Best DeWALT Drill For Home Use

Just choosing a drill brand is a mammoth task these days with so many manufacturers competing together, but luckily for you, you’ve made that decision and have decided on DeWALT (great choice btw!). Even so, now choosing a model for home use is not simple.

DeWALT in particular have a huge range of models with very similar model numbers, and it can get confusing fast, so how do you choose the right one for you? Well luckily for you I am here to help you out. As an award-winning joiner (I don’t mean to brag…), I know what you need in a cordless drill. So let me guide you through buying the best DeWALT cordless drill for home use.

The BEST DeWALT cordless combi drill for home use

After a lot of research and testing, this is the DeWALT drill I would recommend for home use. The DCD709, now this drill is available in a few different battery combos but the one I got was with a single 5Ah battery, charger and T-Stack case.

Why is this the best DeWALT drill for home use?

This DeWALT cordless drill has a lot going for it that makes it suited perfectly for home use. To start with it is a complete package at a great price. What do I mean by complete package? Well, the price includes the combi drill, a big battery, charger and case.

You have to be careful when selecting a cordless drill as a lot of manufacturers will sell a “bare unit”. What this means is that it comes with no batteries or charger.

This is great for people who already have batteries, maybe from an older drill or a different tool by the same manufacturer. They get the tool on its own and at a great price, but if you are just looking at price and accidentally buy a bare unit tool without already owing batteries then the tool is useless.

It’s not the end of the world though and you can buy the batteries and charger separately, but beware that buying the batteries and charger separately almost always ends up costing more than getting them in a bundle.

You can buy the DeWALT DCD709 with 1 large 5Ah battery or 2 smaller 2Ah batteries for around the same price. I went for the larger capacity battery as I think this will benefit me more in day to day use.

For home use though 2 x 2Ah batteries will be ample, and you will also be able to have one battery on charge while using the other battery in the drill. If however, you feel like you might add more tools to your DeWALT collection I would recommend going with the 5Ah battery and then adding more over time.

The T-Stack case that comes with this drill is also very nice to have. It is a real rugged case that will definitely protect your tool. But this is not what makes the T-Stack case good, after all, most drills in this price point will come with a solid carry case, it is that this connects to all the other T-Stack cases.

These cases and toolboxes clip together making for really efficient tool storage. They also work with the Stanley Fatmax Pro-Stack cases, which are the same product just at a better price.

What about the drill?

So it’s all well and good getting 2 x batteries, a charger and a carry case included with your purchase but if the drill is crap it doesn’t really matter. Well, I’m pleased to say this is an exceptional cordless drill, particularly at this price point. To start with it has a brushless motor, pretty much unheard of at this price.

So what’s so good about a brushless motor? A brushless motor is more efficient, more powerful and lasts longer than a brushed motor. A brush motor uses carbon brushes to generate movement whereas a brushless motor uses magnets. The brushes on a brushed motor wear out over time and need replacing, they also create a lot more heat than a brushless motor. They are however cheaper to manufacture, which is why cheaper tools, even by the big names, often have brushed motors. That the DeWALT DCD796 comes with a brushless motor is a real advantage over lots of similarly priced tools.

Brushless motors are also often smaller than brushed motors, this is one of the reasons the DCD709 features an ultra-compact design. The smaller 2.0Ah batteries also help keep the tool light and compact. While obviously not providing as much run time as beefier batteries. This is not that much of a downside with a tool for home use however where it will not be getting the same punishment as a tool used on a building site.

Metal Chuck

The DeWALT drill comes with a metal chuck, not something normally seen on drills in this price range. The chuck is the part of the drill that holds your drill bit, or driver in place, so is a crucial part of the drill.

As you can see in the photo above, this is metal on the DCD709 whereas on this Makita drill below it is plastic. A metal chuck is considered to be higher quality and normally found on more expensive drills.

Metal chucks will just stand up to damage better than plastic ones will, this is pretty obvious. Chucks can often get damaged when rubbing against objects you are drilling, leading to damage.

Beyond Brushless

This drill has a lot going for it on top of its brushless motor. For instance, on top setting it provides 65 Nm of torque, that’s a lot, and more often than not it has more torque than competitors. In my research, many tools around this price point came in at around 50 Nm or less. This will ensure this cordless drill has the power required for even the most intensive of jobs.

Like all combi drills, it features a hammer mode alongside the usual drill driver mode. If you are unfamiliar with what a hammer mode does then let me quickly explain. A hammer mode is a setting used when drilling into masonries such as concrete brick and stone. The hammer introduces a hammering action onto the drill bit, forcing it through tough surfaces. The hammer mode should only ever be used for drilling into masonry and never for screwing.

Tool Platform

This is a huge decision when buying any cordless drill. A cordless drill is usually the first tool a person buys and as such ties them to a tool platform. Batteries cost almost as much as the tools themselves, particularly for larger capacity batteries, and that’s before you add in the price of a charger.

For this reason, it is much more economical to buy bare units once you have the batteries and charger. But DeWALT batteries only work in DeWALT tools, just like Makita batteries will only work with Makita tools etc.

So once you have chosen a tool platform you are stuck with it unless you want the extra expense. The good news for you is that you are looking at DeWALT tools which is a great platform. Their tools always offer great performance whilst coming in at a decent price. They also have a huge range of tools that will work with these 18v batteries, so you really are in a good place here.

Still Unsure?

If you still haven’t made your mind up on which is the best cordless drill for you then feel free to drop me an email at admin@theblokecave.co.uk and I will do my best to answer any questions you may have!

Similar Tools

If you’re not fully decided on DeWALT then why not check out our best Makita drill for home use.