Shown here is my trusty Dewalt Xtreme 12V Max cordless drill/driver. Its power and performance are perfectly dialed in for its size, and the handle grip and comfort are superb.
I spent a couple of hours outside today, building and filling a new planter box to join several others that I built last summer, and the drill put in some work drilling pilot holes for 5/16″ structural screws.
(Yes, it’s almost winter, but I want to get this done before everything freezes, to have it ready for planting next spring. I also need the wood out of the garage so that I can start a big project.)
Advertisement
So, if I was using a Dewalt Xtreme cordless drill earlier, why is there a new combo kit sitting on my workbench?
Dewalt is a ToolGuyd sponsor for the holiday season (thank you!), and… well… doesn’t that always mean it’s time to buy out some new tools?!
So, out came the ToolGuyd credit card, and hello Dewalt shopping spree!
I don’t know want to ruin the surprise, but we’ll be holding a giveaway next week where you can win a chance to have your own Dewalt Shopping Spree opportunity!
And, here they are, my new Dewalt Xtreme cordless drill and impact driver. I’ve been using a review sample of the drill on and off since it first came out, and the impact driver a couple of times since then as well, but these are MINE, and I am very much excited.
Even though I know exactly what to expect with these tools, I can’t wait to do some more drilling and driving.
Advertisement
The kit also comes with (2) 2.0Ah batteries, a 12V/20V Max charger (DCB112, 2A charging rate), belt clips, and a tool bag.
I also of course ordered a personal copy of the Dewalt Xtreme 12V Max screwdriver, and the new 5-in-1 multi-head drill/driver. There was also an excellent holiday promo on the one-handed reciprocating saw, but I couldn’t justify it as I have a purchased copy of the Dewalt 20V Max Atomic version that has not left me wanting.
Unfortunately, this combo kit, DCK221F2, is no longer at Black Friday/Cyber pricing. I’ll keep my eyes for any other promos that are worth sharing.
But, there’s a bit of good news. Other Dewalt holiday promos are still ongoing:
Read More:
Don
What was the Black Friday pricing? I just bought this at Lowes yesterday for $149 and was happy with that price. Hate to think I missed even better.
Stuart
$129.
$149 is still a great price (and rare these days). Right now it’s $199.
Don
Then I still feel good about $149.
Matt the Hoople
I bought the drill and driver last year but opted for the individual kits which netted two additional batteries and a charged for $50 more than the two piece kit. They were $99 each during the Black Friday sale. I then returned the drill and got the hammer drill for like $20 more. I decided I like the hammer drill better because the clutch sticks out past the trigger an additional 3/4 inch which makes it 200% easier to change clutch settings. Didn’t really care about having the hammer function but have ended up using for a few projects so worked out.
I built a 12×12 shed with mine and never felt wanting and never pulled out my 20v tools. Having 4 batteries helped.
Jason
Grab my 12v Xtreme drill and impact for like 95% of my projects. Ergonomic, compact, and very light. Plus batteries last for quite a while.
Rob
I really like the 12v bit driver. So much so that someday I’ll snag the 10% better for 3x the price Mac tools version. Actually, I used the bit driver with the new impact on the roof today. I’m the Makita/Mafell/Festool dude and all but I like the Dewalt stuff I have.
lava
I’m still looking for a deal on the 12v 5in1 if anybody has seen anything.
Clay
Same.
Saulac
As someone who is heavily into M12, I keep looking over to Dewalt’s Xtreme and Atomic with envy because of the ergonomic of their grips . It is something that has to be tried hand on (with glove) to appreciate. Some will say the grips is too skinny, but they are just perfect for most hands, especially with glove on. Something has to do with the unusual shape of the grips, which get really skinny at the bottom. At the same time, I am concern about how big M12 tools, especially the Fuel ones, are getting. The “grip” of the M12 die/angle grinders are still acceptable, the “grip” of the M12 oscillating tool is just too big. I understand the M12 limitation due to the battery form factor, but lately Milwaukee seems to just making same tools with different battery. Performance matter, but aren’t M12 are supposed to be compact to replace manual hand tools?
MM
I think it’s “six of one, half a dozen of the other”.
I agree that the narrow grip of the Dewalt is much more ergonomic than the thick M12 grip. But the Dewalt has a battery hanging off the end of the handle, while some of the M12 batteries fit entirely inside the handle.
