DEWALT DW926K-2 9.6-Volt Ni-Cad 3/8-Inch Drill/Driver Kit

List Price: $195.52 Discount Price: $99.99

Features:

• Fan-cooled DeWalt motor delivers 200 in/lbs of torque
• Compact size at just 3.4 pounds and 8-3/8 inches long
• Jacobs Chuck puts a strong bite on bits
• Variable speed for maximum precision
• One-hour charger, two DeWalt 9.6-volt compact batteries, and a heavy-duty carrying case

Accessories:
DeWALT Men's Equalizer Composite Toe Hiker	DeWALT Men's Stabilizer Lightweight Oxford	DeWALT Men's 2 X 6 II 6" Steel Toe Work Boot	DEWALT DW9216 7.2-Volt to 18-Volt Dual Bay Pod Style 1 Hour Battery Charger	DEWALT DW9116 7.2-Volt to 18-Volt Pod Style 1 Hour Battery Charger

Customer Reviews:

Great for a gal! [Posted on 2006-11-10]
I love the size and power or this drill. It is lightweight yet has tackled all jobs in home repair and do it yourself projects. The battery is long lasting also and it comes with two so you have a backup.

Great Drill! [Posted on 2006-11-27]
Great quality drill with lots of power. Just right for around the house.

De-Walt De-Wow! [Posted on 2007-01-10]
I am so impressed with this drill. It's plenty powerful and not so heavy that you feel like you're working out at the gym. I'm using it to drive 3 inch screws with no problem. The battery keeps surging along, too. And when it weakens, there's another waiting to be plopped in. Worth every penny in my opinion.

DeWalt DW926K [Posted on 2007-01-10]
This is a very good drill. My old one was stolen, so this was a replacement. It works very good, as I work with gutters. It does the job.

Light, good power, high quality, short battery life. [Posted on 2008-03-29]
An excellent drill for those looking to spend about $70-90.

I have had several cordless drills including this one, a DeWalt DC727 12V, Makita D6011 12V (the old school Makita cordless stick battery drill) and a Sears 12V ~$80 model (2 speed gearbox, not a super cheap 1 speed).

I like the little DeWalt quite a bit. I like the small size and weight. It makes for a drill that's easy to handle and work with. However, unlike some other small drills, this one still has power. Its 200 in-lb of torque is similar to my Makita's 234 or the Sears's 225. Note that both the other drills are a good bit larger and somewhat heavier. I would also note that my DeWalt DC727 offers up 350 in-lb so it really says the other two drills just aren't up there with more expensive/newer 12V drills.

So what's the point? Well many people assume that battery voltage equates to how much power a drill has. That's just not true. It's more complex that that. Needless to say you can advertise big voltage and still have no power to speak of. Look at some of the cheap Black and Deckers (the maker of DeWalt) for examples of lots of volts but no torque. That is not the case with this drill.

All the parts of this DeWalt have a high quality feel making this a nice tool to use.

So what's the down side?

Well costs to some degree. If you can get this drill or it's newer sibling the DC750 for say $70-80 it's good buy because the competing "home use" drills just aren't any more powerful. Like my Sears drill, they are often higher voltage and larger but no more power. However, once you get to around $100+ the 12V+ models intended for contractors from DeWalt and other brands offer yet more power and in the case of Dewalts own DC727 little increase in size or weight.

Battery life (the start that shines twice as bright...): Remember when I said this 9.6V was just as powerful as many home use type 12V drills like my Sears drill? Well there is a price you pay in battery life. The drill clearly trades battery life for power. My 12V Sears isn't really any more powerful but it lasts a lot longer on one battery. The drill does come with two batteries but you may still use them faster than you charge them. So while this drill will work just as hard as a 12V or even some cheaper 14.4V drills it will run out of juice faster.

The chuck: Others have mentioned the chuck is hard to get tight. I would agree. The two part keyless chucks aren't any fun to work with. My Makita has the same basic chuck design and it's also hard to get really tight. My other two drills have the newer one hand chucks that work really well. Happily, this drill's replacement, the DeWalt DC750, has the improved chuck.

In the end I really like this drill but I would recommend the DC750 simply for the new one handed chuck design. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this drill for medium duty jobs so long as the limited battery life isn't an issue.

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