Customer Reviews

DEWALT DWD110K 8.0 Amp 3/8-Inch VSR Pistol Grip Drill Kit with Keyless Chuck

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have only started using this drill, but so far no problems, and the keyless chuck has worked great.

I'm writing this review because I purchased and returned four drills before settling on this one, and I thought others might benefit from my recent comparison shopping. The Craftsman 5 amp basic level T-handle 3/8" drill is loud, like an F-16 taking off, and only goes to 1500 rpm. (Craftsman makes a red professional model with more power and higher speed, but I did not even try it because it seemed heavy and awkward.) The Ryobi D41 T-handle felt great in my hand but has less power (4.5 amps) and only 1600 rpm, and it is still noisier than the DeWalt, with a higher-pitched scream. Hitachi makes a nice 6 amp drill with speeds to 2500, the D 10VH, and it has a number of nice features, but it has the same high-pitched scream only maybe worse. It also lacks the bubble levels that I have come to appreciate. The Rigid Professional 3/8" VSR has similar features to the DeWalt and uses the same Jacobs keyless chuck, but it felt a little more off-balance in my hand and had that same jet-airplane whine. The DeWalt is considerably quieter, even though the Rigid is only 6.5 amps compared to 7 amps for the DeWalt. The sound of the DeWalt is more like a table saw or cutoff starting up than it is like the high-pitched grinding noise of a hand-held circular saw.

All this emphasis on noise level is because my dad is already hard of hearing, but it affects my comfort and enjoyment of the drill, too. Despite the range of power levels and max speeds, the drills all weighed between 3.2 and 3.6 pounds on my scale, with the Ryobi and Hitachi at the lower end and the Rigid and DeWalt at the upper end.

For reviewers complaining about the DWD110k or its predecessor not having the finesse to stop driving drywall screws just below the surface like their cordless drill/driver does: if you want a corded drill to do that, get one with a clutch, specifically made for driving screws as well as drilling. In my experience, corded drills, especially those with top speeds over 1500 rpm (which you want for various drill applications) make poor drivers and especially poor drywall screw installers. So far the DeWalt DWD110K seems to have as good a control at low speeds as the best of the rest, and maybe better control than the Craftsman and the Rigid.

And if the case matters to you: The DeWalt case, while roomy enough for the drill and cord and bits, is a little more compact than most drill cases. It also has a metal latch that won't fatigue and break off like plastic latches on other cases often do, and a piano hinge all along one side (albeit plastic molded as part of the case with a steel rod all the way through). So the DeWalt got the nod for best case among those I tried. (The Rigid only comes with a nylon bag.)

This drill provides very poor performance in the lower speed ranges, such as when drilling metal, esepecially with larger bits. The speed control is very poor, and the torque/power is also poor. I've never seen a drill that I could stall a low/moderate speeds as easily as this one.

It seems to be OK at higher speeds, so if you only use small bits and drill in soft material like wood, you might find this drill acceptable. But I bought it for use in a variety of materials, including metal, and it has been a disappointment.

This is a very usable drill. It comes in its own case containing additional compartments, making it convenient to carry Drill Bits etc. The Drill has ample torque and power and is ruggedly constructed. The reverse selector is ideally located.

The reason I gave the drill 4 stars instead of 5 is related to the variable speed trigger it is not sensitive enough to make finite adjustments in drill speed without extreme control.

It is an excellent buy and should last years with proper care.

I've had this drill for 3 years now and it gets heavy use. I've built many projects with it, including a shed. It handles home tasks like assembling furniture easily. It drills through metal - I've drilled 1-1/8" holes in vehicle panels with this drill. You can't even get a 1-1/8" step bit in this chuck size, so I got an adapter. I operated the drill for about 10-15 seconds using a lot of oil on the bit. Then I let it rest a minute or two and kept at it. It didn't burn out. I also cut plenty smaller holes in metal in the 3/8" size. It will cut through some fairly thick metal without complaining.

I am very impressed because I have abused this thing and it just keeps going. Great investment.

I got annoyed with trying to always keep my cordless drill charged. The VSR isn't very sensitive, in fact my father and father inlaw didn't think it was a VSR. I knew this going into it, along with the heavier weight, as I was mainly looking for more power. I was tired of stripping out the heads of screws with my cordless because it didn't have enough power. The keyless chuck is nice and made out of metal. I've had it for about 6 months and it has seen quite a bit of use, and I can see it lasting for many many years as it feels very solid. When I bought it, it didn't come with a case, =(.

I am very impressed with the performance of this drill. The ratcheting action of the chuck really works. That feature was the main reason I purchased this drill. The chuck on my old drill would come loose causing the bit the fall out. It is comfortable to hold and not to heavy either. All in all very pleased with it.

I love DeWalt tools and was in need of a corded drill to backup my battery-powered drills, for those cases where more torque is required. Overall, I have no complaints, though the variable speed control in the trigger is a little hard to regulate with my finger pressure when I'm after less than maximum RPMs. I wish they had included a speed limit adjustment in the trigger. Then again, I was looking for cheap, so I guess I can't really complain. The keyless chuck works very nicely and I now have yet another yellow and black tool in my collection.

This drill is exactly what I was looking for. Plenty of power, good cord, good chuck that holds bits tight, bubble level. Corded drills have so much more power and SPEED, its great. Buy this one and you will be happy!!

I love dewalt tools. I have their twin air compressor, 10amp drill, 10amp angle grinder, 12" chop saw, and some other stuff, and it all works great.

I bought this drill strictly for fastening applications.. driving screws into 2x4's and planks. I don't like battery powered drills because they always die when you're up on a ladder or about to put in your last screw, and they don't have nearly as much power, and they're three times as expensive when you add batteries and a charger.

The best part about this drill is it is powerful but light. It is light enough to easily hold horizontally and put screws in a stud, but it can also put a 3 inch screw in solid pine, and when it is 9/10ths of the way buried, stop, then drive it in the rest of the way. That's about the max this drill can handle, but that is all I got it for. The levels on the back of the drill are so tiny they are worthless and you're better off eyeballing it.

The chuck is keyless, and the chuck ratchets, but it doesn't grip bits that well unless you really crank the ratchet in. Not a big deal.. if you don't switch bits in and out frequently. For example when I was putting deck screws in after getting the chuck reasonably tight (like as tight as I was used to making my cruddy Ryobi chuck) the bit fell out, dropped between deck planks, and I had to crawl under the deck to get the bit. Lesson learned, and easily avoided in the future.

I still like my cruddy cordless Ryobi because it has a break on the clutch, so when you take your finger off the trigger it stops spinning right away. With this 7amp coorded, I was kind of expecting a similar feature since it is a light duty drill, but when you take your finger off and take pressure off a screw, expect your bit to basically vibrate out and put a bit of wear on your bit and the screw. Again, not a huge deal, but if you are buying this solely for the purpose of a screwgun for drywall, you should do a search for screwgun instead because with those drills when you take pressure off the screw the motor automatically disengages from the bit.

All in all this is a great all purpose drill that is versatile. You could probably mix a half bag of mud with it and drill a small hole or two in concrete, but I wouldn't work it much harder than that.

For $50.. that's the price of a Li-battery.

I've enjoyed having this drill around for tougher drilling than my cordless could handle, it has unquestionable power. The only downside is the trigger issue--it's hard to vary the speed. When I'm drilling I haven't had a problem, but I've essentially given up using it as a screwdriver. The speed kicks in too quickly and I tend to start stripping the screws.