DEWALT DC987KA 18-Volt Ni-Cad 1/2-Inch Drill/Driver Kit Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have used the Dewalt DC987KA drill/driver for the past three to four years in the development of a 6500 sq. ft. research lab at my university. This drill has definitely been up to every effort, performing tasks like drilling anchor holes in poured concrete, driving bolts in unistrut, drilling 1/8-5/8" holes in mild and stainless steel plate, to duration tasks like stripping coatings using a wire brush attachment. There are several pros and cons of this drill to point out:

Pros:
1) Ample power and torque. For driving screws or bolts, the driver is outstanding. The clutch works well and has sufficient numbers of ranges to allow for fine tuning the depth of drive. The low range on the transmission gives absolutely breathtaking torque for driving, and the variable speed has sufficient control to allow for slow starts in hard to drive materials.
2) The three stage transmission allows for plenty of speed ranges, and is a major plus for this unit. I have used other drills by other manufacturers, and the three stage transmission is a huge selling point for me on this unit.
3) While it is a bit heavy, the drill/driver is very well balanced and is easy to handle because it is balanced.
4) The electric brake works exceptionally well, and stops the chuck very rapidly.
5) The second handle is "handy" for driving hard materials like concrete, and can be positioned at any point around the drill. It can also be easily removed for using the drill as a driver, as we do often.
6) The variable speed trigger is very smooth and functions very well on our unit. I can appreciate variability from one drill to another, but our drill works very very well. It has sufficient back pressure to allow for controlled work.
7) The top speed on the transmission is faster than many other drill/drivers I am aware of. It comes in handy for cleaning/polishing as I mentioned above (wire brush work).
8) I will list this as a pro and a con: the 18V batteries have quite a bit of juice in them and last a long time as a driver and in light work, but the NiCd battery packs just don't work as well as the newer NiMH packs that are coming out on other units, and in the duration tasks like wire brush stripping, they don't last as long as I'd like.
9) The charger works as indicated. I have had no trouble with the charger, and it fully recharges in an hour, as promised. This is not as quick as some newer units, but does work as promised.

Cons:
1) The unit is heavy. I have a 15.6V drill/driver from another manufacturer that doesn't quite have the moxy that the DC987 has, but handles better because it is quite a bit lighter. I have used the DC987 drill/driver over my head building unistrut framework and it does get a bit heavy to handle at odd angles and far from the body. While it is well balanced, it is heavy.
2) The original NiCd battery packs lasted quite a long time in our modest usage (not quite the pace of a contractor, but heavy usage when in use) but I have noticed that the duration usage kills the battery as you might expect. This is a downside to the NiCd's and a small downside to this drill.
3) I am not a fan of how Dewalt chose to make the electical connection between the battery pack and the driver/recharger. While the electrical spades are protected, I don't like the slight "looseness" of the fit to the charger and don't like having the spades unsupported within the plastic frame. It would seem to be a potential to really mess up a battery pack if the spades were to be bent in handling. I have not had this experience, but like the battery designs of other manufacturers better. However, the batteries lock on the drill well and we have not had trouble with one coming off or with the electrical contacts, so perhaps this is just preference on my part.

Overall, I very much like this drill/driver. It has plenty of power and torque, and is well balanced. I have yet to find a hole it can't drill or a screw/bolt it can't drive. I have used it on many materials over quite some time and am pleased by its performance overall. I give it 4 stars rather than 5 because of the battery performance and its weight, not for its drill or driver performance. If Dewalt makes NiMH batteries available with this unit, it would be unbeatable.

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