Review of DeWalt 20-Volt MAX Lithium-Ion Cordless Combo Kit

Today’s review entry is aimed at the DeWalt 20-Volt MAX Lithium-Ion Cordless Combo Kit with Tough Case. Well after owning this drill and impact driver combo kit for a couple of months now I can confirm that DeWalt has done a pretty good job on this little kit.

The drill package comes with the drill, impact driver, 2.0 Ah battery, 4.0 Ah battery, battery charger, and a tough case. At first I was a bit confused about having 2 different size batteries. After owning and using this set for a little while now I think I now prefer this arrangement. I like having the smaller battery for times when I just need a lighter impact driver with plenty of power.

Both of these little machines feature brushless motors. Brushless motors have really taken over lately as the technology is becoming less expensive to manufacture. The main advantage of a brushless motor over a brush motor is longevity and effeciency. Brushless motor’s do not rely on physical contact of a current carrying “brush”. Instead, they use alternating magnetic fields to produce rotational torque against a permanent stationary magnet. Less friction = less heat = less wear = longer motor life. WooHoo!

Let’s focus on the impact driver for a moment. Don’t let the light weight of this driver fool you – it has plenty of get up and go for its size. Although it only weighs 3.4 lbs, it manages to crank the spindle torque up to 1,825 in-lbs or about 152 ft-lbs and will turn up to 3,600 RMP. To me, this thing is a little beast when it comes to driving deck screws.

All that power in the impact driver can be a little more than you need however. Fortunately, DeWalt addressed this by putting in a basic three-position “power level” switch. Think of it as having a governor on your kids new 2 stroke dirt bike…the power is still there, just dialed down a bit.

Surprisingly, I really like this feature. I found that if you’re driving in something like a 3” deck screw and you close the throttle all the way open, this thing will drive the screw in so fast you can easily over drive it into the material. Moving the switch to the #1 or #2 position will make the driver a bit more controllable. When you’re ready to start driving lags in, switch it back to full power on #3 and you’re ready to rock.

The last thing worth mentioning on the impact driver are the 3 spindle lights. I love em! I’m not sure why it’s taken so long to see more than one light on a drill head. The problem I’ve ran into with only one light is that it seems to just cast a back side shadow on the head of the workpiece. In some cases, it’s not an issue. Having three lights really helps to produce nice even lighting around the work piece.

Now for the drill. Since we’re talking lighting – this drill has a single lamped but it is placed in a totally new spot just above the battery and points upward at a bout a 45 degree angle. To be honest, I have not used it in a dark setting but I think they may be on to something good here.

The light has 3 different settings: dim, bright, and “20 minute” on position. This is a pretty sweet idea in my opinion. If you’re in an attic and need your drill to double as a stationary flashlight without having to constantly bump the trigger to turn it back on then this may be a very good feature for you.

The drill is rated at 2,000 RPM and has three different speed settings raging from 450, 1,300, and 2,000 RPM. It also features a clutch wheel with 11 different positions to fine tune the break away torque when you’re driving something like sheet metal screws.

DeWalt describes the chuck as “nitro-carburized with carbide inserts for superior bit gripping strength.” What does that even mean? Basically, the chuck material has undergone a surface hardening process that ultimately improves its scratch resistance, fatigue strength, and corrosion resistance. The jaws of the chuck are carbide steel and are also very durable.

When we consider the form and finish of these two tools you really can’t find much wrong with them. It’s 2017 and to have a set of tools come from DeWalt that are not well thought out and not feel good in your hand would be something outta left field. DeWalt’s been a pretty trusted name in the business for quite sometime now and I suspect this drill and impact driver pair will be around for a good while.

If you’re interested in purchasing this set, consider using this link here.  In a small way it helps this page stay alive and kicking.

One last thing – this drill set comes in a nice stackable carrying case as well…..it is part of the “Tough Case” lineup. I’m going to save my thoughts on the case for the entire Tough Case review I’ll be posting soon. Suffice to say the Tough Case line is a heck of a good solution for tool and cargo carrying. More on that to come soon. : )

Thanks for dropping in to learn more about this product.

Yall take care – April.

This review is sponsored by The Home Depot through their ProSpective campaign. 

 

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