DeWalt Reviews

THE SLIDE RODS ON THIS ROUTER IS SMOOTH UP AND DOWN AND NONE STICKYNESS MAKES THI TOOL A JOY TO OPERATE.THE EASY REACH THUMB SWITCH MAKES FOR A NONE TIRING OPERATION.EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A RECONDITIONED TOOL IT STILL HAS A LIKE NEW WARRENTY..............

An amazing tool for the home shop enthusiast or professional woodworker. This device has a simple and comfortable feel to it and requires little practice to master. The easy to read and precise blade depth adjustment is one of the best features of this product. The location of the cord exit is also a nice and well thought out feature. I had to retire (begrudgingly) my Makita planer that dad passed on to me after many years and thousands of hours of trouble free use. the DeWalt name has proven itself time and time again as an industry leader in quality for professionals and new users. To prove the quality if the tool, we demonstrated the power of the planer on an 8" diameter green pine log at the hardware show here in the Twin Cities. I had many amazed looks as we accurately shaved off the bark and worked the piece down to a nice & clean square in short order. **Please do not try this with your tools at home as it is not designed for this particular use.** It was utilized as a drastic example to prove the power and functionality of the tool. You are always at your own risk with any tool. (power or otherwise) Wear all the OSHA approved safety equipment at all times. You can't buy a new set of hands, eyes or ears at any hardware store. No one stocks them yet. Enjoy all the DeWalt products, I most certainly do.
Jeffrey B. Curtis
Plymouth, MN

One of the top tools in the DIY market; it is not a disappointment. DeWalt commands a premium price and even these reconditioned units are pricy. But the tool delivers on all the promises.The only drawback for me is the reversing switch. It is easily placed in a neutral position and doesn't seem to have a positive enough detent in either forward or reverse.

How would I rate this item? I really couldn't tell you because I haven't received it yet. The new estimated time for delivery is now up to a month and a half before I receive it. This is the first and the last time I order from Amazon!

grrrrrrrrrrr

I wouldn't think of getting one of these portable saws without the Rousseau table and this extension. I've thrown 100# sheets of MDF on this table (using some additional saw horses for side support through the cut) and ripped them down to usable size by myself using the rousseau table, this extension, and outfeed table. Accuracy is as good as I can measure for large sheet goods. Just like the Makita saw, set it and it stays set.

I love this little work bench, but being a woman, trying to put it together was quite the experience!! Directions are not clear, and the pictures just don't help at all.

Once I did get it together, it has been a great help....Black & Decker needs to provide better instructions and pictures to help us figure things out, and the language, if it was simply put would help also!

This workmate was a gift and he really like it.Did every thing he was looking for. Very sturdy and liked the larger work surface because of the extra board you can insert. Felt the legs were sturdier on this model than on the older two board stand.

Very nice sturdy construction with loads of features. Would recommend to anyone with a project that occasionally requires a workbench but with no space for one (like me).

I have had this machine for a year and I automatically charge all my custom in build cabinets and furniture a $25 dollar surcharge for blades, this planer is faboulous for about 30 board foot of lumber, a typical project. Then you can flip 'em over and do one more project. It would actually be cheaper to let my hardwood supplier surface two sides that to run this very expensive planer. Dewalt, listen up!!! You may have the DIY and weekend enthusist blinded by your fancy marketing and race cars but professionals are starting to grumble, put your house in order, include the accessories to achieve the best results!

I like this planer but like many other people I am very disappointed in the durability of the steel knives. Looking for an alternative I sent a knife to Leech Carbide to get a quote on having some knives made from tungsten carbide. After some negotiation, if I buy in bulk I can get the knives for $95.00 per knife, that's $285.00 for a set. This is about 5 times the cost of the steel knives but they should last 10 to 20 times longer. This is a bit of an investment but it looks like it's worth it if you use your planer with any frequency like I do. Leech Carbide has the specifications on these knives and is ready to produce them but I need other people willing to buy some of these from me. Is anyone interested? If so email me at noshots@gunnison.com Leech said they would send me a test set so I can make sure there are not problems but I need to commit.

i also had feeding problems with this machine .and blamed it on the blades,i went through three sets . then i tryed rubing candle wax on the tables ... what a difference . i havent had any feeding problems seince .just change the knives when you start to notice the finish quality getting poor and rub an old candle over the tables every ten boards or so. this machine is very well thought out .the only problem i am having is the reset button was poping out on allmost every cut (plugged directly into the 20 amp dedicated circuit normally used for the wifes garage door opener) and i had to bypass it , i have ran over 500 bd ft through it seince with no problems . i am careful not to take more than a half turn on boards over 5 inches wide and i am keeping my fingers crossed that the smoke doesent leak out of the motor :)

I use my drill on a daily basis. Having a higher 3rd speed is a real plus when drilling in metal. The only problem I've had is it's difficult to get into speed 2, I hope that it gets easier with more use. This drill is powerful, fast and balanced. The ratcheting keyless chuck holds good and strong. American buying American made.

