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.
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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)
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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
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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”?
JohnRoscoe
Suppose a guy had a lot of Dewalt 20V tools and wanted to spend a Lowe’s gift card. Which Lowe’s-available deal? I need a small/light non-hammer drill, wouldn’t mind if an impact was included. Budget is $200.
Jeremiah Petersen
You can get the DeWalt 12 volt brushless drill/impact kit for $149 at Lowe’s right now.
Brent
Have eyed that 12v set for a while as a second set, but kinda need another 20v battery or two to replace a failed one. At least the chargers are in the same family. Hmmm??
Corey Moore
The chargers that come with the 12v also charge 20v. They’re smaller versions of the old black ones. The new yellow fast chargers will do 20v and 60v, but not 12v. I believe I’ve heard that the 4 port rapid charger for ToughSystem will do all 3.
Corey Moore
Disregard lol I just noticed that you weren’t asking for confirmation of the charger compatibilities, but stating them. My apologies for the unsolicited explanation there
Stuart
Look at the Black Friday Flyer: https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/lowes-black-friday-2019-tool-deals/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
It’s above your budget, but I’d look at the brushless drill and impact driver combo kit for $249, but you get to pick a free tool/battery/accessory. I’d go with the sander.
Or, as Jeremiah mentioned, you can get a 12V drill and impact combo kit with some money to spare.
Kik
Hi! Thank you for the article. This is very timely as I was looking to upgrade my drill kit. I am also looking for an impact driver. Do you have any recommendations on impact drivers from Dewalt by chance?
Stuart
Choices are going to be similar – DCF885C1 is a good option, although it has a brushed motor, DCF787C1 is their brushless “special buy,” DCF809C1 is the Atomic option, and DCF801F2 is the 12V Max option that was $99 and will likely drop in price again.
Again, if you’re on a budget, I’d look at 12V Max and Atomic kits first, then DCF885 (their older brushed model), and the DCF787 perhaps last. The difference in 3rd and 4th choices is that the DCF885 was never a special buy like the DCD771 drill.
Kik
Thank you for the advice Stuart. I got a little over $55 store credit at home depot. So currently looking at this Atomic combo kit DCK278C2 with impact and drill: https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-ATOMIC-20-Volt-MAX-Lithium-Ion-Brushless-Cordless-Compact-Drill-Impact-Combo-Kit-2-Tool-2-Batteries-1-3Ah-and-Charger-DCK278C2/308067489. It comes with DCD708 drill and DCF809 impact. Priced special buy $179, so out of pocket for me would be about $125 + tax. What do you think? Good pick? Thank you!
Stuart
There’s also the same combo kit with ToughSystem tool box, currently $199.
That combo you linked to – my local stores are each reporting 2-4 dozen in stock. If that’s the tool kit you want, I would recommend waiting a week to see what the Black Friday 2019 price will be. My gut instinct says it’ll be $149 from $179. I could be wrong, but I’d say it’ll be $149 with maybe 95% certainty.
These are basic tools and the batteries are low capacity, but it’ll do the trick for low to medium duty tasks. It’ll be very hard to find anything better without spending a lot more.
Clay
Actually the kit with the tuff system box has a hammer drill rather than the standard, so I feel it is a much better deal.
Clay
Kik, I had that kit and was underwhelmed. I returned it and opted for this one and was much happier. YMMV
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-20-Volt-MAX-XR-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Brushless-Drill-Impact-Combo-Kit-2-Tool-with-1-Battery-2Ah-and-1-Battery-4Ah-DCK287D1M1/304051266
It is more expensive, but you get a hammer drill with metal chuck, an impact driver with multiple settings, and 4 and 2 AH batteries instead of two anemic ones. The drill is a little bigger, but the impact driver is about the same size.
Daniel Ulrich
The DCD708C2 Atomic model listed as the second best choice is currently on Amazon for 97.99 with free shipping.
Aaron
I’ve seen some pretty bad reviews forDCD777C2. I think I have four or five of them in inventory and haven’t had any trouble with sending them out on light duty projects but based on what I’ve heard I wouldn’t want to purchase more for purchase them for personal use.
with the strength of dewalt 20 volt lineup and particularly the atomic series I have a hard time seeing the value proposition of their 12 volt line.
skfarmer
i am about full up on 20v max stuff. multiple drills impact drivers and a dull array of other tools. i am however looking for something in the 12 volt dewalt class to share chargers and things that will accept both 12 and 20 volt batteries.
are there any deals on the newer 12 volt max combo drill and driver or larger kits. i know there is a kit with the older brushed tools in that 139 or so range but i don’t see any deals on the brushed.
Stuart
The drill and impact driver combo kit is $149.
Lowe’s Link
Evadman
I’m not sure what tools you are looking for, but lowes has the 12v screwdriver kit (2 bat + charger) for $39 depending on store.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/DEWALT-12-Volt-Max-1-4-in-Cordless-Screwdriver-2-Batteries-Included-and-Charger-Included/3276907
I put in zip code 60652, which is downtown chicago, and there are a few left. try your zip/store.
BlueCrafted
Unless you absolutely only need a drill/impact, I’d skip the dewalt 12v tools. The lineup is anemic compared to bosch and especially milwaukee.
Mike
They are coming out with a whole lineup of 12 volt tools
Clay
I took back the Atomic 2 tool kit I bought. Wasn’t bad but the drill was underpowered and the impact driver was 1) not compact and 2) one speed only.
Returned and got this for the same price*. Betters tools and much better batteries (1AH and 4AH). Not as compact with regard to the drill, but works fine for my needs. And it is a hammer drill with a steel chuck.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-20-Volt-MAX-XR-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Brushless-Drill-Impact-Combo-Kit-2-Tool-with-1-Battery-2Ah-and-1-Battery-4Ah-DCK287D1M1/304051266
*The two tool Atomic kit is now $179, but I still think it is worth the extra scratch.
Nathan
any bare tool deals worth noting?
Stuart
Not yet that I’ve seen, aside from Home Depot’s promo.
https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/home-depot-free-bonus-cordless-power-tools-holiday-deals-2019/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Diamond Dave
I originally had the DEWALT 12V Drill, Driver and Screwdriver (my personal fav) but DEWALT abandoned the 12v tool lineup after adding a recip saw and scope to their lineup. Milwaukee came out with the flat bottomed (L) battery and have voraciously continued to develop new tools. Now, I am way to vested in Milwaukee’s M12 line to go backwards! Dewalt missed the boat bigtime in the 12v line which is too bad as I use the 20v DEWALT lineup and it would be nice to have to have only one charger for both battery systems.
Andrew
Personally I’d fork over the extra money to get the M12 FUEL kit at HD since it’s on sale for 179 right now, impacts are always handy to have around.
Thom
If only we knew the torque numbers instead of the unit watt out..