Customer Reviews

DEWALT DCD775KL-A 1/2-Inch 18-Volt Compact Lithium-Ion Hammer Drill Kit with Accessory Set

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I had a 18V Dewalt XRP Nicad drill and it was getting a bit old. I had been using it less and less since I sold my house (thank you housing crash!) and move into a rental. Each time I took it out to do the mostly minor projects that I do now, it seemed to be just getting bigger and heavier each time. So I finally pulled the trigger and went with the Lithium battery style and opted for this one as it has a smaller body then my last Dewalt. I'm happy with the change. This one gets it done just was well and it is lighter and easier to hold!!! The clutch seems easier to change then my old one and it is nice to see that it still has a metal chuck! The little LED light comes in handy, even more so then I originally thought. When I first started to see these little lights show up on drills as I would look at drills as I would walk through the tools sections at the box stores, I just thought they were gimmicks added to the drills so it would look like something "new." But, as it turns out, it actually does serve a purpose. The other nice improvement is the lithium battery, if you have not charged it in a while and you pick up the drill, it is ready to go. It does not lose a charge when it sits idle like my old Dewalt Nicad did! Nice!!

I was lucky enough to pick up this gem while it was on Amazon's Deal of the Day... for an awesome $134 ($159 - $25 promotion for spending $100on Dewalt tools); That price is unheard of for an 18V hammer drill, complete w/ 2 batteries, charger and a carrying case. I didn't think twice when I saw the deal and I have no regrets on my purchase.

Now, on to the drill itself. The weight of this compact drill & battery weighs about the same, if not less, than my full size Dewalt DCD970 hammer drill WITH NO BATTERY! The compact size makes it great to get into tighter spaces without compromising the angle of approach.

Changing/selecting the gear for the 2-speed "transmission" is very easy/smooth. My DCD970 has a 3-speed transmission and the highest gear is noticeable faster, but, the gear switch to change speeds tend to catch and it takes a lot of play and force to try and change speeds. The DCD775's gear selector is a huge improvement, soooo much easier to select a different gear. And no, the DCD970's gear selector didn't get this bad over time, it behaved the same way when it was new.

The LED drill light is also an added plus to illuminate areas that aren't well lit. By no means is it a replacement for a normal flashlight/shoplight, but, it does come in handy.

The lithium batteries are awesome! No lag or drag, power to drill is kept at 100% until the battery is almost completely drained... unlike NiCad batteries that show signs of a weak battery by gradually losing power. Not the case with this battery, it goes full throttle until it has reached its complete usable band and then shuts off to protect the battery for being fully drained (bad for long term battery life).

30-min charger! Awesome!!! With my old cordless 18V B&D drill, if my battery dies, I have to wait hours on end (6hrs easily) for a full charge and even with that, it doesn't last more than 1-2 hours of steady use. The dewalt lithium batteries last easily twice as long and lives up to the claims of a 30-minute charge. I AM A BELIEVER!!!

Potential Improvements:
- It would have been great if the drill came with a bit holder
- Retaining clip for bit holder (front of drill by the battery) popped off every other time I took a bit out. I had to bend the locking flanges and use a screwdriver to push it all the way in to secure it. So far so good...

Overall, I love this drill and am super glad I bought this. I'm a fan of DeWalt, but if you aren't, but is in the market for a new cordless drill, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS DRILL, or, any reputable brand drill with a LITHIUM battery.

When I received this drill I was surprised at how much lighter it was than my 10 year old NiCad drill. It may only be about 1 to 1.5 lbs lighter, but when using a drill all day on the house, this makes a big difference. The 18 Volt Power is plenty as well. The kit comes with 2 batteries, so I just keep one on the charger while I am using the other. The lithium batteries are really a great improvement over the old clunky NiCad's. I won't buy NiCad again.

Regarding the price...Amazon was running a $25 off sale so I ended up paying on $190 for the drill. Toolking is selling it for $259 and some other online retailers are selling it for between $240 - $260, so the price is great.

i bought this drill as a gold box deal for $134.99, a dewalt for this price i couldn't go wrong....amazon's shipping was very efficient......from a milwaukee 18v nicad drill, this dewalt is a monster, for a compact the hammer in this drill works well on brick, solid concrete, concrete blocks, i was impressed. This drill goes on every jobsite, lithium-ion battery life is very good.....also it takes charge quickly. The job that i do installing CCTV and alarms i am always drilling to install keypads, cameras, sensors......this drill takes the jamming. Good buy if you want a light drill with the power. The milwaukee 18v nicad drill feels so heavy now, i packed it up in the store room.

I'm not a carpenter, but I do use my drill around the house fairly often. I purchased this drill almost 5 months ago and the battery is still going! I haven't even had to swap to the second battery yet. The drill is powerful, efficient, and has a great battery life. Dewalt go this one right.

