I bought this newly redesigned drill at a home improvement store, based on its torque rating and light weight. However, I returned it due to the following reasons:p- The chuck does not spin truebr- Poor battery performance, only 1.3Ahbr- Outdated charging technologybr- No performance specifications to be found on the manualpI like to reseach into all the specs to compare capabilities of a tool, and I was baffled by the fact that there was no mention of the battery rating on the battery itself, the instruction manual or Dewalt's webpage on the tool. Since the amp-hour rating is an indicator of the tool's 'fuel tank', it's omission is suspicious to me, especially when all other tool manufacturers (Bosch, Makita, PC..) readily identifies it on their battery packs. I finally found the battery rating in Dewalt's press announcement webpage for these new drills, they are all rated at 1.3Ah, which is the lowest possible rating especially with new 3.0Ah NiMh batteries in the marketplace. pI was also leary of Dewalt's charger / charing technology. Temperature is one of the most important factor in the life span of batteries, and almost all battery packs I have came across has at least three terminals: positive(+), negative(-) and temperature(T) so that the charger will halt / delay the charging cycle when the battery becomes too hot. There are only two terminals on the Dewalt battery and charger, which means that the battery life in the long run will be much less (could be why the stores stock so many Dewalt replacement packs!). pOn the positive side the tool seems to have lots of torque and the ratcheing chuck is nice (although it spins slightly off center). Overall I think Dewalt has done a good job advertising but the quality is not there, charging technology is outdated and the battery is Black and Decker.

I purchased this drill (actually i think an older version of the same one) used in 2001 and have abused it in every way possible since then. In my job installing car stereo's we go through an average of 2-3 batteries per day and have tried every brand out, but the DeWalt drills have taken far more abuse than any of them.pMine i have even been running 14.4v batteries in for years and the motor has taken it fine, no smell's, funny sounds or anything else. I have dropped it from 10+ ft with no issues on numerous times. Ive even taken to throwing it on the concrete just to show people how it just will not break. Simply amazes me.pPeople complain about the battery life as compared to some other drills. This makes no sense to me since ive been a long time fan of Makita, have owned Makita, Black and decker firestorm, porter cable and milwaukee drills and none of them have the battery life of the DeWalt. A fellow installer has been kicking himself because his makita 12v light will run for about 15 mins on a fresh battery while mine will run for 2+hours. pNow in my full time job as a maintenance man at a hospital we have swapped over exclusively to DeWalt drills, replacing porter cable, craftsman and bosch drills.pI am sold on these drills and the abuse that they take and now own 3 of them, one made in 1997, one in 2000, and the other in 2001 and all 3 of them are still alive and kicking, running off of the original batteries no less with no batteries having died yet.

I am very pleased with the performance, features and quality of this tool. It is light and compact, with plenty of torque. I took it out of the case, charged it up and went right to work. I have used this drill on a daily basis without any problems.pThe 1.3ah battery is the same type battery used by Porter Cable in their compact, lighter 12v drills...pI hand build custom clocks, small furniture and case goods. This is a good drill that fits into tight spaces and has plenty of power. I have enjoyed using this drill and am very pleased with it.

This is not a clydsedale of drills, it is light and powerful enough for most wood/aluminum drilling. It is not for large bits through very thick wood. I have had mine for 3 years and have had no problems with the drill or batteries. I use it for cabinetry.

Overall I like this drill but there are 2 problems that would make me consider buying another DeWalt drill. First after about 3 years of very minimal use both batteries have died, and of course the price of one battery is close to half the price of the entire drill purchased new. The second problem is the terrible balance of the drill, It can stand up on its own, but add quick change chuck and it cant even stand on its own. So...........In hindsight I wish I had bought th Makita.pPeter G

Overall I like this drill but there are 2 problems that would make me consider buying another DeWalt drill. First after about 3 years of very minimal use both batteries have died, and of course the price of one battery is close to half the price of the entire drill purchased new. The second problem is the terrible balance of the drill, It can stand up on its own, but add quick change chuck and it cant even stand on its own. So...........In hindsight I wish I had bought th Makita.Peter G

I bought this drill to replace an older 12 volt DeWalt 945 drill. The older one still works, but batteries are very hard to find. This one's batteries are a joke. There is no trigger guard. This makes putting it in a nail belt interesting. To do any screw driving both batteries are needed to last almost as long as the one in the older DeWalt.
br /This is a very bad replacement for the 945. You will have to go to 18 or 24 volt to get the same performance.
br /In my opinion this is a toy designed for tightening screws around the house.

This is a 12v drill. and that is why I bought it so I would have a smaller lighter drill for those 75% of things that don't need a 18v brick. I have not had trouble with the batteries. But it is not made for doing rooms of drywall or decks. It has enough muscle for many common jobs and will drive a 3' screw with out much fuss. Great light weight drill As far as fussing about needing more torque, well get the right tool for the job. As far as temp of the batteries just let them cool before you recharge them. Do you need a charger to tell you this?

I have a bunch of drills and I find that the Dewalt 927 is the drill I grab. It is reasonably small,light,and powerful. It is meant for medium duty,not for big bits or big hole saws.
br /I also have Dewalts 9.6v 926, which is a few ounces lighter,but in my opinion,the 927 is a far superior drill. I like the ratcheting chuck,even though it has 2 sleeves.
br /For most people,a drill like the 927 is all the drill they will ever need.

Super low pricing with Lowe's so I couldn't resist. Well........DeWalt needs to go back to the drawing board with this one. I agree with the "wobble" in the shaft and the "reversing switch" isn't fully operable without pushing the reverse side very hard past a catch. In speaking with other owners, they seem to have the same problem. I have many, many DeWalt tools and 'am "Pro DeWalt" but this one had to go back. Spend a little more and get the 1/2" "Heavier Duty" for more reliability. Sorry, DeWalt, the truth may hurt but you usually do much better than this one.

I just bought this drill at Home Depot. Its a good drill if you are looking for something cheap. It is true that the shaft does not come perfectly straight. It has a slight wobble in it when you hold the collar and drill. Took it back to home depot to get a new one.. and it has the same problem. Manufacturing issue or just poor design? either way i like my drills to drill straight and will be getting a different drill.

Beware buying on the web. The product you get may not be the product you order. In my case vendor substituted a different model.