For something like a drill/driver, a circ saw, impact wrench, etc, I don’t really care about the battery location so I prefer Dewalt tools for those applications. But for a cordless ratchet or a die grinder that I might have to cram into a tight engine compartment then I prefer M12 because then I can get rid of that annoying battery on the back of the handle.
Joellikestools
I I agree about the m12 ratchet it is a good one to have the battery inside.
Rog
I steered away from the M12 line for this same reason; I hate the fat shapeless handles. They’re clunky in the hand, especially with gloves. Which is a shame tho, cuz I like the range of tools.
Don Julio
Nice! I picked these up at $129 as well. Haven’t yet used them, but I’ve really been pleased with the 12v 3/8” impact wrench (DCF902) I got earlier this year.
Now I can retire some 20v brushed tools and bide my time on their replacements.
Clay
Love these. I feel like they are even better balanced with the 5AH batteries.
Jon
Dewalt was offering individual 12v tool kits with a free 5 ah battery earlier this year. I was hoping they would repeat this over the holiday, but no such luck.
I am quite pleased with all of the 12v tools I have purchased. It is pretty rare that that they lack power for anything I need them to do. They do seem to be offering many of their new tools in both the 12v and atomic lines, making me second guess the decision to buy into the 12v system, and reluctant to invest further.
Matt the Hoople
I jumped (or tried to jump) on that deal when I bought the 12v 3/8 impact wrench. There was some discussion here as well as some other sites about the 5ah batteries not being available or being really low supply. It seems a lot of Lowe’s locations were showing inventory of the 5ah batteries but didn’t have them. After checking a few stores in my area where they couldn’t find the batteries they showed they had in stock, I convinced the manager to sub in the one and only 3ah battery they had in stock. So I got a free battery but not as powerful as I would have liked. It’s fine, but, with cordless impact wrenches, it seems the higher capacity batteries tend to deliver more power and thus, the impact wrenches generate higher levels of torque when using larger batteries.
jon
I managed to pick up a couple of items at the time, but it was a hassle. My local Lowes regularly finds ways to deter me from shopping there.
I am disappointed that Dewalt offered a lot of promotions on the 20v lines this year, and for the most part ignored identical 12v products.
Plain grainy
These 12v tools just seem to large. I was looking at the Bosch 12v impact(900+ torque). Much smaller.
Stuart
These are more comfortable to use.
Robert
Totally agree. I have a 12v Max electric screwdriver and couldn’t be happier. My son has a 12v Bosch set that is great, but the ergonomics of the DeWalt are vastly better. Super light, plenty of torque for its intended purpose, and a pleasure to use.
I can use the DeWalt longer without the hand discomfort of the wider grip of the Bosch because of the inserted battery. The DeWalt almost feels like an extension of my hand.
Plain grainy
Thanks! I wasn’t aware of that.
Frank D
Try before you buy.
Hand size may come into play.
I have sampled Dewalt and did not care for the skinny handle and tool size being so similar to traditional size. Pretty much a duplicate tool but more ergonomic because it is lighter. My Bosch units I have used in spaces and corners where no other brand tool with more size and traditional style battery pack bulge would reach …
Well worth a slightly thicker handle.
lava
I dunno. A Bosch 12v grip battery handle does not equal a Milwaukee M12 grip battery handle. It is notably smaller and easier to grip.
Frank D
The Bosch 12v are highly ergonomic compared to many other tools and much more compact overall than Dewalt 12v. Standard batteries are small, but great for confined space use and delicate tasks. Except for their any angle screw driver, that thing is surprisingly huge.
x lu
I would like to know what day to day drivers you are ‘replacing’ with these. And other than the sponsorship angle motivating the purchase, in what ways are these better options than your previous daily drivers? Are there any features not present that you miss? I’m at the point where if youre above entry level points, the differences seem mostly insignificant. As a result what really interests me are the tradeoffs manufacturers make, the subtle but important differences in ergonomics and specific tasks where one tool might outshine another. A bad example- i have a ryobi cordless screwdriver that has a hand screwdriver form factor that i exclusively use for electronics and computer repairs. Insufficient power for anything else but the form factors shines in my use case.
fred
In our GC and Remodeling business – we fielded between 16 and 20 crews. For our plumbing businesses – we sometimes had as many as 25 to 30 crews working. We tried to never buy tools based on manufacturers hype that the newest – was the latest and greatest. Instead, if we thought that a newly announced tool might actually offer a SIGNIFICANT increase to our productivity or worker safety or allow us to accomplish some job previously impossible – then we’d buy some “samples” and pass them around for a try-out. In very few instances did we them immediately replace our entire fleet of older tools. But, if we found a tool that they guys liked – we would likely phase that in as we retired older worn-out tools or replace ones that sometimes evaporated into thin air (a problem for us on larger jobsites where we were not in control.) It might have been nice to always have a shiny new fleet of tools, trucks etc. – but we saw that as unproductive churn.
