DEWALT DC984KA 14.4-Volt Ni-Cad 1/2-Inch Cordless Hammer Drill/Driver Kit

by DEWALT

Product Description

Amazon.com

Large holes and monster screws are no problem for DeWalt's DC984 XRP. We could feel the power with the first squeeze of the trigger. The torque is unbeatable, but the power's not all: In drill mode, a cool three-speed transmission gets you up to a whopping 1,800 rpm. The ½-inch chuck is smooth and easy, and its carbide jaws really grab the bit, a great feature especially in a hammerdrill. Drilling into masonry is easy as pie, with 30,600 blows per minute in your hand. DeWalt's XRP line includes extended run-time batteries, and less recharging means more time at the task. Even the ergonomics are good on this model, with a great, comfortable grip, a nice even balance and a reasonable weight, especially if you're working overhead. We don't know how much use we'd get out of the on-board bit tip holders, but we might be the exception. Great sturdy case, too.--Kris Jensen-Van Heste

From the Manufacturer

DEWALT DC984KA 14.4-Volt Ni-Cad 1/2-Inch Cordless Hammer Drill/Driver Kit

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 16 x 14.2 x 5.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002AJKPY
• Item model number: DC984KA
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #164,284 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Dependable Drill !!!, December 26, 2006

By 

RikkyTikky - See all my reviews

This review is from: DEWALT DC984KA 14.4-Volt Ni-Cad 1/2-Inch Cordless Hammer Drill/Driver Kit (Tools & Home Improvement)

This is a very dependable drill! You can depend on the batteries to be dead any time you want to use the drill - even if you charged them a few days before. You can depend on the chuck to wobble like an out of control spinning top. You can depend on the clutch not working at all in any gear other than 3rd (the fastest). You can depend on the transmission not shifting into any other gear smoothly. Lastly, you can depend on Dewalt customer service to try to convince you that thats how they designed these drills and there is nothing wrong with them. There are far better choices out there but I'm not sure if I'm supposed to mention them here.

Pros: Gobs of torque, enough to hurt you if your not careful but nice when you need it. Comfortable grips and well balanced. Hammer feature works very well. Great overall design. Comes with nice extention handle and well thought out case. Nice tough, all metal chuck. I love the light battery charger - it only weighs a few ounces.

Cons: Terrible battery life, batteries fit very loosely, heavy, wobbley chuck, quirky transmission, and useless clutch.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars DeWalt quality going downhill....., April 4, 2007

By 

B. Cain (Downers Grove, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: DEWALT DC984KA 14.4-Volt Ni-Cad 1/2-Inch Cordless Hammer Drill/Driver Kit (Tools & Home Improvement)

I like everything about this drill, except for the 3 speed gearbox. It refuses to change between gears smoothly. My 12 year old DeWalt 12v XRP changes between its 2 gears much more smoothly. When I first got it I thought it was broken, but I tried several similar models in various hardware stores and they all felt the same. I guess it's typical, but I hope I get 10 years out of this one.

Otherwise, the drill is great. Awesome power and battery life. Feels very balanced in the hand (I wouldn't buy a standard rear-handled drill again). Nice 1 hour charger. Sturdy case.

I recommend it, but if I could do it over again I would seriously consider a Panasonic.

*UPDATE*

After using the drill heavily since my last review, I have decided that the quality of this drill leaves a lot to be desired. It has good power, I'll give it that. But the clutch is worthless - it simply does not work unless you shift the gearbox into 3rd gear, but even at the lowest torque setting, it still transmits a lot of torque. Research online is showing that this is a common issue and there is currently no fix for it.

So it has 2 mechanical flaws that are common with this product.

If you will ever use the clutch or shift between the 3 speeds the gearbox offers, I would recomment against buying a DeWalt.

I change my rating of this drill 2 Stars.

4.0 out of 5 stars Its an OK hammer drill, January 18, 2012

By 

Charlie B - See all my reviews

This review is from: DEWALT DC984KA 14.4-Volt Ni-Cad 1/2-Inch Cordless Hammer Drill/Driver Kit (Tools & Home Improvement)

Battery life is no better or worse than the other 14.4 Dewalt cordless - not as good as the 18v, but its lighter - something I like since I do a lot of drilling from ladders (putting up UHF antenna mounting hardware).

Clutch - not the best, but "ok". NONE of the bigger Dewalt drills have a great clutch - the smaller "drill/driver" units from Dewalt do a much better job. Er, for those who "fault" that, consider what you use a hammer-drill for? Making holes in stone and cement and brick. It does a fine job there, will clutch ok for larger screws. Don't expect it to work with fine finishing screws - like in a cabinet, or even drywall screws. Get the right unit for the job - jeeze!

The three speed transmission is fairly coarse in its throw from speed to speed. The transmission on a garbage truck is smoother, but the transmission on a 1963 Harley FLH Panhead is not! The drill is meant to be set for the speed you need for the task at hand, not shifted constantly on the fly for every little thing. I've got the ORIGINAL Dewalt 14.4 XRP drill, before they were called drill/drivers, and when 14.4 was "top of the line". Old drill! Its got three speeds. Used it a LOT, abused it even more.... Its never missed a beat, never gotten any smoother. Its just the way Dewalt 3 speeds are.

This is a good drill. Not sure if they still make it, but its a sturdy unit. This is the second one I'm getting. The first is still going strong, as well as the "original XRP". I dont think you can kill 'em short of dunkin' them in liquid. I will add tho... mind the concrete dust in the chucks. No sense grinding all that concrete in the works. I shoot the chucks with WD40 every so often to "flush" the concrete dust from them. They're smooth from day one, stay that way if you clean them!

Really have nothing bad to say - they're ok, rugged workhorse units. They are not svelte tool/gadget freak "to die for" units. But they get a 4 not 5... could be nicer... smoother... lighter... but they're not bad.

I got the 14.4 volt because I'm heavy into 14.4 batteries and chargers for all the stuff I've got here. Three, now four drills, two lights. Makes sense to me, because 14.4 has always been "enough" power, and is lighter.