This product performs better than expected. It is light and powerful. The best part is the Li-ion batteries charge in 30 minutes. In less than 2 weeks I used this for hundreds of pilot holes, wood screws and even as a portable auger for planting. Similar to other complaints, I did find a couple of times where the bit loosened and fell out of the chuck. This is an improvement area, but it never really slowed me down enough not to love this product. My father-in-law bought an inexpensive ni-cad drill at the same time. His was half the price, but mine was a much better value.

I was needing a new cordless drill for some time but was waiting to see how the Lithium/Ion batteries were going to hold up power wise as well as shelf life. In the DeWalt tradition my wait was well worth the research time as the Lithium/Ion batteries are super in power and don't loose power if there is shelf time between drill times. A feature not enjoyed by previous Nicad batteries.
Next was a light weight compact drill choice and this DCD775KL fits the bill on those features. I wanted the power and capacity of a 1/2" drill but not one I had to have a drill bearer carry around for me. This drill has plenty of power in the DeWalt tradition to take on all of the jobs I have and then some. The hammer/drill feature works great for the jobs I have had in the same power fashion. I definetly like the metal ratcheting chuck for strength and durability.
To sum it up......Dewalt "Rocks" as they meet the challenge and provide the tools to "get 'er done" Would I buy it again??? Yes !!!

This is great lightweight drill that has a good battery life. Dewalt did a very good job on this one. So if you looking a drill for a light work that will last years this just might be the one.

I was tired of buying replacement batteries for my other cordless drills, and saw this one on sale, and thought I would give it a try as I had never owned a DeWalt.

I have owned this drill for about 5 months, and yesterday had a project that involved drilling 98 screws, 2.5 inches long through treated 2x4's and into landscaping timbers. I started with battery that was already in the drill. I figured it would go dead before I finished, but I had the spare in the charger and it was ready to go. In less than 10 screws I had to change batteries, and before I hit 30 screws, both batteries were drained. I got out my old trusty battery drill from the place in Chicago that don't own a tower anymore and it finished up the work with no problems. Needless to say, it was a pretty disappointing performance of a high priced drill with higher priced batteries.

The pros for this drill are: It is light weight. Has a cute little light that lights up what your going to drill.

The cons for this drill are: The chuck has about a quarter of an inch play, which I assume is for the hammer part of the drill, however until you get used to it, your going to tear up your finger or scratch what your working on because of it. It has an extremely short battery life, and when it decides to stop, it just does, not a slow down, just dead. When you work to get your parts in place, in an awkward position and go to use the drill and find out it is dead, you just want to throw the thing. It has a cute little light that shows what your drilling.....but I have not found a practical use for that cute little light yet. It would be better for it to light up when the battery is low, so your not stuck holding up boards and finally getting in position to use the drill to find out that the battery is dead.

Like many, I have owned lots of drills over the years. Here's what I think of this one (I bought the drill+accessory set):
THE GOOD:
+ Drill is light in weight, so much so that I thought it felt a bit "cheap" at first. However being light avoids fatigue.
+ Drill is a hammer drill so you can use it for masonry/concrete.
+ Seems durable enough. I have accidentally dropped this from about 3 feet onto tile - I was sure I broke it (the battery pack came out in the fall) but it was still working. (The fall did slightly ding the metal chuck though but everything works fine)
+ This drill has a place for storing a philips/flathead bit (included with the drill). This is the one feature every drill should have, but many drills do not. I would not buy a drill that didn't have such a bit holder as i don't like losing bits!
+ Batteries (2) are Li-Ion, which help account for the light weight. Li-ions also retain charge better than older Nicads (slower rate of self discharge) so the battery should actually work when you need to use the drill. With older Nicad drills many times I have picked up a drill only to find that it's dead.
+ Charger is a "smart" multi-voltage charger which can charge various Dewalt battery packs, which is a plus if you have other Dewalt cordless tools.
+ The accessory bit set is a nice touch, and it fits inside the drill travel case (along with the drill and 2 batteries). The bit set has many #2 philips & robertson(square) tips, including 2 long tips for those hard-to-reach places.
+ As is standard with modern drills there is a single white LED light to illuminate during operation. It probably wouldn't replace a flashlight in dark areas though.
THE BAD:
- I wish the battery packs had a "charge level" indicator on them. I have another drill that has a button & LEDs on each battery pack that light up to indicate charge status. Unlike older Nicad drills this one will stop working entirely when the battery pack drops below a certain voltage (I think below 13v or so), probably to protect the battery pack. This means that you could unexpectedly need another pack while working. Better keep the 2nd pack charged!
- I find the "lowest(1)" clutch setting is not "gentle" enough, especially if drilling small screws in drywall. The clutch often doesn't engage, leaving you opening up the screw hole because the screw is spinning in the hole (since the clutch didn't kick in). I have used other drills with more "sensitive" clutch settings.
- There is no belt clip included, although I tend not to use these things anyway.
OVERALL, I would recommend this drill, especially when on special.