TOOL REVIEW – Dewalt Combination Hammer-Drill & Impact Driver Set

The hammer drill and impact set from Dewalt was one of the first tools I got to use as a part of the #THDproSpective program. I’ve traditionally been an 18v Makita guy for the past decade, so I was really excited to test out Dewalt’s 20v stuff. I took a poll recently on my electrician Facebook group, Electrical Wizardry, and found that the top 2 tool brands most electricians use are Milwaukee and Dewalt, so I knew that this was going to be good.

Immediately when I opened the package I was happy. Everything comes in a nice carry bag. Unzip the bag and both drills, two batteries, and a charger are waiting inside. The bag is average size, not too big or too small. It fits the tools it came with and is small enough to tuck under a seat in your truck. The first thing I did was plug the charger into the wall and get those 20v Li Ion batteries charging and ready for use at work. The batteries I got were 2 different sizes, so I got to test the charge times of both of the batteries. The small 2amp/hour charged in around 15 min, and the 4amp/hour charged in around 25 min. That’s outstanding. The next day when I got to work I pulled the kit out of my truck, stuck the batteries in, and carried them over to the electrical service I was about to build.

The Hammer Drill
I needed to get some 2” holes knocked out of a few of my enclosures, and to do that I had to use a Klein knockout set. But in order to use a knockout set you have to drill a pilot hole into your metal, so the knockout bolt can fit inside. Enter the Dewalt Hammer Drill. I didn’t use it on hammer obviously, just the normal drill setting. But when I pulled that trigger I smiled. It was powerful, no doubt. It feels quality holding it in your hand. It’s very easy to understand all of the various functionalities of the buttons and switches on both the hammer drill and impact. I put my 7/8” uni-bit (stepped bit) in the drill and drilled out a 7/8” hole for my bolt to fit into. The drilling went extremely smooth. The trigger responds to different pressure like a foot on a gas pedal. You can lightly feather the trigger to achieve a low drive speed, or you can apply slightly more pressure and the motor steps up nicely. You can pull the trigger down all the way and when you do holy hell, this thing takes off.

For a hammer drill this Dewalt 20v is lightweight. Most of the hammer drills I’ve used in the past have been large, bulky, and heavy. So it’s refreshing that this drill has some ass behind it, yet is still small enough to want to carry for everyday use. In order to hang my electrical enclosures, I had to drill holes through hardy board, so I could get thick wood screws into the wood behind the stucco. I used a set of masonry bits that Bosch sent me to drill holes in the hardy board before screwing each enclosure on the wall. The speed and power behind this hammer drill made quick and easy work out of this task.

The hammer drill also comes with a light down near the batteries, that has 3 settings. One setting allows you to keep the light on for 20 minutes after the button is depressed, then automatically shuts off. THIS is awesome. There’s nothing worse than forgetting a flashlight and needing to use the light on your drill in an attic, but the light keeps shutting off every 10 seconds. Very good thinking Dewalt. The other two settings are “full bright” and “dim” which will come on when the trigger is depressed, and stay on for around 10 seconds before shutting off. Still very handy when you don’t want to drain the battery by keeping, but just need the added feature of having light to see what you’re drilling.