Customer Reviews

DEWALT DWD210G 10-Amp 1/2-Inch Pistol-Grip Drill

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Make no mistake, this is the DEWALT DWD210G keyed chuck 1/2" drill. The description in this listing is wrong where it says it's a keyless chuck. Now my review.

I've owned the DW100 3/8" keyed chuck drill for some 13 years, and it's been a workhorse for me. Lots of power for a small drill, and it continues to run like a champ. I don't like keyless chucks as a rule, they're fine for quick and easy jobs, but try drilling into 1/4" steel with one and you'll soon lament losing the chuck key to tighten the pawls down hard enough to hold the bit. I've been wanting to get a 1/2" drill for a long time and last week I found myself surfing the web looking for the Milwaukee that I'd wanted for so long. The new 'Hole Shooter' has got some pretty terrible reviews about how cheap it's made, the trigger is not smooth, it's made in china, bla, bla, bla. I wnet to Lowes to play with one, and found the complaints, mostly, well founded. I used to work with Milwaukee drills and loved them. I don't know why, but the one in the store felt like a cheap piece of crap, honestly. The trigger was sloppy, not smooth draw and I can visualize how jerky it would be when it's running and varying the speed. The whole thing did not impress, at all.

Then I was thinking about my trusty DeWalt 3/8" drill. I knew about the standard 1/2" DeWalt, and almost bought it when I saw the DWD210G with it's big meaty gearbox right out there in front. It's a heavy drill, to be sure, but it felt like it might be the last drill I would ever own. I bought it on the spot at Lowes and have been using it for the last few days and I must say that there are no regrets here. DeWalt has come through again with an well thought out, well designed, quality assembled and overbuilt tool that will twist your freakin' hand right off if youre not carefull.

One of the negative things I had read about the DeWalts was the side handle was sloppy and did not feel secure. Well that was the old style with a metal strap that wrapped around the chuck bearing housing. It was sloppy, but I don't think they make that type any more. This drill comes with a side handle that is a milled piece of cast aluminum that fits around the bearing housing and tightens wit a twist of the handle. It feels like may as well be welded to the side of the drill. It's solid.

The DWD210G has a 10 amp motor. If you were looking for a drill to use around the house, this is WAY overkill for drilling holes for drywall anchors. Buy a cordless drill with a keyless chuck, you'll be happier. If you are into drilling 2" holes into hardwood with a forstner bit, this would be a good choice if you are one of those crazy people who would much rather run an extension cord and have all the power and not have to worry about keeping a spare battery charged only to be let down by the lack of torque. The torque on this drill is nothing short of amazing. 10 amps is a lot of power for a hand held drill.

By choosing this drill over the standard 1/2" DeWalt, I stepped up to a power tool that has not sacraficed power or strength in the name of less weight or cost savings. They built this thing to be strong, reliable, and long lasting. It really is 'Heavy Duty' and I would choose this drill over any other drill on the market because it can handle almost anyting that one could expect a hand held drill to do.

Me:
I have a ton of drills, this 10amp dewalt of course, a Bosch SDS hammer drill, milwaukee screw gun, hitachi 9amp, dewalt 7amp, two ridgid spade drills, 18v milwaukee cordless hammer and ratcheting drill, makita 4amp angle drill, which are ALL 5-star drills in my opinion depending on what you're using them for, and then I have some 18v Ryobi's and some old vintage drills which are underpowered, but I like having some beaters I can throw around.

The review:
This drill is a keyed chuck. Keyed chuck means you can open and close it by hand, but if you want to really get a good grip on a bit you can crank it with the accessory tool. It's like the difference between putting on a bolt by hand and using a wrench. If you don't want to use the key it's just like a key-less chuck.

The gear housing and chuck are all metal. The body, reversing switch, and trigger are plastic.

1,200 RPM may sound slow to people who are used to seeing VSR's with 2,500 RPM's. I wasn't really worried about this because I have experience with other geared down drivers. Basically it gives you a lot more power per amp. The trigger smoothly transitions between the 0-1,200 range. You can drive a screw or drill just as fast in normal materials and much faster if you drill into thick, hard materials.

This drill is too heavy to use one handed on a vertical surface, that's why there's the handle. So you can't hold a screw with one hand on drywall, and put it in with the other.

