The Dewalt DCK283D2 MAX XR Lithium Ion Brushless Compact Drill and Driver set is, at the time of this review (Aug 9, 2016) the latest and greatest iteration of Dewalt's 20V Compact Drill and Impact Driver. I bought them as an upgrade for the older 18V Dewalt tools (hammer drill, compact drill, and circular saw) which I have owned for almost a decade. All I can say is HOLY COW THESE ARE AMAZING!

It's stunning how far technology has come. Compared to my older 18V tools--which were very good--these are considerably smaller, lighter, and more powerful, plus just as durable or more so! Seriously, I should have upgraded sooner. Of course, it's probably a good thing I waited, as these newest versions (DCD791 Compact Drill and DCF887 Impact Driver) have the advantage of better illumination options (brighter LEDs, with a 20 second standard shut off delay after activation, as well as a 20-minute illumination option). Far from a gimmick, the brightness and placement of these lights is a major convenience any time you have to drive a fastener from inside a dark cabinet or other confined/poorly lit space.

Dewalt also makes a hammer drill version of their compact drill, as well as a full size regular and full size hammer drill. I decided that if I ever need the power of a hammer drill, I will invest in the full-size hammer drill. But for 95% of all things I do or make with my tools, this DCD791 Compact Drill has PLENTY of power, and the light weight and slim form factor are amazing. I can get into small spaces much easier, and support the tool for much longer without fatigue. Need to drive a 2-1/4" hole-saw through 3/4" plywood? No problem! I'm totally thrilled with this compact drill's performance.

The Impact Driver is equally exciting. Even more compact than the drill, it offers a nearly ideal balance between brute power (especially on setting 3) and delicate driving tasks (settings 2 or 1). Thanks to the reduced speed as well as reduced torque on setting 1, I am comfortable driving even relatively delicate #6 and #4 screws into wood with it. And on setting 2, it drives #8 1-1/2" screws very quickly, with the impact function kicking in just as the head of the fastener begins to seat. Perfect! I've driven a few hundred screws with it now--about four times faster than I can drive them with my old 12V Bosch driver--and not one seated too deeply or tore out. 90% of the time I leave it on setting 2 and the sensitivity of the trigger gives me enough control to drive fasteners anywhere from reassuringly slow to blazingly fast. As I previously alluded, I also find that the level of control with an impact driver is markedly better (compared to a standard cordless driver) when seating fasteners flush. The ratchet provides audible and palpable feedback at the moment the fastner is beginning to seat and tighten, making it a lot easier to avoid over-driving the fastener below the surface of your material.

A couple of things to know about these 20V tools.... First, 20V is the max operating voltage; these are technically 18V tools, so the 20V claim is a bit of a marketing gimmick. What makes them "more powerful" is not the voltage but the fact that they use better parts/components than the 18V tool line that Dewalt also still sells. At the same time, they are also more compact than most equivalent tools in the 18V line. The chief advantage over the older 18V tools is the use of Lithium Ion (memory-less) batteries. My older 18V batteries HAD to be fully discharged and recharged at least once every month or they would go bad alarmingly quickly. Since I'm the kind of guy who tends to tackle a nine-month boat-building project, and then take a few months off before I start something else, this meant I kept finding myself needing to buy expensive replacement batteries. After doing that twice--and spending WAY too many years juggling four half-dead batteries between my tools and two charging stations--I finally upgraded to this newer 20V system. WOW... the batteries are so much lighter, smaller, and more powerful... and they don't seem to discharge (let alone go bad) at all, even if left unattended and uncharged for more than a month. This is a major improvement over the NiCad 18V batteries, which would need to be replaced or would barely hold a charge if neglected to that same extent. Also, just for reference, I recently built a rolling kitchen island for my wife (22" x 36" x 35-1/4"), plus four small portable tool-organizer cabinets (11" x 11" x 18") over the past two weeks using this drill and driver. At present, I still have not recharged anything. The impact driver battery still shows a full three bars of power and the drill battery shows two bars of power when I press the battery gauge. So not only do they hold a charge well, but they obviously operate quite efficiently. I've been doing a lot of drilling and fastening on these projects, including making a few cutouts for power cords with a 2" and a 1-1/4" hole-saw. I've also dropped them three times already from approximately 3' height--hard enough to bounce them--but the plastic and rubber cladding are so durable there is no sign of any scuff or crack. This is the familiar DeWalt build quality that I've come to know and love!

