thing to know in a pinch.

What kept me from giving the unit 5 stars is the price. They are still rather expensive.

caslo cranston

This battery does not list for $94.00, as Amazon claims. Home Depot and others sell it for $60.

I have used this battery for over a month now. My drill is only 3 years old and the two batteries that came with it never had this much power and lenght of use between charges. I am very pleased.

I'm an HVAC contactor. I use my tools often. I previously owned a porter cable cordless drill that performed flawlessly. The performance of the bosch tool has been exemplary. Lots of power and reasonable weight. The first gear on the cordless drill gave up after two months of use however. Now I have to take it to a local repair shop and live without it for a week. Even after they repair it I will question it's durablity. I would suggest that people looking at this kit strongly consider a dewalt.

Words cannot express how much of a pleasure it is to use these tools. Battery life is superb and the tools are of excellent quality. Not enough good things to say about the set.

My name is Ben Mackey. I'm from huntingdon, PA. I have not been in the trades very long, but what I've seen, heard, and used of the tools, I have found it to be a very reliable, long-lasting, and convient buy. They are light-weight and confortable, especially being in the 24volt category. They have the durability and strength of corded(electric) tools and the battery life that is unbeatable. The only drawback of these tools is the availability of them. Other than that, five stars all the way!

This Battery May be great but there is NO information about what type of battery it is. Either Bosh dropped the ball in their info from manufacturer section or it is NOT a cool new type nickel metal hydride type with NO memory problems and toxicity problems like the old ni-cads or plain ole lead acid gell cells.
should not have to go elsewhere to find more but will have to...

By my calculation, an extra battery goes a long way to save time when using multiple tools in the Bosh cordless tool set. After all isn't the purchase of the family of Bosh cordless tools for the purpose of saving time and thus money? If you are going to use the Bosh saw and the Drill/Driver then having a third battery allows you to have a battery in each machine while the third recharges. By the way, "Home Improvement Enthusiast" is a silly title since anyone purchasing such an expensive professional grade set of tools is most likely to be in the home improvement trade and not a homeowner.

The BAT030 is a NI-Cad battery. This is good because the Ni-Mh have not been as good as promised. They do have the memory effect but not as much but they have been found to not endure as long as Ni-Cad in high current applications such as in 14.4 V power tools and up. They have been found to perform better in low current applications such as laptops and cell phones.

In addition, you can reduce the memory effect by not leaving the battery on the charger after it is fully charged and exercising the battery by running it down to nothing about once a month.

I to am glad that they haven't changed there design for the way it locks in. I would choose the sliding option over this but I have many Dewalt tools and the batteries are interchangable....A very big plus.

These have been fantastic. There seems to be no memory problems and so far have lasted for many charges. As stated earlier they have a better clip-in system, which is definitely an improve. But to be fair I only had the old XR batteries fall out once. The run time has also improved.

I highly suggest upgrading to the XRPs if you only have the old ones. But when purchasing them just buy the 2 pack. For about $20 to $25 more you get the second battery.

As the cordless tool leader, Dewalt recognized that their first line of 18volt battery pack had faulty clips. With this issue, they improved the design of the clips and boosted the performance of these batteries. Though the sliding battery packs maybe easier to use, it is good to know that Dewalt has not abandoned their design.

This drill is still my favorite in performance in what I do.

I bought this kit mainly for the cutoff grinder tool. I have been using the cutoff tool as a grinder and it works great. This is for a field application were I needed cordless and this has lived up to my expectations. The battery life is good, the wieght and feel of the tool is great, and it is easy to use. Power for a cordless 4 1/2" grinder is excellent, you can lean pretty hard on it before it stalls, but remember it is cordless. The drill works well however I havn't used it enough to comment. Dewalt cordless tools are not cheap, however a good value. The reason for 4 not 5 stars is I want to see how long it lasts.

Excellent power and battery life. Great for renovation works. The drill alone costs more than the kit. I paid $242.00 US at Amazon.com for the kit. Probably two much power for the average home use unless you are constantly doing renovation. If you are a handy person, you will appreciate the power and long battery life. You won't regret it if you buy it.