I put the biggest drill bit the chuck would take, and burrowed it into oak in a few seconds; without scorching the oak. Drilling through a 55 gallon steel drum was child's play for this drill. Honestly I don't really have anything at this exact moment to really push this drill. I got it in anticipation of a major remodel where I will be drilling through dozens of studs for electrical conduits. If it can drill through 2 inches of oak, a pine stud wont put up much resistance.

I will not use this drill for heavy applications like concrete or mud mixing, because I have a spade drill for that, but it easily has enough power if you wanted to do some mixing with it.

Drilling through concrete many people prefer hammer drills, but this has power to spare if all you need is a handful of 1/2 inch holes, it just takes a bit longer because it doesn't "hammer" the bit down, you have to physically push the drill a bit. This drill in my opinion is better for metal and wood, and attachments to the drill like rasps and hole saws and rotary type cutters.

It is a very convincing tool, very well made, that will probably last me a decade or more because I'm only a part time remodeler. I am very happy with this drill.

DeWalts are made in Mexico with 1 year free service repairs and 3 year limited warranty. You can also send tools into service centers or order replacement parts for most of the pieces (there are some exceptions). Their US headquarters is in Baltimore, MD.

I did something to test this drill pretty good. I drilled through 1" galvanized pipe with a 1/2 bit. Went through it easily. Next I put a hex bit on the tip to try and drive a 6" screw into a laminated beam.. instead of using a hand ratchet or ratcheting drill. That was a bad idea. The load on the drill when the screw froze up at the end (from being driven in all the way) would have shot most vsr drills. On this one the motor just shuts off if it gets locked. Most drills when they get locked will just burn out because it super heats the engine. So it basically saved me from buying a new drill from being a dummy. At first I thought the drill was dead, but then it timed back on and I realized the anti-lock feature was actually working properly. Awesome!

The competition:
I just got a Hitachi 9amp drill that is pretty awesome. It doesn't have anti-locking protect feature but it has an electric brake, which stops it from spinning when you take your finger off the trigger. If I could find a 10amp drill with both the anti-lock protect and the electric brake that'd be my drill of choice. That would be this drills main competition out of the drills I have, and I think they are both really good. The dewalt is more heavy duty. The hitachi you could actually fasten screws with because it's a tad lighter and the electric brake stops you from stripping heads. Hitachi D13VF 9 Amp 1/2-Inch Drill

I bought this to use with an auger flower bulb planter in rocky clay soil in Maine. Amazing torque. Not for children.

If you have never used a Dewalt tool, do yourself a favor and go get some. This drill is great, has all the torque I need and stands up to daily use/abuse.

I previously bought a Milwaukee drill of the same caliber, and it was so poorly put together that I sent it back for a refund. THIS drill, however is well made, you can see the quality in the construction. Where the M.drill felt really cheesy in its construction,this one seems really solid. I bought it for a job where I had to use a 1-3/8 inch auger through hardwood. This drill chewed through it like it was paper.

I highly recommend this tool, with 10 amps of power, it can drill through anything.

Not much to add to Wayne's review. I needed a real drill for big spades and forstners and the cordless just doesn't do it; it's child's play for this thing and I don't have to put a new battery in every other hole. I've had good luck with Dewalt and so picked this over Milwaukee which would be my second choice.

We're so spoiled by our battery tools but sometimes you've got to have the cord. It's interesting what $100 buys in a cordless drill - not much. As an old carpenter once told me "I buy amps".

this drill has a nice solid feel to it. lots of power and speed .my drill is attached to a roll cage tube notcher and sees alot of abuse. this dewalt doesn't seem to mind at all!

Simply pulling the trigger button unleashes a HUGE amount of power. The torque twists your wrist unless you have a firm grip on both handles. I needed the power to mix mortar for tiling projects, and this drill easily handles that task, and every other task I've asked it to do. Money WELL spent.

Have owned and used lots and lots drill motors, but I want to put this beauty in glass and mount it on the wall, all lite up where it can be seen and enjoyed. Like a collectors gun, a commerative rifle you never shoot, or beautiful art you never want see soiled. Even with all that she is rock solid and heavy, the feel of solid confidence is inspiring.

I recommend customers to buy this product... Its a very powerful drill then any other drill with its price range... definitely can handle any tough job task...