DeWalt Reviews

We are a contracting company and have tried to stick to one brand of rechargeable tool at the same voltage so that the batteries are interchangable. This gets four stars because they do not last under heavy use conditions...the best we have managed is 11 months. We are carefull to fully discharge and fully recharge but they start to not a charge as long then will not charge at all. The other reason for the four stars is that they are way too expensive. It would not be so bad if it lasted for 24-30 months. We have 5 tools, each with 2 batteries and are replacing them about once a year.
Bring down the price and it would be a 5 star!

I purchased my DeWalt 14.4 volt half inch hammer/drill in 1996 at Lowe's in Lake Charles, LA and am still using the original two batteries which were included in the purchase price. While the batteries are 6 years old, they still work for me but don't have the run life they had when new (that is to be expected!). I keep one battery in the drill and the other in the charger which is plugged in all the time. I have not kept a record of the number of recharges but I estimate it has been two to three times a month. I have always run the battery pack down fully before recharging. One note, don't store them in the cold because they seem to not hold the charge as long as a battery stored in a warm place. I use the drill for home repair, remodeling, and hobby projects. I will order two more sometime in the future.

I am a General Contractor and we use these batteries primarily for 14.4 and 12 volt drills (you can break off the tabs and they work fine in the DeWalt 12 volt drills -- have done it for 5 years with no adverse affects on the drill). We also use the batteries for a 5" cutoff saw.

I highly recommend these batteries; however, you have to watch how and when you charge them. One reviewer rated them low; however, admitted that he "always topped them off." To get the longest life, you have to run them down or their memory will tell them to only hold a small charge at a time. I have had two for over four years. They still work, but must be recharged more often. With the fast chargers, they will charge in an hour. With two chargers on-site, two drills, and four batteries, we never wait for a recharge. I tried Firestorm based on sales rep recommendation at Home Depot (have the same connections to DeWalt tools). They charged a few times and will not hold a charge if left in storage for a week or two. A waste of money on the Firestorm even though they were half the price.

The saw weighs a bit more than expected. Once I got familair with the proper way to attach the saw blades, it was easy to attach.

I am doing a major remodel job to my bathroom. The steel bathtub had to be removed. Rather than rent a saw or hire someone to do the job, I purchased the RS500K and planned on splitting the tub in two so it could easily be removed. Spent another $30 for a few different blades. Tungsten Carbide worked best at a slower speed for this tough sawing job. Speed control was a little tricky at first but it was pretty easy to get the hang of it. Cutting in middle of the tub took a bit of acrobatics and was a bit tricky. I was able to reverse the blade and cut in a push instead of a pull direction quite safely. It also made the acrobatics easier to endure. Steady easy pressure finally got the job done. Actually took quicker than I thought it would. Holding the saw, whether pushing or pulling was quite comfortable. Dont forget the cutting oil, it does make a difference. The motor does get hot, but anywhere you are holding the saw, you are far from the heat of it. So for doing the odd tough jobs, this is all you need. The blades that came with the saw are not tungsten carbide, though I did try the metal blade and the quality seemed comparable to a similiar type from another brand. Storage case is nice and plenty of room to keep spare blades.

I bought this one based on price alone. There have been many times when having a reciprocating saw around the house would have been just the ticket. After looking around and not wanting to spend the money on a cordless I decided to give this one a shot and am glad I did. There is plenty of power for everything I've needed it for, the blade locking system is fine and provided you choose the proper blade for the task it will do what is needed. One thing to keep in mind is that blade selection is 75% of the equation with these things. Wood blade for wood, metal blade for metal, etc. DO NOT go with cheap blades and you won't be disappointed.

Just purchased 2 14.4 Dewalt XRP batteries, the originals where at least 10 years old. But as with any battery they don't last forever. Could not see replacing with an 18 Volt when there was nothing wrong with the drill, a 1/2 hammer model. Charged the first one and could not believe the difference, made it feel like when it was new. Still using the first battery and its been at least 3 weeks since it was first charged. I'm not a contractor just a diyer, but they were still worth the money. If the price goes up anymore though for each battery then I'll look at the DeWalt 18 volt.If these last as long as the first pair, they will out last me.

Battery works hard and long. The new battery design is much better than its predecessor. You can actually get your hand around the battery now to release it. It's true that the new battery will not fit in the old case. Hint: use a utility knife and alter the plastic case so the new battery fits.

The difference between this battery and the "regular" 14.4v DeWalt batteries is like night and day. I was always fairly pleased with the performance I got out of my original batteries, but once I picked up one of these I was convinced that the hype is justified. Right out of the box I noticed that this battery is a bit larger and significantly heavier that the regular 14.4's. Once fully charged, I slapped it in my drill/driver and was AMAZED at how much more powerful this battery pack was. I have also been impressed with the run time between charges, but since I have not yet used it to build any decks, etc., I cannot say if the battery truly lasts 25% longer (or 40% or whatever).

