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Watch the price. Wait for your best deal. I paid around $160 on Amazon, but I've seen the Amazon price soar to $249.
Now I am looking at a Panasonic to replace my third Milwaukee. Since I smoked the DeWalt, I learned that it is owned by Black and Decker. The Panasonic for the same money used NiMH batteries and has 3.5 amp hour batteries. This thing is just a yellow Black and Decker drill from China. I fell for the marketing hype myself and smoked the drill in less than a year. I'm a heavy user homeowner. The Milwaukee is better than the DeWalt by far, but it's still not up to my expectations. No battery memory and much more power.
It's amazing how people line up to pay extra for the yellow paint and then excuse major faults like the sloppy battery connection and poorly designed chuck that locks up. I learned that the difference between the products is the marketing budget and Nascar sponsorship. Plus the Panasonic is built in Japan. I then smoked two Milwaukees.
It seems that if I reverse the direction back and forth, squeeze the trigger a few times, it will eventually work. With a masonary bit and the drill in "hammer" mode, I was able to drill through plaster, cinder block and stucco as if it were balsa wood. I did not have the problem with the non-sanded handle that some did. I purchased this drill about 4 months ago just in time for some heavy construction in my house. Like many other comments, I have yet to it a hole that it won't drill. it's so powerful. It's annoying but not enough to make me give this anything less than 5 stars. This is a top notch drill just like everything else I have owned from Dewalt.
This drill has a very solid feel and it's comfortable in your hand - even after hours and hours of driving drywall screws. My only complaint is that for some unknown reason it can be very difficult to shift. I do recommend that you buy this as part of a combo package, the prices are considerably less per tool when purchased as a package deal. It's as if it gets jammed in its current position.
This is a good drill/driver. Chuck is easy to grab with serrations for easy tightening and loosening.Dewalt has always been a good product in my book. Heavy duty, nicely balanced.
I am a homeowner that sometimes gets involved in heavy duty construction. I would recommend this drill to anyone except for those who want a lightweight drill. That sucker cuts right into you. I used it to remodel my rental property and it worked great with drywall.
It really is bulletproof. The first thing I had to do to it when I bought it was take some sandpaper to the seam on the back of the handle. I guess I cannot complain about this since they lasted so long. I had a 26 ft camper and I even used this drill to raise and lower the jacks and crank the slide out. I finally had to replace the battery packs this week. I have the older version of this drill, and I have had it for about 5 years.
It is heavy as stated in the other reviews but you expect weight to come with any heavy duty tool. This was easily repaired in about a minute so I consider this to be nothing more than a nuisance. The stores charge outrageous prices for the batteries so I bought mine through a popular online auction site for about half the price. The drill has so much torque that it twisted my arm around when the slide hit its stop. I have used this drill to drill concrete, landscape timbers, metal, and every type of wood out there. I have dropped it several times including from the top of a ladder but it has survived with nothing more than cosmetic damage.
Is it any wonder you see so many contractors using it. I once nearly broke my wrist while doing this.
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