DEWALT DW988K-2 18 Volt XRP 1/2-Inch Drill/Driver/Hammerdrill Kit

List Price: $522.00 Discount Price: $299.99

Features:

• 3-speed all metal transmission, VSR 1-450/0-1,400/0-2,000 rpm, 0-34,000 bpm
• DeWalt-built high-torque motor delivers 450 in./lbs. of torque
• 1/2-inch ratcheting chuck with carbide jaws and automatic spindle lock
• Anti-slip comfort grip
• 360-degree side handle

Accessories:
DeWALT Men's Stabilizer Lightweight Oxford	DeWALT Men's Equalizer Composite Toe Hiker	DeWALT Men's 2 X 6 II 6" Steel Toe Work Boot	DeWalt DW908 18-Volt NiCad Pivoting Head Cordless Flashlight, No Battery	DeWalt DW919 18-Volt Flexible Floodlight, No Battery

Customer Reviews:

Great Drills [Posted on 2003-09-05]
I use my Dewalt cordless hammer drills every day in my line of work, These drills never let me down. From homeowner to commercial work I recommend these to anyone looking for a high quality tool. When used properly these drills will last for years. Even with daily use.

Excelent All the prolems if any have been fixed [Posted on 2004-01-17]
It is perfect!!! Some people said that the chuck wobbles. mine dose not wobble. Also that the clutch dose not work. Well my clutch works perfectly in all speeds. And in response to another reviewer whom said that the clutch is defective in first gear. Normally you do not go driving little screws in first gear its to slow you would be tightening lag bolts or large screws with hex heads that require lots of torque. Dewalt made clutch so it put out more torque in a lower gear so its like a 21 speed bike. I wanted to see how well it would do drilling a 1/4 inch hole in 3/8 inch aluminum. Well I put it in its third gear 2000rpm and just about sat on it well it drilled incredibly fast only problem was I tore off the corners of the half inch bit I was using. Thus ruining the bit. The battery lasts for ever on it. At one point With one battery I made four 3/4 inch wide by about 2 inch long tenons on 2 1/2 wet oak branches with a vertice tennon cutter. Then drilled 8 1/4 inch holes in 14 gauge steel with a cheap non metal drilling drill bit by putting it in 3rd gear and all but siting on it like before. Then I got out a piece of mulberry wood from the fire wood pile and proceeded to drill more holes than I could count with a dull 1 1/4 inch spade bit. In the end I had drilled out a space 7 long 3 wide and an 1 1/2 deep all on one battery. As for those whom have said that their is a problem with its transmission and it has bad battery life. I recently bought a 60 gallon compressor and needed to drill 4 holes 3/8 by 2 inch into our fifty year old concrete garage floor. Well I drilled all four holes with one battery. Now I drilled two stopped put the drill in the freezer to cool down for ten minuets for the transmission was so hot I could not touch it for more than about one second then drilled the other two holes. now Dewalt says its max hole in masonry is 1/4 inch well a 3/8 inch hole is 2 and 1/4 times the area of a 1/4 inch hole. later that day my dad got a 8 in across drywall mud mixing bit and used it to mix concrete in low gear at first he used it one handed and almost broke his wrist. But it would mix 4 80 pound bags of concrete per battery that afternoon he mix up 12 bags of concrete I got a third battery as a rebate. And for the reviewer who said that the brake is to active and the chuck loosens after 40-60 stops I have never not once had that problem when hanging drywall or on any thing else. Also with a 19 MM socket on it I routinely use it for lifting up our ford windstar with its jack for changing the oil rotating tiers or what ever and the drills transmission has not woren out yet nor the motor or the batteries or the charger.

Great Drill and it's NOT defective [Posted on 2004-02-21]
I've owned this drill for 3 years. The drill and batteries have worked flawlessly. The clutch on this drill does work a little differently than on most drills. This drill is for heavy duty work and not for finesse work. If you are going to install cabinets then buy a 2 speed DeWALT model. Because of the 3 speeds the clutch is very tight on the first gear and gradually the scale of retention lessens as you go up in gears. For example: 1st gear on clutch setting 1 will drive a screw into a 2X4. In 2nd gear it would take setting 5 and in 3rd you would be at about 10. DeWALT recommends that if you need a light touch, just increase to 2nd gear. You might ask, why would I want this drill? Lots of torque, speed and the hammerdrill function. Think of the gears and clutch like a 21 speed bike. Not only do you change the gears on the rear wheel but you change your torque with the large gears on the front set of gears too. More options for better overall performance.