I highly recommend this as a quality product that performs amazingly well.

There is signficant wobbel in the Chuck that is provided with the 14.4v Hammer Drill. I've contacted the Dewalt customer service representatives, but they deny there is any systemic issue with their manufacturing and quality control process on this particular drill(I've seen several other reviews on this drill that indicate similiar problems). I like the 14.4v impact driver, tons of power. However, after using my dads Makita I find that drill impact driver to probably be a better balanced tool and the metal hydride batteries are a plus. If I can get the Chuck wobbel straightened out with Dewalt on the hammer drill I would still consider this a good deal.

Just got these in the mail today and used both of the drills tonight. So far they work great. I am building a house right now and I can already tell how useful these drills will be. The impact drill drives screws fast and easy. I am building the countertops for my home and the screws I drive into the plywood sheets enter the wood with amazing speed. The other nice thing about this drill is that the torque "breaks" when the screw is flush with the wood. Although you can still drive the screw deeper if you wish. The hammer drill works great too. I used it tonight to drill a door catch for my basement door. The security screws that hold the deadbolt catch are so long that you have to drill into the foundation. No problem at all with this drill. The other thing I love about this drill is the ease in tightening the bit onto the drill. With one hand you can tighten the drill bit...like I said I am in love. I would recommend this package to anyone in the market for a new drill set. A+.

Sweet deal, hammer drill is very handy with alot of torque, first project was drilling with a 4" holesaw - prepare yourself for power !
I changed Impact from 1/4 drive to 3/8 square drive, very powerful with alot of torque (around 130 lbs)
I have a 2 year old 12v Dewalt dw051 Impact that is still going strong......I'm sold.
I would like to see more 3/8 square drive Impacts from Dewalt
other than the dw051.

My guess is that these reviews were all written by DeWalt's marketing department. The day after I bought this rotating laser, it stopped working, and I had to argue with the dealer to get it warrantied. In addition, I found it time consuming and not so simple to set up. I won't buy another laser from DeWalt.

I've tried a handful of other rotary lasers and they all had various problems, including the manually leveling DeWalt rotary laser.

But this unit has been working really nice. It is extremely accurate. The fit and finish is real nice, the unit sees to be very tough. You can use it horizontal and vertical, it also has a remote that works real nice. You can adjust the speed with the remote and make 360 degree circles or have it just scan back and forth over a specific area to make the line brighter.

I really like to fact that I can share the batteries with my other tools and I don't have to have spare D cells on hand. I also have the laser detector and that works nice as well, you would mostly use this outdoors when in bright sunlight. I would definitely recommend this tool.

I have not used a roatating laser before, but I can't imagine a better unit. DeWalt really did their homework. It is more, but you get what you pay for. Setup is a breeze and all the accesories are top notch and work great.

These bits were fine for utility work but when used for any finish work.. (i.e. mounting hardware or trying to drill w/o going all the way through) they are too hungry for the wood. The larger bits don't actually drill through the wood so much as drill into it like a screw. Even when being extra careful to apply light pressure the drill was twisted out of my hand as the bit tore through my workpiece. while drilling through some Maple Plywood drawer fronts the bit pulled the workpiece up off the table and out of my hand leaving a large chipped out area of veneer on the face of my piece. I also wasn't impressed with the pilot point, the bit still walked. Nothing beats an awl or center punch for accurate drilling

This is another item bought with a 100.00 gift certificate from work....

I occasionally need to drill a hole at work...1 and 1/8 th inch holes and below I normally use unibits but occasionally I need to drill a hole thru thicker metal or wood or plastic and so I need a bit that will drill thru thicker materials without making a stepped hole like a unibit does.

I have many loose drill bits at work/home but decided I need a decent cased set of som common sizes. These dewalt cased sets are nice and when I break or wear out a bit I can just replace the bit and have a nice case to put it in.

Im not sure about how the little pilot point bits will work, never have used them before but when they do break I will replace them with 135 degree split point bits of good quality.

I had a set cased set like this before...though not the pilot points and it held up great till someone at work either lost or stole the set....

DEWALT DW1956 16-Piece Pilot Point Drill Bit Set: Vewry nice set as far as the bits are concerned and the nice box the come packed in!

DeWalt DW236 half inch Drill Review

There is little reason to buy a drill with a key-locking chuck, when keyless drills like this provide plenty of force to hold any bit from slipping - from 1/16" to 0.5". Pressing a button near the chuck locks the drive shaft - then, the rubber-coated chuck works exactly as you would expect. The chuck is easy to tighten and easy to loosen. The only way to improve on this arrangement would be to have an automatically locking shaft similar to those on high-quality cordless drills.