This was a purchase for my wife. Go figure. I have to say she loves the drill. And I quote, "IT ROCKS!". She hasn't had the need for the cutoff tool yet but so far the drill has lived up to the reputation. The price I paid for both was similar for just the drill so what a bonus. Great buy.

ok, it's heavy, but,.. its got no cord and it's lighter than the 18 volt model. it will take a good bit of abuse and it's quite powerful for cordless. you'll have trouble finding competition with higher rpms. the variable speed switch is smooth and provides alot of control. the clutch works well. it will drive long deck screws and pre-drilled lags comfortably. the hammer works great for small holes(ie tapcon) and well enough for occasional, larger holes, depending on what you're drilling into. it's nearly impossible to find competition that builds a serious duty cordless pistol grip drill(T-handle drills are fine for folks in labcoats or suits who just hold a drill up to the light to admire its balance or price point, but,.. pistol grip drills are for folks who use and abuse them every day and need the added leverage and accuracy that only a pistol grip provides). the only dewalt batteries that i've had trouble with keeping a charge on are the ones i followed dewalt's advice with, to recharge as soon as you feel a loss of power. for what my experience is worth, it's still better to run nicad batteries down all the way, with, say, a flashlight, before recharging. i agree with dewalt, though, that it's a good idea to stop putting a heavy load on the battery once it starts losing power. good idea too, i think, to let the battery cool before charging.

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p.s. don't waste your time trying to find a holster to hang this drill on your belt. it won't work. if you need to put it on your belt, the big lug is the only way to go,.. and one of those S looking paint can holder/hook things works well on ladders too.

This is a great drill for rough carpentry, but it's a bit heavy for woodworking applications. If you're building a deck, this is the tool for you - it's great at boring large holes quickly and cleanly, and it's got plenty of torque to drive lag screws. The clutch and electric brake make it great for delicate work, BUT IT'S TOO HEAVY! If you need to use it one-handed at arm's length, good luck controlling it. The grip and trigger are very nice, and the variable speed is really helpful. The keyless chuck works nicely - this tool feels very smooth and well-machined. My only serious complaint (besides the weight) is the location of the direction-of-drive switch. The drive direction can be changed without changing your grip on the tool - you just press the button with your index finger or thumb. Some people might like this feature, but I find it's easy to bump the button accidentally when working one-handed. I've only used the hammerdrill feature a few times, but it worked very well. This drill was originally purchased as a gift for my father to use at his camp in the Adirondacks so that he could drill holes in rocks (for boat anchoring) while standing in water without the risk of electrocution. It's primarily been used for rough carpentry and deck repair/rebuilding. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT TOOL AND IT WILL SERVE YOU WELL, AS LONG AS YOU DON'T FIND IT TOO CUMBERSOME. Note that the model I've used is a few years old - it's the exact same model number, but mine doesn't have the automatic spindle lock or the extended-run batteries.

from the moment i bought this drill, it hasn't been put down! building, sheetrocking, repairing all made easier. extremely usful adjustable torque settings and electric brake allow for precision drilling. dual speed alows for different levels of power and control. can be very powerful with hammer feature. i do recommend buying the accessory kit with the rapid change bit attachment. great drill, well worth the price.

My initial pleasure with this value-priced made-in-Mexico combo turned sour once I put bits in the drill: the most run out I have ever seen in any drill at any price. Even my cheap old Ryobi has virtually no run out, and it's from Chiwan! I guess the Mexicans have a way to go to match the stellar build quality coming out of the Far East.

I've contacted DeWalt through their email form, but I've heard they apparently don't do anything except cheerfully apologize and hope you'll go away.

So my options are to keep it or send it back to Amazon and never see the great price again. The nailer seems to work fine, but the drill will never be anything more than a fancy screw gun. With the run out it wobbles and shakes while drilling and the hole is neither where you wanted it nor the size you expected.

I am a contractor and have used all types of finish nailers. This is the future of nailers (I hope). No oil, cords, fuel cells, compressors. It is a bit heavy, but, I am not complaining. The convenience far outweighs this. I have been using it for 2 months now and have had no misfires or jams caused by the gun, only operator error.
I highly recommend this tool and look forward to more like it.

5 stars strictly for bang-for-the-buck (no pun intended). Here is the features list from the back of the box since the Amazon description is not really complete:

Includes
DC618 18V 16 Gauge 20-degree angled finished nailer, DC988 Hammerdrill/Drill/Driver, 2 DC9096 XRP Extended Run batteries, 1 hour charger, side handle, screwdriver bit, and contractor bag.