And there I was in a Home Depot in Laplace, Louisiana and what did I see?
The very same Dewalt 14.4V xrp 1/2 cordless, drill/driver on the clearance rack for $149.99 plus 10% sales tax.
"Say it ain't so!" - I thought to myself. Why would this be a clearance item? Perhaps the batteries are not used in enough of the other tools - 18 volt units seem to be the new benchmark. Yet what a lovely price -so I bought one.
I've owned a Dewalt 12v xrp for 4 plus years and it's still going strong. When the 12v unit came out the xrp batteries were not available. I ultimately purchased 2 replacement 12v xrp batteries and have been enormously satisfied.
So recently I have been doing a lot of pre-drilling and screwing and have thought about purchasing another 12v xrp drill/driver; they are still holding their price at $169.00
And then I saw the 14.4 on the clearance rack. Half inch chuck, xrp batteries and case for the same price. Oh yeah!
The 14.4 is a bit heavier than my venerable 12v - not the lead weight of the xrp 18v, but all the features are the same:
3 speed, ratcheting steel chuck and great tough if not precision construction.
Some where between 12v and 18v - the torque of the drill becomes unmanageable with one hand. (when tightening wood screws or when a spade bit stops dead in a hole.) That is what the clutch is designed to alleviate. I have never used a cordless drill in the screw/clutch mode. I achieve my desired results by careful modulation of the trigger. The 14.4 works just about perfectly without wrenching your wrist.
There is the same slight bit wobble present in the 12v xrp but it is more of an irritation than a liability.
All Dewalt cordless drills are not created equal.
My 12v xrp has more torque and longer battery life than a friend's 18v dewalt heavy duty cordless drill/driver (non xrp model.)
Complaints: I am ready to see a nickel metal hydride battery made available for cordless hand tools. Knowing that the battery would have a longer run time - yet a much longer charge time would not deter me because the batteries would not be subject to failure in 2 years. ( the Nickel Cadmium short coming.)
My advice buy a 14.4v xrp cordless drill/driver at your home depot clearance rack or take advantage of the Amazon frequent tool discounts to make the DEWALT DC983KA 14.4-Volt XRP 1/2" Drill/Driver Kit your next best friend.

caslo

I have been very pleased with this heavy duty tool. I've used it for inserting long lag screws, as well as inserting small screws and drilling. It's heavy, but rugged.

My well-intentioned wife bought me the DeWalt radio/charger for Christmas (thinking all my tools were DeWalt). Little does she know I am a Milwaukee loyalist since picking up my first Milwaukee tool. :)

I really liked the DeWalt radio, but when my wife found out almost all my cordless tools were Milwaukee (only DeWalt I have it the 9.6V drill), she said I could exchange the DeWalt radio for the Milwaukee if I wanted. Since I am fairly sentimental, I really wanted to keep the DeWalt. However, I just couldn't resist a "listening competition" between my radio and my neighbor's Milwaukee. Unfortunately for my wife's gift, my sentimental side isn't quite as strong as my audio side. Given the side-by-side comparison, the choice was clear - Milwaukee.

If you really need the DeWalt charging function, then the Milwaukee isn't a choice for you. However, if you are looking primarily for a job-site radio, then go with the Milwaukee instead. Plus the Milwaukee has other nice features like easier to use digital tuning, a stereo/mono switch, longer cord, a 12V outlet, a pass-through plug, and a nice bag to hold various items.

Neither of these radios are going to provide high fidelity sound, but the Milwaukee will come much closer.

My husband bought this DW911 Job Site Radio & Battery Charger four years ago. About a month ago, the radio died without warning. We were tempted to throw away the radio but we decided that since this radio had never been abused in any way, perhaps it could be repaired. I found the website Dewalt.com after which I found a Dewalt Service Center only 18 miles from our home. It turned out that it was a FUSE that had gone bad as well as the 14.4 battery pack. Having the fuse replaced cost about $23 and replacing the 14.4 battery cost $66 plus tax. It would have been a shame NOT to keep this radio. So don't despair! If your radio goes out for no good reason, find the DeWalt Svc Ctr closest to you for a diagnosis. You'll save $ by having it repaired. As far as reception goes, we live within 25 miles of several radio stations so the reception tends to be good if not very good. This radio is used primarily outside on our property while we are working outdoors and we have NO COMPLAINTS!

OK, the audio is pretty scratchy, and the little antenna will not pull in weak, distant stations. But let's remember what this radio/charger was designed to do: provide audible music above the noise level of saws, drills, compressors, etc. For this mission, you will find it more than adequate. The high- treble audio, while perhaps irritating in the living room, is a plus to cut through loud jobsite noise.. and let's remember that this unit, with a built-in charger and drop-proof construction, basically costs little more that a charger itself. No, it will never win any audio awards, and if you need high-fidelity bass response (despite the jobsite noise), then the Milwaukee is your choice (without a charger). But if you have DeWalt cordless tools at the jobsite anyway, and if your priority is getting the work done (as opposed to listening to the finest music), this unit not disappoint you. Just be sure you are within 50 miles of a strong station!

I bought the reconditioned planer. It was shipped in a cardboard box with no packing material whatsoever! Whoever did the reconditioning literally put it in a box, threw in the assorted pieces, and sealed it. The planer had no hope of being shipped without damage. It is disturbing that a nice tool was destroyed due to such stupidity. I returned it to Amazon, paid more, and purchased a new one. This one arrived properly boxed and in good condition.

The package had no padding whatsoever pieces were everywhere
Dewalt said that I should have told the UPS driver Who Just threw the package out of the truck while still in motion.
People like Dewalt and Ups should be banned from Nascar

Judging from some of the other reviews, I must have gotten lucky because my planer arrived in pristine condition and worked great right out of the box. The only way you could tell it was not new was by looking closely at the bed. It planes like a dream and the results are very smooth, even on the 'coarser' setting. The chip blower works well, but with the volume of chips the planer generates, it should really be hooked up to a dust collector (unless you plan to run a hose out your window and make a big pile in the yard.) This thing is heavy, so I strongly suggest building or buying a mobile stand/cart to keep and operate it on - you won't want to be lugging it around much.