Customer Reviews

DEWALT DC927KL 18-Volt 1/2-inch Lithium Ion 18V Cordless Hammerdrill/Drill/Driver with NANO Technology

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was a little surprised to see only one review on this drill and a poor score. Breakdowns happen with tools, which is acceptable if the problem is not a pervasive one. I have owned many Dewalt tools and have only had one trigger go bad. With Dewalt's warranty it was quickly repaired.

As for tool performance, I love this drill as it combines driver, drill and hammerdrill functions in one tool. I build decks and use this drill for pilot holes, boring larger holes for carriage bolts, and drilling anchor bolt holes in concrete. While it isn't a perfect tool for these jobs, the versatility makes up for it. The only alternative is buying a dedicated tool for each use such as a dedicated hammerdrill. Because the drill is necessarily heavy to accomodate the hammerdrill function, I use a Dewalt Impact Driver for driving screws, as it is lighter and the impact function makes it so easy.

I have read negative reviews about the new Nano battery's shutdown feature when it reaches a certain discharge level. I happen to like this feature. The battery delivers almost full power right up to the point of shutdown, helping me avoid the temptation to keep driving with a weak battery and using the drill like a screwdriver on those last couple screws, which is hard on the drill. Second, I believe this feature will result in a longer cycle life for the battery, since the number one reason for premature battery failure is inconsistent charging cycles, i.e. charging the battery when it's half drained one time and totally dead the next time. With the Nano, I just run it till it stops, then charge. I know I am cycling it consistently.

This drill replaced a very reliable Ryobi that just wouldn't quit. DeWalt was one of the last hold-outs for the new lithium technology, but I waited until DeWalt finally came into the lithium market, and jumped at this 927KL. I have a shop used primarily for furniture and cabinetry construction, I use my tools pretty heavily, but they are by no means abused or exposed to environmental conditions.

The comfort of this drill is good, the tool is well balanced, and quite a bit lighter than the Ryobi it replaced, and seemed to have good power out of the box. But within only a couple weeks, I began to have problems with this tool. The drill and hammerdrill settings would not engage, leaving me with a very heavy (and expensive) cordless screwdriver. The tool was not working properly. I contacted DeWalt, who promptly replaced the unit with a refurbished tool of the same model. No sooner did I return the first one, that I noticed the second one seemed to have some issue with the motor too. Over the past year now, the drill has developed the opposite issue from the first; it always is engaged in the hammer-drill setting. I now wish I had that stupid Ryobi back. It's just rediculous. I have several friends and other contractors I work with who have since expressed their frustration with the deteriorating quality of DeWalt cordless tools. Perhaps they have cut corners to keep the pricing competitive, but I thought I was surely safe with the DeWalt; wrong!

So now I think I'm going to switch (after 1 1/2 short years) to Milwaukee.

This tool functions better then expected as drill, hammer drill, and driver. Dewalt has a very good product here.

this is a great drill and I got a great price here on Amazon 135.24 with shipping guess I got lucky it posted about a hour before I bought it new with all items and case thanks Again

January-5-2008

I purchased the DC927KL at the beginning of November 2007. However, the rotational brake mechanism failed earlier this week after just light use in the past two months.

The drill is better balanced than the DC925, the half pound lighter weight is noticeable. The separate torque and mode selector rings make it very easy to use. DeWalt seems to have solved the problem with the DC925 and earlier models of it being difficult to switch from one speed range to the other.

The DC927 worked well in drilling wood (up to 1/2"), and 5/16" (and smaller) holes in concrete and brick. It has a nicely adjustable clutch for driving screws.

The circuitry in the Li packs makes it difficult to know when you are near the end of the useful charge of a battery pack. The battery will not run the drill (or even make the bulb in a DW919 worklight glow) when the pack gets below a certain point. Apparently the Li-Ion cells have to be protected from a potentially damaging complete discharge.