Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have owned this drill for many years and it still works like new. In the age of 18v and greater cordless power, people are forgetting what a great drill this is - at about half the weight of its big brothers. Although I am not a contractor using my drill all day every day, it has seen hard use. I have used it exclusively to renovate two houses (including drywall hanging), build a 24x45 pole barn, and countless woodworking and home repair projects. If this drill ever dies I will buy the exact same product to replace it. I can't think of a better testimonial than that.

When it became necessary to replace my eleven year old Makita I naturally assumed that I would buy another one until I went shopping and came across this DeWalt.

I feel that this is the perfect drill for the homeowner or DIYer. It has more than adequate power for most projects, it is light weight, and is well balanced. I actually enjoy using it and have taken to looking for things to do so than I have an excuse to fire it up and get to work. (This amazes my wife as normally I am not very enthusiastic about maintenance.) The extra battery pack and one hour charger are a definite plus, I doubt if one could get to the point where he/she would be moving fast enough so that the next battery would not be charged and ready to go.

If you need a 9.6 volt drill, you can't go wrong with this one.

I purchased the DeWalt drill because of the DeWalt name and was not disappointed at all. As stated by another customer review, it is made by Black and Decker but is far superior than the Black and Decker model. For example, the DeWalt comes with two, count them, two batteries. The Black and Decker Firestorm only has one. That itself is worth about 35 bucks for the second battery. Also the DeWalt 926k-2 turns out about 200in/lbs of torque. Most other 9.6V models I looked at barely reach 150 in/lbs of torque. I could not find anywhere, not even on the Black and Decker web page, how much torque the 9.6V Firestorm produces. (I guess it must not be that Great) Also the Dewalt 9.6V has a two speed gear box, 0-300/0-1100. With the Firestorm Model you have to get the 14.4V drill to get the two speed gear box. In all my research looking for a good multi-purpose drill that also can perform well, has a good amount of torque, and that is not going to need replacing next week, the Dewalt came out ahead in my opionon.

When the battery in my 10 year old Skil finally died, I knew what I wanted in a replacement. I wanted something of similar weight, but with more torque. 14.4v drills seem almost like the mainstream these days, but if you hold a 9.6v in one hand and a 14.4v in the other, you have to ask yourself if the extra weight is worth it.

My old Skil put out about 110 in-lbs of torque, and the DeWalt puts out 200! Since I'd managed for 10 years with only 110 in-lbs, I figured 200 would more than meet my needs. To get that much torque in a lesser brand like B&D or Skil you need to get the 14.4v - no thanks. After lots of looking both online and in the aisle at HD and Lowes I decided on the DeWalt and haven't regretted it for an instant.

I do woodworking as a hobby and small house chores as well. If I ever need a deck built, I'd hire somebody. So now you know where I'm coming from. I've found the DeWalt to have more than enough torque for my needs. The only time I've noticed the motor slowing down (but not stopping) is drilling 3/8" holes more than 2" deep in hard maple. I've also drilled 1/2" holes through 2.5" hard maple with a twist bit, and there was so much torque I had to hold on to the drill tightly with both hands to keep it from twisting out of my hands. If I was drilling holes like that all day long, then I'd probably go with the 14.4 or 18v version, but thankfully I don't do many of those types of holes. (Bear in mind that hard maple is at least 2-3 times harder than your typical softwood used in home construction.)

I can highly recommend this drill for anyone who's not doing extremely heavy-duty work all day long. It's got plenty of torque, two batteries to keep you going, two speeds for when you need to switch between high-torque and high-speed, and it stops instantly when you release the trigger rather than coasting down. If I have one complaint, it's that I sometimes have difficulty getting the chuck tight enough - when using big bits that will really be grabbing the wood and trying to spin loose out of the chuck you really need to crank down on the chuck. Unfortunately the parts of the chuck that you grip are plastic rather than rubber, complicating the operation a bit. That's a minor nit, though, in an otherwise outstanding drill.

This is the 2nd DEWALT 9.6v I've owned, as the previous one died after 12 years of use (and abuse). Able to take a beating, the 1st one survived being dropped from 3 stories up, and still worked fine.

The homeowner or the pro can appreciate this fella. Compact with lots of power.On the down side it tends to be a little tipsy while resting on the battery and the chuck is hard to grasp and twist tightly.But all in all you wont find a better drill for the money

I've owned this drill for 3 years and it has been a trooper. I've used it on various remodeling projects, including drywalling and deck building. It's got plenty of power for my needs and it's light weight makes working overhead MUCH easier. I've used DeWalt's 12 and 14.4v drills overhead, but the 9.6 is much lighter and easier to handle and it doesn't wear me out as fast. If it ever wears out, I'll buy another.

UPDATE 4/2008: after 11 years, it finally shows some signs of age. It's still driving, but I updated to 14.4 and give this little one some well-deserved time off when tackling the bigger jobs. Wife still prefers weight and handling of 9.6 over the bulkier 14.4. Still on original batteries, but probably should replace. Definitely got my money's worth.

We just bought the DeWalt 9.6Volt drill. I love it. It is just the right size for me to drill and drive screws in the furniture we make. My husband has had a 14.4 Volt for a couple of years that he really likes. The 14.4 was too heavy and awkward for me. The 9.6 is perfect for me. I even find my husband using it when he is working in awkward positions. The 9.6 has plenty of power and with two batteries it is always going. If someone wants a strong and easy to handle drill, this is it.

I started out looking at the 18v then 14.4v,then 12v and I finally settled on the DeWalt DW926K-2.The reason I went for the 9.6v DeWalt is that it was about 2-3 pounds lighter than any other drill around.It is well balanced and feels very comfortable especially while drilling overhead.This is the best drill for those weekend projects that you were holding off on doing.

I can't recommend this drill enough. I just spend the Labor Day vacation (?) assembling a wooden playset for my daughters. Discovered my old Skil 18v wasn't what she used to be. Went to the local H Depot and waffled between the B&D and the DeWalt - let DeWalt's reputation tip the scales and I couldn't be happier. The 1 hour battery charger is perfect. The drill had no problem w/ 3" and 4" wood screws through pressure treated wood - or driving a 5/16" hole through a 4X6. It's light, perfectly balanced and w/ the 2 batteries and 1 hour charger I worked all day with no slow downs. You can tell this was built to be used. Despite the fact that B&D owns DeWalt - there are differences - DeWalt is all metal internal gears and more torque than the 14.4v Firestorm I was considering.