DeWalt 18v Drills Buying Guide

Client: My Tool Shed

Here’s a question for all the builders and construction workers out there. Can you get by without a cordless drill? Didn't think so. What about a cheap cordless drill? Even that’s a dicey proposition. Buying a cheap cordless drill is like buying cheap underwear. After the initial cost savings, you'll be miserable every single day of your life.

Invest in a high quality power drill, and it will take the time, effort and hassle out of countless home and garden jobs.

If you're on the market for one, look no further than the M&S of power tools - DeWalt.

A brief history of DeWalt 18v Drills

For you whippersnappers out there, cordless drills didn’t really exist before the 1980’s. Black and Decker came out with the first one in1961, but it wasn't until the introduction of higher powered and lighter nickel cadmium (NiCad) batteries twenty years later that cordless drills really found a home in residential workshops.

In 1992, the world was introduced to DeWalt’s first line of portable electric power tools, including cordless drills, which were an instant hit. But there was better to come. DeWalt really hit the nail on the head in 2007, when they introduced their first line of Lithium-Ion battery powered tools across three voltages, 18v, 28v and 36v. The 18v drill quickly became the tradesman’s favourite as it was nimble, whilst the 28- and 36-volt models had great power, but were unwieldy.

The 18V has gone on to become the most successful and longest running battery platform in tool history.

Choose DeWalt for 18v

Dewalt and drills go together like peaches and cream, but what are your options?

Drill Driver: Drill drivers are great for two things: you can use them to drill holes into wood and metal, and drive screws - making them ideal for all sorts of tasks.

The reason Drill Dirvers are ideal for driving screws is the ‘adjustable clutch mechanism’. When the clutch is on a low setting, the drill driver will stop if a screw gets too tight, which lowers the risk of stripping the screw. Often they'll be equipped with two speeds and multiple torque settings, although the torque won't be as high as that found on a combi drill or impact driver.

Check out DeWalt’s DCD990M2 – it’s a powerful, lightweight tool with a great battery life.

Combi Hammer Drills: Taking things up a notch, the combi hammer drill, also known as a Rotary hammer, has three functions: it can drill holes into wood and metal; drive screws, and drill holes into concrete and masonry via the hammer function.

These tools are all about power. I’ve used the Dewalt DCK290M2 18v combi hammer drill, and can vouch for its quality. It’s powerful and allows for extended work in confined spaces.

Special Direct System (SDS) Hammer Drills: These are the black belt of drills, as you can see from the heavyweight DeWalt D25601K. They’re extremely powerful and are used when extra power is required for heavy duty jobs. They have three basic functions that allow for normal drilling, hammer action and chiselling, and operate in either two or three modes.

The models with with two modes offer ‘rotary action’ and ‘hammer action’, while the models with three modes offer both of these as well as a ‘rotation stop’ function which switches off the rotary action, leaveing just the hammer action.

This enables you to use the drill as a breaker or as a demolition hammer.

Right Angle Drills: A cordless DeWalt right angle drill such as the DeWalt D21160 enables you to carry out work that would cause you considerable grief if you didn't own the tool. It easily reaches into confined wall and ceiling cavities to bore holes or drive screws. T

his type of drill is most commonly used by electricians and plumbers because of its ability to work in tight spaces.

Percussion Drills: A percussion drill is similar to a rotary hammer drill. The main difference between the two is that the hammering action cannot be used without the rotational function on a percussion drill. This is because the hammering action is initiated by the rotation of the chuck.

Percussion drills are suited to general DIY, although they are somewhat slower than rotary drills. They rotate at around 3,000 beats p/m but for greater power, you can use the hammer action which pounds the turning drill bit at around 40,000 blows a minute.

Until next time Tom Katt Tool Specialist My Tool Shed