Know Before You Buy: DeWalt Cordless Drill Issues From Customers

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As one of the most famous and easily recognizable power tool brands, it's no surprise that DeWalt boasts some of the top-rated cordless drills. From its compact models like the DCD794 Brushless Cordless Drill and the DCD799 Hammer Drill to its bigger, heavy-duty units like the DCD996 and the DCD1007 Hammer Drills, there's no shortage of options to choose from for both professionals and DIYers. However, like any other brand, DeWalt's power tools have also received complaints from customers who may have encountered issues with their devices while powering through a project. So, before you upgrade your next home renovation with DeWalt tools, you should first know the gripes users have shared about the issues they faced while handling a DeWalt cordless drill.

Do note that due to DeWalt's popularity, these issues tend to be magnified in the eyes of first-time buyers. In reality, though, such complaints only reflect very minimal instances where the brand's cordless drills act up during use. DeWalt is still considered a top-tier or highly rated brand in the power tools industry. Its cordless drill lineup is also varied, meaning there are products in the basic tier offering decent specs and performance, and models in the high-end tier featuring the best of what the brand has to offer. Still, it's better to know what the common issues are to set your expectations before you invest in a DeWalt cordless drill for the first time.

One issue that shows up in reviews of the DeWalt 20V Max Brushless Cordless Drill Driver Kit, dubbed Home Depot's most popular drill, is the random switching of the chuck to the opposite direction. Clearly, this is not an issue users can easily brush off since it can startle them or even ruin their momentum while working on a project. If you have worked on a project that involved consecutive drilling of screws, then you know how upsetting it is for the drill to suddenly switch directions, as this disrupts the workflow and even damages some screws in the process. One Home Depot reviewer, who works in aviation, expressed annoyance after their unit stripped expensive airplane screws due to this random switching issue. In this customer's case, they even said they were risking airframe parts by using the malfunctioning drill.

The same issue was raised by some users on DeWalt's website, particularly for the DeWalt 20V MAX Brushless Cordless Drill Driver Kit. One customer's feedback said they were not happy with their purchase because their unit would randomly go in reverse. Another called their device defective because it would go forward even when the switch was in reverse, noting that this issue surfaced within two weeks of use. Someone else expressed disappointment because their drill damaged most of their work hardware, as it would change drive direction at random. Thus far, this random switching has been reported only among the DCD700 series of DeWalt drills.

DeWalt takes pride in its innovative battery technology that pairs well with its line of cordless tools. The extensive compatibility of the batteries means they work with the brand's ecosystem of handheld power tools. Since DeWalt batteries are interchangeable, you can go about your day working almost nonstop on a project. This is the ideal scenario when you buy any of DeWalt's cordless drills. However, for some customers, the opposite holds. On Home Depot's website alone, several verified buyers have complained about the poor-quality batteries they got with their units. One customer said the battery of their device was so bad that they could only cut a two-by-four with a fully charged battery. They had to go through four batteries to make a few cuts.

Other owners have also complained about drill bits falling off the chuck. One user said in their Home Depot review of the Atomic 20V Lithium-Ion Cordless Compact Drill that their bit would fall out of the device whenever they relaxed their arm to the side with the drill facing down. The same issue was echoed by another user over on DeWalt's website, saying their drill bits would also come off no matter how hard they tightened the chuck. Worse, they experienced the same issue when they bought a new drill from the same brand.