If you are still using the older 18V tools with batteries that don't hold a charge like they used to, or if you're still using corded tools, or if you don't have a drill/driver and think you might like one, do yourself a favor and BUY THIS SET. It is outstanding, and it will do 95% of what most DIY'ers need to do with these tools. The only reason to look at the full size or hammer drill versions is if you're pretty certain you will need to drill into stone, brick, or masonry at some point (and more than once or twice). In that case, a hammer drill is pretty much a necessity and will save you considerable effort.

[UPDATE 8-20-2016: Today my drill's battery dropped to one bar for the first time since I began using this set. So that means the 2Ah battery lasted approximately three weeks, during which time I built a rolling kitchen island, three mini tool-organizer cabinets, a rack for organizing my clamps, a large drawer, and a few miscellaneous small tool holders, plus drilled over a dozen holes through 3/4" plywood with hole saws ranging from 1-1/4 to 2-1/4" diameter. That's a LOT of drilling and driving, and I'm sure I could have kept going for awhile since it just dropped from two to one bar today. The impact driver currently still has two of three bars when I check the battery gauge, so it has yet to see the charger. This is such a great set. So lightweight and compact, yet very powerful. Not once have these tools bogged down or even slowed in operation. Awesome.]

UPDATE: Still using this drill over a year later. Batteries still have plenty of life, even with heavy use. I will use one while the other charges. Great product, no issues whatsoever, very satisfied!

I got this item in perfect shipped condition, as expected. Both batteries were fully charged and ready to go. All in all, this is probably one of the best "bang for your buck" purchases I have ever made. At time of purchase, I paid $99 for the drill, two batteries, charger, and bag. Two replacements batteries alone are more than that! I immediately got to work building a table for our kitchen (see pictures). This drill was used for drilling the pocket hols with the Kreg drill. I did not count exactly, but this tool lasted hours of drilling pocket holes in yellow pine before the battery gave out. No slow dying, it just quits which is excellent. I swapped batteries and the charge was complete long before the second battery ran out of juice.

If you are a professional, perhaps you need more power/torque, etc. For the handyman or DIYer, I highly recommend this drill.

This drill is a beast. DEWALT products have never let me down, and so far this drill is no exception. First of all, it's an amazing deal. At nearly $90 for one replacement battery, even just the two 1.5mah batteries that this unit comes with should be more expensive than the whole kit. Instead for just over $100 you get two batteries, a fast charger, a soft case and the of course the drill. Frankly if I had other DEWALT 20V tools, I'd buy this kit just for the batteries.

This drill is a no-nonsense drill. There are very few bells and whistles, just a workhorse powerful drill with great batteries. It's extremely small and lightweight, probably half of the weight I'm used to holding with normal NiCad battery drills. However after getting used to the lighter weight of the battery, it feels balanced and stable, with a good fit for my larger hands. But it has at least the same amount of punch of a bigger heavier drill, lasting longer with no fade. I love that this drill performs at 100% and dies quickly - the performance is strong until the end. And with the fast charger, by the time battery A is dead, battery B is fully charged and ready to go. The batteries also seem to hold their charge for indefinite periods of time.

One feature I like is the light (the one bell and/or whistle this drill has). I've had other drills with lights - that's nothing new. However, in a few different models, the light would only operate when the trigger was being pulled. If I'm lining up a bit or a screw in a circumstance that requires light, it's not easy to do if the drill is spinning. This light stays on for ~10 seconds after the trigger is released, allowing you to tap the trigger to engage the light, line up the bit or screw, and resume drilling/driving.

The build quality is great. The drill feels solid and strong. My only complaint is the plastic chuck. While I've had no trouble getting up to 1/2" bits into the chuck firmly, it feels cheap - much cheaper than the black metal DEWALT chuck I'm used to. But I guess with this product they had to cut corners somewhere, and if I can still firmly grip a bit, I don't care what the chuck is made out of.

Note: DEWALT seems to be measuring their drills in Unit Watts Out, rather than in/lbs. While this makes sense, as UWO supposedly takes into account both speed and torque, it's confusing. According to this article on ProToolReviews (http://www.protoolreviews.com/buying-guides/max-watts-out/13109/), in/lbs can be approximately calculated with the following formula:

Speed (RPM) x Torque (inch pounds) / 560 = Max Watts Out (estimated). Note that you must use the lower speed to get the higher torque reading.

At 300 UWO, that puts this drill at about 373in/lbs in the low speed setting - not the best, but not bad. Certainly there are more powerful drills, but this one is certainly competitive, and with a name like DEWALT, I felt it was the best bang for my buck. I have yet to be proven wrong.