DC988
*DeWALT Built High Torque Motor: 500 in-lbs of Maximum Torque
*XRP Extended Run-Time Batteries: Long Run-time & Life
*Patented 3-Speed Transmission: 0-450/0-1450/0-2000 RPM 0-7650/0-24650/0-34000 BPM
*�" (13mm) Metal Ratcheting Chuck
*Maximum Job-Site Durability & Reliability
*Preferred Ergonomics: Balance, Control And Weight 5.9 lbs (2.67 kg)

DC618
*Selective actuation operating mode (sequential or bump)
*Uses 1-1/4"-2-1/2" (32mm-65mm) 16 gauge 20 angled nails, rear load 120 nail capacity magazine can be loaded by either lock & load or load & draw
*Contact trip lock-off to constrain the contact trip from accidental discharge
*6 position depth adjustment wheel
*Work surface headlights
*Tool-free jam clearing
*On-board accessories; removable belt hook, low profile no mar pad
*Impact resistant metal top cap

I am a professional calligrapher and engraver. I use several different tools and began with the Dremel Engraver. I'm still adapting to this new Stylus and in some cases find the pistol grip somewhat daunting esp when engraving calligraphy with downstrokes or "toward" my hand. The grip limits these motions somewhat. But the tool can easily be turned upside down as the instructions say and this problem becomes negligible. I see the tool runs abt 1-2 hrs on one charge out of the recharger stand. So it is prudent to keep it in the base charger while not in use. Last, the lightness (weight) and cordless features are wonderful! I feel like I'm not "teathered" to anything anymore...LOL.

SO much easier to manuever than the traditional Dremel! Nice size for detail work. Fits comfortably in the hand. Accepts other Dremel bits well. I was afraid that it wouldn't be powerful enough (cuz it looks like a little girly tool), but I was surprized by the amount of power packed into such a petite little package.

I purchased this for my husband and he's thrilled. He likes that it's cordless and still has full power. He makes pipes and has found that this model is more versatile than his corded dremel.

Nice drill, til you try to buy a replacement battery. Batteries are priced 80-100% more than competitor brands.

I have owned several DeWalt drills as well as a few other brands and the Hitachi beats them all. In every catagory the Hitachi is a better drill and a better buy. Although it does not have the same huge torque ratings that some of the other drills do, it is a much more user friendly and high quality piece of equipment. The rare earth motor is extremely flexible for various types of work and performs perfectly. It is light, comfortable, and effective. I would recommend this drill to anyone who is interested in the very best tools.

We use this tool in a college theater set shop. Students of varying degrees of experience use this drill/driver hours a day every day. It is well balanced, has good battery life, and finally is tough. After a year of use by real stage carpenters and real idiots, it has held up. I bought one for my home.

This is a well priced and versatile "toy" for boys. The Drill is semi-pro quality, from the keyless chuck to the adjustable screw torque. The saw, for it's size, fits where a big saw doesn't with good power. The saw trigger is a little funky, the pulling back rather than depressing took some getting used to.

My Favorite is the flashlight. It reminds me of my 4 cell Mag Light, only cheaper on batteries. The Flashlight alone is worth it. Well, if you throw in the drill and saw.

Imagine, building a deck without using extension cords.....
I just finished building a deck with this combo and I must say that it was a pleasure using these quality tools. Using the driver to run 3 1/2" decking screws through the 2x's that I just cut with the 6 1/2" saw was a dream. The drill has power to spare and the saw cut 2x's all day without a problem. It was great to be able to cut 2x's at 45 degrees with this saw. I was totally amazed at how quiet the saw is (compared to electric saws). The saw base is extremely stable and smooth. Having the sawblade on the left made it easier to make cuts. The flashlight is very bright. The tools were comfortable to use all day long. I highly recommend this Makita kit!!

I already had the drill but I bought this combo to get the saw knowing that the extra money was well worth it for a second drill. The saw is great ... 6 1/2" blade will let you cut a 2x4 at 45 and I love the drill (great balance between weight and power.) I had previously used this drill to build a large deck and it was a pleasure to use in comparison to the 18v DeWalt that I had borrowed (to have two drills for the project.) In my book you can't go wrong with this kit!