DeWALT 12V Cordless Compact NiCad Drill/Driver
3.8
5
8
8
You can't beat DeWALT
Durable, Long lasting battery and Power to spare. I used to buy cheaper cordless tools but decided to spend a little extra on this tool when my old one died. Will never buy cheaper tools again.
May 3, 2013
Not great
I found the battery doesn't last long and the drill sounds like there is gravel in the gears. Not exactly what I would expect from DeWalt.
March 28, 2013
So yellow and shiny!
So much power in this little guy. Think that's due to the colour. With extreme power comes extreme possibility, like the most intense electric toothbrush you've ever seen! Great price too,let's say you have an extra 100$ laying around from some fantastic rebate.... you could buy TWO of these!
- Jeff
January 16, 2013
Good but want 18V now
I bought the 12V drill three years ago...it worked well for odd jobs around the house, but the batteries drained fast when I tried doing larger jobs. I now need a new drill because the batteries do not last even a simple job now. I will be getting a Dewalt 18V drill instead of 12V...it is worth the extra money in the long run.
November 15, 2012
Decent for small jobs
I have had this drill almost a year now, lots of power for any task you can think of but I find the batteries seem to die pretty quickly. As long as you are doing small jobs around the house or close to a plug in to charge up the extra battery its a great little drill.
September 2, 2012
Great Drill for the occasional work load
i bought the on sale from CT (like everything i buy) about a year ago. i have since then bought a house and have had to take on serveral jobs. i am by no means a Pro, but i am quickly trying learn various builds from fences, decks, bookcase, custom shelves and recently a 12x12 ft pergalo.
the battery life on this drill isnt meant for the large jobs. but haing the second on on charge really helps. and since installing a gate with a need to drill into brick, i have learned that this drill can to the job, but if you want it done faster and with out draining the battery, but the 18v with hammer option is your best choice.
i would recommend this drill to anyone wanting a reliable drill for various small projects, however, when i build my deck next year, im going with the 18v package.
July 22, 2011
Good drill...for small jobs
I purchased this drill just over a year ago and have used it for a number of projects.
Overall this is a decent drill. The battery charge times are quick and the quality of the drill is good compared to other 12v nicad drills.
However, being a 12v nicad, this drill is really only good for light, small tasks. It lacks the power/torque necessary to drive most screws and the motor seems taxed when doing prolonged heavy drilling.
The good thing about this drill is that it comes with two Dewalt 12v batteries. So you can have one charging while using the other one. This helps eliminate any down time waiting for a battery to charge.
I would recommend this drill for doing any light tasks around the house eg. Picture hanging etc.
But you will need a 14-18v nicad or lithium drill for larger projects.
February 11, 2011
Great compact drill
Google and YouTube
If you research DeWalt drills on Google or YouTube, you will find that their drills have all-metal gears and the magnets are not glued on the motor. The result, according to DeWalt and several objective reviewers, is a superior drill.
I have an 18V from DeWalt that's lasted me for three years and it is still going strong. The problem is that it is hard to use in tight spaces and my wife complains that it is too heavy for her.
How well it works
The drill is heavier than other 12V models we tried in stores, but not by much (maybe six ounces). This drill will get into tight corners --literally -- because it has a shorter body. I've been using it to do attach a new countertop to our kitchen cabinets and to drill between tight joists in our basement ceiling. 12V may not sound like a lot, but it will do heavier work like sinking three inch screws through 2x4s without predrilling. This drill lacks the power and torque to even bother trying to sink a Tapcon into cement.
The trigger does a great job of controlling the variable speed on this drill. It has two speed regimes, one for drilling and one for sinking screws. The 14 position clutch does a good job of not stripping the screwhead or sinking the screw too far. We haven't stripped a single screw when we use the drill in its low speed setting and set the clutch correctly.
The drill is very sturdy and solid. We don't got about dropping out tools to test them, but it has survived several drops from head height and kept working fine. We've only owned it for a month, so we can't say anything about the longevity of the batteries or the overall durability of this drill (so we gave it four stars).
Battery life
Heavy work like will rapidly deplete the battery pack, and you will use up the second one before the first one is fully charged. But for lighter use (e.g., hanging drapes or shelves) this unit will do a surprising amount of work.
You can also buy another version of this drill that works off Lithium Ion batteries, although it isn't available at Canadian Tire. (Lithium Ion cells that are sold separately can be bought at CT.) We've owned a 12 V Li ion drill driver and found the battery life of the NiCads with this this drill to be comparable. Where NiCads are weak is charge time.
Those Niggling Annoyances
The drill comes with an LED light, but it is placed so that a drill bit will cast a shadow over the work. Also, this unit doesn't come with a case. For the price I expected a case. Also, DeWalt could have supplied more screw bits.
Summary
If you only do a light work around the house, you can get by with a cheap drill like MasterCraft or even JobMate. If you are working on a deck or building a partition, this one will disappoint you in terms of power. But the 12V DeWalt is great if you need a compact drill that perform medium duty work like putting up shelves and sinking the screws into the studs.
December 28, 2010
