A fine value
Rating: 4 out of 5
Weight: 3.4 out of 10
Created: Dec 26, 2008
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br /And there I was in a Home Depot in Laplace, Louisiana and what did I see?
br /The very same Dewalt 14.4V xrp 1/2 cordless, drill/driver on the clearance rack for $149.99 plus 10% sales tax.
br /"Say it ain't so!" - I thought to myself. Why would this be a clearance item? Perhaps the batteries are not used in enough of the other tools - 18 volt units seem to be the new benchmark. Yet what a lovely price -so I bought one.
br /I've owned a Dewalt 12v xrp for 4 plus years and it's still going strong. When the 12v unit came out the xrp batteries were not available. I ultimately purchased 2 replacement 12v xrp batteries and have been enormously satisfied.
br /So recently I have been doing a lot of pre-drilling and screwing and have thought about purchasing another 12v xrp drill/driver; they are still holding their price at $169.00
br /And then I saw the 14.4 on the clearance rack. Half inch chuck, xrp batteries and case for the same price. Oh yeah!
br /The 14.4 is a bit heavier than my venerable 12v - not the lead weight of the xrp 18v, but all the features are the same:
br /3 speed, ratcheting steel chuck and great tough if not precision construction.
br /Some where between 12v and 18v - the torque of the drill becomes unmanageable with one hand. (when tightening wood screws or when a spade bit stops dead in a hole.) That is what the clutch is designed to alleviate. I have never used a cordless drill in the screw/clutch mode. I achieve my desired results by careful modulation of the trigger. The 14.4 works just about perfectly without wrenching your wrist.
br /There is the same slight bit wobble present in the 12v xrp but it is more of an irritation than a liability.
br /All Dewalt cordless drills are not created equal.
br /My 12v xrp has more torque and longer battery life than a friend's 18v dewalt heavy duty cordless drill/driver (non xrp model.)
br /Complaints: I am ready to see a nickel metal hydride battery made available for cordless hand tools. Knowing that the battery would have a longer run time - yet a much longer charge time would not deter me because the batteries would not be subject to failure in 2 years. ( the Nickel Cadmium short coming.)
br /My advice buy a 14.4v xrp cordless drill/driver at your home depot clearance rack or take advantage of the Amazon frequent tool discounts to make the DEWALT DC983KA 14.4-Volt XRP 1/2" Drill/Driver Kit your next best friend.
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br /caslo
