Dewalt is king of the cordless drill kit “special buys.” This year, for the Black Friday 2019 and the Holiday shopping season, they will have FOUR different drill kits at the magical $99 price point. Let’s talk about the deals and whether they’re good or not.
Let’s say you are a holiday shopper looking to buy a Dewalt cordless drill kit for yourself or to give as a gift. Well, which one should you buy? Short answer: Get the 12V Max Xtreme Subcompact brushless drill kit or the 20V Max Atomic drill kit.
There are two other choices, but unless you’re limited to only shopping at certain stores or online retailers, there’s no reason to seriously consider them.
Editor’s Choice: Dewalt 12V Max Xtreme Subcompact Brushless Drill Kit
This kit, DCD701F2, is part of Dewalt’s new 12V Max Xtreme Subcompact brushless cordless power tool system.
I have a test sample and have grown quite fond of this drill. It is plenty powerful for a 12V-class tool, it’s compact, and it’s a pleasure to use with no glaring issues or complaints.
It launched at… I don’t remember the price, then dropped to $99, and now it’s $139 everywhere. Next week, it’ll be down to $99 again. Probably.
This is the kit I’d buy. It comes with a charger, (2) 2.0Ah batteries, belt clip, and tool bag.
- 3/8″ chuck
- 250 UWO max torque
- 0-425/0-1500 RPM
- 5.97″ length
Price: $99 (Probable Black Friday 2019)
Buy Now via Acme Tools
Buy Now via Tool Nut
Also Available at: Amazon | Lowe’s
Dewalt 20V Max ATOMIC Cordless Drill Kit
Dewalt also came out with their 20V Max Atomic cordless drill kit this year.
Their Atomic DCD708C2 drill driver kit comes with (2) compact 1.5Ah batteries, a charger, and carrying bag.
- 1/2″ chuck
- 340 UWO max power
- 0-450/0-1650 RPM
- 6.3″ length
This is a decent offering, and I like that it’s a little better their typical “special buy” model. It’s not as powerful as their premium compact brushless drill/driver, but it’s considerably less expensive.
I think this is a good window into Dewalt’s cordless lineup, although higher capacity batteries would be appreciated. I’d rather have one higher capacity battery (even 2.0Ah) than two lower capacity batteries, but I suppose Dewalt has done their research and knows what their target users want. But because of this, I feel it’s not quite as good of a “gateway” tool as some other brands’ promo drill kits that come with bigger batteries.
This would be my second choice drill kit. You get a bump-up in power and speed compared to the 12V Max Xtreme Subcompact model, and step foot into Dewalt’s quite large 20V Max cordless power tool system. Personally I like the 12V model better, but I know a lot of people prefer 18V/20V Max as their main tool. Plus, this drill has a 1/2″ chuck, which might come in handy when using larger accessories or adapters.
Price: $99
Buy Now via Tool Nut
Buy Now via Acme Tools
Buy Now via Amazon
Dewalt DCD777 Brushless Drill Kit Special Buy
DCD777C2 is Dewalt’s 20V Max special-buy brushless drill kit. I don’t think I have ever seen it in any combo kit yet, aside from being bundled with Dewalt impact driver special buys.
- 1/2″ chuck
- 340 UWO max power
- 0-500/0-1750 RPM
- 7.52″ length
It’s not a bad drill, but why buy this kit when you can get the newer and more compact Atomic drill kit for the same price?
The kit comes with (2) compact batteries, charger, and tool bag.
Price: $99
Dewalt DCD771 Brushed Motor Cordless Drill Kit
This is… umm… don’t buy this one. You’ll see the Dewalt DCD771 bundled in Dewalt’s “special buy” high-value cordless power tool combo kits. But quite frankly, I see zero reason anyone should buy this DCD771C2 20V Max cordless drill kit over the other choices discussed above.
Are the other cordless drills too easy for you to misplace due to their smaller size? Maybe something like that would make the larger DCD771 cordless drill more appealing?
- 1/2″ chuck
- 300 UWO max power
- 0-450/0-1500 RPM
It comes with 1.3Ah batteries, a charger, and tool bag.
Price: $97
Reader’s Choice?
Your friend/family/other gift recipient says: “Hey, I want a Dewalt drill kit for the holidays.” Let’s say you like them enough to spend $100. Do you get one of these kits, or do you with a different choice, option “E”?