# 20v brushless drill overkill?



## anuvanoob (Nov 14, 2011)

I do a little bit of everything around the house in terms of fixing, assembling, building & tinkering/DIYing. Some of my upcoming projects include installing desks, cabinets, shelving units & Murphy bed for an office/mudroom/guest room, running electrical and low voltage wiring (in open basement), building porch railings, re-frame/extend a basement room and building whatever gawd awful Pinterest contraption my wife wants for the kids in the house or yard. I've been eyeing those combo drill kits for a couple of years now that include brushless 20v 2.0Ah compact and impact drills. Are these overkill for the jack of all trades kind of projects I'll do? If so, any recommendation on specs I should be looking at?


P.S. - I'm coming from a Craftsman C3 NiCad 19.2v power drill and I guess it has served me well. Unfortunately the batteries, charger and/or drill are now dying/failing (spins slow, no force), but I don't care to troubleshoot nor re-invest in NiCad.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

I say, "go for it." You can never have enough power. I've wanted to go to the 20 Volt DeWalt combo for some time, but, being the painter that I am, I find that my old 18v NiCad combo kit to be more than adequate for MOST of what I do as a DIYer.

I, too, used to have the Craftsman C3. You will be amazed at how UNDERpowered that drill was compared to something you'll be getting. I absolutely love my DeWalt impact driver. That thing has saved me from more frustration than I can count on TWO hands, especially when it comes to driving deck screws and the like.


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## jlhaslip (Dec 31, 2009)

The larger voltage and resulting power will require you to learn how to use the clutch settings for the driver application. Nothing worse than running a screw in too far. Especially on a finished product.


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

There is a Black Friday tool special on the Dewalt 20v drill/impact driver, two batteries and a charger for $149 at big orange. It's a no brainer. Normal cost of batteries each, alone is $99. You won't regret getting one.


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

On a cordless tool, the big differentiator is battery capacity. 2.0 Amp-hr on the drill you mentioned. Like anything, you can get better, you can get worse. Seems reasonable for a DIYer.

Brushless normally gives you better speed regulation, but that would not be the make or break in my decision.

Beware of sales on cordless tools. I once made that mistake when I needed replacement NiCad batteries for my Craftsman. Combo kit with drill, light, 2 batteries and charger was cheaper than 2 batteries. As I found out the hard way, first thing they do to lower the price is reduce the capacity of the batteries.


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## CodeMatters (Aug 16, 2017)

I have different cordless drills for different jobs. If I could only 
have one a 20V brushless would be a good choice. 
As it is I use a Milwaukee M12 Fuel (brushless) 95% of the time.


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## mathmonger (Dec 27, 2012)

Impact driver is awesome. It just works better. Less fatigue. More power. Less cam out. I even buy all my drill bits with hex shafts. I hardly ever pull out my drill unless it's a masonry bit or something that doesn't have a hex shaft. I'd even consider stepping down to the 12v. Those little tiny things still pack a punch.


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## anuvanoob (Nov 14, 2011)

As I'm browsing combo kits I notice some come with a regular/compact drill and an impact drill (minority) or hammer drill and an impact drill (majority). In the latter, does the hammer drill double as a standard drill (just not compact; take off the handle piece) or is it expected you already have a standard drill?


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## mathmonger (Dec 27, 2012)

Hammer mode is just for drilling masonry. You can turn that off and use it as a regular drill.


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## anuvanoob (Nov 14, 2011)

Gotcha. So they have essentially the same rpm, torque, speed, etc. as standard drills, but just not as compact in size, light weight and has the extra setting (hammer) to be mindful of when operating it?


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## mathmonger (Dec 27, 2012)

It probably depends on the exact models you're comparing. But in general, a hammer drill is a beefier, more heavy duty tool. I'd actually expect all those numbers to be higher. But they are heavy.


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

Although the battery drills have the hammer mode, I seldom use it since it eats up battery power. If I happen to do a bunch of holes, I revert to my SDS and drag out an extension cord. One or two holes, the battery one is good.


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## anuvanoob (Nov 14, 2011)

chandler48 said:


> Although the battery drills have the hammer mode, I seldom use it since it eats up battery power. If I happen to do a bunch of holes, I revert to my SDS and drag out an extension cord. One or two holes, the battery one is good.


Good to know. Thanks!

