When my cordless drill failed I wanted a corded replacement. After looking at the local Home Depot we decided on the DW236. It isn't as heavy as similar drills, its quiet, the keyless chuck is fantastic and I love the adjustable handle for a firm, two handed grip.pI'm not a contractor, but a friend who is recommended DeWalt products and I'm glad I took his advice. If you need more power, get a hammer drill but for general drilling needs, this will be your preferred drill.

This is a light weight, high quality unit. I was impresed by the good balance and control. The keyless chuck holds well for an 850 rpm high torque tool. It's variable speed control is precise and drives lag bolts with ease. The rotating second handle makes it fit into tight spots easily. I found that heavy continuous use didn't faze it a bit. On top of that, it's quiet.

DeWalt DW236 half inch Drill Review
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br /There is little reason to buy a drill with a key-locking chuck, when keyless drills like this provide plenty of force to hold any bit from slipping - from 1/16" to 0.5". Pressing a button near the chuck locks the drive shaft - then, the rubber-coated chuck works exactly as you would expect. The chuck is easy to tighten and easy to loosen. The only way to improve on this arrangement would be to have an automatically locking shaft similar to those on high-quality cordless drills.
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br /For a lightweight half-inch drill, this unit has plenty of power - far more than, for example, the 18 volt Bosch 33618 Brute cordless drill/driver. When drilling holes where maximum tool control and protection from torque is needed, you'll appreciate the wonderfully designed auxiliary handle. Partially loosen the handle and rotate it to any point in 360 degrees and less than a half turn will tighten it firmly. The handle can be completely removed from the drill in seconds, by loosening the clamp and sliding it off the tool.
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br /The primary handle fits my large hands comfortably; there are no sharp places, nothing that pinches, and the trigger switch works beautifully. One thing that irritates me though, is that manufacturers don't follow standards for the reversing switch. I own numerous corded drills, and this DeWalt is the only model where you slide the lever (that's over the switch) to the LEFT for the bit to go clockwise - or RIGHT for counter-clockwise. That's counter-intuitive - in fact, all the other drills I own are just the opposite.
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I used the previous model of this drill when I was working in landscaping. We used it to drill holes in landscaping timber so that we could drive 1/2" rebar through them. It never bound up.
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br /Then, one night I left the lid open on the tool box and it rained. The whole thing filled with about 2" of water and the drill was sitting right in the bottom. The radio and laser level were dead, but I let the drill dry out in the sun and had it running at the end of the day. We used it for the rest of the summer.
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br /So, when it came time to buy a drill for my own workshop, I naturally chose this one. The secondary handle can be adjusted easily with one hand and without tools. I like the fact that it has a cord, because that means I'll never need batteries or a charger. I use it for metal work - I built a sand blasting cabinet with 1/2" welded angle iron and used this drill to drill and tap the frame for mounting the door. With a good set of bits this drill will never let you down.
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br /My only gripe is that when I am changing bits on the fly, I often spin the chuck in my hand and scratch up my wedding ring, much to my wife's displeasure.

I bought this item after buying the Milwaukee 1/2 Hammer Drilll and then returned the Milwaukee as I first thought it was more drill than I needed. I opened and used the Dewalt. I mixed a 5 Gal pail of Drywall mix with it and felt the speed was too low for my uses. I returned it and re-bought the Milwaukee. Overall it's a nice drill and fit's the hand well but, I thought the lack of power when needed wasn't worth the money. A shame, because I really wanted it. This drill would suffice for most around the house jobs but not when real power was needed. Features were nice, quite, and smooth. Chuck worked great too. Just lacked power. A dissapointment from Dewalt. I'll be looking at Milwaukee from now on.

Why is it that if I go to Lowes and/or Home Depot they supply a carrying case?