Joellikestools
I have become a big fan of electric screwdrivers myself. I have used my m12 extensively at work for machine screws. Our screws are sometimes going into brass inserts in plastic casing. Anything else is overkill or over-torque. The other techs like the Ryobis, Skil, and the Dewalt 8v. Anything that fits in and out of small work bags easily. For all the options it seems six of one half a dozen of the other for features
fred
Makita used to make torque-controlled cordless screwdrivers based on a 14.4V battery platform. We never tried them out for our fabrication business – where we used mostly Hios torque-controlled drivers.
For my home use I have a 13+ year old (not brushless) M12 driver (2401-20) that I find is easy to control and powerful enough for many driving tasks – without being so powerful to mess up most screw heads. When building furniture with reproduction brasses – I still often first drive a steel wood screw into the pilot hole, back it out – then hand drive the finish brass screw.
Stuart
The editorial sample that I don’t own.
I have really liked the Dewalt Xtreme drills and drivers, and have started using them even more.
This seemed like a good opportunity to replace the editorial sample with a purchased copy.
I also bought a couple of tools off Dewalt’s holiday deals list, and will be sharing more details soon.
Would you rather I partner with brands whose tools I don’t like and wouldn’t recommend?
The one thing I was unsure about was the 5-in-1, but I figured it’ll be interesting to see if and how I use it compared to the standalone tools.
For the drill, the comfort is the top selling point for me. I also really like the cordless screwdriver. The impact driver is good, but the drill and screwdriver are first-choices for me.
Is this the best 12V class drill, period? No. But it’s the best one for me when I deliberately choose a 12V drill over 18V/20V Max.
x lu
I think you are inferring something i wasnt intending. Your post said that the spondorship is what created the opportunity to open your wallet- simple as that. And given you were spending your money, i was interested in knowing why you chose these options which you addressed in your reply. i will say your final paragraph left me confused though.
You say it is not the best 12volt, so in your view, what is? But you go on to say that it is the best one for you when you choose 12 over 18+. Is it safe for me to conclude that the best 12volt drill isnt the best for you because of the comfort factor or is there another reason why you spent your money on this one. Thanks.
Matt the Hoople
I think what Stuart is saying is that there is “no single best” 12v drill. A few really good choices (Dewalt, Milwaukee, Bosch, Skill) are available. They are all well built and capable. What makes one better than the other depends on what the user values as most important. Does one value lowest price, highest torque, largest available battery capacity, ergonomics (what size is the user’s hands?), other available tools using the same battery platform?
What makes one better than the other is somewhat subjective based on the users wants, needs, planned use and ergos.
For “me” it came down to 2 options: Dewalt and skil. This is because the other two brands I mentioned above are not as comfortable “for me” because of the fat grips they have. For me the Dewalt won out because of the other tools available and the fact that they are growing the product line. The Skils are great but I’m leery as to the longevity of the line.
Chris Shelton
Killer Deal if you can find one. I bought one yesterday with two left at my Lowes.
XTREME 2-Tool 12-Volt Max Brushless Power Tool Combo Kit with Soft Case (2-Batteries and charger Included) https://www.lowes.com/pd/DEWALT-12V-SOFT-STORAGE-2-KIT-BACKPCK/5000164295
Stuart
Agreed. I haven’t posted about it this season since availability has been very limited.
Plain grainy
Home Depot- Special buys of the day- Monday. Strange pricing! Ridgid model 9208-AC840040, was $229.00 now way over $300.00 in special buys!
Stuart
There looked to have been a glitch on the promo page where it only showed the “was” pricing instead of the sale pricing.
Plain grainy
Off topic: GearWrench 20 piece screwdriver set on Amazon. 80066H is usually over $70 to $80 on most days. Now $62.04!
Plain grainy
I have two Home Depots near me. I noticed that one store is usually $3 more for the same item. Usually occurs with items that are in store only, but not always.