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 25, 2011)

for a diy er' any cordless drill with 2.0 amp batteries is more than enough.. its when you start stepping into the 5.0 and 6.0 amp hour batteries that your getting into pro grade tools.. those using cordless tools day in day out need the extra run time and power to be both efficient and not constantly putting the batteries on the charger

as for brushless. the two biggest benefits are longer run times and longer overall tool life .. reason being brushes create resistance on the tools motor which wears it out.. less resistance also means less wasted energy hence longer run times


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

On the flip side of the coin, we use 2.0 aH batteries mainly because of weight. We work with them hung in hangers on our belt and they become heavy. True, the run time is longer with the higher aH batteries, but the trade off is ours charge in 15 minutes, so with 6 batteries, we are seldom without power and we don't have the weight.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

You do know that DeWalt's "20V" is the same as everybody else's 18V? Just marketing BS.


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## Scottg (Nov 5, 2012)

* As mentioned, 20v vs. 18v is a bit of a sham because the things labeled 20v are really about the same as the 18v in terms of overall output. That't not really the point though. For most companies, this new battery design is just generally better. And has features like a button to show you battery power remaining, which can actually be very helpful.

* Last year, my older Dewalt 18v batteries were going. I had a choice to get more batteries, buy adapters and some 20v newer versions, or just get a new set of drills that came with batteries. While I hate wasting old gear, the fact is the expense of the batteries is so high, it seemed to make sense to get a 20v drill / driver kit for around $300 on a holiday sale rather than spend - what was then - going to be about $100 or more on batteries alone.

* My brushless 20v Dewalt drill and the driver are awesome. They have plenty of power, last a lot longer than my old ones, and supposedly will have a longer service life. I can't tell you how much longer. I've not actually tested with a known number of holes or anything. Though I can say that I still use a corded drill if I have a lot of pocket holes to do as that just burns down batteries fast.

* Personally, I use the smaller 20v 2 amp hours that came with the drills because I don't need the extra weight. I'm thinking about a cordless circular saw though, and may go with the flex volt 60v model for the power.

* Finally, all I can tell you is I'm happy with their performance. I do basic home diy stuff, but more then typical diy fine woodworking projects. (Not commercial level, but maybe 3 - 5 decent size projects / year in addition to diy.) My top brand choices are Dewalt and Bosch, though that's often a separate big discussion / debate.


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## carpdad (Oct 11, 2010)

As long as it feels light to me. For chore work in the house, you want light. I think 14v is about as heavy as I want to carry. Most work in the house is done with manual anyway. Makita has combined power with weight but it is about the most costly tool. I wouldn't do framing (deck, etc) with cordless. You probably would have to replace the batteries after one deck. Pros add this cost in and it does look good in youtube, but expensive for you.


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## iamrfixit (Jan 30, 2011)

carpdad said:


> I wouldn't do framing (deck, etc) with cordless. You probably would have to replace the batteries after one deck. Pros add this cost in and it does look good in youtube, but expensive for you.


LOL!

Have built decks, garages, sheds and finished out a 2500 sq ft house using the same 20v tools and batteries. Drove more than 5000 screws in my own deck alone. Those jobs are piled on top of a hundred other jobs, all done with these same tools and I've never even replaced a battery. I'm still using all three 3.0 ah packs that came with my first 20v set, dated 2011 and they still get used daily and are going strong. These tools have drilled countless holes, driven thousands of screws and cut stacks of lumber. Easily the best tools I've ever used. 

20v lithium tools weigh less, last longer and have far more power than the 14.4 tools I had previously. From the day I bought the first 20v tools I realized there was absolutely no comparison and started replacing all my remaining 14.4 stuff. I have a 12v max set that I keep in the house, works for small jobs but it's not up to the task of driving 3" screws all day. The 12v can do it, but it will be slower with frequent battery changes, the 20v does it fast and effortlessly and single battery will drive several times more screws.


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

> buy adapters and some 20v newer versions


I was going to need more XRP batteries before long, so I bought the 20v adapter and 2 20 volt batteries for $119. Batteries alone are $99. They, along with the adapter, are much lighter, even in combination , than one of the 18v XRP's, so for me it was a win-win.


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## jbfan (Jul 1, 2004)

chandler48 said:


> I was going to need more XRP batteries before long, so I bought the 20v adapter and 2 20 volt batteries for $119. Batteries alone are $99. They, along with the adapter, are much lighter, even in combination , than one of the 18v XRP's, so for me it was a win-win.


I did the same thing!


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