I researched the best cordless drill for field and construction use over the past few days because I need something reliable for mounting equipment, setting anchors, and general site work. I went through reviews on Pro Tool Reviews, Popular Mechanics, and The New York Times Wirecutter, and it seems like DeWalt still stands out for overall durability and performance in jobsite conditions.The two models that caught my attention are:
From what I have read, the DCD771C2 is lightweight and perfect for lighter drilling or screw-driving tasks, while the DCK240C2 combo kit offers more torque and flexibility for tougher jobs especially when working with anchors, posts, or brackets in the field.For those of you who keep a cordless drill as part of your field kit, what model are you using? How’s the battery life, torque, and reliability in tough outdoor conditions?I would appreciate any recommendations before I make the purchase. Thanks in advance for your insights.
I must prefix this by saying I am not a pro, just a guy with a tool fetish.
Having plenty of charged batteries on hand probably makes a bigger difference than the brand.
I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the top brands. For me making that choice goes well beyond any specific tool type. It came down to committing to a brand/model line that share the same batteries and chargers. Everything I’ve read puts DeWalt and Milwaukee at the top in no particular order, with Makita and others as strong alternatives. I went with the M18 Milwaukee line, which for me was probably overkill, but when it comes to tools I always over buy. I started with a drill and impact/drill (not Fuel) set. For professional use their Fuel models would probably be the best of their offerings. Of course, drilling and driving was just the start. Now I have a circular saw, reciprocating saw (great for trimming trees), compact router, and work light. Along with a few chargers, and a selection of batteries.
I use both a drill and a driver. The driver is so much better for driving than the drill there is no comparison. And of course, sometimes you need to drill.
I’m a Milwaukee guy, but that’s just personal preference. Keep in mind though, once you go cordless you are stuck with that brand for life so think about what other tools you need and see if your brand manufactures those.
At Home Depot (and probably elsewhere) the drill and the driver are sold as a set at a slight discount. There is also a well-known hack. If you buy a combo package with multiple tools, you can return the tools/batteries you don’t want at a pro-rated price. This can lower the price of the tools/batteries you do want by quite a bit. You do need to pay attention, because the good deals don’t last very long.
Home Depot and the tool manufacturers know about this hack and could stop it tomorrow if they wanted to, but it basically allows Home Depot to sell tools below MSRP. So take advantage if you can.
Early days I began the cordless times with the old green 9.6v Mikita’s, then moved on to DeWalt’s after seeing the guys installing my new garage door do the whole job on one charge! But this were NiMh batteries, and if left for a while, they lost their charge, and eventually all failed. When the Lithium batteries came along, I jumped ship to the 20v Max, even bought a couple adapters so they could be used on the older 18v tools… Still have a bin of the old NiMh tools out in a shed, not sure what to do with 'em…
Anyway, the late tools, whether Milwaukee or DeWalt are great…
I picked up a couple Ryobi tools along the way, but only because they were used, cheap, might be handy someday, but not my fav’s..
Local, small chain carries DeWalt, Milwaukee, Mikita, they do sales specials, earlier times, before Covid, I’d haunt local flea markets, find tools, chargers or batteries cheap, so still have more than I need today… If the charger didn’t work, generally could send it in, they’d fix or replace it…
When we built our house, seems like the construction crews used nothing but DeWalt. So take it for what that is worth. Personally, I have had the DeWalt cordless drill/impact driver combo for about 8 years and am very pleased with it. Not a construction worker, just a home hobbyist.
I don’t have the model numbers right off hand but I have and use both. I would not use one as “dual purpose.”
I have been working on our “Swallow Motel” recently and you can see on the left I have tools and extra batteries. All are ready to grab and use. The only “switching” I have to do is some screws are T20 while others are T25. I can quickly do that with one hand, no hassle.