For a lightweight half-inch drill, this unit has plenty of power - far more than, for example, the 18 volt Bosch 33618 Brute cordless drill/driver. When drilling holes where maximum tool control and protection from torque is needed, you'll appreciate the wonderfully designed auxiliary handle. Partially loosen the handle and rotate it to any point in 360 degrees and less than a half turn will tighten it firmly. The handle can be completely removed from the drill in seconds, by loosening the clamp and sliding it off the tool.

The primary handle fits my large hands comfortably; there are no sharp places, nothing that pinches, and the trigger switch works beautifully. One thing that irritates me though, is that manufacturers don't follow standards for the reversing switch. I own numerous corded drills, and this DeWalt is the only model where you slide the lever (that's over the switch) to the LEFT for the bit to go clockwise - or RIGHT for counter-clockwise. That's counter-intuitive - in fact, all the other drills I own are just the opposite.

Why is it that if I go to Lowes and/or Home Depot they supply a carrying case?

When my cordless drill failed I wanted a corded replacement. After looking at the local Home Depot we decided on the DW236. It isn't as heavy as similar drills, its quiet, the keyless chuck is fantastic and I love the adjustable handle for a firm, two handed grip.

I'm not a contractor, but a friend who is recommended DeWalt products and I'm glad I took his advice. If you need more power, get a hammer drill but for general drilling needs, this will be your preferred drill.

I bought these with the saw, but they are to short to support much. I don't think they are worth the price. I think that a seperate outfeed roller would work better.

How did I use the saw without these. (My wife knows!) Glad I bought them as they are very handy.

These things are great. They are firm enough to support the work when ripping or cross cutting long stock. They do what they are supposed to do and are a must have if you own the dewalt 744.

This is the original Black and Decker Buffmaster. I bought mine in 1992 and it still works great.

To the person who has problems with , and refered to tie pads.
Any major paint wholesaler can sell you a kit that will replace
the pad with a velcro based plate to which you can place a foam
or wood pad with a touch and all work great.

I bought this polisher to compound and wax a boat and I was extremely pleased with the results. The variable speed dial with a maximum RPM of 3000 was definitely the ticket on the parts of the boat that were suffering from severe oxidation.

I found myself running at about 1800-2000 RPM's over most of the boat but having the extra power when needed was definitely a time saver.

The only drawback I could mention is that this tool is not friendly about accepting generic polishing and cutting pads produced by "other" manufacturers. The Dewalt mounting bolt for the flex backplate leaves few options other than to use DeWalt pads unless you want to use the drawstring type, and I have been unable to find any drawstring pads worth purchasing.

I should say something about DeWalt that not a lot of people know. DeWalt and Black&Decker are one company. So what is behind that black and yellow casing could be Black&Decker!! ( Please don't misunderstand me, I am not saying it is; it could be-what is inside of a Lexus is a Toyota-Don't be fooled by advertising and what other people think ) Many pro. tool users will probably agree with me that DeWalt is not an industrial brand; it is premium household!

Anyway, about this light, I am very happy with the amount of light it produces and the length of the time with one charge. (I have the 14.4V) But, there is a problem. The reason why I bought this light is the problem, the flexibility. There is really no flexibility. This light will NOT be flexible as you would think it will. It will loose the balance and will fall. I used it for about a month, got tired of it and got the regular version of this light. That will do anything this "flexible" light does and saves me about 400-500% time on tiring to change the light angle.

Nice light output, nice run time. Like those features alot.

However, the light won't stand on the battery base. It tips over! The goose neck is not useful and it costs (...) more than the swivel head version (which is how you end up using the product).

Maybe the 14.4V or 18V have enough mass to support the goose neck, but don't bother with the 12V unit. Buy the swivel neck version. I wish I had.

i could think of a better design.. i.e. they could have made this unit with a "lantern" feature like the flashlights that you use for camping.. it would have made this unit especially useful since it was meant to be used in tight areas i.e. where there's a lot of piping, in subfloors, attics, etc...

also, there's no feature that allows it to focus ... but then again... the more bells and whistles .. the more screws there are to break and that itself hampers durability... besides... i dont think a focus feature would be very useful anyway......

but having said that... the 18v of power didnt go completely to waste.. this unit still gets the job done.. the neck not only does a good job of angling but it doubles as a handle.. and lastly.. i dont think the guys at Dewalt intended for this unit to be used primarily with it sitting up.. but rather that the light should be directly to it's useful angle... so in regards to that.. this light does a great job.

i got mine with the four tool kit.. i wouldnt hesistate getting another if i needed it.