First lets talk about the speed. At 2000 RPM this drill is faster than most electric drills. I find that I use this high speed setting a great deal when drilling. Torque. Lots of torque for driving big bits through wood or other materials. 2nd gear is great for driving wood screws fast. I built a 12x12 deck with 2x4s, driving all 300 screws in second gear and 2 batteries. What I really like is the hammerdrill function. This is used for drilling in cement or stucco. I have recently used this to drill 4, 1/2 inch wide holes in our sidewalk to mount a mail box. It did a great job and the cement was 30 years old. Hard nasty stuff and this thing cut right through it. Or as fast as you can drill through cement. Use windex to keep the bit cool. The suds will pull the loose material out. I have also used it numerous times to drill into the walls around my house and into the cement in my garage. This is a tough drill and really takes a beating. Make sure when you are doing high torque jobs you attach the included extra handle or you will be spinning around like Wiley Coyote.

If you own this drill you will almost remove any reason to own an electric drill. I only use my corded drill for mixing cement and drywall mud. This is a tough drill for tough jobs. Have fun.

Don't buy for hammerdrill feature [Posted on 2004-06-06]
This was a real disappointment to a loyal DeWalt user. This is nowhere near what you are looking for if you are going to be drilling into masonry, especially concrete. And if you are not, why are you buying this instead of the drill/driver model (which I own and love)? The good: a great redesign of the keyless chuck. The bad: does not have the power for even the most basic work you'll do (drilling a 3/16" hole a couple inches into a tough concrete slab). I cut my teeth on a real heavy-duty hammer drill (worth at least twice the price, I admit), which I had to always borrow. Bought this DeWalt model, and went through several bits, cursing the bits. Worried, I went back and borrowed the real tool, stuck in one of the bits I'd been cursing, and...zip zip zip, right through the material. If you buy this thinking you're getting a heavy-duty hammerdrill, you will be disappointed. Unfortunately, a true heavy-duty hammerdrill is going to run you twice what this does. No free rides. I had to learn the hard way what the extra money buys you; hopefully I've saved you a lesson.

The tool man [Posted on 2004-07-04]
Well, I'm a hobbiest, in fact, my neighbor, a real mountain man who calls me a sissyman since unlike him, who was actually born with a hammer and chisel in hand, I am in the process of learning the craft of wood work. I would like to at least imagine with great success (I was a metal worker before). I've never been able to cut a straight line or drill a hole without travel.

This drill has been wonderful for me. In fact, I've purchased the 18v 5.XX inche circular as well as the 18V Jig and a mitre saw. When I was younger, I often purchased and used Black & Decker. I found that for a newcomer to wood working these other tools were quite clumsy. The Dewalt tools on the other hand, I would imagine are definately the top of the line for people like me. This drill is heavy enough to help hold the bit still without travel and has enough power to cut the most stubborn surfaces.

Recently while using a rather large hole saw to cut an openning in the back of a set of shelves for cabling, I was using my 12V Dewalt and the hole saw regularly got caught and the drill nearly busted my wrist. When I broke out this drill, although the jam could still occur, the torque let the bit keep moving without missing a beat.

Also, I no longer use a stone cutter to break bricks. Recently, I drilled approximately 500 holes in 4 inche thick bricks and using the back side of my axe snapped them in peices. Later I moved on to drilling holes into the concrete foundation of my house for mounting my new deck. The hammer drill really shined. I can't wait until someone else lets me drill into their house as well :)

I highly recommend this tool for people like myself that have spent so much time in front of computers that we can no longer use a pen and drawing a straight line without an orthagonal feature is unheard of. Don't hesitate to buy this monster (Unless the 12v is preferable since it's easier to hide from your wife).

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