The Best DeWalt Power Tools

A drill and an impact driver together cover nearly everything you'll do around the house. The drill bores holes and has a clutch, so you can set a screw without punching it through the drywall. The impact driver hammers as it turns, which is how a three-inch screw goes into a stud without stalling or stripping out. This Old House notes that combo kits generally give you better per-tool value than buying bare tools and batteries one at a time.

The sizes matter more than the spec sheet makes them sound. The impact driver is 5.55 inches long and weighs 2.8 pounds; the drill is 7.5 inches and 3.6 pounds. That's the difference between reaching inside a cabinet box and giving up on the angle. Under a sink, between joists, inside a closet — you'll notice it every time you work somewhere tight.

Small conveniences add up over a weekend. Both tools have LED work lights that stay lit for 20 seconds after you release the trigger, which is long enough to check the screw you just set in a dim crawlspace. The impact driver's hex chuck loads one-handed, so your other hand can keep holding the board. The drill's single-sleeve ratcheting chuck grips bits hard and swaps them fast.

The battery is the real purchase here. ToolGuyd counts more than 200 tools on the 20V MAX platform, which is among the largest cordless ecosystems any major brand offers. Every pack you buy later drops straight into these two tools, and every tool you add runs on the packs in this box. DeWalt also ranked among the top cordless brands for owner-reported reliability in a Consumer Reports survey, which is worth something when you're committing to a battery mount.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Neither tool comes from DeWalt's brushless XR line. Family Handyman reports brushless tools can run notably longer per charge, and that gap shows up on long jobs rather than short ones. The included packs are the compact kind too, so they keep the tools light but won't carry you through an afternoon of hole saws. Plan on a spare if you work in long stretches.

The drill handles wood and light metal fine, but it has no hammer mode, so brick and block are out. And while most owners describe years of trouble-free use, a few report a drill that loses power partway through a hole and needs warranty service. The coverage is there, but shipping a tool off mid-project is a hassle.

DeWalt lists a three-year limited warranty on this kit, and its 20V MAX tools also carry a free one-year service contract.

Drive a three-inch screw into a stud with a plain drill and you'll feel it. The drill bogs, the bit cams out, and your wrist takes the twist. An impact driver adds quick rotational blows, so the screw keeps moving and your arm doesn't absorb the fight. DeWalt lists up to 1,825 in-lbs of max torque here, which is more than a house will ever ask of you.

Speed 1 is the setting that earns the upgrade. Precision drive starts the fastener slowly, so a small screw doesn't spin off, snap, or bury itself in a cabinet door before you can react. Then you shift to speed 3 for lag bolts and structural screws. Cheaper impact drivers give you one speed and a lot of stripped heads.

It's small and light for what it does — about 2.7 pounds, with a body short enough to work between studs. Three LEDs ring the chuck instead of sitting under it, so you get light without a shadow from the bit. Owners who use these daily on crews report driving screws, boring holes and tightening nuts with the same tool for years without it slowing down.

Popular Mechanics found DeWalt's XR-series tools consistently near the top in torque-to-weight comparisons, and this driver is the clearest example. You're getting serious output from a tool you can hold overhead in one hand. If you already own 20V MAX batteries, buying the bare tool is the sensible move — you skip packs you don't need.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It's loud. Impact drivers rattle, and this one is no exception, so wear ear protection if you're driving a few hundred screws. It also isn't a drill replacement: the 1/4-inch hex chuck only takes hex-shank bits, and there's no clutch for careful work.

Torque control is coarse, even with three speeds. For wheel lugs or anything with a torque spec, finish with a torque wrench rather than trusting your trigger finger. And since this ships as a bare tool, it's a poor first purchase if you don't already have batteries and a charger.

DeWalt covers most of its 20V MAX tools with a three-year limited warranty plus a free one-year service contract.

Anchoring a handrail into a concrete stoop is where an ordinary drill quits. Hammer mode adds rapid forward blows to the rotation, which is what actually breaks up masonry ahead of the bit. For a few dozen holes in brick, block or a basement wall — fence brackets, shelf anchors, a mailbox post — this is the right level of tool without stepping up to a dedicated rotary hammer.

The three-speed metal transmission is what separates this from a homeowner drill. Low speed trades RPM for grunt, which is what you want with a hole saw or a spade bit in a 2x10. Top speed spins small twist bits fast enough to cut cleanly instead of burning. The middle setting handles most driving. A one-speed drill makes you compromise on every one of those jobs.

The brushless motor matters most on long days. DeWalt says it runs up to 75 percent longer than the 18V NiCad brushed motors it replaced, and Family Handyman reports the same pattern across brushless tools generally: more work per charge, less heat, no brushes to swap. Owners who use this in utility and fabrication work describe boring through poles and metal enclosures without drama.

The details hold up. The 1/2-inch ratcheting chuck is metal with carbide inserts, so big bits don't walk loose under load. The three-mode LED includes a spotlight setting with a 20-minute shutoff, which is genuinely useful when you're working in a crawlspace and want light that stays put while you fish a wire.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It's heavy and bulky at about four pounds bare, and that's before you clip on a big battery. For assembling furniture or hanging blinds, it's more drill than the job deserves, and you'll get tired holding it overhead.

Hammer mode is hungry. Owners report it doesn't run consistently on small compact packs, and that you want a 5.0Ah battery or larger for masonry work — which adds weight and cost to a tool that's already bare. If you drill concrete every week rather than every few months, an SDS rotary hammer is the better buy.

DeWalt covers most of its 20V MAX tools with a three-year limited warranty plus a free one-year service contract.

This is the one tool here that lets you leave the extension cord in the truck. DeWalt rates it at 5,800 RPM and says it rips through doubled 2x lumber in one pass, and FLEXVOLT batteries auto-detect voltage, so the same pack runs your 20V MAX drill when the saw's back in the case. For framing and long rips, it closes most of the gap with a corded saw.

The layout is built for sightlines. The blade sits left of the motor with the handle at the rear, so if you're right-handed you watch your pencil line directly instead of leaning over the tool. The shoe is magnesium, which stays flat and slides clean. Bevels go to 53 degrees with detents at 45 and 22.5, which covers rafter and stair work.

Two touches you'll use constantly: an electronic brake that stops the blade when you release the trigger, and a rafter hook for hanging the saw. On a ladder or a roof deck, both matter more than any spec. You set the saw down less, and the blade isn't still spinning when you do.

Buy this if you cut wood in volume rather than occasionally. A compact saw is pleasant for plywood and trim, but it slows down in framing lumber and runs out of depth at a bevel. This one doesn't flinch either way, which is why it shows up on job sites where cuts are measured in hundreds per day.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

It weighs 10.9 pounds bare. Owners say that mass actually steadies a long rip, and they're right, but cutting overhead or one-handed is a different story. For someone who cuts a few boards a month, it's a lot of saw to wrestle.

It needs a FLEXVOLT battery. Standard 20V MAX packs won't power it, and owners have been caught out by exactly that after unboxing a bare tool and finding nothing in their kit fits. Budget for the biggest, heaviest battery DeWalt sells, and understand that it hangs off the back of an already heavy saw.