# Took a chance with 12V ...



## joewilliams

Good informative review!


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## NiteWalker

Great review with lots of info. 

I have the same drill and love it. I also have the bosch dds181 which is a very compact 18 volt drill, but prefer the dewalt. The weight and power in this drill is amazing. I'm thinking about grabbing another for the workshop (the one I have now is for household use.).

I didn;t get the impact driver, but I did get the screwdriver (dcf610) and the flashlight (dcl510) and an extra battery. The battery and flashlight were freebies from a recent rebate from dewalt. The screwdriver is a great tool when it comes to assembly.

One thing to note; when the dewalt 12 volt max line first came out, all the batteries were 1.3ah. They currently ship with 1.5ah batts instead. You can tell the difference by the box and the label on the drill and batteries themselves. The box will have a silver strip with "1.5 ah" on it. The tools have yellow labels instead of black, and the batteries themselves say 1.5ah.


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## DIYaholic

I looked at the same DeWalt combo kit. The kit comes with 2 tools, 2 batteries and 1 charger. Individual tools come with 2 batteries and 1 charger. Purchasing seperately costs about $100.00 more, but you get the 2 tools, 4 batteries and 2 chargers. I chose to purchase them seperately. Had I purchased the kit, I could have bought 2 additional batteries for $100.00, but would still only have 1 charger. I also had a coupon for $30.00 off, so in essence I eneded up paying $70.00 for 2 batteries and a charger. I'll NEVER have to wait for a battery to recharge.

Good review. I agree with your assesment. Sometimes smaller IS better…...


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## pintodeluxe

I have this kit too and love it. Mine was an internet only special that came with three batteries, and I have yet to run out of lightweight portable power. My 14.4 v dewalt feels rediculous after holding this driver. 
I can also compare the impact driver to the Hitachi 12 volt impact driver. The Dewalt is lighter, and more ergonomic than the Hitachi. Power is comparable, but I never drove anything bigger than 1/4" lags. Its nice to have both drivers - one has a three jaw chuck, and one has a quick change hex chuck. They are both light enough to hang from your belt on the included belt clips. Led lights, tiny powerful batteries that are cheaper than the old Ni-Cad batteries-- what more could you want?
This kit can handle construction projects such as driving 3" deck screws all day long, but its real advantage is the small lightweight package which excells at furniture building and shop projects. My Dewalt 14.4 v drill still works fine, but I honestly havn't touched it since I got the new set.


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## NiteWalker

@DIYaholic; I did the same thing. I didn't want just two batteries, plus they don;t have my two tools in a kit (drill/driver and screwdriver) so I bought each separate. To make it even better, there was a dewalt rebate going on that just ended on 9/29 where you get a free battery or flashlight for each single tool purchase. I chose one of each and now have the drill, the screw driver, 5 batteries, the flashlight, two chargers and two storage bags. I was seriously considering doing the same deal again to have a set for the workshop…

Even now, on amazon, the drill is $124.88 and the screw driver is $99.88. So just under $225 would get two tools, 4 batteries, two chargers and two of the storage bags. Really hard to beat that.

Smart shopping gives rewards.


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## Howie

I bought this drill driver and it's now my go to tool. Light, powerful and comfortable. Problem I've always had with DeWalt is the batteries(14.4) are expensive. For this tool they seem to be reasonable priced.


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## OggieOglethorpe

Today's voltages are not yesterday's equivalents…

I'm totally amazed at the current 12v, and even some of the 10.8v tools currently available!

Thanks for the write up.


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## NiteWalker

Cessna, unless they're nicad or nimh, there are no 12 volt li-ion tools. They're all 10.8 volts. The "12 volt max" moniker that most companies use now is marketing inflation. When first off the charger, any of the 10.8 volt tools will measure out at 12 volts. After a bit of use, they drop to their typical voltage, 10.8 volts, and stay there until they're depleted.

I agree though, these tools have come a very long way.
Even with 18 volt tools; they're smaller than 14.4 volt tools from a while back and very powerful.


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## DJPeck

The DeWalt 12V driver drill is a nasty, little beast. I hired a pro to frame the 10' x 40' deck for the front porch on my 1925 Craftsman style home. Swapping batteries, he drove 3" deck screws all day with his 12 volt DeWalt Driver. Needless to say, I bought one, love it, and used it extensively on the rest of the renovation. When I took over the remainder of the project, I couldn't raise the deck screws he put down without buying one.


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## DIYaholic

@NiteWalker,
I'm going to add the $100.00 screwdriver to my collection for when the impact is overkill. This way I can have the drill bit chucked in the drill/driver and drive with the screwdriver and not have to rechuck between tasks.

Gotta love Yellow & Black! I mean DeWalt, NOT the Steelers!!!


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## NiteWalker

The screwdriver is great too. It has 3 led's on the front like the impact so the work area is really lit up.

It only spins at a single speed, 1050 rpm, which is perfect for driving. There's no need for two speeds for a screw driver. It has plenty of power.


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## Bill_N

I have both the 18v and 12v kits.
I must say that I love the 12v it does a great job.
With practice you can control the impact driver.
I used it to put together the grill cart. I made driving 2 1/4 screws was easy until towards the end when I snapped the tips off two driver bits. 
You can see the cart here on LJ.


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## dhazelton

Just bought this set. I didn't like the way the grips felt on the Bosch or Milwaukees. The Hitachi was a close second but the build quality on them looked cheap. So far I've only use the impact to remove corroded hex screws inside my oven to change out the ignitor, but the small size made it really easy to get into places and the three lights some on with a little bit of trigger so you can position the bit first in dark recesses. I used the drill to drill out some rivets on a snowmobile tunnel, but the bit kept slipping out so you have to really chuck it down hard. I have a B&D Firestorm 18 volt set which was okay for the price, but the drill is MASSIVE. My only complaint is that they don't make more things for this platform, specifically a little trim saw.


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